Autism-Articles

There has been an overwhelming increase in the number of children faced with perceived and real neurobiological-based dysfunctions resulting in an estimated 5-15% of our nation's children on medications for a variety of learning, mood and behavioral issues. IT should be noted, however, that other factors may create inattentiveness, lack of focus, impulsivity and hyperactivity which contribute to a misdiagnosis of ADD/ADHD. For example, food, chemical and environmental allergies can effect attention, focus and concentration. Dr. Donald W. Miller, Jr. blames the high rates of neuro-dysfunction on the modern rushed vaccination schedule to which very young children are subjected. Dr. Miller explains the problem: "The brain has its own specialized immune system, separate from that of the rest of the body. When a person is vaccinated, its specialized immune cells, the microglia, become activated (the blood-brain barrier notwithstanding). Multiple vaccinations space...

My young son, Joseph, was born in September 2006. I was delighted to know he'd be joining our family, but we needed to have an emergency C-section. I had been pushing for two hours and he was starting to show signs of distress. He was born at 2:11 am, nice and pink with a "Harry Potter" scar on his forehead that went away after a few days. Unfortunately, what might have occurred during his birth was some neurological damage which left him with Sensory Integration Dysfunction. I didn't notice something was wrong until Joe was about eighteen months. He met all his physical milestones - in fact, he made them earlier than my first son. At eighteen months though, Joe wasn't talking. He didn't seem to know "Mommy" or "Daddy." He threw toys for no reason, as if he needed to throw them. He also covered his ears with his hands often, which we didn't understand. He hardly got sick or had ear infections. We knew he wasn't autis...

Over the years, many studies have demonstrated a link between sensory integration therapy and improving the quality of life for autistic people. Sensory integration therapy is a valuable tool to teach autistic children how to interact with their environment. One of the main difficulties autistic children face is how they perceive the environment. Oftentimes, their sensory impulses are contradictory to what is expected by society. Autistic children often have severe difficulty managing their sensory perceptions and a host of seemingly self-destructive behaviors or actions that are perceived to be senseless is the result. Autistic people sometimes cannot perceive their own physicality and must resort to these behaviors to "feel" something. For instance, some autistic children may bang their head against a wall or spin around in circles. Others have been known to self harm or crash into objects. These behaviors are the direct result of sensory integration impair...

These three important "E's" are a great way to remember a few important concepts which are commonly used in ABA. As is the case, while these concepts are particularly helpful in teaching students with autism, they can also be generalized to almost any circumstance in your daily life. E nvironmental Factors Without a doubt, the environment is one of the most common aspects which can drastically affect behavior. The world around us is constantly providing new and also familiar feedback which shapes our behavior patterns. The presence or absence of certain environmental factors can have a huge impact on how we act. Staying 'in-tune' with these factors can have a positive impact on your understanding of your students' behavior. This is especially true when considering non-verbal students or those displaying challenges with expressive language. E xtinction Bursts You've tried everything! You are spending less time attending to disruptive behavi...

There is good news in New Jersey for parents of kids with autism. On January 14, 2010 the New Jersey Department of Insurance and Banking issued a letter to all hospitals, medical health services and insurance companies to implement special benefits for the treatment of autism and other developmental disabilities. The directive, known as chapter 115 requires that insurance companies offer: 1. Payment for expenses incurred in screening and diagnosing autism or other developmental disabilities. 2. Coverage for expenses incurred for medically essential physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy services for the treatment of autism or another developmental disability. 3. Coverage for expenses incurred for medically necessary behavioral interventions based on the principles of applied behavioral analysis (ABA) and related structured behavioral programs for treatment of autism in individuals under 21 years old. 4. A benefit for the coverage of the F...

1. Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation They have Proudly served the autism community for 10 years. "Our primary goal is to promote awareness and support families affected by autism spectrum disorders. We are committed to funding organizations that provide direct services, family support grants, education, advocacy and recreational opportunities with the purpose of improving the quality of life for individuals with autism and their families. " "Your support makes a difference to the Northeast Arc in a big way, especially to the many children, adolescents and adults who rely on our services to help them learn, live, work, socialize and thrive." said Gerald M, Executive Director. 2. California Autism Foundation It is to provide people with autism and other developmental disabilities the best possible opportunities for lifetime support, training and assistance in helping them reach their highest potential for independence, productivity and fulfillment. 3. The No...

According to Wikipedia, it is a brain development disorder that impairs social interaction and communication and causes restricted and repetitive behavior, all starting before a child is three years old. Another definition states that it is a neurodevelopmental disability, which in normal language is a condition that affects the normal growth of the brain so that the individual has difficulty with day-to-day living. Autism is one of the five pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), which are characterized by widespread abnormalities of social interactions and communication, and severely restricted interests and highly repetitive behavior. Asperger syndrome is another and is a milder form of autism. The main difference in autism and asperger syndrome is that asperger syndrome has no substantial delay in language development. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors, which may or may not be evident in infancy (15 to 24 months). Usually these behaviors will be mor...

Does a person with autism know, that is understand what is going on during a meltdown? Note: This scenario is very close to my heart so to personalize the experience "G" represents a person with Autism. When G is upset she goes into her own little world, (a corner so to speak). She is so overstimulated or angry or mad that she is unable to feel anything at this point. She feels no pain (this is when G can pull out her toe nails and not even be aware of it). This is why aggressiveness happens, she has to get feeling back, The accepted terminology to "slap out of it", by doing self-injurious things, (slapping own face, beating head, pulling out toenails, punching self). At this same time if another person gets in G's face she may slap, push, or punch that person not even being aware that she is doing this. My experience is that she does know she is out of control and is unable to regain a grasp on reality, without intervention. During the meltdown ...

I have discussed Indigo children as being an indication that humans are evolving to the next level of consciousness - Christ consciousness. These Crystal children often get diagnosed as ADHD. There is another sector of these new kids that are being diagnosed with a more complex condition. One the medical profession calls PDD or pervasive development disorders. Better known as autism. Autism, according to the Autism Society of America, affects approximately 1.5 million Americans and is growing at a startling rate of 10-17% a year. So why is this so prevalent now. Is it because it was misdiagnosed or is there another reason. We love to put people in a box and have a label for conditions and disorders that are outside the norm. Could it be that these children are really just examples of the new humans who are merely wired differently. Do these children have the ability to see other dimensions. Possibly they communicate in a non-verbal way. Do they have the attributes of t...

A Biomedical Autism Doctor Explains The Difference Between Being "Cured" From Autism And "Recovering" From Autism. "Is Autism curable?" This is a question that is has been asked for years in the medical community as well as the autism community. The question of 'cure' is a good one, but needs a deeper explanation. To fully understand this concept of cure more clearly we need to make a distinction between what would commonly be called 'cured' (which indicates to return to a previous state of health before a change had occurred) and 'recovery' (which indicates the act of regaining health that was previously lost). Traditional medicine, and even those in the biomedical community realize that there is no known cure for autism, although there are many different types of treatments, including biomedical autism interventions, that can help tremendously. Treatments include, diet (including the gluten-free and casein-free die...

Sandy, a nonverbal student with autism, displayed significant sensory, movement, and auditory processing problems. Expecting competence and talking to him at a soul level seemed to have a profound effect. In contrast, he continued to demonstrate difficulty following basic concrete verbal directives. He remained dependent on visual cues such as pictures, signs, and/or gestures. Early on, Sandy pulled my hand to point to simple choices in his communication book. He could not make these selections on his own. When Sandy began working from a field of choices, initially, he would hold my hand and take me to the correct response. One day, instead of holding my right hand with his right hand and using me as a tool to aid his selection, he grabbed my right hand with his left hand, as he made selections, unaided with his right hand. He still needed physical contact with me, but he did not need me to hold the hand he was selecting the correct answers with anymore. Eventually, he...

Teaching your child the skills to read and being patient with the development can be quite painful and also a daunting task. The parents have to put more efforts multiple times the normal case in case the child is suffering from autism. These children are weak and take time to grasp the texts and understand them. They are slow to read and absorb the meaning of alphabets and combine them as words and this where the parents have a role to play. Teaching Children with Autism to Read: Understanding Your Child's Unique Needs It is very unfortunate for few children to suffer from autism. They face with touch challenges since they are not able to express their feelings of thoughts. Their way of communication and their social interaction lags behind and this forms the biggest hurdle in their life. However, there are few special characteristics they are gifted with that serves as their strength. You must be very patient and interactive when you are teaching such children. a...

We live in a very ignorant and pessimistic world, where we are quick to stigmatize people for medical conditions and then sideline them in every way. This is also the plight of children suffering from 'Autism', as the society considers them mentally weak, retarded and incapable of performing any activity. However the truth is, autistic children are not retarded nor are they incapable of socializing. Autism can be best described as a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, and impairs a child's communication and creative skills. Health practitioners and researchers have attributed the growing incidence of Autism, to the lack of Essential fatty acids in children. Several studies have been conducted on children suffering from Autism, in order to identify the ways in which their brain and its composition differs from that of a "normal" child. Most of these studies have shown a clear lack of DHA (one of the omega 3 fatty acids)...