Autism - Signs, Symptoms, Treatments, Resources, Support for Autism

What is sensory integration therapy?

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Fri, 31 May 2013 19:32:00 +0000

You may have heard a lot about sensory integration therapy. That’s because some researchers estimate that eight out of 10 children with autism have problems processing sensory input. For example, they can’t filter out background noise. Other signs of processing issues include:

Problems with balance
Problems with body position in space
Oversensitivity to touch and the feel of certain types of clothing, such as socks with seams

With autism, social, behavioral, or attention problems can be partly a result of these sensory challenges.
Although more research is needed, OT can help with sensory integration and some of the related behavioral problems. Research suggests sensory integration therapy is less helpful in improving academic performance.
Examples of sensory integration therapy include:

Being brushed or deeply touched and massaged
Compressing elbows and knees
Swinging
Spinning on a scooter
Wearing a weighted vest

How can someone obtain OT services for autism?

You can obtain occupational therapy services either privately, through a statewide early childhood intervention program, or at school. Public law requires schools to provide certain types of occupational therapy to those who need it. Private insurance also usually covers OT. In addition, Medicaid may cover occupational therapy for autism, even for families with higher incomes. School based OT tends to be more functional in nature. Typically, it works as an adjunct to educational goals, such as improving handwriting, so the child can keep up by taking notes. Private therapy will be more medically intensive.

Benefits of Occupational Therapy for Autism

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Fri, 31 May 2013 19:31:00 +0000

Occupational therapists study human growth and development and a person’s interaction with the environment through daily activities. They are experts in the social, emotional, and physiological effects of illness and injury. This knowledge helps them promote skills for independent living in people with autism and other developmental disorders.
Occupational therapists work as part of a team that includes parents, teachers, and other professionals. They help set specific goals for the person with autism. These goals often involve social interaction, behavior, and classroom performance.
Occupational therapists can help in two main ways: evaluation and therapy.

How is occupational therapy useful for evaluation of autism?

The therapist observes children to see if they can do tasks they are expected to do at their ages -- getting dressed or playing a game, for example. Sometimes, the therapist will have the child videotaped during the day in order to see how the child interacts with his or her environment in order to better assess the kind of care the child needs. The therapist might note any of the following:

Attention span and stamina
Transition to new activities
Play skills
Need for personal space
Responses to touch or other types of stimuli
Motor skills such as posture, balance, or manipulation of small objects
Aggression or other types of behaviors
Interactions between the child and caregivers

How does occupational therapy help a person with autism?

Once an occupational therapist has gathered information, he or she can develop a program for your child. There is no single ideal treatment program. But early, structured, individualized care has been shown to work best.
Occupational therapy may combine a variety of strategies. These can help your child respond better to his or her environment. These OT strategies include:

Physical activities, such as stringing beads or doing puzzles, to help a child develop coordination and body awareness
Play activities to help with interaction and communication
Developmental activities, such as brushing teeth and combing hair
Adaptive strategies, including coping with transitions

What are the benefits of occupational therapy for autism?

The overall goal of occupational therapy is to help the person with autism improve his or her quality of life at home and in school. The therapist helps introduce, maintain, and improve skills so that people with autism can be as independent as possible.
These are some of the skills occupational therapy may foster:

Daily living skills, such as toilet training, dressing, brushing teeth, and other grooming skills
Fine motor skills required for holding objects while handwriting or cutting with scissors
Gross motor skills used for walking, climbing stairs, or riding a bike
Sitting, posture, or perceptual skills, such as telling the differences between colors, shapes, and sizes
Awareness of his or her body and its relation to others
Visual skills for reading and writing
Play, coping, self-help, problem solving, communication, and social skills

By working on these skills during occupational therapy, a child with autism may be able to:

Develop peer and adult relationships
Learn how to focus on tasks
Learn how to delay gratification
Express feelings in more appropriate ways
Engage in play with peers
Learn how to self-regulate

Benefits of Occupational Therapy for Autism - Home Treatment

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Fri, 31 May 2013 19:28:00 +0000

Having a child with autism requires taking a proactive approach to learning about the condition and its treatment while working closely with others involved in your child's care. You also need to take care of yourself so that you are able to face the many challenges of having a child with autism.

Educate yourself about autism

Ask your doctor or contact autism groups to find training about autism and how to manage symptoms. Parent and family education has been shown to reduce family stress and improve a child's functioning.⁵ Understanding the condition and knowing what to expect is an important part of helping your child develop independence.
Become informed about your child's educational rights. Federal laws require services for handicapped children, including those with autism. Also, there may be state and local laws or policies to aid children who have autism. Find out what services are available in your area.
Learning about autism will also help prepare you for when your child reaches adulthood. Some adults with autism can live by themselves, work, and be as independent as other people their age. Others need continued support.

Work closely with others who care for your child

Close communication with others involved in your child's education and care will help all concerned. The best treatment for children with autism is a team approach and a consistent, structured program. Everyone involved needs to work together to set goals for:

Education.
Identifying and managing symptoms of autism and any related conditions.
Behavior and interactions with family and peers, adjustment to different environments, and social and communication skills.

Work closely with the health professionals involved in your child's care. It is important that they take time to listen to your concerns and are willing to work with you.

Take care of yourself

Learn ways to handle the normal range of emotions, fears, and concerns that go along with raising a child who has autism. The daily and long-term challenges put you and your other children at an increased risk for depression or stress-related illnesses. The way you handle these issues influences other family members.

Get involved in a hobby, visit with friends, and learn ways to relax.
Seek and accept support from others. Consider using respite care, which is a family support service that provides a break for parents and siblings. Also, support groups for parents and siblings are often available. People who participate in support groups can benefit from others' experiences. For more information on support groups in your area, contact the Autism Society of America at www.autism-society.org.
Talk with a doctor about whether counseling would help if you or one of your children is having trouble handling the strains related to having a family member with autism.

Language Delays Found in Siblings of Autistic Children

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Fri, 31 May 2013 19:24:00 +0000

Siblings of children with autism have more frequent language delays and other subtle characteristics of the disorder than previously understood. Girls also may be mildly affected more often than recognized in the past.
A new study, led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, found mild traits, not strong enough to provoke a diagnosis of autism, seem to be present in the siblings of affected children at significantly higher rates than seen in the general population. The findings appear online and will be published in the November issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry.
“Mild symptoms, called quantitative traits, may be confounding studies that compare children with autism to their siblings,” says first author John N. Constantino, MD. “Researchers presume one child is affected, and the other is not, but our findings suggest that although one child may have autism while the other does not, it’s very possible both children are affected to some degree by genes that contribute to autism.”
Genetic factors exert their influence in different ways. Some families have only a single child with autism and no other affected children. But in other families, more than one child may be affected, or other siblings may have a number of autism characteristics.
The study found that approximately one in five siblings thought to be unaffected experienced language delays or speech problems early in life. The researchers also noticed many female siblings had subtle traits, but few had full-blown autism spectrum disorders. Boys are thought to be affected four times more often than girls. But when the researchers used standardized methods to account for the presence of quantitative traits, the rate looked more like three affected boys for every two affected girls.
“The gender difference may not be as pronounced as we once thought it was,” Constantino says. “If we rely only on a professional diagnosis of autism to determine who is affected, then boys vastly outnumber girls. But it may be that many girls are being missed.”
The data comes from almost 3,000 U.S. children in 1,235 families who are part of the Interactive Autism Network, a national online research registry at www.IANproject.org. Developed by study co-author Paul Law, MD, director of medical informatics at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, the network has more than 35,000 participants who share information to help advance autism research.
For this study, parents provided information about their children using the Social Responsiveness Scale, a survey developed at Washington University that identifies traits associated with autism and autism spectrum disorders such as Asperger Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder.
About 10 percent of children with autism have genetic mutations believed to directly lead to the disorder. In others, common gene variations create small increases in susceptibility. When a child has an accumulation of quantitative traits, that child will be diagnosed with autism or a related disorder, but siblings can have subtle quantitative traits without reaching the threshold for a diagnosis.
“It’s not an all-or-nothing condition,” Constantino says. “When we look only at the full syndrome for inherited traits, we miss a lot of individuals who may have genetic susceptibility and subtle aspects of autism. In other words, many siblings of children on the spectrum have significant, subclinical traits of autism, but, for whatever reason, they never actually develop the disorder.”
Constantino, the Blanche F. Ittleson Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics and director of the William Greenleaf Eliot Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Washington University, compares it to the difference between insulin resistance and diabetes. Not all people with insulin resistance are diabetic, and some never develop diabetes, but they are at a much higher risk for the disease. The same thing is true for autism, he says.
One striking finding was that among siblings, 20 percent had received a diagnosis of language delay or speech problems early in life. And half of them had particular qualities of speech that are autistic in nature. So the investigators believe that what is aggregating in these families is more than just the full syndrome of autism. In about 11 percent of families, more than one sibling has autism, and in many others, these subtle, quantitative signs and symptoms indicate many undiagnosed children are affected as well.
That’s important, Constantino says, because in studies involving DNA tests, brain imaging or biological comparisons between affected children and their unaffected siblings, researchers traditionally assume undiagnosed children are unaffected. But this study would suggest that’s not necessarily the case.
The study also found quantitative traits of autism tended to occur more frequently in children from families with more than one fully affected child. In families with only one child with autism, it was much more common for that child’s siblings not to have any evidence of quantitative traits. And the study also found that it was less common for siblings to be affected with those traits than for non-identical twins — a finding suggested by pooling the results of this study with a recent twin study from Law and his colleagues at Kennedy Krieger Institute that used exactly the same methods and the same family registry.
Law and Constantino say their findings provide insight into the inheritance patterns of autism and its associated traits. Although those severely affected with autism spectrum disorders seldom have their own children, those who are affected with quantitative traits of autism usually grow up to be parents themselves, and understanding how best to predict patterns of transmission in families and identifying the specific genetic and environmental factors underlying those patterns could offer hope for new, more effective interventions that could be used early in the lives of affected children, Constantino says.

Constantino JN, Zhang Y, Frazier T, Abbacchi AM, Law P. Sibling recurrence and the genetic epidemiology of autism. The American Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 167 (11), published online Oct. 1, 2010. http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org.
This work was supported by grants from the National Institute Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health. The Interactive Autism Network volunteer registry is supported by Autism Speaks.
Constantino receives royalties from Western Psychological Services for the commercial distribution of the Social Responsiveness Scale, but no royalties were generated by any of the assessments performed for this study.
Washington University School of Medicine’s 2,100 employed and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation, currently ranked fourth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.
About the Kennedy Krieger Institute
Internationally recognized for improving the lives of children and adolescents with disorders and injuries of the brain and spinal cord, the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Md., serves more than 16,000 individuals each year through inpatient and outpatient clinics, home and community services and school‐based programs. Kennedy Krieger provides a wide range of services for children with developmental concerns mild to severe, and is home to a team of investigators who are contributing to the understanding of how disorders develop while pioneering new interventions and earlier diagnosis. For more information on Kennedy Krieger Institute, visit www.kennedykrieger.org.

Autism & Healthy Eating: Tips for Feeding

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 23:38:00 +0000

Having your child diagnosed with autism can be overwhelming. Autism is all over the news these days, with significantly more children being diagnosed with this condition today than in recent generations. Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder that affects the brain, develops within a child's first few years of life and affects verbal, social, emotional, physical and intellectual functioning. The causes of autism are not fully understood, and its severity and responsiveness to various treatments vary widely from child to child. Some autism experts believe a healthy diet might help children with autism function more successfully.

Step 1

Consult your child's physician or a registered dietitian with autism experience first. According to Northwestern University's Medill Reports, children with autism often suffer from digestive problems in addition to their neurological and behavioral symptoms, so it's important to discuss any possible dietary changes with the medical team that treats your child's autism, to ensure proper nutrition, caloric intake and a selection of foods that minimize gastric distress.

Step 2

Emphasize whole, unprocessed, ideally organic foods. Certified nutrition consultant Julie Matthews, in Northwestern University's Medill Reports, says building an autistic child's diet around such healthy foods targets possible nutritional deficiencies that can arise due to autism's effects on the digestive system. Avoid packaged, processed foods that provide minimal nutrition for their calorie content.

Step 3

Consider one of the special diets sometimes used for the treatment of autism. Some children with autism seem to benefit from diets free of gluten, a component in most grains, or casein, a substance found in dairy products. MayoClinic.com also notes that diets free of common food allergens and yeast might be helpful.

Step 4

Consider adding particular supplements to your child's diet. With your physician's OK, you might try probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, folic acid, or vitamin A, C or B6 supplements, all of which have been tried by families with autistic children. Whether or not they decrease autism symptoms, such nutrients are unlikely to be harmful if taken appropriately, and might provide necessary added nutrition to your child's diet.

Eating involves the integration of a variety of sensory experiences and is influenced by the “mealtime experience.” So what is a “typical” eater and when is eating a problem?

The Continuum of Eating Types

A "typical eater" will usually:

eat a variety of foods
show interest in foods
tolerate the presence of new foods and try new foods

A "picky eater" can:

Have aversions to some foods, but still eat a variety
Eat foods from each texture group and food group
Tolerate the presence of new food
Be willing to touch or try new foods

A "resistant" or "problem" eater will often:

Eat 15 to 20 foods or fewer
Refuse of one or more food groups (often preferring carbohydrates)
Refuse of one or more texture type (often preferring crunchy or soft foods, not both)
Tantrum or melt down at meal times
Prefer one flavor (often sweet or salty)
Prefer strong flavors OR bland flavors
Prefer foods of the same color
Prefer certain foods to always be the same brand. For example, only chicken nuggets from McDonald’s.
Gag when trying new foods
Display anxiety over the presence of new foods on their plate, on the table or even in the room
Find the smell of certain foods to be noxious

A child who may become a problem eater often starts to refuse foods when parents introduce chunky baby food. The presence of a solid requiring chewing and puree (or liquid) that does not require chewing is often perceived as noxious. This can play out in a child refusing to eat vegetable soup of diced vegetables and broth, but then eating the same soup when pureed. Many fresh fruits can present the same way. Citrus fruits, watermelon, ripe peaches and pears consist of a solid and juice combination. These are also often refused. Children may have “food jags” where they will request and eat the same food at every meal. The problem with this is that often children will suddenly refuse this food. For a child with a severely limited diet the elimination of a key diet item can be problematic.

What parents of problem eaters need to understand is that they did not create the feeding problem. Problem eating is the result of very real physical and neurological responses on the part of the child. Usually the parent of a problem eater has continually offered their child a large variety of healthy foods. When given the choice of a food perceived as noxious or not eating at all, these children will choose to not eat. They would do so over consecutive meals if made to. Withholding food or physically forcing a child to eat is never a successful method to get them to eat. In her book How to Get Your Kids to Eat ... But Not Too Much, Ellyn Satter defines the role of a “good parent“ when feeding their children:

Good Parents are responsible for feeding their children ... Parents and professionals working with children are responsible for preparing and providing a well balanced meal at an appropriate schedule and setting. The child is soley responsible for whether they eat and how much they eat.

What You Can Do

Create the Best Schedule and Setting for Successful Eating

Have meals and snacks at predictable times. A written or picture schedule can be helpful.
Eating and drinking done at the table during snacks and meals
Offer water to drink between meals
NO GRAZING. If children are allowed to eat through out the day they will not be able to regulate sensations of hunger and satiation. They may also snack on preferred foods during the day to fill themselves and eat fewer healthier foods at meal time.

Rotate foods and when they are served. For example, If a child can predict always having a large glass of milk before bed, they will eat fewer foods offered earlier in the day.
Meal time should be a non-stressful experience for a child. Stress decreases appetite and children will avoid mealtime if the perceive it as a stressful time.
Don’t use dessert as reward-reinforces idea of having to eat “bad food” to get “good food.” Incorporate small amounts of dessert items into meals.
It’s okay to leave food.
Mix it up. It is okay to have pancakes for dinner.
If needed, post behavior rules (written or pictured) near table. For example, no throwing food.
Include preferred foods at every meal.
Be a model. Eat with your children. Talk about the foods and their textures, flavors, smells etc.
Have children participate in meal planning and preparation as is developmentally appropriate. Include them in: shopping, choosing foods, preparing and cooking foods, setting the table, serving food etc.
Let children chose the plates and cups they use at meal times.
Redefine “Success.” Children are taking risks and showing progress when they do any of the following with new foods: smell, touch, poke with a fork, touch to lips, touch to chin, or lick. Even tolerating a new food in the same room or on the table is success. All of these activities are worthy of big praise. It is important to recognize these as signs of success, even though they have not actually taken a bite.
PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE any participation in food-related experiences.

Rethink What Foods to Offer

The "Food Chaining" method for working with problem eaters looks at individual child’s eating habits. In their book Food Chaining: The Proven 6-Step Plan to Stop Picky Eating, Solve Feeding Problems, and Expand Your Child’s Diet, Cheri Fraker, Mark Fishbein MD, Sibyl Cox, and Laura Walbert offer a common sense approach to dealing with problem eaters. In short, an analysis of a child’s eating is done by looking at the characteristics of their preferred foods. Characteristics examined include: food groups, textures, flavors and textures. Foods which are highly similar to the preferred foods are selected to be introduced. I have had wonderful success in my practice using this approach and recommended their book for both parents and professionals. The Food Chaining courses are excellent as well.

An additional approach that has had excellent success is the the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) feeding program created by Dr. Kay Toomey. This program integrates sensory, motor, oral, behavioral/learning, medical and nutritional factors and approaches in order to comprehensively evaluate and manage children with feeding/growth problems. It is based on the “normal” developmental steps and skills of feeding. Information on this approach is available to professionals (and possibly parents) who attend SOS training.

What Else Can I Do?

Consult your pediatrician and/or nutritionist with concerns regarding adequate growth, nutrition and hydration.
Continue to educate yourself about SPD and problem eaters (see Resources, below)
Seek out support from other parents of problem eaters
Incorporate developmentally appropriate food experiences and education into your child’s day:

Songs about food: “Apples and Bananas”
Children’s books about food and eating (see Reference List)
Play with plastic foods. Sort by food groups, create pretend balanced meals
Paint with food. Make potato or melon stamps to use with paint
Use carrot, celery and other foods to paint with condiments
Avocado (or banana) can be cut up peeled and squished to use as finger paint or “shaving cream”
Load and dump toy trucks with various crackers, nuts. Talk about textures, colors, smells
Create a picture by gluing dry foods on paper (crackers, dry roasted soy nuts, dried fruit, freeze dried fruit)
Make necklaces of diced, pierced fresh, or dried fruits and veggies
Look at and experience foods in various forms: whole carrot with greens, peel the carrot, shred it, dice it, cook it, carrot juice, freeze dried carrots (can do with apples, peaches)

Professional Help

Quite often parents need to seek out professional help for their children. When pursuing an evaluation and treatment, it is important to find a feeding specialist who has experience with problem eaters. Speech or Occupational Therapists often seek out specialization in this area. Ask to have a phone consult with a therapist to gain information about the approach they use. While the use of one-to-one reinforcement for eating a new food (for example a bite of non-preferred saltine cracker earns a bite of preferred fish cracker) can be acceptable, forcing a child to eat is never acceptable. These therapy services can be expensive and it is reasonable to ask a therapist about their approach, training, and experience with problem eaters.

References

Ernsperger, Lori and Stegen-Hanson, Tania (2004). Just Take a Bite: Easy, Effective Answers to Food Aversions and Eating Challenges! Arlington: Future Horizons.
Ernsperger, Lori and Stegen-Hanson, Tania (2005). Finicky Eaters: What to Do When Kids Won't Eat. Arlington: Future Horizons.
Fraker, Cheri, Mark Fishbein MD and Sibyl Cox (2007). Food Chaining: The Proven 6-Step Plan to Stop Picky Eating, Solve Feeding Problems, and Expand Your Child’s Diet. New York: Marlow and Company.
Kranowitz, Carol Stock M.A (2005). The Out-of-Sync Child Recognizing and coping with Sensory Processing Disorder. New York: Penguin.

Understanding and Managing Your Autistic Child's Behavior

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 23:30:00 +0000

Children with autism are LESS likely to misbehave intentionally than typical children. Their apparent bad behaviors -- such as bolting from the room, whacking a peer, refusing to take part in circle time, climbing the fridge -- are often caused by external problems that can be solved by calm, creative parents.

1) Know Your Child

Few autistic children are intentionally "bad." Many have difficult behaviors. So what's going on? Each child is different, and knowing your own child is key to taking action. Is your child extra-sensitive to sound and light? Does she need lots of sensory input? Is he likely to misunderstand a close approach? The more you know, the easier it is to troubleshoot a situation.

2) Modify Your Expectations

Your mother may have expected you to sit still through a full dinner hour. But that's not a reasonable expectation for most children with autism. Consider starting with a smaller goal -- sitting still for three minutes, eating with a fork, or whatever you think he can handle -- and building toward the larger goal of sitting through a full meal.

3) Modify the Environment

Safety is key. And for autistic children, creating a safe environment is a challenge. Since so many of your child's behaviors may have the potential to be dangerous, it's important to take precautions such as bolting shelves to the walls and floor, putting a dead bolt on the front door, and latching cabinets securely. One About.com reader even put plexiglass on the fronts of bookshelves to keep her child from climbing.

4) Consider the Possible Sources of the Behavior

Many children on the autism spectrum either crave or over-respond to sensory input. Some alternate between the two extremes. Very often, "bad" behavior is actually a reaction to too much or too little sensory input. By carefully observing your child, you may be able to figure out what's setting him off.

5) Remove Overwhelming Sensory Input

If your child is over-reacting to sensory input, there are many ways to change the situation. Of course, the first option is to simply avoid overwhelming sensory settings such as parades, amusement parks and the like. When that's not an option, consider ear plugs, distracting sensory toys, or plain old bribery to get through difficult moments.

6) Provide Sensory Input

If your child is crashing into couches, climbing the walls or spinning in circles, chances are she's craving sensory input. You can provide that in any number of more appropriate ways. Some people recommend bear hugs; other suggest squeezing youngsters between sofa cushions, rolling them up like "hot dogs" in blankets, or providing them with weighted vests or quilts.

7) Look for Positive Outlets for Unusual Behaviors

While climbing the entertainment center may be "bad" behavior, climbing at a rock gym can be a great way to build muscles and friendships at the same time. While spinning at the grocery store may be odd, it's ok to twirl on a tire swing. What's a problem in one place may be a virtue in another!

8) Enjoy Your Child's Successes

We were the only parents on the block to cheer at our son's first intentional fib. We're thrilled when he says "yes" to a playdate, completes a full sentence, or kicks a ball back and forth a few times. He's not likely to captain the soccer team -- but he is successfully becoming himself.

9) Worry Less About Others' Opinions

Your child is really doing a fine job in the grocery store. He may be flapping a bit, but it's no big deal. Until you catch the eye of the mom with the perfect little girl -- staring at your son. Suddenly his flapping seems like a very big deal, and you find yourself snapping at your son to "just put his hands down!" It's not easy, but it's important to remember that he's autistic -- not intentionally embarrassing!

10) Find Ways to Have Fun Together

It's not always easy to associate autism and fun. But if you think about it, rolling your child up like a hot dog, bouncing on a trampoline or even sitting and cuddling together can be a lot of fun. Instead of worrying about the therapeutic value of each action, try just enjoying the silliness, the tickling, the cuddling...and the child. At least for a little while!

Eating Problems & Feeding Therapy

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 23:26:00 +0000

No one really knows why so many children with autism are picky eaters, says Kimberly Kroeger-Geoppinger, an assistant pediatrics professor at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. But there's no doubt that it's a common phenomenon. That means that parents' permissiveness is probably not the cause. Kroeger says there are several possible reasons for autistic children's pickiness. "We know that children with autism tend to select down, eliminating one food from their diet at a time. The reasons could be sensory (a new discomfort with a particular smell, taste or feel), or even a randomly developed routine."

Very often, says Kroeger, kids with autism will slowly start to reject previously favored foods. You might find that your child won't eat a certain food one day, and rejects it again the next. If that happens, he may be working toward absolute rejection of the food. If you see that happening, start right away with the next steps in this guide! Otherwise, it's possible that your child will self-select herself down to just a few foods, served in only one way, at one particular location.

While nutrition is an important consideration, says Kroeger, it's not the most important concern when helping a picky eater build his food selections. Instead, she recommends, start building with a food that's similar to those your child already eats.
For some children, it might be easiest to start with a food that has a similar flavor (trying fresh strawberries if a child likes strawberry ice cream); for others the texture may be the most important issue (adding corn chips if a child likes potato chips).
If you do have concerns about nutrition, it's fine to give your child multivitamins. Choose the type your child is most likely to tolerate, be they crunchy, chewy or liquid.
Many children with autism are resistant to new foods. To keep from turning the dinner table into a battle field, it's best to choose steps that allow your child to be successful.
A first step to introducing a new food might be simply placing the food on your child's plate. If even that leads to problems, you can start by placing the food on the child's plate for only a few seconds.
As soon as your child is successful with that first baby step, reward him! Rewards vary from child to child, but should include warm praise, a hug if that's something she likes, and a "motivator" such as a small amount of a preferred food or time doing a preferred activity.

Once your child tolerates a new food on his plate, says Kroeger, it's time to move on to the next small steps. You can customize this plan to your own child - if necessary adding or subtracting steps:

Touch the food
Smell the food
Bring the food to lips
Touch the food with tongue
Take a taste of the food
Taste the food every day for two weeks

If a child continues to reject the food after tasting it every day for two weeks, says Kroeger, it's probably time to decide that this is just not going to be a preferred item.

It's easy to get frustrated with a child who simply won't eat anything new. But it's important to avoid setting up a situation in which you and your child are vying for power. The best way to avoid a power struggle is to set the bar low enough that your child will almost always succeed. That may mean micro-mini steps at first - sniffing a food, tasting with the tongue, and so forth - and the journey may take a while. But as your child succeeds, step by step, and wins your pride and motivating rewards, you may find it a more pleasant way to set your goals.

Early Warning Signs: Year Two

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 05:29:00 +0000

The signs of autism are more noticeable in a child’s second year. While other children are forming their first words and pointing to things they want, a child with autism remains detached. Signs of autism include:

No single words by 16 months
No pretend games by 18 months
No two-word phrases by age 2
Loss of language skills
No interest when adults point out objects, such as a plane flying overhead

Other Signs and Symptoms

People with autism sometimes may have physical symptoms, including digestive problems such as constipation and sleep problems. Children may have poor coordination of the large muscles used for running and climbing, or the smaller muscles of the hand. About a third of people with autism also often have seizures.

Early Warning Signs: First Year

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 05:27:00 +0000

Even young infants are very social, so it’s possible to detect signs of autism in how babies interact with their world. At this age, a child with an ASD may:

Not turn to a mother’s voice
Not respond to his own name
Not look people in the eye
Have no babbling or pointing by age one
Not smile or respond to social cues from others

Babies who do not have autism can have these behaviors, too, but it's best to contact your doctor right away with any concerns.

Types of Autism

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 05:24:00 +0000

Many people with autism are mentally challenged. In contrast to mental retardation alone, which is characterized by relatively even skill development, people with autism show uneven skill development. They may have problems in certain areas, especially the ability to communicate and relate to others. But they may have unusually developed skills in other areas, such as drawing, creating music, solving math problems, or memorizing facts. For this reason, they may test higher -- perhaps even in the average or above-average range -- on nonverbal intelligence tests.

Some of the different types of autism spectrum disorders include:

Autistic disorder. This is what most people think of when they hear the word "autism." It refers to problems with social interactions, communication, and imaginative play in children younger than 3 years.
Asperger's syndrome. These children don't have a problem with language -- in fact, they tend to score in the average or above-average range on intelligence tests. But they have the same social problems and limited scope of interests as children with autistic disorder.
Pervasive developmental disorder or PDD -- also known as atypical autism. This is a kind of catch-all category for children who have some autistic behaviors but who don't fit into other categories.
Rett syndrome. Known to occur mainly in girls, children with Rett syndrome start developing normally but begin to lose their communication and social skills. Beginning at the age of 1 to 4 years, repetitive hand movements replace purposeful use of the hands.
Childhood disintegrative disorder. These children develop normally for at least two years and then lose some or most of their communication and social skills.

Family income, lifestyle, or educational levels do not affect a child's chance of being autistic.

Autism - Exams and Tests

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 05:18:00 +0000

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends screening children for autism during regularly scheduled well-child visits. This policy helps doctors identify signs of autism early in its course. Early diagnosis and treatment can help the child reach his or her full potential.
When a developmental delay is recognized in a child, further testing can help a doctor find out whether the problem is related to autism, another pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), or a condition with similar symptoms, such as language delays or avoidant personality disorder. If your primary care provider does not have specific training or experience in developmental problems, he or she may refer your child to a specialist-usually a developmental pediatrician, psychiatrist, speech therapist, or child psychiatrist-for the additional testing.

Behavioral assessments. Various guidelines and questionnaires are used to help a doctor determine the specific type of developmental delay a child has. These include:
- Medical history. During the medical history interview, a doctor asks general questions about a child's development, such as whether a child shows parents things by pointing to objects. Young children with autism often point to items they want, but do not point to show parents an item and then check to see if parents are looking at the item being pointed out.
- Diagnostic guidelines for autism. The American Association of Childhood and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) has established guidelines for diagnosing autism.²The criteria are designed so a doctor can assess a child's behavior relating to core symptoms of autism.
- Other behavioral questionnaires. Additional diagnostic tests focus on children younger than age 3.
- Clinical observations. A doctor may want to observe the developmentally delayed child in different situations. The parents may be asked to interpret whether certain behaviors are usual for the child in those circumstances.
- Developmental and intelligence tests. The AACAP also recommends that tests be given to evaluate whether a child's developmental delays affect his or her ability to think and make decisions.

Physical assessments and laboratory tests. Other tests may be used to determine whether a physical problem may be causing symptoms. These tests include:
- Physical exam, including head circumference, weight, and height measurements, to determine whether the child has a normal growth pattern.
- Hearing tests, to determine whether hearing problems may be causing developmental delays, especially those related to social skills and language use.
- Testing for lead poisoning, especially if a condition called pica (in which a person craves substances that are not food, such as dirt or flecks of old paint) is present. Children with developmental delays usually continue putting items in their mouth after this stage has passed in normally developing children. This practice can result in lead poisoning, which should be identified and treated as soon as possible.
Other lab tests may be done under specific circumstances. These tests include:
Chromosomal analysis, which may be done if intellectual disability is present or there is a family history of intellectual disability. For example, fragile X syndrome, which causes a range of below-normal intelligence problems as well as autistic-like behaviors, can be identified with a chromosomal analysis.
An electroencephalograph (EEG), which is done if there are symptoms of seizures, such as a history of staring spells or if a person reverts to less mature behavior (developmental regression).
A magnetic resonance image (MRI), which may be done if there are signs of differences in the structure of the brain.

Early detection

All doctors who see infants and children for well-child visits should watch for early signs of developmental disorders. Developmental screening tools, such as the Ages and Stages Questionnaire or the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT), can help assess behavior.
If a doctor discovers the following obvious signs of developmental delays, the child should immediately be evaluated:

No babbling, pointing, or other gestures by 12 months
No single words by 16 months
No 2-word spontaneous phrases by 24 months, with the exception of repeated phrases (echolalia)
Any loss of any language or social skills at any age

If there are no obvious signs of developmental delays or any unusual indications from the screening tests, most infants and children do not need further evaluation until the next well-child visit.
But children who have a sibling with autism should continue to be closely monitored, because they are at increased risk for autism and other developmental problems.
When socialization, learning, or behavior problems develop in a person at any time or at any age, he or she should also be evaluated.

^source: webmd.com

How can you help your autistic child sleep better?

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 05:14:00 +0000

Sleep medications should only be used as a last resort with children. There are a number of lifestyle changes and natural sleep aids that can improve sleep time and quality in kids with autism:

Avoid giving your child stimulants such as caffeine and sugar before bed.
Establish a nighttime routine: give your child a bath, read a story, and put him or her to bed at the same time every night.
Help your child relax before bed by reading a book, giving a gentle back massage, or turning on soft music.
Shut down television, video games, and other stimulating activities at least an hour before bedtime.
To prevent sensory distractions during the night, put heavy curtains on your child's windows to block out the light, install thick carpeting, and make sure the door doesn't creak.
Ask your pediatrician about giving your child melatonin just before bedtime. This dietary supplement is often used as a sleep aid to help people get over jet lag. It may help normalize sleep-wake cycles in autistic children who have sleeping issues, and research done so far finds that it's safe and effective.
Talk to a sleep psychologist about bright-light therapy. Exposing the child to periods of bright light in the morning may help regulate the body's release of melatonin.

What causes sleep disorders in children with autism?

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 05:10:00 +0000

Researchers don't know for sure why autistic children have problems with sleep, but they have several theories. The first has to do with social cues. People know when it's time to go to sleep at night, thanks to the normal cycles of light and dark and the body's circadian rhythms. But they also use social cues. For example, children may see their siblings getting ready for bed. Children with autism, who often have difficulty communicating, may misinterpret or fail to understand these cues.
Another theory has to do with the hormone melatonin, which normally helps regulate sleep-wake cycles. To make melatonin, the body needs an amino acid called tryptophan, which research has found to be either higher or lower than normal in children with autism. Typically, melatonin levels rise in response to darkness (at night) and dip during the daylight hours. Studies have shown that some children with autism don't release melatonin at the correct times of day. Instead, they have high levels of melatonin during the daytime and lower levels at night.
Another reason children with autism may have trouble falling asleep or awaken in the middle of the night could be an increased sensitivity to outside stimuli, such as touch or sound. While most kids continue to sleep soundly while their mother opens the bedroom door or tucks in the covers, a child with autism might wake up abruptly.
Anxiety is another possible condition that could adversely affect sleep. Children with autism tend to test higher than other children for anxiety.

What kind of effects do sleep problems have?

Not getting a good night's sleep can have a serious impact on a child's life and overall health. Research has shown that, in children with autism, there is a connection between lack of sleep and the following characteristics:

Aggression
Depression
Hyperactivity
Increased behavioral problems
Irritability
Poor learning and cognitive performance

If your child isn't sleeping, there's a good chance you aren't, either. One study showed that the parents of autistic children sleep less, have poorer sleep quality, and wake up earlier than parents of non-autistic children.

Getting Help for Autism

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 05:07:00 +0000

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 88 kids has an autism spectrum disorder, but no one knows what causes them. Scientists think that there's a connection to genetics (something to do with a kid's genes) and the environment. Some kids might be more likely to get autism because it runs in their families. Other kids get it even if nobody in their family has these types of problems.

The earlier a child starts getting help, the better. But figuring out if a kid has an autism spectrum disorder can be difficult at the beginning. A parent is usually the first to think that something could be wrong. Maybe the child is old enough to speak but doesn't. Or a kid doesn't seem interested in people, has a hard time playing with others, or acts in unusual ways.

If you've recently learned that your child has or might have an autism spectrum disorder, you're probably wondering and worrying about what comes next. No parent is ever prepared to hear that a child is anything other than happy and healthy, and a diagnosis of autism can be particularly frightening. You may be unsure about how to best help your child or confused by conflicting treatment advice. Or you may have been told that autism is an incurable, lifelong condition, leaving you concerned that nothing you do will make a difference.

Often, specialists work together as a team to figure out if there is a problem. In addition to the doctor, the team might include a psychologist, speech therapist, occupational therapist, and teacher.

There is no cure for autism, but doctors, therapists, and special education teachers can help kids learn to communicate better. A kid might learn sign language or get a message across by pointing at pictures. The care team also can help improve a kid's social skills, stuff like taking turns and playing in a group.

Some kids who have mild symptoms will graduate high school and may go to college and live on their own. Many will always need some kind of help. But all will have brighter futures when they have the support and understanding of their families, doctors, teachers, therapists, and friends. So be sure to be a friend!

Finally, keep in mind that no matter what autism treatment plan is chosen, your involvement is vital to success. You can help your child get the most out of treatment by working hand-in-hand with the autism treatment team and following through with the therapy at home.

A good autism treatment plan will:

Build on your child's interests.
Offer a predictable schedule.
Teach tasks as a series of simple steps.
Actively engage your child's attention in highly structured activities.
Provide regular reinforcement of behavior.
Involve the parents.

Source: National Institute of Mental Health

How To Raising a Child With Autism

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 10:39:00 +0000

Nature and nurture are in a never ending battle to claim the disposition of our children. While it’s true that the apple rarely tumbles too far from the tree, it is also true that there are a multitude of things we as parents can do to safeguard the childhoods of our children, limit their exposure to the more damaging elements the world will see fit to introduce in time, and do our best to raise a healthy and happy child.

We might not be able to help the variety of our branches, but we are the ones who control the nutrients in their soil and the sunlight in their sky.

In addition to the obvious things such as making sure your child is consuming the right nutrients, staying hydrated, and getting the quantity of sleep and exercise a growing body needs, here are a few secrets that can help you raise a child with autism....

1. Let your child know you are excited to see them when they enter the room. Let them see the light dance inside your eyes when their gaze drifts into yours. Be mindful of their presence by showing them your smile and greeting them warmly. Say their name out loud. Not only do children love to hear the sound of their name, they also long to feel validation from their loved ones. Think about it from an adult perspective – wouldn’t you love it if the face of the person you loved most lit like a holiday parade every time you entered the room? Your child loves you the most, imagine the returns after a childhood filled with such affection.

2. Teach your child it’s okay to be bored. As parents, it’s often our instinct to entertain our children each and every waking hour. When we don’t possess the time or energy, it is all too easy to allow the glowing blue babysitter in the living room to do the heavy lifting. But when we rely on television, or any other form of autopilot attention, we succeed only in limiting our child’s development. Children have vivid imaginations that flourish upon nurturing. But without the opportunity to coax their creativity, it will only whither on the vine. Allow your child idle minutes to develop their creativity with hands-on activities to stimulate their thought. A few sheets of paper and a box of crayons can keep a well rounded child busy for far longer than an episode of Dora.

3. Limit your child’s media. Related, but not limited to number two. Limiting your child’s exposure to media isn’t only a positive move for promoting their creativity, it is an excellent method to broaden their attention span while grooming their ability to stay calm. Your child will have plenty of exposure to more than you want soon enough. During those precious years when you are the designer of their decisions, you must make sure they are learning to live a life independent from the over-exposure that is often too easy to rely on. Yes it is difficult, but we owe it to the next generation to search for the right road rather than the easy one.

4. Let your child know they are more important than work by giving them eye contact and attention. Your child doesn’t just need you around, they need you present. Play with your child, interact with them, find out what is important to them by asking questions and listening to their answers. Your child deserves at least a little bit of you each and every day, at least a few minutes where you are not considering your email or allowing your thoughts to wander over what’s been left sitting on your desk. Letting your child know they are important is like giving them an insulin shot of happy.

5. Let your child make a few of the rules. You don’t have to make them the boss to let them feel empowered. Often, power struggles with our children are the direct result of them feeling a loss of control. You can easily curb these instances by allowing your child to feel like they are part of making up some of the protocol. By at least appearing to give your child some of the control, you are helping them understand household law inside and out. This will lead directly to a willingness to follow.

6. Teach your child – don’t assume it’s all happening outside the house. Home schooling is every parent’s job. Whether your child attends public or private school, or receives all their schooling at home, it is essential to the world’s best future that parents are the ones to fill in the blanks. There are plenty of skills not taught in school that play a massive role in determining who your children will grow up to be. Children are not raised in Tupperware, and when they finally leave us to enter the world far away from our watchful eyes, they must have the sharpened tools that will help them be the best that they can be.

7. Model appropriate behavior. In my opinion, this is the most important item on the list. Children do as they see, not as they’re told. If you want your child to be mindful of others, you must be mindful of others yourself. If you want your child to by happy, you must smile without hesitation. There is no one more influential to your child than you. At least for now.

Raising a child with autism is hard work, but it is something that can and must be done. Once you focus on the needs of your child and ensure you are doing all you can to meet them, your efforts will be rewarded.

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How I overcame Autism? Did you know ...

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 10:54:00 +0000

Did you know ...

Autism now affects 1 in 88 children and 1 in 54 boys
Autism prevalence figures are growing
Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
Autism costs a family $60,000 a year on average
Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases
Boys are nearly five times more likely than girls to have autism
There is no medical detection or cure for autism

National Institutes of Health Funds Allocation

Total 2012 NIH budget: $30.86 billion
Of this, only $169 million goes directly to autism research. This represents 0.55% of total NIH funding.

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When given early treatment, children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) made significant improvements in behavior, communication, and most strikingly, brain function, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a new study.

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Early Treatment Sparks Striking Brain Changes in Autism

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 10:44:00 +0000

When given early treatment, children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) made significant improvements in behavior, communication, and most strikingly, brain function, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a new study.

The study was published in the current issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders by Yale Child Study Center researchers Dr. Fred Volkmar, Kevin A. Pelphrey, and their colleagues.

The results suggest that brain systems supporting social perception respond well to an early intervention behavioral program called pivotal response treatment. This treatment includes parent training, and employs play in its methods.

ASDs are complex neurobiological disorders that inhibit a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and are often accompanied by behavioral challenges. Until recently, autism diagnosis typically did not occur until a child was about three- to five-years-old, and treatment programs were geared for this older age group. Today, Volkmar and his team are diagnosing children as young as age one. Pivotal response treatment, developed at the University of California-Santa Barbara, combines developmental aspects of learning and development, and is easy to implement in children younger than age two.

In the current study, the team used functional magnetic resonance imaging -- for the first time -- to measure changes in brain activity after two five-year-olds with ASD received pivotal response treatment. Study co-author Pamela Ventola used this treatment method to identify distinct behavioral goals for each child in the study, and then reinforced these targeted skills with treatment involving motivational play activities.

The team found that children who received this treatment showed improvements in behavior, and being able to talk to other people. In addition, the MRI and electroencephalogram revealed increased brain activity in the regions supporting social perception.

Their results are from two children, but the researchers are currently conducting a full-scale study of 60 children. Pelphrey said that while both children in the current study received the same type of treatment for ASD, the results were not homogenous because ASD is a multi-faceted disorder that has a unique effect on each child. Some children with ASD function on a higher level than others, for example.

"ASD is a heterogeneous disorder, and research aimed at understanding treatment must address this heterogeneity," said Pelphrey. "Both the children in our current study made progress, but their degree of progress and level of skills at the end of treatment were distinct."

Volkmar sees these results as a first step in a novel approach to treatment planning.

"Autism research has come a long way," he said. "These findings are exciting because they show that early intervention works in autism."

Other authors on the study included first author Avery C. Voos, Jonathan Tirrell, Danielle Bolling, Brent Vander Wyk, Martha D. Kaiser, and James C. McPartland.

Funding for the study came from the Harris Professorship at Yale Child Study Center given to Kevin A. Pelphrey; Allied World; and National Institute of Mental Health grant K23MH86785. This research was also made possible by CTSA Grant Number UL1 RR024139 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and NIH roadmap for Medical Research.

Autism Patients Might Benefit from Drug Therapy

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 08:04:00 +0000

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Drug Therapy - Autism Patients Might Benefit

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 08:03:00 +0000

Researchers have found a drug that can help patients with Fragile X syndrome, the most common cause of inherited intellectual impairment (formerly known as mental retardation), stay calm in social situations by treating their anxiety.

Dr. Elizabeth Berry-Kravis and her team found that a drug called Arbaclofen reduced social avoidance and repetitive behavior in Fragile X patients, especially those with autism, by treating their anxiety. The drug increases GABA, a chemical in the brain that regulates the excitatory system in Fragile X patients, who have been known to have too little GABA to do the job otherwise, causing their excitatory systems to "signal out of control" and make them anxious.

Such patients have been known to cover their ears or run away at their own birthdays because they are overwhelmed by the attention, but one trial participant said he was able to enjoy his birthday party for the first time in his life while he was on Arbaclofen, she said.

"I feel like it's kind of the beginning of chemotherapy when people first realized you could use chemotherapy to treat cancer patients instead of just letting them die," said Berry-Kravis, a professor of neurology and biochemistry at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago who has studied Fragile X for more than 20 years.

She said people used to think Fragile X patients couldn't be helped either, but she and her team have proven that by using knowledge from existing brain mechanism studies, doctors can select medications to target specific problems in Fragile X patients' brains.

Fragile X syndrome is a change in the FMRI gene, which makes a protein necessary for brain growth, and studies indicate it causes autism in up to one-third of patients diagnosed with it. Unlike Fragile X syndrome, which is genetic, autism is a behavioral diagnosis characterized by an inability to relate to other people or read social cues. Autism and Fragile X are linked, but not mutually exclusive. A core symptom of both is social withdrawal.

Sixty-three patients with Fragile X participated in Berry-Kravis's placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial from December 2008 through March 2010. Of those, the patients with autism showed the biggest improvements in social behavior, Berry-Kravis said.

To psychologist Lori Warner, who directs the HOPE Center at Beaumont Children's Hospital, the study is exciting because when her autistic patients are anxious, they often have a harder time learning the social cues they can't read on their own.

"Reducing anxiety opens up your brain to be able to take in what's happening in an environment and be able to learn from and understand social cues because you're no longer frightened of the situation," Warner said.
She works mostly with autism patients, and although some do have Fragile X as well, most do not.
Fragile X affects one in 4,000 men and one in 6,000 to 8,000 women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although Arbaclofen worked best on autistic Fragile X patients, further studies will be needed to prove whether it can help all autism patients, not just those with autism caused by Fragile X.
"There's a difference between one person's brain and another in how it's set up," Berry-Vargis said. "This is not a magic cure. It's a step."

By SYDNEY LUPKIN

Temple Grandin: The world needs all kinds of minds

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 08:27:00 +0000

The Woman Who Thinks Like a Cow

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 08:25:00 +0000

Who is Temple Grandin?

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 08:23:00 +0000

Temple Grandin, diagnosed with autism as a child, talks about how her mind works -- sharing her ability to "think in pictures," which helps her solve problems that neurotypical brains might miss. She makes the case that the world needs people on the autism spectrum: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers, and all kinds of smart geeky kids.

Grandin’s books about her interior life as an autistic person have increased the world's understanding of the condition with personal immediacy -- and with import, as rates of autism diagnosis rise. She is revered by animal rights groups and members of autistic community, perhaps because in both regards she is a voice for those who are sometimes challenged to make themselves heard.

"Autism is part of who I am."

Temple Grandin

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”Who do you think made the first stone spears? The Asperger guy. If you were to get rid of all the autism genetics, there would be no more Silicon Valley.” (Temple Grandin)

Autism In Adults

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 08:20:00 +0000

Autism in adults is not discussed quite as much as children's autism, a disorder that is now thought to affect rougly one out of every 150 children born. And although treatments are available, autism is not curable and it negatively affects social development and thought processes all throughtout the life of someone who has the disorder. Each person with autism is profoundly different and requires different levels of help.

Autism ranges from mild to severe. Adults with mild autism are defined as high-functioning and those with severe autism are considered low-functioning. Low-functioning adults with severe autism need constant care from their families or within a facility that can address their needs around the clock (which is very expensive).

In contrast, adults with mild autism can lead relatively normal lives. They can live on their own and work, support and care for themselves. This doesn't mean that they don't have challenges. In fact, many high functioning autistic adults see their biggest problem as the way others perceive them and the reactions of other people to their “bizarre” behaviors is often troubling.

How well an autistic adult is able to take care of him/herself is often directly correlated with the quality of education they received as children and how early that education began. If they have been properly taught social responses and accepted behaviors, autistic adults can function as contributing members of society. They can have families, careers, and social lives. Even so, the majority of even high-functioning autistic adults live at home or in residential facilities.

There are autistic adults that have college degrees and are extremely innovative and there are others that require fairly simple jobs in order to succeed. Paying bills, cooking, and other independent behaviors can sometimes be taught. Other times, special services may be required to help independent autistic adults stay independent.

Autism in adults does make things tougher when it comes to finding work. Most autistic adults have limited short-term memory, but superior long-term memory compared to the rest of us. So jobs that require lots of memorization are perfect fits.

Organizations like the Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children (CSAAC) provide employment opportunities for autistic adults. They also conduct various job training programs based on the areas of strengths for each particular candidate.

Most will say that autism is difficult to cope with. Social difficulties occur on a daily basis and being unable to adequately mediate responses and situations is not a choice – it is part of who they are. However, with the right amount of support and training, many autistic adults can function in society.

Fortunately, mainstream society is becoming more familiar with autism, especially since the number of autistic children being born is climbing at an alarming rate. Just like people with other disabilities, autism in adults requires special understanding. Being different does not mean being worthless or that autistic adults shouldn't be given a chance for success.

History Of Autism Treatment Was Barbaric

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 08:19:00 +0000

The recorded history of autism is really very short which is quite surprising when you think of how prevelant it is in today's society.

The term autism was first coined by Eugen Bleuler, a Swiss psychiatrist, in 1911 to apply to adult schizophrenia. It took about 30 more years for autism to be defined as, more or less, what we refer to today. In 1943, Dr. Leo Kanner of Johns Hopkins University used the term to describe his 5-year long observations of 11 children who had started to withdraw from human contact at around 1 year old.

Interestingly enough, at around the same time, a scientist in Germany named Hans Asperger identified the similar condition that we now know as Asperger's Syndrome.

After Kanner and Asperger's discovery, parents were believed to treat their autistic children without the "normal" warmth and affection that parents give their children.

As we continue on throught the history of autism, for more than 2 decades (through the 60's), anyone who was diagnosed with the disorder was believed to be schizophrenic. And the general lack of understanding of the autism caused many parents to believe that they were at fault in some way.

A Freudian theory had become popular: if certain basic psychological bonds between parent and child fail to form, then the child will fail to progress. This theory of autism remained in vogue in the 50s and early 60s despite the fact that there were two obvious alternative possible explanations that the Freudian theory ignored altogether: firstly, the so-called witnessing of parents who had insufficient interaction with their child was most likely the result of the child's Autistic behavior and not the cause of it and secondly, the fact that Autism was an extreme case of an inherited personality trait that was present to a much milder degree in these observed parents.

During this time, some children were taken from their parents and put in foster care to see if this would allow them to "recover" - obviously, you can probably guess from what you know today that this was not an effective strategy. It wasn't until the 1960's that the medical community began to understand autism a little bit more and finally identify certain symptoms and treatments for the disorder.

Sadly, from the 1960's through the 1970's, experimental treatments for autism included medications like LSD and electric shock as well as pain and punishment to induce changes in behavior. It seems barbaric, but this was being practiced less than 50 years ago - we've come a long way since then.

Finally, during the 1980s and 1990s, non-violent behavior therapy and the use of extremely controlled learning environments came about to be the principle treatments for autism and autism-related conditions.

Today, the present-day history of autism, the real cornerstone of autism therapy is behavior therapy and other treatments are added depending on the needs and severity of the individual's disorder.

Pervasive Development Disorder

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie Ronsen) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 08:17:00 +0000

A Pervasive Developmental Disorder is used as an umbrella term for all of the following related disorders: Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Rett syndrome and Pervasive Development Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, or PDD-NOS, for short. All of these disorders differ slightly but share the very general common characteristics which lead to difficulty in socializing with others, repetitive behaviors, and heightened sensitivities to certain stimuli.

This article will focus on the PDD-NOS Pervasive Developmental Disorder since that is what most people mean to refer to even if they unintentionally leave the last -NOS out of the term.

Individuals with PDD-NOS behave similarly to those with classic autism in many ways. Firstly, it's important to understand that one person affected with PPD-NOS will not act exactly like the next person who is affected with the same disorder (as is the case for autism) so it's important to recognize that you are dealing with truely individual cases.

PDD-NOS individuals have been diagnosed as such because they may exhibit some symptoms of the other related disorder conditions but they don't meet all the specific criteria set by the experts to qualify them for one or the other. For example, if a child displays some of the behavior common to autism but didn't start the "off" behavior until past the determined autism-qualifying age, he/she may be diagnosed with Pervasive Development Disorder-NOS.

It's for this reason that those with PDD-NOS are sometimes thought to have a "milder" form of autism which isn't really true. While one symptom may be minor compared to those who have been officially diagnosed with one of the other PPD diseases, other symptoms may actually be worse.

It takes a bunch of medical professionals and family members to arrive at an action plan that works best for someone with PDD-NOS. A "one-size-fits-all" program wouldn't work - the plan should be tailored to the individual and could include treatments such as:

- Various behavioral regimens, including play therapy

- Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

- Sensory integration therapy

- Anti depressants and/or other medications

- Social skills training which focuses on very specific situations and teaches children how to interact with their peers for those exact situations

- Martial arts therapy, where the person affected with PDD-NOS builds their muscles as well as their group interaction capabilities

- Music therapy which helps children to communicate with the use of songs - Facilitated communication which teaches kids to use computers or other devices to express themselves. This works especially well if the child cannot express themselves verbally very well.

Structure and consistency is crucial for children with PDD-NOS so this should always be taken into consideration, especially before any outings or events.

Finally, caring for someone with Pervasive Development Disorder Not Otherwise Specified also means that you need to care for yourself. Take time out for yourself when you need it. Make sure that you surround yourself with friends, family members, teachers and healthcare providers that you can count on to stick with you during the many ups and downs of life with a PPD-NOS child.