Autism-Articles

Along with motivation, curiosity is the one of the best and most direct paths to learning new things. Encouraging curiosity in children is a crucial role parents need to play in developing their child's intellect. Children will stay curious as long as they are allowed to explore, discover and ask questions. It's that easy! If your child is non-verbal and unable to ask questions remember that there are many ways to be curious. Never assume that a child cannot learn just because he can't articulate a question. Every child's level of curiosity will be unique. Young children tend to show their curiosity in various capacities. Children with good communication skills may be verbally inquisitive and their constant questioning, the "whys" and "why not's", can drive you nuts! This is when parents need to practice patience. Other children on the spectrum explore their world more quietly because their ability to communicate is challeng...

Von Economo Neurons, Autism, and Intuition. Recently discovered brain cells called Von Economo cells (VENs), named after the neurobiologist who described them, are unique in that there are only about 200,000 of them in a normal adult human. That's amazing because just about any other type of brain cell we have number in the billions. Up until just recently, we saw these cells only in the great apes and not in any other animals. They are present but rare numbering only five or six thousand in the solitary gorilla, but relatively more numerous in the hyper-social bonobo monkey. VENS can be seen in just two parts of the most recently evolved part of our brains, the neocortex. They are present in the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACC), and the frontal insula (FI). Other brain cells in the neocortex, the pyramidal cells, have a long process on the apical end but many shorter processes on the basal side (apical and basal dendrites). The VEN is unique in that it has ver...

Technology for the most part serves for the betterment of society. In the realm of education, technology has become an integral part of the system. Educators from all over the nation are using technology in their repertoire to enhance classroom learning. Among the many benefits is greater access to education for everyone, but in particular technological advancements have opened education more than ever to learners with disabilities like autism spectrum disorders. iTherapy capitalizes on the latest technologies available from Apple like the iPad, iTouch and the iPhone. iTherapy at its core means, the use of an Apple product in combination with an app (computer application) in a therapy environment as a modality to meet goals implemented by an IEP team. Software (apps) for any of the Apple products is readily available from the app store located within the iTunes website. Currently there is about two hundred thousand apps with more added on a daily basis. Some of t...

Dinosaurs and the Autism Spectrum Autism is a life-long, debilitating condition that affects a surprising number of people. Research from the National Autistic Society suggests that as many as half a million people in the UK have some form of Autism or have a related condition such as Asperger Syndrome. Autism is a condition that affects the way in which people relate to themselves and the world around them. Sufferers can be over-sensitive to sensory stimuli, they can find it difficult to make sense of their environment. Asperger Syndrome is a form of Autism. People with Asperger Syndrome find it difficult to communicate and interact with others. Neither Autism or Asperger Syndrome are related to low intelligence, indeed, from our experience with children that have Asperger Syndrome the child concerned is often shown to have a higher than average IQ. For example, one of the attractions of dinosaurs to children on the Autism Spectrum are the long names and all the...

The beginning of the school year, and the start of each school day, can create potentially stressful situations for you and your child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Most children with Autism not only need routines, they require them in order to cope with an ever-changing environment. This article is designed to help prepare your child for the transition to a new year and for the beginning of each school day. For children with autism, who typically have difficulty with transitions, the daily requirement of getting up and ready for school can cause tremendous stress and frustration. Starting school can present extreme difficulties for children with autism because children with ASD are required to conform to unpredictable and demanding schedules, rules, behaviors, and social norms. As you prepare your child for a school year, begin by introducing new school supplies gradually. When purchasing clothing attempt to keep within the parameters of what fabrics, col...

For most kids getting periodic colds, congestion or upper respiratory infections (ear, sinus) is a normal part of growing up. However, children should not have to get sick at every exposure. If your child seems to develop an illness quite frequently, their immune system is likely in a weakened state. The goal then is not to prevent them from ever getting sick, but to reduce the frequency (and duration) of an illness. The way to accomplish this is through a strong immune system, and diet can play a big role in strengthening immune resistance to bacteria and viruses. The following is a list of considerations to implement biomedical autism treatment to help support a health body and immune system for autism-spectrum children (ASD): Whole Foods Diet - A whole foods diet contains quality sources of protein (poultry, fish, eggs, lean meats, beans, nuts, nut butters) lots of fresh fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds and high quality fats and oils such as flax oil, olive ...

A GFCF diet is gaining recognition for helping children with autism. Removing gluten and casein from a diet can prove to be challenging as gluten and casein are found in many foods we eat. A GFCF diet for autism is considered an alternative treatment and is based on the belief that many with autism have allergies to gluten and casein. Many believe autistic children may have an allergy or high sensitivity to both gluten and casein and choose to have allergy testing done. However, there are those that claim, even with no shown allergies to gluten or casein, that their child improved considerably with a GFCF diet. The belief is that children with autism process the gluten and casein differently and as a result their symptoms are exacerbated. Some parents, as well as Doctors, believe that removing gluten from an autistic child's diet can be beneficial. Gluten is a protein found in the seeds of barley, oats, rye and wheat. When on a gf diet most breads and cracker...

Musical therapy is gaining acceptance in the field of treatments for autism. Individuals on the autism-spectrum who receive music therapy will often have improvement in overall temperament and learning abilities. I recently saw a young boy who loved the Beatles. Hearing their music has helped with his behavior and willingness to communicate. Other individuals have responded in similar ways to other types of music. Music makes connections to the non-verbal part of our brain making it a perfect therapy for disorders in which the person has trouble communicating. This is why it is a perfect fit for autism. Music therapy has been used in conjunction to help with learning skills. Classical music often playing in the background has been shown to help with mental processing for math and complex problems, but more importantly in autism music in general provides a non-threatening medium for people while playing games that help to improve social and behavior skills. For ex...

For those of us who have had pets in our lives, it's no great surprise to learn that interactions with animals can have therapeutic and healing benefits. Many animals soothe, comfort, and calm, just by their quiet presence. And animals are now also being used as a form of autism therapy. A New Mexico Highlands University School of Social Work graduate student named Jennifer Baról lead a research project to study the benefits and impact of animal-assisted therapies on children with autism when used as a treatment tool. The study, entitled "The Effects of Animal-Assisted Therapy on a Child with Autism" ran for 15 weeks between July and November of 2006. It was geared toward the goal of discovering whether or not there is any evidence that therapies based on animal-assistance would be able to improve an autistic child's social skills. The results of the study were interesting. For example, before undergoing the animal-assisted therapy with an eight...

When a child has been diagnosed with autism there are many characteristics of autism that children may display. Children with autism do not demonstrate the same symptoms as the other so it's important to recognize every symptoms in case there are just one of the symptoms recognized. Children with autism may not act as though anything is wrong until after the age of two when the child development stages are not noticed. By the age of two, children usually display many different signs that show they are progressing well. However children with autism may show one of the following symptoms: Cannot smile and return a smile when you smile at them. This can occur anywhere from age six months and up. They cannot mimic sounds and facial expressions. This is usually noticeable by the age of nine months however if the child doesn't mimic your facial expressions or sounds by the age of two there may be a problem. Children with autism cannot talk by the age of sixteen...

I have had some parents who have asked me about, and have concerns over, the fact that Respen-A contains an ingredient that is derived from a drug. Reserpine is the active ingredient in Respen-A. Reserpine is derived from an Indian herb called snakeroot, its name being rauwolfia serpentine. The FDA approved the use of Reserpine for hypertension in 1955. These days, Reserpine is not used all that often to treat hypertension, at least not to a significant degree. So it was approved to treat high blood pressure but now there are many other medications used now. When it was used to treat hypertension, the dose used was.1 -.5 mg. What is used in Respen-A is.01 mg so you are getting between 10 to 50 times less Reserpine in Respen-A than what was used for high blood pressure. Respen-A was first introduced into the Autism community around November of 2008 and there was a small study done to track some children for about a year's period between November 2008 and Novem...

There are a lot of things that you want to avoid when using diet as an autism treatment tool for your child. But there are also a lot of things that you want to put in their diet, that can help ameliorate some of the symptoms and help them cognitively and behaviorally. 1. Vitamins First of all, you will want a diet that is well balanced in terms of essential vitamins. Vitamin B is an important one. It helps increase brain function, can help produce neurotransmitters, and helps the absorption of essential nutrients into the body. This in turn helps improve nervous system function. All of this increases overall health. Vitamin C improves the immune system, as most people know. Also, though, it helps neutralize free radicals in the body. Free radicals are naturally occurring chemicals that can cause problems for the body; Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant, and as such, helps to control the damage that the free radicals do. Multivitamins are important to take because many ...

When it comes to treating children with autism, many schools seem lost in the dark. In fact, many schools have no set plan in place, putting kids in special classes where they receive minimal teaching. ABA therapy offers schools a uniform teaching method that offers significant benefit. As the only form of autism treatment covered by most insurers, This therapy is simply the most effective treatment. When your school is trained to provide this therapy, it can provide significant benefit to students with autism. When ABA is introduced into the school system, guidance counselors, teachers, and other support staff are all educated in how the therapy works. This ensures that everyone the child deals with throughout the school day is teaching the same principles. Since ABA requires repetition and consistency to be most effective, this ensures the best possible results. The method is also quite common in homes, and parents are often brought into support team meetings s...

Autistic children will have special needs when it comes to schooling. Many children with Autism go to public school and do just fine with some special modifications. There are laws pertaining to kids with disabilities. Here are some of the things you will need to know about Autism and school. The Individuals With Disabilities Act The Individuals with Disabilities act was passed to make sure all children receive a free and appropriate public education that meets their needs. The act requires children with special needs to have special education service as long as they meet the requirements. Autism meets that requirement. Free and Appropriate Education This is an education that meets the special needs of your child. It is one that allows them to make progress learning. Least Restrictive Learning Environment This means that your child will be placed in an educational setting that is right for their special needs while allowing them to socialize with kids that do not ...

Autism affects approximately 1 in every 110 children and approximately 1 out of every 70 boys. Over the years, autism has started to become a fairly common illness as more and more children are starting to become affected. Autism is usually recognized by the age of three. Each case of autism is unique, as some are more severe than others. Fortunately, there are a number of autism books and treatments that can help children and families learn to cope with the illness. One treatment that a lot of families find to be effective is speech therapy. A lot of individuals may be skeptical when it comes to speech therapy and autism because they believe that a speech therapist can only help people who do not know how to pronounce words. Autistic children know how to pronounce words, but need some assistance in what to say and when to say it. Speech therapy can also help autistic children learn to carry on a conversation while understanding the meaning of the words being use...

Asperger Syndrome (AS) has recently made a very visible jump in the American public's consciousness. Recently two TV reality shows have had contestants with this high functioning form of autism. Check out the stories of Heather Kuzmich a model that was catapulted to the top ranks of American popularity on America's Next Top Model and of Zev Glassenberg a contestant on the Amazing Race. Neither Kuzmich or Glassenberg was a winner on their respective show, however the country as a whole was given a glimpse of the challenges these patients face. Asperger Syndrome is a developmental disorder that falls within the autistic spectrum affecting social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and a reluctance to accept change. If a patient has a mild case it may go undiagnosed and the patient will be labeled as odd or eccentric. Some sources indicate that many famous successful people such as Albert Einstein, Leonardo DaVinci, Henry Ford and Bill Gates exhib...

Autism is kind of disorder that affects the social and behavioral skills of children. This syndrome usually manifests when the child is an infant, especially during his or her third birthday. The child with autism finds it difficult to communicate effectively and this is can be frustrating to those around, especially the parents. The cause of autism has been attributable to many factors, though some of these have been controversial. For example, the issue that vaccination causes autism has been controversial since the report was made public. Also, in the past the term 'the refrigerator mothers' was coined to reflect the fact that bad parenting is one of the causes of autism in children. This has equally not gone down well with autism research. There have been some treatment options administered to the autistic patient and some of the treatment options may include vitamins and nutritional supplements. This is not to say that nutritional supplements are the ...

Brain chemical support is a target therapy for many psychiatric or neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, as well as Bipolar Depression or Schizophrenia. Autism treatment is no different. In autism, including those with various spectrum issues such as attention deficit, sensory processing and/or speech language delay or pervasive development disorder supplement treatment can help improve an individual's ability to function more optimally. The following list of supplements I have as autism treatments for years in my practice to help support healthy brain chemistry. This is not imply that these following supplements are the only things available for brain chemistry support, but these often show nice benefits with respects to improved attention, focusing, and overall cognitive skills. Each supplement is unique and often they work synergistically to provide optimal results: Nutritional Lithium - micro-mineral involved...

When you think about autism treatments for your child, teenager or adult, do not overlook diet. It may not occur to you at first, but what your loved one with autism is eating is just as important, if not more, than the medications or therapies he is getting in terms of affecting behavior and well-being. Many children with autism need to avoid certain ingredients in common foods, as they are very sensitive to them. Autism Treatment Using Diet Using diet as an autism treatment is often called a biomedical intervention. You will want to avoid artificial ingredients, food dyes, and as much sugar as possible. These can all bring havoc onto the system. A lot of people with autism are sensitive to gluten and casein. Gluten is an ingredient found in many foods, especially bread, cereal and grains. Nearly all pastries and other bakery items have gluten in them. Pasta also has it. Casein is found in most dairy products, such as milk, ice cream and yogurt. People who are int...

Are you the parent of a young child who you believe has Autism or Pervasive Developmental Disorder(PDD)? Are special education personnel in your district refusing to acknowledge this diagnosis, despite a lot of evidence? Many school districts refuse to admit that a child has autism, because they do not want to provide the special education and related services that a child needs! But this tool can be used by special education personnel to see if your child has autism. Below are 9 things that you must know about the ADOS: 1. Purpose: Allows an accurate diagnosis of autism and pervasive developmental disorder 2. Can be used for children who are 2 years up to adulthood. 3. Takes 30-45 minutes for a qualified examiner to use this tool. 4. The person using the tool must have prior education, training, and experience in using this type of diagnostic took. They must also have extensive experience with autism and PDD! 5. The person using the tool must take a clinical traini...

Does your child suffer from Autism Spectrum Disorder? If you are not sure, you may be looking for information on this condition in order to learn more and make a more productive choice of care for your child. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a disorder in the brain that affects the child's development. Signs and symptoms may begin as early as infancy or it can be delayed until around the age of two. Autism Spectrum Disorder includes several conditions; Asperger Syndrome, Pervasive Development Disorder, and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. Each disorder has their own characteristics but they all share a common thread - autism. Behavior When a child suffers from Autism Spectrum Disorder, they display a variety of behavior problems. These behavioral issues can include repetitive behavior, social withdrawal, or impairments that can hinder the way they child functions everyday. They can be disturbing if others are talking in the room such as a school environment or if...

f you have noticed that your child is not developing like they should you may want to consider taking your child to their doctor to rule out autism. There are many other conditions and disorders that can affect your child at different ages but autism is becoming one of the most common conditions. Symptoms of autism can start as early as infancy but may not be detected until after the child is around the age of two when development stages should be very noticeable. Symptoms of Autism in Infancy A baby who has autism may develop signs that you can look for. These signs include a baby who doesn't pay attention to objects or toys, displays no emotions, doesn't copy your actions such as when you smile at him or her they do not smile back, doesn't try to create word sounds, cannot communicate with you or others, doesn't want to talk even though he or she has already started talking, doesn't want to be around you, or has trouble communicating. These are sympto...

Articulation is the most common type of speech disorder among children. Disorders of articulation are characterized by the omission, distortion, or substitution of speech sounds. "Tootie" instead of "cookie," "wed" instead of "red," "thop" or "top" instead of "stop" - these are examples of common articulatory errors that can be easily overcome with a speech therapy at home. Sometimes only one or two sounds are defective, but sometimes there are so many errors that the speech is unintelligible to everyone with the possible exception of the parents. Voice problems are not as common as articulatory problems. They include voices that are too high or too low in pitch, too loud or not loud enough, voices that are harsh, breathy, nasal or otherwise unpleasant, and voices that are monotonous - that is, lacking in flexibility of expression. Problems of the understanding and use of words constitute anothe...

Persuasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified is also known as PDD-NOS. This is where a child only shows some of the signs of Autism. They may not show these signs at all times, or in all places. Usually PDD-NOS is first seen in children three or four years of age. Yet some children show signs while still an infant. There are different areas that the signs could be present. We will look at two of these. Social Interaction The developmental delays in social interaction can often be seen when the child is a baby. They may not look you in the eyes, or smile when you are interacting with them. They do not hold their arms up for you to pick them up. They might play off by their self. Some of the children with PDD-NOS may enjoy being cuddled on occasion. They might enjoy rough housing with their older sibling or parent. These PDD-NOS children usually do not have problems with separation from their parents. They also do not have issues with strangers. They ...