Aut-Thought

How Autism is Changing the World for Everybody

George Dvorsky reports on io9.com that today autism and Aspergers Syndrome, have become accepted as a normal part of the human fabric, where people on the spectrum are changing the nature of our society — in many ways, for the better. Even if some people still see autism as a condition that needs to be "treated," it's increasingly obvious that people on the autism spectrum are finding ways to succeed in our neurotypical-based society.

Today autism has played a significant role in crafting much of what we consider to be modern culture — from the music and books we read, to the technological devices we all take for granted. The acceptance of radically different ways of thinking, it turns out, can be seen as an integral part of a rich and diverse overarching culture.

For more, please see full length article here.

Aut-Thought

Sensory Integration tips for easier bedtimes

Heavy blankets, soft fabrics and other things can help make sleep easier

FAMILY & PARENTING  |  BY: ALICIA BAYER

Sensory Integration techniques can be used to help kids focus, concentrate, learn and behave well, but they can also be invaluable at bedtime. Here are some ways to use Sensory Integration principles to help kids get to sleep.

• Pay attention to fabrics. 

• Watch the light. 

• Try a before bed massage. 

• Avoid touch and activities that stimulate kids. 

• Set the stage ahead of time. 

• Give chewy bedtime snacks. 

• Find the right balance of noise. 

• Provide a good foundation. 

• Make your child warm, but not too warm. 

• Consider bedtime baths -- or not. 

• Use weight. Some children relax and sleep better if they are under heavy blankets.

• Tuck them in. 

• Put on soothing music. 

• Look to what your child prefers during the day. 

READ DETAILS >> 


Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Epigenetics: Marrying genetics and environment in autism research?

“Genetics vs. Environment”

Paul Whiteley Ph.D.

Funny how these few simple words can create so much tension. Down the years just about every area of health and disease has witnessed the grudge match that is nature or nurture. Obesity: food intake, or differences in the genes controlling how energy is used and stored? Heart disease: poor lifestyle choices, or genetic differences in our navigation of modern living? The list goes on and on and on in this often polarized debate.

Autism has, and continues, to have its own genes vs. environment debate. Indeed this debate has, perhaps above all others, contributed to quite a lot of the heated discussions in autism circles down the years on what is and isn’t autism in terms of aetiology and pathology. “It’s genetic,” say the twin studies. “No its not,” say the environmental camp, the two extremes sandwiched between various shades of gene-environment interactions in-between.

In this post, I want to talk about another player in the genes / environment arena – epigenetics – an area which might provide an olive branch between the two heavyweights, where foes might even become friends. READ MORE >>

AUT-THOUGHT

12 REASONS YOU SHOULD THINK TWICE BEFORE MESSING WITH SPECIAL NEEDS PARENTS

1. Some of us have given up on social skills and don't care what we say or do.
2. We're not afraid to have a serious "meltdown" of our own.
3. We are tired and all the patience we have is for our kids.
4. We have A far shorter fuse for nonsense as a result of our responsibilities but A FAR thicker skin.
5. We can get you in a hold/lockdown position in less than 3.5 secs.
6. We can shoot you a look that would make a linebacker tremble in his boots.
7. Chances are it's been a while since we've had a full night of sleep and that will give us a reason to plead insanity.
8. Our tolerance and patience is for our kids who didn't choose to have special needs, not for someone who CHOOSES to behave inappropriately and is ABLE to control their actions.
9. We're probably already on edge and it would be stupid to push us over.
10. We are sleep deprived and already defensive, and we spend all of our patience on our children, doctors, therapists, social workers and teachers, why would we waste an ounce of it on a total stranger?
11. We've had to fight from the moment of our child's birth so by the time you piss us off we're seasoned battlers and could win a war.
12. We devote our lives to our children and don't need more stress and people who don't understand our life.

— Unknown

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The Asperger Diagnosis Challenge

By Dan Coulter
Being diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome in 1997 was one of the best things that ever happened to my son, Drew. Make no mistake, Asperger Syndrome can be duplicitous. It can give you abilities that make people shake their heads in wonder, and deficits that just make them shake their heads. In elementary school, Drew wowed his teacher and classmates with an encyclopedic knowledge of Greek mythology, but then annoyed them with a compulsion to talk incessantly about Perseus and friends.

Read more »

"Happy Family Relaxing In Garden" by imagerymajestic.
Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Living the Good Life - A Model for Success

Written by Maureen Bennie

Friday, 21 September 2012 00:00

One of the greatest fears a parent of a child with autism has is how and where will their child live when they are no longer able to take care of them. What will their adult lives look like? How will they spend their day? What does a meaningful life look like in adulthood? I attended an excellent presentation this week given by Neil Walker of Kerry's Place Autism Serivces (KPAS) located in Southern Ontario. Neil described the KPAS philosophy which I'd like to share with you because it has been a big part of the KPAS success story and positive outcomes for those with ASD. Their values could be adapted to any new organization wanting to provide services for adults or be the guiding principals of what parents should be looking for in order to ensure a high quality of life in adulthood. The KPAS vision is that people with an ASD are accepted as full and equal members of their communities. The key word here is "their" not "the". In order for a person with ASD to be included, they have to a meaningful place within their community. Every person has the right to make informed choices. Interactions need to be truthful, accountable and ethical with that person with ASD. The community as a whole has to work together - families, staff, funders, community partners, and other stakeholders. We have to respect the dignity and uniqueness of all people. READ MORE >> Recommended Reading

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Teaching students who are low-functioning: who are they and what should we teach?

Dr. Cathy Pratt & Rozella Stewart

During recent years, interest in individuals with autism who are high- functioning has grown as increasing numbers of students who fit that description have been identified. During the same period, those who advocate on behalf of students with severe cognitive disabilities have continued their search for information on teaching, working, and living with individuals perceived as belonging to this more challenging group. Before discussing programming issues, it seems important to first attempt to clarify who these individuals are who are referred to as low-functioning.

The most common tool for identifying this population of students are standardized test scores. It is commonly believed that 70% of students with autism also have cognitive disabilities. However, we need to be careful when using formal instruments to determine levels of cognitive functioning. During the past several years... READ MORE >>

Image courtesy of Victor Habbick/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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How to become an advocate for your child

Peter W. D. Wright, Esq.
Good special education services are intensive and expensive. Resources are limited. If you have a child with special needs, you may wind up battling the school district for the services your child needs. To prevail, you need information, skills and tools.


Who can be an advocate?
Anyone can advocate for another person. Here is how the dictionary defines the term:
(ad-vo-cate) – Verb, transitive. To speak, plead or argue in favor of. Synonym is support.


1. One that argues for a cause; a supporter or defender; an advocate of civil rights.
2. One that pleads in another’s behalf; an intercessor; advocates for abused children and spouses.
3. A lawyer. (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition)
Advocates perform several functions: They support, help, assist and speak on behalf of others.


Different Types of Advocates
Special education advocates work to improve the lives of children with disabilities and their families. You are likely to meet different types of advocates.

Lay advocates use specialized knowledge and expertise to help parents resolve problems with schools. When lay advocates attend meetings, write letters and negotiate for services, they are acting on the child’s behalf. Most lay advocates are knowledgeable about legal rights and responsibilities. In some states, lay advocates represent parents in special education due process hearings. READ MORE >>

Courtesy of Spectrum Publication
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Good Job

By Dan Coulter What’s your child with Asperger Syndrome going to do for a living? Too early to start thinking about that?  Really, it's not. While your ten year old or teenager doesn’t have to immediately choose a career, he’s much more likely to find and keep a job when the time comes if you start preparing him in two important ways. First, assess any social skill deficits your child has and help him work to overcome or mitigate them.  Many people with superior job skills have trouble getting hired or staying employed because they lack basic social skills. Second, expose your child to a variety of jobs and careers.  Don’t apply pressure to have him pick a job or even a career field, but make it an interesting topic of conversation.  Take him to see people working.  Your goal is to have your child find something that sparks his interest so he tells you what he wants to do with his life.  From my experience, when a child with Asperger Syndrome latches onto a special interest, you don’t need to do any pushing.

Read more » Image courtesy of imagerymajestic / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Autistic brains respond differently, study says

Posted by: Courtnay Peifer  | Star Tribune

The brains of people with autism respond erratically to sights, sounds and touch, unlike those of others, said a study published Thursday in the journal Neuron. That difference might explain such autistic behaviors as repetitive motions and the urge to learn detailed information about narrow topics.

"Imagine you have the experience that your world is completely unreliable," said New York University psychologist David Heeger, one of the study’s authors. "Every time you look at something it looks slightly different, or every time you hear something you hear it slightly differently."

That might make the world a scary place for those on the autism spectrum, said Heeger and Marlene Behrmann, a co-author and an autism expert at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University.

In the study, 14 high-functioning adults with autism and 14 people without the disorder did a task while lying in a magnetic resonance imaging machine. As they stared at a computer screen, they saw patterns of...  READ MORE >>

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Great Expectations - Starting the School Year Off Right

Written by Maureen Bennie  |  Autism Awareness Centre September is here which means the start of a new school year. Great expectations and high hopes abound. Maybe your child is going to a new school this year or attending school for the first time. Parents and children can feel both excited and anxious. How can you make this year a successful one? What is both reasonable and attainable this school year?

At Home 

• To make mornings a little less stressful, lay clothes out the night before, make lunches and check agendas for communication, forms etc. 
• If your child has trouble waking up, set the alarm 15 minutes earlier than needed to allow time to rise. 
• Post a visual schedule or checklist where your child can see it to know what needs to be done before leaving in the morning - bathroom routines, packing a backpack, dressing etc.

READ MORE >>



At School

• Send an All About Me form to school about your child that lists special interests, dietary restrictions, strengths, sensory issues and anything else you think may be important for school staff to know. 
• Let the teacher know if you are a family that does homework or not. Homework can be a huge stress to family harmony and may not be worth it. 
• Make the teacher aware of your communication preferences - e-mails, notes in the agenda, separate communication book, or regular phone calls.

READ MORE >>

Your Child

• Establish a school days routine. Set regular times for bed, meals, leisure, computer use, bath etc. Now is your chance to change something that didn't work last year since this is a new year. 
• Create a communication system for your child to know how their day went. Most students I used to teach would say they did nothing in school when asked. With limited communication skills, try circling activities done that day on a sheet. Discuss the weather, make observations. These things help a child develop small talk and conversational skills. 
• Make time for special interests during the week. Waiting until the weekend can be too long!  

READ MORE >>

No year will ever be perfect - life is full of ups and downs. By establishing routines, leisure activities, small goals, and reasonable expectations, you're bound to have a year with good memories and positive events.

Phantoms in the Brain: Autism and Savants

Take a look at this image and think about which drawing you think is the best...

- The first one?
- The second? 
- Most probably not the third.

The first was drawn by a seven year old autistic child named Nadia, the second by Leonardo Da Vinci himself, and the third by an average normal 8 year old kid. Nadia, whose IQ measured somewhere between 60 and 70, started drawing at the age of three. At age six, she showed signs of severe autism- ritualistic behavior, inability to relate to others and a very limited grasp of language. Among the autistic people, about 10% of them show such savant skills. And among the savants themselves, 50% of them have autism while the other 50% often have psychological disorders or mental illnesses.

Also, prodigious savants seem to have very significant disorder and disability.

A chapter from V.S. Ramachandran’s book ‘Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind’ attempts to explain autism and savants, and the link to the chapter is given below in source 1.




Source:
1) http://www.historyhaven.com/TOK/God%20and%20the%20Limbic%20System.htm
2) http://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/system/files/savant_article.pdf
3) ‘Phantoms in the Brain’, V.S. Ramachandran, 1998
4) http://discovermagazine.com/2002/feb/featsavant
Image: http://www.historyhaven.com/TOK/God%20and%20the%20Limbic%20System.htm

The Signs of Autism Poster

The 5-Point Scale and Emotional Regulation

By Kari Dunn Buron

Emotional regulation can be defined as the ability to separate your emotional responses to a problem from the thinking you must perform to resolve the problem. The 5-point scale is a visual system that can help to organize a person’s thinking when working through difficult moments, particularly those that require social understanding.

Autism impacts a person’s ability to understand social information. This can involve understanding other people’s intentions, knowing how to manipulate social situations, and repairing social interactions that have gone poorly. Difficulty in social thinking can affect a person’s ability to be comfortable in social situations and cause social confusion and anxiety. Social anxiety makes it even more difficult for a person with ASD to work through big emotions. Creating a visual system for working through challenging situations can be considered a strength based approach since most individuals with autism tend learn most effectively through concrete, predictable systems (Baron-Cohen).

The first step in using the scale to support emotional regulation is to identify problem areas for this person. For example, problems involving changes in routine, playing with peers, or following rules at work. The next step is to break the problem area into 5 parts clearly illustrating the degrees of the situation and putting this information onto a visual scale. A common issue when discussing emotional regulation is that of stress and anxiety. This is a good place to start, creating a scale that breaks down stress into the following 5 parts:

5 = This could make me lose control 

4 = This can really upset me

3 = This can make me nervous

2 = This sometimes bothers me

1 = This never bothers me

Continue Reading >> 

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Autism: 8 Common Questions

1. What is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?

Autism Spectrum Disorder, also referred to as autism, is a neurological disorder which causes developmental disability. Autism affects the way the brain functions, resulting in difficulties with communication and social interaction, and unusual patterns of behaviour, activities and interests.

There are, in fact, five Autism Spectrum Disorders described under the diagnostic category of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) that appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) of the American Psychiatric Association.

The term "spectrum" refers to a continuum of severity or developmental impairment. Children and adults with ASDs usually have particular communication, social and behavioural characteristics in common, but the conditions cover a wide spectrum, with individual differences in:

• Number and particular kinds of symptoms
• Severity: mild to severe
• Age of onset
• Levels of functioning
• Challenges with social interactions

When speaking of ASDs, most people are referring to three of the PDDs that are most common:

• Autistic Disorder (also called "autism" or "classic autism" or "AD")
• PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified)
• Asperger's Disorder (also called "AS", "Asperger's Syndrome" and "Asperger Syndrome")

There is no standard "type" or "typical" person with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. More on ASDs...

2. What is autism?

The term "autism" is often used in two different ways. It is used to refer specifically to Autistic Disorder and it is also used more generally to refer to all Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Autistic Disorder usually appears during the first three years of life and is four times more common in boys than girls. Asperger Syndrome is often diagnosed later, once a child reaches school age. In general, ASDs occur in about 1 in 88 children. Autism is not related to race, ethnicity, family income, lifestyle or parenting. 

3. What are some of the characteristics of ASDs?

People with ASDs develop differently from others in the areas of motor, language, and cognitive and social skills. Each person with an ASD is unique and will have different abilities. "Symptoms" or disabilities caused by ASDs might be very mild in one person and quite severe in another. Here are some examples of common types of characteristics and behaviours in a child or adult with an ASD:

Difficulty with Social Skills

• Some people with ASDs show no interest in other people
• Others might be interested in people, but not know how to talk, play with, or relate to them
• Initiating and maintaining a conversation is usually difficult for people with ASDs who are verbal

Problems with Communication

• Speech and language skills may begin to develop and then be lost, or they may develop very slowly, or they may never develop. Without appropriate intensive early intervention about 40% of children with ASDs do not talk at all
• People with ASDs might not be able to interpret non-verbal communication such as social distance cues, or the use of gestures and facial cues that most of us take for granted

Repeated Behaviours and Restricted Interests

• People with ASDs may have repeated ritualistic actions such as spinning, repeated rocking, staring, finger flapping, hitting self, etc.
• Small changes in the environment or in daily routines that most people can manage might trigger acute distress
• They may have restricted interests and seemingly odd habits. They may talk about or focus obsessively on only one thing, idea, or activity

Unusual Responses to Sensations

• People with ASDs may have both auditory and visual processing problems
• Sensory input may be scrambled and overwhelming
• Sensory problems vary in autism, from mild to severe with over and under-sensitivities

Some Co-occurring Conditions

• Neurological disorders including epilepsy
• Gastro-intestinal problems
• Fine and gross motor deficits
• Anxiety and depression

4. How are ASDs diagnosed?

ASDs are diagnosed in a variety of ways, using a number of different measures and screening tools. A diagnosis of an ASD depends on the number and pattern of typical characteristics. It is based on observation of specific behaviours and disabilities by a multidisciplinary team of doctors and other professionals trained in autism diagnosis.

Parents, family members or other caregivers of children with ASDs are often the first to notice delays in the usual childhood developmental milestones or differences in the ability to speak, make eye contact, play with other children or interact socially.

Autism sometimes goes unnoticed or undiagnosed in both children and adults, especially when it is a mild case or when the person has other disabilities or health problems. In some high functioning individuals, ASDs may go unnoticed for years.

It may only be diagnosed during an educational impasse or a life crisis which puts a person in contact with professionals able to recognize the disorder.

Autism varies widely in its severity and symptoms. An accurate diagnosis and early identification greatly improve the chances of establishing appropriate educational supports and any necessary treatments and interventions. 

Aut-Thought

How to Best Approach an Autistic Child

Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

by KATHERINE | Autism United

As more and more children are diagnosed with autism and a lot of autistic children are joining the mainstream classroom, it is important that we are equipped with a general know-how of how to interact with an autistic child.

If you find yourself in a situation where you need to interact with an autistic child, the first thing you need to remember is that autism does not define the child. Do not label the child and categorize him in a box as this is not who he is. He is a special child with his own unique traits and character. Interact with him based on what you know of him as a child and not based on your perceptions of what you think autism is.

You can approach the child’s parents and try to talk to them regarding their child. Let them know that you want to interact with their child and would like to know how you can best approach their child. Some autistic child are uncomfortable with strangers and a direct approach may not always work. Sometimes what you need to do is to get him to be familiar with you first. You may need to give him some distance first before you can actually play beside him and interact with him.
READ MORE  >>

 

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Helping Autistic Children in Mainstream Classrooms

Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

by KATHERINE | Autism United

As more and more autistic children are joining the mainstream classroom, teachers are often faced with an interesting situation where they not only have to fulfill the classroom’s objectives but also the autistic child’s educational objectives. If you are a teacher who has an autistic child in your classroom, here are some tips to help you management the situation.

The first thing you need to do is to review the child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP). Doing this will give you an idea of the child’s educational goals. Take note of the child’s goals and determine whether the classroom’s learning objectives meet the child’s needs. And depending on the child’s educational goals and your classroom’s learning objectives, you may need to make certain changes to the classroom lessons or to the classroom setting and environment to be able to address the child’s needs, ability level and educational goals.

It is also best that you speak with the special education teacher or aide assigned to the child to discuss about the child’s Individual Education Plan as well as the classroom’s learning objective so that she is aware not just of the child’s educational goals but also of the direction that you wish to take with the child. READ MORE >>

  

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5 Tips for Creating the Ideal Classroom for Autistic Children

Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

by KATHERINE | Autism United

When autistic children join the typical classroom setting, it is ideal that you make certain arrangements to make the autistic child comfortable in the traditional classroom. You should be aware that many items which are considered stimulating to typical children may be considered a distraction to an autistic child.

Here are some tips to help you create an ideal learning environment for autistic students:

1. Simple is always better
We all know that some autistic children can easily get overloaded when there are a lot of sensory stimulants present in the environment. To avoid this, it would be best to keep your classroom as simple as possible. Try to do away with colorful posters which surround the classroom walls as well as the various school materials and toys which are not needed as of yet. The simpler, the better. A busy classroom with lots of sensory stimulants will only make your autistic student feel stressed.

2. Reduce distractions
Some autistic children are easily distracted by anything that catches their fancy. To avoid this, it would be best that you cover all windows so that the child will not get distracted every time someone passes by the classroom. If it is possible to block out the sounds coming from outside the classroom, it would be a good idea to do that too. Blocking out all the outside distractions will encourage the child to focus on what is going on in the classroom.

3. Safe-proof your classroom
Compared to typical children, autistic children have a greater tendency to have temper tantrums or seizures. With this in mind, it is a good idea to safe-proof the classroom. Pay special attention to objects which could potentially be dangerous to a child having a tantrum or seizure. Keep the room spacious and free of any sharp edges. It would be a good idea to use rubber mats on the floor and to cover any sharp edges with cushions or rubber.

4. Create learning centers
It is also a good idea to create learning centers that would focus on certain subjects such as reading and math. Having these centers will allow the child to learn in a more comfortable and stress-free environment.

5. Create a visual schedule
Autistic children are more relaxed and comfortable when they can anticipate what will happen next. They do not like the uncertainty of not knowing what they will do next. To avoid this, it is a good idea to create a visual schedule of the activities that are scheduled for the day. This way, they will know exactly what will happen and how long the activity will be.

  

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