Autism Articles

Here's a Way to Teach Children With Aspergers About Personal Space

2012-02-03T06:55:00.000-08:00

In his book, Social Skills Training for Children and Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome and Social-Communication Problems, (2003), Dr. Jed E. Baker provides a helpful exercise called, "Don't Be a Space Invader."

The concept itself is pretty easy to teach. Draw a picture of two stick figures. The rule is, "Stand at least an arm's length away."

The second statement is, "Don't Get Too Close."

Here are some suggested activities to help teach this activity:

1. Role-play with the student a situation in which s/he must change her/his personal space. You may want to enlist the help of another student or a sibling as an outside observer. The observer's task is to say when the two actors (yourself and the child with aspergers) get too close, and when they are the right distance from each other.

People can switch roles. Here are some other situations to role play the proper personal space distance:

a) Greeting others the first time you see them, and saying goodbye when you leave.

b) Standing in line at school or in public (for example, at a movie, or at a store).

c) Interrupting someone to ask a question about what was said, or to ask permission to do something.

d) Riding public transportation (for example, not sitting too or standing too close to others)

e) Requesting something from someone (asking for a snack someone else is holding, or asking to play with someone's game or toy).

f) Using a public restroom (for example, not using the urinal right next to another person if there are others available further away)..

2. Give the student incentives to practice the skill. Tell the student you are going to test his/her ability to stay at least an arm's length away. Then, at random times, get too close to him/her at different times, and see if s/he catches on.

3. Correct inappropriate distance when it happens. Tell the student, "Don't be a space invader because it will make others uncomfortable, and then they won't want to play with you. Keep an arm's length away."

4. Provide rewards for when the children get it right, keeping appropriate distance:

a) Give verbal praise for correct or partially correct distance.

b) Consider giving tokens, pennies, or points for times during the day in which the child maintained an appropriate distance from others. When the child builds up a certain number of points (5 tokens, for example), give a special reward, such as snack, stickers, or privileges to play a special game.

A child with Aspergers can be given 'homework' of maintaining appropriate distance. Here are some good homework questions:

Who will I try this with?

When?

What happened?

How did I do?

About the Author: Stephen Borgman is a licensed clinical professional counselor and author of Prospering With Aspergers ( http://www.myaspergers.net ). Stop by for more hopeful articles about understanding, hope, and solutions for persons on the autism spectrum and their families.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Borgman

Teaching Communication Skills to a Child Diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome

2012-02-03T06:51:00.000-08:00

Asperger's Syndrome is a milder variant of Autistic Disorder. In Asperger's Disorder, affected individuals are characterized by social isolation and eccentric behavior in childhood. Though grammatical, their speech is peculiar due to abnormalities of inflection and a repetitive pattern. They usually have a circumscribed area of interest which usually leaves no space for more age appropriate, common interests. Some examples are cars, trains, door knobs, hinges. The name "Asperger" comes from Hans Asperger, an Austrian physician who first described the syndrome in 1944.

If a child is showing symptoms of Asperger's Disorder because highly visual thinking is interfering with the ability to generate language fluently then we may have child who is suffering from a very trainable communication disorder rather than a psychiatric disease.

Children who are highly visual with communication problems can have as many as 50 symptoms that are very similar and predictable. I call these children Maverick Minds.

To begin working on improving language and communication, we start with teaching visual attention skills.

In my consulting practice I teach parents methods for improving attention, memory and communication skills to replace many of the off-target behaviors they have. Before we begin teaching attention we do an evaluation to determine if the child is naturally turning to visual attention and memory skills rather than the auditory-verbal counterparts.

When I build exercises to teach attention I use the natural strengths of each child so that each exercise is easy, fun, and successful because it is critical that emerging communication abilities feel natural and flow fluently. To see my examples of children learning to become symptom-free go to my ebrainlabs website and watch the videos in our video viewing studio. You will see parents y using a pace and methods that result in success. The goals of the exercises are to help your child improve daily and achieve at least 80% success consistently.

We evaluate the "just-right" difficulty level to begin the exercise so that we understand how your child learns best. There are only two rules for the pace of learning:

You and your child should be having lots of fun.

Your child should always be 80% correct or better.

In our seminars, we discuss how we build the visual attention system first because it is the stronger system and is often shutting down verbal development. For this reason we begin our training with very little talking, which is one step toward stopping the antagonism between the visual and verbal systems and initiate a supportive relationship. Thus, we want you to minimize your talking during the exercises. As a result, your child will be able to isolate the visual attention system and begin to load visual memory. The more you talk, the more you reduce visual memory capacity. So by talking during this training, you could reduce your child's capacity from 200 data bytes to 25.

As you work, you'll establish a tri-level sequencer. The sequencer is another important brain function that is the engine of the verbal thinking pathway and the most underused component of verbal biology. The sequencer is often very painful for autistic children so initially you teach it as a "treat," or what feels like a reward.

The parts of the sequencer are:

Continuous - After every correct answer, ping a penny into a cup. Feedback that occurs after every correct answer facilitates rapid learning.

Fixed-ratio - After every three pennies, give your child a treat such as a sticker, a raisin, or a chocolate chip. Fixed-ratio sequencers begin the process of self control.

Variable - At the end of your session, go on a treasure hunt with your child. Hide clues around the house that lead to a surprise under the pillow. Varying the elements of the treasure hunt helps your child transfer learning and generalize it to daily life.

As you work, you'll begin to vary your sequencers to increase the flexibility of this component of training. After you have used pennies, raisins and a treasure hunt, for example, you might change to printing out a picture of a desired toy and cutting it into pieces. Then, you can have your child earn pennies, stickers, and then a piece of the puzzle. Tape the piece on the wall. When the picture is complete, go to the store to buy the toy.

You can also vary the elements of each part of the sequencer, depending on your child's needs. For example, you could change the Continuous to macaroni, marbles, poker chips, or small post-it notes. You could change the Fixed Ratio to tickles, chocolate chips, pretzels, stickers, or nickels. Or you might change the Variable to coupons for privileges. The goal is to keep your child interested and challenged, and to have lots of fun.

Dr. Cheri Florance is a brain scientist with training and clinical experience in how to teach the brain to replace symptoms of communication and language disorders. In her books, Maverick Mind, (www.penquinputnam.com ) and A Boy Beyond Reach (www.simonschuster.com ), she describes how she taught her own autistic son, Whitney to replace disability with ability and become symptom-free. To learn more about her own personal journey and successful methods visit her complimentary Learning Library at http://www.ebrainlabs.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cheri_Florance,_PhD

Benefits of a Sticker Reward Calendar

2012-02-03T06:46:00.000-08:00

In our experience with Asperger's syndrome, we as parents, have tried many different ways to reward our son's positive behavior at school. We would take him swimming or to the park or maybe buy him a special gift. The only drawback in this type of reward system is, that if your child goes on a run of rough days in class, it's not fair to deny all the fun things you could do together. After much research and learning, we found a fantastic tool that we've easily implemented. We use a sticker reward calendar. Each child with autism/Asperger's might be different in what works and what doesn't, but a reward calendar is a cheap idea and can be very effective in improving and promoting good behavior.

You can use any calendar you like. At first, we just used a regular calendar we had, but shortly after, we decided to get a more child friendly calendar. When we had a regular calendar, Jacob noticed, but wasn't that impressed. But when we got him a Twisted Whiskers calendar, he really took notice and became interested. So we do recommend a cartoon or a sports calendar. They're relatively inexpensive and you can find one with any character or team on them. I've seen Sponge Bob, Looney Tunes and Harry Potter on calendars, so finding your child's favourite should be easy.

Then we went to a dollar store and found hundreds of stickers we could use. You should however, try to find smaller stickers. That way you get more for your money and they'll fit into the squares on the calendar. Right now we have some star stickers and some little animal stickers. During the Christmas holiday we had some snowmen and snow flake ones. There are literally thousands of them and each dollar store carries different styles, so the sticker choices are endless.

What we did was, we installed a cork bulletin board in our hallway. Not only do we put important items for us on it, but it also holds Jacob's stickers and calendar. We just hung the calendar at Jacob's height for easy reaching. Then we divide each school day in half. The left half of the square is the morning and the right half is the afternoon. When Jacob comes home for lunch, if he had a good morning, he'll get 1 sticker. Then when he comes home after school, he gets 1 more if he had a good afternoon. So it's possible to get 2 stickers a day. If your child doesn't come home for lunch, you can still reward them with 1 or 2 stickers, depending on their day. During a week, there's a possible 10 stickers to achieve. So then you can create an overall reward program that's visible for your child.

Number of Stickers (earned during week) Reward

5 or 6 Family dinner at their favourite restaurant

7 or 8 Dinner as above and movie night

9 or 10 Dinner, movie and a toy

These are just examples of rewards that you can use. You can go on a picnic or to the park if you're on a budget. The choices with rewards are very open. You can even take the rewards a step further and develop monthly rewards. During a month, there's approximately 20 school days or 40 stickers. If your child has a great month, maybe you could speak with their school about a special reward to help solidify the good class room behaviour.

We noticed that Jacob's behaviour began to improve almost immediately after beginning a sticker reward calendar. When a child sees their calendar fill up with shiny stickers, it gives them a sense of accomplishment and it can help them in wanting to have good and productive days while at school. And for those of us with kids with autism/Asperger's, we know how easy their day can be off, so if a sticker reward calendar helps, then it's definitely worth it.

Not only special needs children can benefit from a sticker reward calendar. This type of reward system can work with any child, boy or girl. When Jacob was diagnosed with Asperger's at age 6 we were shocked. But the diagnosis did in fact, explain a lot about Jacob's behaviour and issues at school. A sticker reward calendar was an effective way to modify his behaviour positively. Now that we've been using it for 2 school years, we can't imagine not having it. We've even began giving a new calendar to Jacob as a Christmas gift each year. This way he'll always have a new calendar for back to school. The entire calendar/sticker purchase is under $20 and that's with a years worth of stickers. So try it out, and if it works, it sure beats buying all those Nintendo DS games.

My website is called Jim's Autism Blog and together, my wife and I express our feelings associated with the ups and downs of raising a child with Asperger's syndrome. Here's the link to our blog
http://www.jimsautismblog.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_A_Reeve

Schools and ABA Training

2012-02-03T06:41:00.000-08:00

When a school of any kind seeks to meet federal mandates about inclusion they often have to consider ways of upgrading the staffs education. This is one of the primary reasons that schools seek out ABA training. This is a type of training that uses the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis to develop teaching strategies for children with disabilities like ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders). It is actually the primary method used when any sort of research is done on the development of treatments for Autism, and is considered one of the only effective therapies currently available.

Remember, the ABA training itself is not going to actually be applied to the student, but will instead give the teacher the tools that they need in order to identify some of the reasoning for a student's behaviors and to then formulate a teaching strategy that can help to alter any negative behaviors. A good example of ABA training at work would include a student with a tendency towards anti-social behaviors and the parents and teachers who used their ABA training to develop a treatment plan.

Let us say that this child had always shown a tendency towards isolated play time and had failed to develop adequate language skills. The parents and teachers who had received the training would have learned how to observe that child for any indicators of the reasons for the behavior. They would then apply their learning to create a plan for positive reinforcement of the behaviors desired, and a precise teaching strategy to begin training that child to learn how to behave in a more productive and meaningful way.

For instance, the parents and teachers might observe that the child preferred to play with a certain set of toys. This is information that could be used to begin teaching that child about the value of communication with a peer. Once that child begins to show signs of a change in behavior, such as seeking out a parent or teacher to play with the preferred toys, this would then be expanded upon to include an ever-widening set of peers or playmates. In this way, the child would have received positive reinforcement of their behaviors and also learned how to communicate more.

Naturally, it isn't as simple or straightforward as that, but the use of ABA training is going to give both the parents and the educators the tools or skill set that they need to get the best results possible.

Garrett Butch is the father of a 6 year old with autism and the founder of Maximum Potential Group.

Maximum Potential has developed courses that train parents, therapists and school systems how to work with children with autism.

http://www.maximumpotentialkids.com
http://www.abatrainingcourse.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Butch

The Remarkable Value of School Autism Training

2012-02-03T06:31:00.000-08:00

It is vitally important for any type of school to remember that inclusion is now the standard policy, and that any teacher interacting with any students should know precisely how to help them in the most productive ways. Things can get a bit complicated though when ASD enters into the equation.

This refers to Autism Spectrum Disorders and covers a range of developmental, communication and social interaction disorders that can range from mild to quite severe. Often, a school will have only well-trained special education staff that is qualified to serve a population of students with ASDs, but this is currently considered to be unacceptable by most educational authorities. Fortunately, there is school Autism training that can be used by teachers, staff, and even parents to help a child with any form of ASD.

This school Autism training should focus on the techniques and approaches that have been proven to work the best for young people with ASD, and should help to teach them the necessary behaviors or skills that are so often a challenge to children with ASD. The National Institute of Health in the United States has done many studies and conclusively stated that Applied Behavioral Analysis, or ABA, is one of the best systems to use when seeking to teach and treat children with these conditions.

Luckily, there are school Autism training programs that actually focus in on ABA strategies and principles, and which provide teachers or parents with a much deeper understanding of the issues. For example, a high-quality school Autism training program would provide its students with information about Autism and its associated issues; a thorough understanding of ABA approaches; and then train the teacher, staff or parents in the best ways of using the techniques.

Consider that some of the traditional therapies used by special education teachers do not fall under the description of ABA, and even a highly-trained professional may not be aware of the ways of most effectively implementing the ABA approach to the broadest spectrum of students possible. For example, a teacher may not realize that incidental teaching is just as important and relevant to an ABA program as the more structured times. This situation arises due to the underlying factors of ASD, and may make it difficult for child to automatically or spontaneously learn behaviors or skills in the ways that traditional teaching allows.

When school Autism training programs are used, the entire range of teachers and staff will be able to be far more effective, and even parents can be included in workshops and training sessions.

Garrett Butch is the father of a 6 year old with autism and the founder of Maximum Potential Group.

Maximum Potential has developed courses that train parents, therapists and school systems how to work with children with autism.

http://www.maximumpotentialkids.com
http://www.abatrainingcourse.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Butch

Asperger's And Transitions

2012-02-01T19:08:00.000-08:00

Transitions are often a major challenge for those with Asperger's. I witness this first hand with my nine year old son and see the amount of stress and anxiety he endures when he faces change. For example, this past Christmas break he enjoyed two quiet weeks at home mainly playing with his new toys, one play date, and a couple of family gatherings. For the most part his social interactions were limited and kept to small groups or one on ones. All of this came to an end after the first week of January and he returned back to school. The transition back to school was difficult for him and resulted in a minor melt-down. His senses were on overload, especially his audio with frequent requests to turn the car radio off that was barely loud enough to hear in the first place. His stomach was unsettled for a good week as well. His teacher commented that the first week back was a struggle for him. He had had great success at school with regards to his social development for the month of December. I guess two steps forward and one step back in this case. Most of us do not like change, but for those with Asperger's Syndrome that can be a huge understatement. I guess the final message I am trying to drive home is firstly, anticipate the struggle your child/student may have when a transition is ahead. Give them lot's of warnings and instructions for the forthcoming change. Show some compassion and understanding for this period as you know it is only temporary as your child/student adapts to the new routine. Half way through the second week back to school things seemed to have balanced out and my son appears to have settled back into his school routine and all the social challenges involved for a child with Asperger's syndrome. Transitions can be events like the one I mentioned above to less complex situations such as changing class rooms for the next subject at school. It's important to remember, the actions of one child with Asperger's will seldom be the same for the next Asperger child as many will handle transitions differently than others.

Some strategies you can adopt to help your child/student with Asperger's syndrome and coping with transitions include:

Lot's of warnings about the upcoming change.
You could act out or role play the upcoming event.
Visual aids such as a daily schedule at the child's desk.
A timer so they can countdown and prepare for the next event.

For more tips and information on helping your child or student with Asperger's Syndrome you can visit http://www.understandingaspergers.ca

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_J_Hack

Accepting Autism to Become an Effective Advocate

2012-02-01T19:04:00.000-08:00

Did you sense how your identity changed when you became a parent? At the moment of birth or adoption, our lives are never the same because once a parent, always a parent.

Despite the fact that our self-identity shifted once Mother Nature inaugurated us as mom or dad, this new role is not necessarily a fixed one because our children will always impact it.

As a mom or dad we may go from being a working parent to a stay at home parent (or vice versa), from a girl scout parent to a hockey mom, from an elated parent to a stressed parent and back again, but 'being a parent' will remain constant.

Some of the roles we take on as parents are chosen by us but there are times when roles are given to us that we may not like and can do nothing about. We cannot go to the store and exchange our position of night time soother when our infant is up all night with an ear infection for something else and we can't decide we don't want to be parents anymore.

If we are given the role of being a parent of a special needs child, a child with Autism, we can't refuse to take that role. We can kick and scream and pretend it is not happening, we can wallow in self-pity for a while but the sooner we accept our call to action, the sooner we will be able to consciously mold this role into something more effective and easy to take on.

To make the best of any situation our goal as parents is to transform a negative energy into a positive one. True acceptance of the role we have been assigned and the child we have been given is one of the most powerful positive energies to take hold of.

The most important motivator for any human being is to feel accepted. When we feel unconditionally accepted, by others, and ourselves it frees us from the need to justify and qualify our existence. It gives us the ultimate freedom to be real and authentic and secure enough in our skin to explore the possibilities of what we can become next.

Once we accept the reality of autism and whatever our child's challenges are, we open the door for a positive transformation to occur - for our child and for us. When we find ourselves at this threshold we are better able to envision an amazing potential and with that in our mind we are better able to advocate for our child.

Getting to the role of advocacy as a parent may not be an easy one when you have a child on the Autism spectrum but it is one that is extremely worthwhile and much more fulfilling than thinking or feeling that you are powerless and stuck in a role you didn't ask for and didn't want. True acceptance will lead anyone to uncover surprising abilities that will change attitudes and open up limitless possibilities.

I encourage you to fully embrace your role as parent of a child with special needs so you can progress to the position of unwavering advocate. Always be vigilant about limiting your expectations because doing so can unconsciously create a self-fulfilling prophecy that will constrain your child's potential. You never know what your child is capable of or how far he or she can go, so advocate, advocate, advocate, and reach for the stars!

Connie Hammer, MSW, parent educator, consultant and coach, guides parents of young children recently diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder to uncover abilities and change possibilities. Visit her website http://www.parentcoachingforautism.com to get your FREE resources - a parenting e-course, Parenting a Child with Autism - 3 Secrets to Thrive and a weekly parenting tip newsletter, The Spectrum.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Connie_Hammer

Autism Has Been Cured?

2012-02-01T19:01:00.000-08:00

Or so the American Psychiatric Association says. The APA has a new diagnostic definition of Autism which will make the one in 110 epidemic go away. What will really happen is that the children with a higher functioning autism spectrum disorder will cease to get the help they need.

Statistics prove that early diagnosis and early intervention is key. Without the diagnosis of PDD-NOS, PDD, Aspergers, and High Functioning Autism, that help will be nonexistent for a lot of families already struggling to make ends meet. Very few insurances pay for the therapies these kids need in order to be functioning adults in society. The estimated costs for some of these therapies can be from $39,000 to $130,000. In Pennsylvania, some programs can be paid by the state with medical assistance. But, to qualify for the medical assistance, the child needs to be declared as disabled. This new definition will have these kids falling through the cracks.

Regardless of a diagnosis, children with autism-like symptoms need professional help. Teachers don't know how to get through to some of these kids to give them the help they need. Unless they are learning support teachers, they just are not taught how to deal with the behavior problems the students with autism spectrum disorders are plagued with, some times due to the stress of school.

On the other side of this debate, the new definition will weed out the children with autism-like behaviors brought on by abuse, neglect, and attention. Schools will not be allowed to make on the run diagnosis in hopes of more funding. There will be a stricter criteria that must be met for a true diagnosis.

Personally, as a mom with a teenager that has a diagnosis of PDD-NOS, this new criteria scares me. My son has a lot of behaviors that he has outgrown, but a lot that he still struggles with on a day to day basis. Without the special programs in the area, he wouldn't be doing as well as he is. But, the new diagnostic definition is a needed change because I, as a parent with a special needs child, see teachers and other adults that are not qualified to do so, make unprofessional opinions on children based solely on the child's behavior. Which is unfair to that child who has now been labeled by someone who is supposed to be advocating for all children. And that child will now be treated differently by the adults around him all because of one biased opinion based solely on behavior.

My hopes for this new development is that there will now be more money spent on therapies for the children and adults that truly need it.

Sherry Vulgamott has been married to her high school sweetheart for 24 years and together they have 3 great kids. In her spare time, Sherry enjoys being with her family and friends, reading, writing, camping, and taking care of her parrots. Sherry invites you to her blog: http://sherryvulgamott.wordpress.com/ and asks that you comment on her posts with any questions or statements you have.

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Selecting The WRONG Autism Teacher Can Be Disastrous For Your Autistic Child

2012-02-01T13:26:00.000-08:00

If you have an autistic child, then it almost goes without saying that you want the best autism teacher that is possible so that your child is able to learn, can be taught how to learn, and not be left behind as his peers advance and mature. But have you really considered the autism teacher that the school district simple assigns to your child? If not, then perhaps you should as explained in this article.

First of all, you need to remember that your child will be spending 30 or more hours per week in the classroom. All of this time, your child is receiving instruction from their autism teacher. This instruction is much more than just basic learning as would be done for normal children, but much of that time is spent in helping the child learn how to learn, learn how to interact with his peers, learning acceptable behavior, and all done by someone who has an understanding of autistic children and their very specific needs and requirements.

As such, the autistic child will frequently look at his teacher as a role model, someone that they respect, they admire, someone who helps them with seemingly infinite patience, and someone that the child will attempt to emulate because of that relationship and respect. But this is not always a good thing if you have not looked a bit deeper into the selected autism teacher to really determine if that person is really worthy of being your child's role model.

Almost all autism teachers have been trained in autism, cognitive learning disabilities and dealing with emotionally impaired children. Many of them even have a Masters Degree which indicates that they have learned the material required at least once and should be capable of being a good autism teacher. But unfortunately, that is not the end of that story, since "academic smarts" is not all that is required to be an effective autism teacher and to be seen by autistic children as a role model to follow and emulate.

Some of the autism teachers in today's world are not worthy to be viewed as role models. Sure, they have the required "academic smarts" but they are a far cry from being the type of person that you would want your child to emulate or view as a role model for their future lives. Although it is unfortunate, some of these teachers have a character and personality outside of the classroom that is simply, putting it mildly, not the kind of person that you would want ANYONE to emulate, let alone your autistic child who NEEDS a role model to help them determine what is good, bad, right and acceptable within today's society and amongst their peers. In the role of the teacher of autism, some of these people are totally superficial, pretending to be one type of person in the classroom, but outside of the classroom they are an entirely different type of person, many times exhibiting traits of coldness towards others, consistently lying to friends and family, and feeling no remorse about hurting others that they have deceived. Is that the kind of person that you want your autistic child to view as a role model? I don't think so, and you should not think so either.

The choice is yours and much of that choice depends on the value that you place on the instruction that your autistic child receives at school, understanding that when they develop a relationship with their autism teacher, that relationship will inevitably extend into viewing that teacher as role model. I would strongly encourage you to ensure that such a person is indeed worthy to be viewed as such a role model, and you are not required to accept the autism teacher that the school district arbitrarily assigns to you.

If you are serious about getting the best for your autistic child, I would encourage you to do your research into the right Autism Teacher for your child and to do the amount of research necessary to ensure that your autistic child is receiving the maximum benefit for their learning needs. For more insights about Autism and to read a case study of two very real autism teachers, please visit our web site at http://www.autism-explained.com/selecting-the-right-autism-teacher-for-your-child/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jon_Arnold

Autism Healthcare

2012-01-30T17:51:00.000-08:00

The United States has a fragmented healthcare system made of many private health care facilities that are largely owned by the private sector. Primary care doctors are usually the first point of entry when there are any health concerns before referrals to any other appropriate health establishment if necessary. There are thousands of insurance companies that cover private health insurance and up until fairly recently it has been very hard to get health insurance to cover autism because it is risky and treatment is very expensive. This has recently changed due to new legislation but availability can depend on whether a particular State has enacted autism insurance legislation or coverage for government funded health programs such as Medicaid.

The causes of autism are not readily known or available. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that autism and related disorders are more common than previously thought. There is an increase in those being diagnosed and 3-4 times as many boys than girls are affected. On average one in 110 children born in the U.S. have autism. One in 70 boys and one in 315 girls are affected. It is thought by professionals that the increase is due to a wider definition of the spectrum.

It is essential to get an expert diagnosis in order to access the different services and treatments that may be available as it is beneficial to begin an early intervention program. An evaluation and assessment of the child may be done by a multidisciplinary team of professionals. Doctors who specializes in autism will observe the child, ask parents questions about the child's development and behavior and do a variety of tests such as intelligence tests to evaluate the child's strengths and weaknesses.

The following are some examples of the types of people and places listed by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) of whom to go to that will make a referral to, or provide diagnostic and treatment services (NIMH):

Family doctors
Mental health specialists such as psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors
Community mental health centers
Health maintenance organizations
Hospital psychiatry departments and outpatients clinics
State hospital outpatient clinics
Local medical and/or psychiatric societies

Once diagnosed, the quest to find affordable health insurance coverage to cover autism can begin. Around half of states currently have enacted autism insurance legislation which makes healthcare insurance coverage for more available, though it can be expensive. Recent laws have increased coverage for government funded health programs such as Medicaid for those on low incomes and disability is covered if it comes within the disability guidelines, so more families now qualify for assistance.

There are all kinds of treatments and interventions available and a treatment plan can be devised and tailored towards the individual child. Different teams of specialists can evaluate such things as speech, communication and motor skills. The main ways of treating the child can be through:

Behavior Therapies and other types of therapies

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) can be used to shape and modify behavior. Occupational Therapy is available to work on fine and gross motor skills, for example, and there are other therapies such as Speech Therapy.

Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for school age children

Parents are encouraged to be involved with teachers in setting targets or goals to be reached within the particular school year and describes any special support required in meeting them.

Medication

Currently, there are no medications available to treat autism, but there are supplements that can treat and manage some of the symptoms. Ritalin, for example, can be used to treat impulsivity and overactivity and there are other drugs that can be used to treat behaviors such as aggressive behaviors or repetitive behaviors.

Though healthcare is fragmented in the United States, there is a wide range of therapies and interventions available for children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Accessing these can depend on the child having an expert diagnosis on autism and on what health insurance coverage the child has.

References:

CDC. Cdc.gov: How Many Children Have Autism? Retrieved 29 March, 2011, from
cdc.gov/ncbddd/features/counting-autism.html

NIMH. Nimh,nih.gov: How To Find Help
nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/getting-help-locate-services/index.shtml

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_Chung

Proprioception and Sensibility

2012-01-30T17:47:00.000-08:00

Our sensory system conveys the information we need to our brains so we can make the right decisions in daily life. Huge amounts of information flow in to our brain at all times and we must decide the importance or otherwise of this. Hearing, touch and sight are clearly used by use to manage our responses to the challenges of normal life but there are other sensory modalities which are just as important in our mobility. The feelings coming in from all our bodily structures such as our muscles, ligaments, discs and joints are very important for normal movement function. Joint position sense is more specifically related to our joints and is also called proprioception.

Have you ever woken up in the night to find you have a numb and dead arm? I woke up on my back to find an arm laid across my chest so I lifted it off to the side. Very soon it came back. I moved it again, this time with a bit more speed. It came back. Gradually waking up I felt up the arm until I got to my shoulder. It was my own arm! Since I had laid on my arm, cutting off the blood supply to the nerve or compressing it, all sensory input to my brain from the arm had been cut off. My arm did not exist as far as by brain was concerned and when I gripped and moved my arm I had no sense that it was mine. As far as I was concerned the lack of feeling coming in meant that the arm had to be someone else's.

Compression of the nerves in the arm or cutting off their circulation in the same manner can completely interrupt the incoming messages to the brain, making the brain think that the area of the body does not exist at all and therefore has no movement function. The brain is unable to picture the limb and its position so is cannot plan any useful movement for the limb either. Working as a physiotherapist for over twenty years has left me with a clear view of the importance of sensory input in our management of normal movement.

Sensory input, the constant incoming signals to the brain from the various parts of the body, informs us what is going on and where we are in space. This is much more important than we realise. Losing muscle power is difficult but people adapt and manage well but losing sensory information from a body part makes it extremely difficult or impossible to use the part. Losing sensibility is more troublesome than losing muscle power, although both are important.

The loss of movement is the most obvious disability we see when we observe a stroke patient, but what we don't see is the loss of accurate sensory input, an impairment which may be more disabling overall. The joint position sense (JPS), also called proprioception, is the ability which allows our system to understand at any point where our joints are, what stresses are acting on them, how fast they are moving and how much muscle effort is being expended.

Monitoring of the positions, stresses and effort being exerted through all our joints is streaming in to our brains all the time from the joint position sense and other sense organs in our muscles and tendons. We need all this incoming information to make sense of where our limbs are so that we are in a position to do the next actions we desire. Accurate JPS information is essential if we are to be able to plan our next movement.

The loss of the ability to feel any part of our body accurately can have profound consequences, reducing our functional independence in many normal daily activities. Typical conditions include stroke, paraplegia and direct nerve damage but more surprising injuries can reduce JPS input. A sprained ankle or ruptured anterior cruciate ligament reduces the accuracy of joint position sense and requires rehabilitation. Physiotherapists are skilled in the rehabilitation of proprioceptive ability in multiple conditions.

Jonathan Blood Smyth is Superintendent of a large team of Physiotherapists at an NHS hospital in Devon. He specialises in orthopaedic conditions and looking after joint replacements as well as managing chronic pain. Visit the website he edits if you are looking for physiotherapists in Brighton or elsewhere in the UK.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Blood-Smyth

Biomedical Autism Treatment - Intervention For Autistic Children

2012-01-30T10:23:00.000-08:00

What is Biomedical Autism Treatment?

Biomedical autism treatment is the practice of treating the medical problems that can trigger autism and other disorders. Many children, teenagers and adults with an autism-spectrum disorder (ASD) have a true, underlying medical condition that includes genetic susceptibilities, detoxification imbalance, immune dysfunction, nutritional deficiencies, dietary sensitivities, biochemical abnormalities and more as causative factors in their ASD condition. A biomedical autism treatment approach comes from the awareness that ASD for many individuals is NOT just a psychological condition with no hope for improvement or recovery, like some say. It is, instead, a medical condition that has the potential to be reversed. Biomedical autism treatment for someone with an Autism-Spectrum Disorder works! It should be considered essential for any comprehensive program you are implementing to improve the health and quality of your child's (and your) life.

Basic Overview of Biomedical Autism Treatment:

* It is more than just a neuro-developmental disorder. Autism and other autism-spectrum disorders are truly a medical condition.

* It is the knowledge that the majority of autism-spectrum children (as well as teenagers and adults) are dealing with an underlying biological (aka. medical) disorder.

* Biomedicine can help children with attention-deficit (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other neuro-developmental problems even if they are not diagnosed with autism.

* Heavy metals, food sensitivities, nutritional deficiencies, chronic infections, immune dysfunction and genetic susceptibilities are at the core of their health problems. When these health issues are identified and treated many children's autism condition either improves or goes away.

* Biological problems involving the brain, immune, digestive, hormone and biochemical systems are at the root for many children on the autism-spectrum. The key is to recognize that autism is reversible for many children.

* Some of the biomedical autism treatments include dietary intervention such as the gluten and casein-free diet, vitamin and mineral therapy, detoxification treatment including the removal of heavy metal toxins, digestive support therapy including bacterial and yeast eradication, hyperbaric oxygen therapy for ongoing neurological inflammation and poor oxygen circulation and more.

* It is totally false that there is no hope for recovery - Autism Is Treatable. Many children have the potential to improve and in some their autism can be reversed. Biomedical autism treatment can also improve the effectiveness of other therapies such as speech, occupation therapy and Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). Many parents see a dramatic improvement in their child's response with these "traditional" autism interventions once they begin biomedical intervention.

Don't let ANYONE tell you there is nothing you can do to help your child. Autism really is treatable! Start your child down the road to recovery from autism. Biomedical Autism treatments and therapies have resulted in many, many children improving - even losing their autism-spectrum disorder diagnosis. For more information and a free ebook on biomedical autism treatment go to http://www.AutismActionPlan.org

Dr. Kurt Woeller is an autism biomedical specialist, with a private practice in Southern California for over 10 years. He has helped children recover from autism, ADD, ADHD, and other disorders, and has the information you need to help your child. Get his ebook, "7 Facts You Need To Know About Autism (But Probably Weren't Told)." You can download it right now for free at http://www.AutismActionPlan.org

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Kurt_Woeller

Biomedical Autism Treatment - What to Do to Help Your Autistic Child Recover

2012-01-30T10:18:00.000-08:00

Biomedical autism treatment for a child with an autism-spectrum disorder (ASD) is a journey that can reap huge rewards to you as you watch your child improve or even completely recover from his or her disorder. Although no guarantees for complete reversal and recovery can be made, parents and caregivers who are most successful in implementing biomedical autism treatments for their children are those who are fully committed to the process.

I have seen hundreds of patient families dealing with a child with an ASD and this experience has given me insight as to how parents can maximize the effectiveness of their child's treatment. I thought it would be helpful to take key aspects from successes I have had with families and offer them as tips for how to best engage in biomedical autism treatment. Attitude Understand that the goal of a biomedical approach to ASD is to optimize your child's health potential with the hope that recovery is achieved. In many kids their condition IS reversible. Believe that recovery is possible. No one can convince you that the biomedical approach for your autism-spectrum child is worthwhile. You must come to this conclusion for yourself. If you do not believe that a biomedical approach to treating ASD has merit, then you ultimately will not be successful in helping your child with this approach. Get Informed - read, listen, and do research.

Be involved 100% - You know your child better than anyone. You are ultimately responsible for your own health and your child's health care. Planning Keep notes. Make a running list of supplements, medications, a calendar of therapy implementation, and reactions to therapies. Be prepared to make a plan and then follow through with the plan. Be consistent and persistent in your approach. You will also need to maintain some flexibility as things will likely change as your child responds to different therapies. Plan to be busy implementing biomedical autism treatment for your child. An aggressive complementary biomedical approach is necessary for most children if complete healing is the goal. Many natural and complementary medicine programs fail because not enough therapies are done simultaneously. Be open to all possibilities such as detoxification therapy, methyl-B12 injections, homeopathy, herbal medicine, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, etc. Let your doctor know if you have issues with any recommendations. Hope Realize that biomedical autism treatment works.

The facts are indisputable, and the smiling, happy faces of parents who have has success attest to that. There is no longer a need to listen to any doctor or "naysayer" trying to discredit biomedical autism treatment. These people create nothing but fear, doubt and confusion (the 3 remedies for failure). Believe in yourself as a parent to help your child heal. Understand that YOU have ultimate control about how and when biomedical therapies will be implemented EDUCATE and EMPOWER YOURSELF! You can start a basic program - TODAY!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Kurt_Woeller

Biomedical Autism Treatment - Does it Really Work?

2012-01-30T10:05:00.000-08:00

Doctor Reveals The Truth About The Effectiveness of Biomedical Autism Treatment:

What is Biomedical Autism Treatment?

The basic, short answer is this; biomedical autism treatment is the practice of treating the underlying medical problems that can trigger autism and other disorders. Many people with an autism-spectrum disorder (ASD) have a very real medical condition that could include genetic susceptibilities, detoxification imbalance, immune dysfunction, nutritional deficiencies, dietary sensitivities, biochemical abnormalities and others. These medical conditions can become causative factors in their ASD condition. A biomedical autism treatment approach comes from the awareness that Autism-spectrum disorders for many individuals is NOT just a psychological condition with no hope for improvement or recovery, like some say. It is, instead, a medical condition that has the potential to be reversed.

Does Biomedical Autism Treatment Really Work?

Yes...with a caveat. Like any other therapy, biomedical autism treatment results can vary depending on a number of factors. These include the severity of the disorder, the cause of the disorder, how quickly you administer biomedical autism treatment after your child's diagnosis, and how well you implement the therapies. The results, too, will vary form child to child. Some experience a full recovery with little or no obvious signs of their disorder. Some children respond only slightly. Luckily the big dramatic results seem to outweigh the little advances. The only way to see how well your child will respond to biomedical autism treatment is to try. You have really have nothing to lose, and the possibility of a greatly improved quality of life for your child.

Can It Hurt My Child?

Biomedical autism treatments are basically putting your child's body chemistry back to where it should be. It is a matter of finding out what your child's body has too much or too little of, and adjusting those levels. This is done with certain diet, supplement and vitamin intervention. There are no experimental drugs, or voodoo medicine. These same therapies could be given to a child without an autism-spectrum disorder, and that child could see no difference in their behavior, however, the child who is lacking certain elements or whose body is making or retaining to much of another, could experience a dramatic improvement.

Why Didn't My Child's Doctor Tell Me About Biomedical Autism Treatment?

Unfortunately, there are many in the medical field who believe autism spectrum disorders are only a neuro-development disorder and stop there. Some are unwilling to look at the overwhelming results that have been seen with biomedical autism treatment, simply because it falls outside of their education or specialty. The sad part is, they have nothing else to offer. It's not like they are saying "don't do that stuff, do this instead...They just say "don't do that", without anything else to offer. Your child could benefit greatly from biomedical autism treatments. What really do you have to lose in trying biomedical autism treatment...maybe a few dollars if the results are minimal. But what if the results are dramatic, like so many other children experience? Doesn't your child deserve such an opportunity at a better quality of life? I urge you to get educated in this powerful therapy and to take action now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Kurt_Woeller

Sensitivity to Lights and Sounds in Vehicles

2012-01-30T09:56:00.000-08:00

Children with sensory integration disorder or sensitivities to light and sound, can resist going out for a walk, playing on the playground, and even going for a ride in the car. Sensory integration disorder is when the brain doesn't understand the information it is receiving from the senses and misinterprets it.

When a child is sensitive to the brightness of light or sound that it is either too loud or high-pitched, they may overreact and exhibit a variety of behavioral challenges, such as crying, screaming, having headaches or stomachaches. As onlookers, we interpret this child as being temperamental or having a bad day. The way the parents respond, if they are not aware of this sensitivity, is to do a number of things to calm or stop the child's behavior. Most people have not heard of sensory integration disorder, although it is on the rise, primarily due to the frequency of diagnosis and quantity of people having the same or similar sensory issues.

Sensory integration disorder can coexist with Autism spectrum disorders, other learning disabilities or disorders. The book, "The Out of Sync Child," by Carol Stock Kranowitz, discusses and explains what this disorder is and how to adjust events in your child's life so that your child can be more comfortable. Checklists on the web do not fully understand the disorder, and try to attest their validity by making blanket statements, with black and white conclusions. Many children exhibit sensory issues, but parents and therapists may not recognize all the symptoms. Symptoms may occur one day and not the next two days or new ones may surface. Some days a child may be overly sensitive to sound or light, and other days they may be under sensitive.

Some children are okay with having sunglasses on, to protect their eyes from the light. Those who do not like to have things on their face or who are too young to wear eye protection, can typically shield their eyes with a hood or cover. Vehicles that have darkly tinted windows in the backseat are perfect for these children. Some people find that tires that do not have a specific expiration mileage will produce more sound and noise than tires that that last for just 50,000 or 100,000 miles, for example. These types of tires are firmer due to the amount of rubber that is spun tighter around the tire.

Some of the newer vehicles, have features that auto adjust mirrors so light is either reflected or muted and won't glare or bounce off other reflective objects in the car. Additionally, there are muted colored lights throughout the car that given an amber, blue or red glow to light the console or dashboard.

If you are unable to purchase a newer vehicle, there are ways to adjust the interior of your car to reduce the glare or brightness. Private investigators use black curtains hung near or around the windows to prevent the light from glaring in. The same curtain can be used to hang from the inside of the car's window, using the window to hold it up. Using white noise machines, video games, or soft music helps with irritating or aversive sounds.

Observe your child's behavior on a daily basis to see how or if the amount of light is bothersome. Ask your child questions and help them become more comfortable. Traveling in a car with your child in car can be a pleasant experience; most importantly, it needs to be safe so the driver is not distracted and the passengers are safe.

Julie Callicutt is the owner of Ferko Therapeutic Group, a company specializing in providing intensive rehabilitation therapy to children with disabilities, specifically those on the Autism Spectrum. Julie's services include 1:1 intensive therapy, coaching/mentoring of caregivers and making herself available to speak at local and national early childhood conferences. If you would like more information, please visit, http://www.ferkotherapy.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julie_Callicutt

Autism Treatment - Stopping Biomedical Treatments and Autism

2012-01-30T09:40:00.000-08:00

I want to discuss the issue of starting and stopping biomedical therapies and what the normal protocol is. I am often asked a question like "Dr. Woeller, if my child is taking B12, or my child is on various supplements or medications like Diflucan or maybe Nystatin, should I be weaning my child off of these supplements or can they just be stopped all of a sudden?". In my experience, and this applies to the majority of the biomedical therapies that we use, if your child reaches a plateau where you are no longer seeing improvements, and if your doctor is in agreement on this, it is my experience that you can stop these therapies all at once without seeing any negative reactions.

And certainly when you look at other medications for other medical issues like certain steroid medications or certain anti-depressant medications and various types of psychiatric medications that often times do need to be removed slowly, where you are backing off slowly from one dose to a lower dose. But when we are talking about vitamin therapies like B12 or anti-fungals or even most supplements, in my experience there is no need to wean your child off. And this again is something that you would still want to run by your own doctors but in my opinion there is no weaning process for these types of therapies. But a very common question I get in my practice is whether someone can stop B12 with their child suddenly or whether or not their child needs to be weaned off. With B12, in my experience, if it is time to stop that therapy you can just do so immediately and if you want to resume that therapy at a later time then you can.

So when we are discussing biomedical treatments, many of the therapies are the same way. You are not usually going to see dangerous reactions occurring, we are not using highly toxic substances and they are not highly stressful medications either. There are definitely medications that do require weaning and this is still an issue where you would always want to work with your own physician on this. But, for the most part, the biomedical therapies that we traditionally use like anti-fungals, supplements, etc. can many times be stopped without a need to wean a child off of them.

Autism really is treatable! Biomedical Autism treatments and therapies have resulted in many, many children improving, or even even losing their autism-spectrum disorder diagnosis. For lots more free biomedical autism intervention information and videos from Dr. Woeller, go to http://www.AutismRecoveryTreatment.com.

Dr. Kurt Woeller is an biomedical autism Intervention specialist, with a private practice in Southern California for over 10 years. He has helped children recover from autism, ADD, ADHD, and other disorders, and has the information you need to help your child. Download his free ebook at http://www.AutismActionPlan.org.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Kurt_Woeller

Is Your School System Offering ABA Therapy?

2012-01-27T19:44:00.000-08:00

If you are an educator, guidance counselor, or other school faculty member, then you understand the commitment you have made to providing every student that steps into your hallways with the best education possible. With that in mind, what treatments does your school system offer for children with autism spectrum disorders? Are they herded into classrooms for students with special needs? Are they frequently punished for behaving in ways outside of the norm? Sadly, these are the most common treatments in today's schools, despite the fact that offering ABA therapy could make a real difference in behavior and learning.

ABA therapy is more than just a bunch of memorization and mimicking. While these are certainly integral aspects of the therapy, they are designed to help the brains of autistic children form new neural pathways and to literally develop the ability to understand larger concepts. Intensive ABA therapy is shown to help kids learn not only acceptable behavior patterns and specifically taught concepts, but the ability to learn new things in much the same manner as their peers. This is certainly remarkable, and with thirty years of evidence to support the treatment, the real question is why more schools don't offer ABA.

One of the biggest hindrances to offering ABA in school systems is that training is largely cost prohibitive. Sending every educator within a school system to special classes or seminars is unaffordable for most school systems, and educating only one teacher will prove largely inefficient. Many schools see this as a sign that they simply cannot offer ABA therapy, but this is not the case. Through the use of a well designed and well implemented DVD course, it is possible for entire school districts to learn how to provide ABA therapy for autistic children.

While the notion of a DVD course might be surprising at first, it actually makes sense. A well designed course will come with all of the materials needed for both learning and providing ABA therapy. It will also include information on how to contact someone with questions or to get clarification on different aspects of the therapy. One of the best things about a DVD course, however, is that it doesn't just offer one-time training. It can be used time and again to ensure that new teachers are also taught this method. Ensuring that everyone in your school system knows how to handle autistic children is the key to proper educating, and a DVD course in ABA therapy can make that goal attainable.

Garrett Butch is the father of a 6 year old with autism and the founder of Maximum Potential Group.

Maximum Potential has developed courses that train parents and school systems how to work with children with autism.

http://www.maximumpotentialkids.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Butch

ABA Therapy is Effective For All Levels on the Autism Spectrum

2012-01-27T19:24:00.000-08:00

While typically considered a way to ready moderately autistic children for introduction into a school environment, ABA Therapy can actually prove remarkably beneficial for children on all levels of the autism spectrum. In fact, children who are mildly autistic show remarkable results with the method while children who have sever symptoms frequently experience signs of moderate to full recovery. ABA Therapy is not a cure for autism, but it is a remarkable means of treating a disorder that many people once thought to be untreatable.

ABA Therapy has existed for decades, and has consistently been the most successful and most recommended treatment for autism. It is the only treatment utilized by a majority of school districts as well as the only treatment covered by many insurance programs. There are many years worth of studies to back up the results of ABA Therapy, with results showing improvement for children on all degrees of the autism spectrum.

Studies show that people with all ranges of behavior disorders can benefit from ABA Therapy. In addition, further study on some of the earliest patients shows that the progress made through ABA Therapy carried through into adulthood, with a large percentage of the patients having very successful jobs and working lives. Even those who had heavy disability despite intensive ABA treatment carried their progress into adulthood and found themselves better equipped in social situations such as stores and public transportation systems.

ABA Therapy is something that can be applied across the autism spectrum, but it must be tailored to a child. While a child with mild symptoms may benefit from only a few hours a week, children with more severe symptoms will require intensive training that lasts upwards of forty hours a week. Each child is different and therapy must be tailored to the child and their needs in order to be successful.

In all, ABA Therapy is by far the best available treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Until a cure for autism is found, ABA continues to be the most effective way to help these children lead lives that are as similar to those of their peers as possible. Children of all ability levels who have an ASD can see remarkable benefit from ABA. ABA Therapy may not be a cure, but for many children it offers the best hope for recovery and the best chance to truly live up to their maximum potential.

Garrett Butch is the father of a 6 year old with autism and the founder of Maximum Potential Group.

Maximum Potential has developed courses that train parents and school systems how to work with children with autism.

http://www.maximumpotentialkids.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Butch

ABA Therapy at Home Offers Hope to All Families

2012-01-27T19:16:00.000-08:00

While a diagnosis of Autism is an emotional burden for any family, for many families it also presents a serious financial burden. Many parents find themselves faced with the choice of paying for treatment by picking up extra jobs and giving up family time or spending time at home and providing minimal treatment. For all families in this situation, neither answer is fair and neither is entirely correct. It is for families experiencing this that home ABA Therapy programs were designed.

Home ABA Training courses teach parents all they need to know in order to provide proper ABA Therapy for their own child. While there is a cost for the program as well as a small cost for replacement data collection materials, the costs are tens of thousands of dollars lower annually than the cost of hiring a professional to administer intensive ABA Therapy. In addition, many children ease into learning much easier when they are able to do so in the comfort of familiar surroundings.

With that said it is important to make clear that providing ABA Therapy requires a significant amount of time and dedication and can be difficult. In the beginning many children are averse to a drastic change in routine and can cry, throw fits, or even hurt themselves. It is very important to react to this in a way that is consistent with ABA methods as long as the child is not in danger. Responding to negative behavior only furthers associations between the behavior and attention, and ABA Training is focused on rewarding only positive behavior with attention as part of the process of training appropriate responses.

While difficult and intensive, home ABA Training can be quite rewarding. Because the therapy is designed only to prepare these children for school, where they will receive training as well as participating in classes with their peers, many parents find great reward in watching their children reach significant learning and behavior milestones. Because these parents have seen their children in the depths of Autism and in many cases unable to communicate, they have a stronger understanding of how remarkable each of these milestones truly is.

In short, ABA Therapy at home is an excellent alternative for many parents. By purchasing a proper training program and offering their child all of the same methods they would obtain from a hired professional, parents ensure that their child has truly gotten the best care possible. There is no license or certification requirement to provide ABA Training, only a dedication to helping children reach their maximum potential. With that in mind, parents of children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder should give consideration to ABA, which after many decades is still the only Autism treatment covered by most insurance companies and relied on by most school systems.

Garrett Butch is the father of a 6 year old with autism and the founder of Maximum Potential Group.

Maximum Potential has developed courses that train parents and school systems how to work with children with autism.

http://www.maximumpotentialkids.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Butch

Medicaid Waivers for Children With Special Needs

2012-01-27T08:02:00.000-08:00

Special Needs children can present a whole host of challenges completely aside from their actual physical or mental impairments. They may present a physical danger to themselves that requires constant supervision or they may need living assistance to help them with daily activities such as eating. Often these children have significant difficulties communicating and moving about their environment which then results in significant anxiety disorders. Physical and mental delays can be further exacerbated by the sensory disorders that often accompany the original disorder.

Autism, which is one of the leading disorders among children with disabilities, affects 1 in 110 children, or currently 730,000 children (up to the age of 21). Autistic children and those considered to be in the spectrum, face sensory challenges that prevent them from learning alongside other typical children. An aversion to sound for instance can cause that child to shut down when placed in a noisy school environment and as a result block out any potentially beneficial input. In the case of intellectually challenged children, just wandering out of the house could be disastrous. They often don't know their own strength and can present a danger and challenge to potential caregivers - so the typical avenues of childcare and daycare become out of the question. In these situations, a special care facility, or in-home provider often becomes necessary.

The costs for this type of care and accommodation can be exorbitant if not prohibitive. This is where the Medicaid waivers come into play. While the usual category of Medicaid eligibility for children is a parent who is below a particular federal threshold of poverty, special needs children are assessed on need alone if they personally have no income or assets/resources. The family financial status is not a factor.

There are three main waivers that generally apply to special needs children including the ID, DD, and the EDCD waivers. Each of the waivers exist to provide an alternative to institutional care. The DD Waiver is for the developmentally disabled child and would include children with physical disabilities that limit their functioning. The DD waiver is a first-come first-served waiver that can take many years to be implemented. These waiting lists are a sticking point for many individuals simply because if the child needs services today, then why are they not getting them for many years? The reason is funding.

The ID waiver is also known as the MR waiver, Intellectually Disabled and Mentally Retarded. This waiver requires an IQ test result of below 70. There is another test that can sometimes be used in its placed called the Adaptive Behavior test. The ID waiver too has a waiting list; however this waiver is applied based on need and emergency need will trump those waiting on the list. Again, due to funding the wait can be many years.

Lastly is the EDCD waiver (Elderly or Disabled with Consumer-Directed Services) which was originally designed to provide services and benefits to the elderly who would otherwise have needed institutionalization. However, children (re: children, not family) that meet the financial criteria can apply as disabled if they meet the skilled nursing and physical supervision requirements of the Waiver. The consumer directed services aspect of the waiver allows for the client or clients guardian, to direct the care by hiring the care-givers themselves without agency intervention. There are guidelines, and the provider cannot be a parent, or someone that lives in the home and they must meet state licensing requirements. Most qualifying children in need fall into this Waiver category and it is implemented immediately. Services begin as soon as paperwork is completed unlike the two previous waivers which can have extremely long waiting lists.

The Medicaid waiver system is administered by the states and their individual agencies. This is an important fact to consider as moving from one state to another will negate the clients status and the client would have to reapply and wait on a new list. As the administrators, the states individually determine the types of services that they offer. These services can change from one legislative period to another based on budgets and of course politics. Check with the local DSS, heath department, or consumer directed services bureau in your area to find out more information regarding these Waivers.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Anthony_Williamson

Financial and Medical Assistance for Families with Autistic Children

2012-01-27T07:49:00.000-08:00

Having a child with Autism can be financially draining for the family.
Insurance is expensive and some insurance companies do not allow predisposed conditions in their coverage.

The cost to a family who have children with Autism can be staggering . Between treatments, specialized child care (if both parents are employed), or lost income, not to mention any medical conditions associated with their Autistic child, the cost is estimated according to channel 7 news to run over 3 million dollars for the lifetime of the child.

Trying treatments to relieve the signs and symptoms of Autism have to be borne by the family as no insurance company will pay for any treatments that are not approved by a physician.

There may be some financial relief for some families who have children with Autism. A way for them to receive free medical care and some help with supplements and basic needs.

As soon as the diagnosis of Autism is received from a Doctor or Psychologist, the family should contact Social Security to obtain medical assistance for their children with Autism.

The paperwork can be lengthy as is the waiting for determination, but the long term benefits can be worth it.

They will require confirmation of the Autism diagnosis from the physician. In addition they will send you forms to fill out which basically tells them what the functioning ability of the child with Autism is.
Questions include safety issues, social issues and basic activities of daily living as well as attestations as to the Autistic child's social skills and mental capacity.

They will also require the same form to be completed by another person, preferably in a teaching or care giving capacity that echoes your assessment of the child's abilities.

Determination is not made on the diagnosis of Autism, but rather on the level of functioning that the child can achieve.

The monetary compensation is calculated on the family's income and is paid monthly to the child if capable mentally and is of age, or to a surrogate, usually the child's parent or caregiver.

If Social Security does approve your application for medical assistance for your children with Autism, this automatically puts them on Medicaid which can be a lifesaver for parents who are struggling to find adequate insurance coverage.
Medicaid also pays for incontinence products and for those that live in an area where this is available respite care which can help relieve a little of the stress associated with raising an Autistic child.

It is definitely worth the time and energy to apply to Social Security for medical assistance for your Autistic children as it can help relieve the financial burden that you will carry for the years to come.

Financial assistance for families with Autistic children may be obtained, you just need to know where to look for it. Visit us at http://www.howdoiknowifitisautism.blogspot.com for a little light at the end of the tunnel. Written by Donna Mason, the mother of 3 Autistic children looking for a way to survive and help her children.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donna_Mason

Is There a Link Between Autism and Diet?

2012-01-25T18:00:00.000-08:00

An article about autism in a major newspaper says it all with just one headline: "Science disputes autism's diet link." This one headline conveys that there may be a connection between diet and autism, and that some scientists have rejected the idea.

The article features Tina Szenasi, a mother of three boys in Barrie, Ontario. The article implies that all three of her children are autistic. According the the article, her sons improved within weeks of starting an elimination diet - a reasonable time frame to expect.

Many parents with autistic children feel that by changing their child's diet (specifically, eliminating wheat and milk, the GFCF diet), they can notice a difference in their child's behaviour. Results reported by parents and teachers seem to vary from subtle to dramatic.

"Farfetched" a doctor in the article is quoted as saying. But are trained to recognize symptoms that can be masked or eliminated by surgery or a prescription. Many doctors are weak on nutrition, and prevention in general.

Since an elimination diet does not make money for either the medical industry, or the pharmaceutical industry, there is little incentive to recommend eliminating wheat or milk from an autistic child's diet, or to study it in detail (given that most medical research these days seems to be funded by the profit-making medical industry).

According to the article, "most mainstream scientists remain skeptical of the gut-brain connection in autism". Most scientists of course, do not study such a connection, so it is a little hard to understand what this statement means, other than the newspaper shying away from the anecdotal evidence supplied by parents.

The article mentions one study, published in March 2006 in the the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders which is unable to find a "significant" improvement for children on the GFCF diet. It would be helpful to know what their definition of significant is, and for how long the children remained on the elimination diet.

It is also possible that autism is a complicated disease with more than one cause, depending on the child. A small study would see this as "noise", but if wheat and milk really are responsible for autism in some cases, and your child is one of them, the diet just may work for you.

Meanwhile, there is an industry at the fringes, capitalizing on the possible dietary link between wheat/milk and autism. From specialty foods to specialty tests, there is an economic interest to suggesting an elimination diet. Not all businesses seeking to capitalize on the "autistic market" are necessarily credible, ethical or legitimate. It is a case of "buyer beware".

But do you really have to spend big money on an elimination diet? No. If you avoid prepared foods and cook from basic ingredients, there is no need to consume large quantities of specialty foods. This does take time of course.

Conclusion

Eliminating wheat and milk from anyone's diet, child or adult, is not harmful. The foods you eat instead of wheat and milk could even be more healthy than what they replaced, if you choose carefully (see wheat alternatives).

If an elimination diet has a noticeable effect on your child's health, then it is worth the effort. If it does not make a difference after a couple of months, you can drop it.

Eliminating wheat and milk from your child's diet is a low-risk experiment. It is also non-medical, so don't be dissuaded by your doctor.

It is also possible that in some cases, an autistic child could have more than one problem. Why not autism and a food allergy, making the autism worse?

While not autistic, I am here to tell you from personal experience, that an elimination diet can, in some cases make a huge difference to mood, behaviour, attention span, concentration, sleeping patterns, digestive function, and a whole host of other effects.

Don't get your hopes up. This diet may not work for your child. But by all means try it, and see if it does.

Good luck!

Have a gluten allergy? Find out more: Gluten Allergy

The Universal 3 Point "Guide on How To" When Dealing With an Autistic Person

2012-01-24T18:58:00.000-08:00

've seen a lot of these 'guides' floating around, how to be their friends, how to think of them, what they wish they could tell you, etc... some are rather enlightening, many contain pretty common sense stuff that you should apply to everyone, not just someone with Autism.

The ones I find amusing, yet scary, are the ones that try to pad them out to be a nice round number like 10 or to sound like they have a "lot" to share with you by having a high enough number. But what I find even more amusing and scary is that every single one of these people know that no two Autistic people are created equal, therefore generalizing is a tricky thing to do. Not every child will react the same in every situation and thus, guidelines are exactly that, guidelines... not rules. Learn from them, don't take them too seriously. How you interact with an Autistic person will vary.

Anyway, it was after reading a few of these that I summarized all of them into 3 simple points, which I tweeted in well under 140 characters and I think did a good job of summing it all up without generalizing to the point of excluding anyone... although, this will fall into the category of applying to everyone, not just Autistic people. So my apologies if you were expecting some ground breaking new way of thinking that pertained only to Autism.

Don't Tell Me. Inform Me.
Autistic people can't express themselves as well or at all, and they tend to take in information in a literal sense. For example, if you tell them that you feel like a pizza, they'll picture you feeling like dough covered in cheese, sauce and pepperoni. Instead, say "I want pizza for supper."

That being said, they're not just robots that you can feed information into and tell them how to think. I think it's fairly safe to say that if you've had any kind of extended period of time with an Autistic individual, you realize that you can't force them to do anything or to think anything.

Give them the information they require to visualize and conceptualize for themselves and form their own opinions and decisions. My hope is that my son grows up to pick a political party on his own, based on the facts he learns and bases his vote on what he thinks is best. It's not my place to tell him. That brings me to...

Don't Include Me. Involve Me.
I don't think most people realize exactly how much of a difference there really is... I see this happen in regular programs with regular kids that try to "include" special needs children. Most do a good job, but some feel that simply having the child there watching, or sitting close enough to the action, that they're somehow involved.

The really great people are the ones who find a task or a way to get the special needs child involved. For example, there was a video of a boy in the news recently who was the helper of the basketball team. He loved being involved, he loved being an important part of the team and when his time came, he laced up his shoes and became a star! It was because he was involved, not just included. That brings me to the last one...

Don't Judge Me. Accept Me.
I think this one pretty much speaks for itself, not just for Autistics but for all people who feel... out of the norm. For me, when I think of this, I think as a parent would when I am out in public and my son loses his cool and throws a temper tantrum like only an Autistic person could. I see the other parents judge me and I think.. if they knew, it would be different.

Autism tends to lend itself to this very well because on the surface, most people don't and can't recognize there's anything wrong beyond the person just being bad, dumb, silly... crazy even. Perhaps if a puzzle piece shaped scar appeared on children with Autism, this one wouldn't be a big deal.

Stop looking at me, the parent... and stop whispering to the person next to you about how bad behaved my child is. Stop thinking my son is rainman, stop thinking he's retarded.... just stop thinking about everything you're thinking except... there's a man with his son. Because that's all we are.

So there you have it, all of the lists on all of the sites on all of the internet summed up into 3 little points. Autistic or not, young or old... practice these 3 things with the people you know. It's not just a list of nice little words of wisdom, they're the building blocks to friendship, to a community and to peace.

My name is Stuart Duncan and my son has Autism. Like many parents thrust into the situation, I had to find my own way for me and for my son. This is my story.

http://www.stuartduncan.name

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stuart_Duncan

How Can You Help Your Autistic Child Create Friendships?

2012-01-24T18:20:00.000-08:00

Friends are important to people. Having friends and creating friends for your autistic child could be challenging. How will you be able to accept this challenge and help your child who has the disorder of autism, create friendships?

It is imperative to know your child.Know his or her weaknesses and strengths. Consider the social limitations your child may have. Not only participating with autistic children, but non-autistic children. Each child is unique and may need various kinds of help or coaching for encouragement and to gain confidence.

Some autistic children may have difficulty in expressing their verbal language. In addition, not being able to understand verbal language from other children. This can make it a challenge to communicate and create friendships with other children and autistic children.

Therefore, it is wise to determine the limitations your child may have, before you decide, your child should socialize and create friendships.

By taking this action, you will learn what your child is expressing and what he or she is able to handle. This will determine what kind of friends are appropriate for your individual to socialize with, when trying to create friendships.

Set a play date for that is fun for your child and other children. This could be done at school, or outside of the classroom. Take time to find the right situation for your child and other children to participate in.

When you do find the time that will work for all of the children, and the place, keep the time short and limited. This will eliminate stress, frustration and rejection from other children. By being aware of this and taking charge of the situation, your child will probably want to continue this activity or another one. It will help to create friends at his or her own pace.

If your child does not like crowds, bright lights, loud noises, confusing activities, multiple activities, take this into consideration. Do not force your child to take part in areas, where you know he or she will become upset. What is a fun activity or place for some children, could be extremely overwhelming for a child with the disorder of autism.

Another way you can help your autistic child create friendships is, if you have made many attempts for your child to participate in activities, new places, new times, to socialize and it does not seem to be working, perhaps it is time for you to be creative with a new idea or plan.

If you know your child, you will know if he or she needs more time to adjust to other individuals, activities, new places, etc. Be sure you are not placing an enormous amount of pressure on your child, by having too high expectations for him or her to socialize on your terms and thoughts. Instead, take into consideration each individual is different. You will want to evaluate your motives for encouraging creative friendships and socialization for your child.

If your child feels comfortable with one friend and is having fun, that may be all that is necessary for the present time. You may find you do not need to create more friendships or have your child participate in more social activities. Keep the pace simple for creating new friendships. Do not push your child into new friendships, when one or two friends could be enough and it will avoid unwanted stress.

Bonita Darula operates a web sight==> http://www.autismintoawareness.com SIGN up to RECEIVE your COMPLIMENTARY WEEKLY AUTISTIC NEWSLETTER on current TOPICS. For example: How can you help your child create and have friends? Order your Autism updated information from your Complimentary Autistic Newsletter to help your child and you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bonita_Darula

Autistic Residential Schools vs Day Schools

2012-01-24T18:17:00.000-08:00

It's difficult for any parent to get used to the idea of sending their children away to school, and perhaps even harder for parents of special needs children, such as those who suffer from autism, to do so. Is your child getting a good education? Are other children treating him or her fairly? Will your child enjoy this new situation? Many schools are now set in place to put these fears to rest by solely devoting their attention towards special needs children, and the concept of sending an autistic child to residential school for autistic children instead of a day school program is becoming more popular among parents. Although it may be difficult to adjust to your child living away from home, this may be where the best care and education is available for you child, so carefully consider the advantages before dismissing the idea of residential school for your autistic child.

Residential school programs are often no different than day school programs, but here the student has the opportunity to interact with others outside of a classroom setting. This is sometimes exactly what an autistic child needs to learn socialization skills with people outside of the family.

These schools are also very safe and organized in a way that is conducive to learning. For example, Franklin Academy in Connecticut, which specializes in teaching non-verbal students, has a three to one student to teacher ratio and an average class size of six students. They also plan small-group field trips to public places, so your child has an opportunity to interact in public places.

This is as opposed to day schools, which typically have larger class sizes and therefore cannot handle public outings. Even if the day school specializes in teaching autistic children, they simply may not have the resources and time during the school day for field trips.

Another advantage over day schools, whether public of private, is the living aspect. Although the students who attend these schools are greatly supervised, they learn living skills that they will need in an adult world. Whereas you may feel obligated or want to do things for your child at home, at a residential school, your child will be encouraged to live more independently. At Brehm Preparatory School in Illinois, students learn time and money management and are in charge of simple home maintenance (chores), study time, and recreational activities. Here also, the emphasis is on family.

Family is an important thing to consider with any type of residential school. While your child is learning valuable social skills, he or she may become more distant from his or her immediate family. At schools like Brehm, including Hampshire Country School in New Hampshire, have parents' weekend often to so parents can visit their children. Consider also the stress this may relieve for you and your family. Since you will need to spend less time helping your autistic child with learning everyday life skills, you can devote more time to enjoying their company when you see them. Spend time on your marriage and with your other children, activities that would normally be hard to achieve or ignored with an autistic child at home.

However, it is important to note that residential schooling is not for everyone. Typically, your child needs to be high functioning to handle this school atmosphere. You will need to consider cost, since tuition , room, and board for residential schools can be quite expensive. Remember, residential school is not for everyone, but you should definitely consider the option. Research this type of program so that you can make the best decisions possible for your child's education.

Grab your copy of Rachel Evans' free Autism newsletter overflowing with ideas about which teaching strategy for a child with autism is best. Plus, more information on autism education. Sign up at http://www.essential-guide-to-autism.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rachel_Evans

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