Autism-Articles

t is hoped by many parents of autistic children that once the causes of autism are discovered, this condition will be curable and perhaps even prevented. Unfortunately medical research has been unable to isolate the primary cause of autism amongst children. Perhaps in the future autism disorder will be associated with a specific gene abnormality or a group of interrelated factors within a child's genetic makeup.As things stand today, autism disorder cannot be prevented nor is there a cure. Given this reality, the very best thing we can do as a society is to be supportive of children and adults with autism and be willing to do what we can to make them feel comfortable and accepted. An important starting point is to identify what is factual information and what are myths about the causes of autism disorder. Myth 1: Poor parenting causes autism in children. This is totally false. There is no valid research to support this claim about poor parenting skills leading to ch...

Autism Spectrum Disorder (also referred to as Autism Spectrum Conditions, Autism Spectrum, and Autism) is something that six out of every thousand children in the United States have been diagnosed with. Many times this condition is very misunderstood and some parents don't even truly understand what the signs of it are. During this article, you'll learn more about Autism Spectrum Disorder, its symptoms, and how it's managed. At the time that this article was written, all of the information provided below was scattered around the internet which urged us to bring it into one easy-to-understand article. What are the different types of Autism Spectrum Disorder? There are three different primary forms of Autism as well as two uncommon conditions. Over the years it became know that the symptoms aren't always the same and branching it off would help treat Autism Spectrum a lot more efficiently than having one broad diagnosis. The three main types of Au...

I am almost positive your life at home can be extremely draining and frustrating, living with an autistic individual. How can you change and improve this? One way for you to improve your life at home is, keep your family strong. You can do this by supporting and helping each person understand the dynamics of autism within your family. Explain to your children who are younger and who do not have autism, what the disorder is, what to expect and the various complexities of autism. Allow your family members to know and understand that there may be unexpected challenges and changes within your home, but it will improve with time. Give explanations of how it will change. As parent(s), caregiver(s), you may be tempted or think you can improve your life at home by trying to be a strong person and make the changes by yourself, without any help. You may feel you need to be strong for everyone in your family and you must know what to do and have all of the answers. If you cho...

Children with Childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD) appear to develop normally for the first two years of life, but then lose skills in areas such as language, play, and bowel control and manifest impaired social interaction and communication associated with restrictive, repetitive, stereotyped behaviors. This disease and autism are among several developmental disorders known as pervasive developmental disorders or autism spectrum disorders. Childhood disintegrative disorder is also known as Heller's syndrome after the Viennese educator, Theodor Heller, who first described the condition. Childhood disintegrative disorder is perhaps 10 times less common than more strictly defined autism. It is a rare serious disorder in which a child older than age 3 stops developing normally and regresses to a much lower level of functioning, typically following a serious illness, such as an infection of the brain and nervous system. Childhood disintegrative disorder cann...

There are five distinct types of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) that are considered to be related to Autism because of the neuro development portions that have been identified under the Autism Spectrum. They are Autism Disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, Rett's Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDDNOS). Each of the five disorders are classified as pervasive in nature rather than Specific Development Disorders (SDD) because they are characterized by multiple disabilities in a variety of areas rather than focused on one particular issue. Let's take a brief look at each of the five types of Autism on an individual level. While many of the characteristics may be similar, the differences are distinct enough for them to fall under different categories. Classic Autism, commonly called Autism, is also sometimes called Kanner's Syndrome after the Psychiatrist Leo Kanner. He studie...

What are the best treatments for Autism? Regardless of which ones are chosen, the overall goals are: A) make the autistic person functionally independent, and B) to improve his or her quality of life. There are several types of Western treatments available for Autism. Here are some of the most common ones, along with some of their benefits and drawbacks: 1. Gluten-Free, Casein-Free (GFCF) Diet Certain types of diets (i.e. gluten-free and casein-free diets) are often used to treat Autism patients. The goal of the GFCF diet is to eliminate the proteins Gluten and Casein from autistic people. Pros: Some clinical studies have indicated that GFCF diets can be somewhat beneficial in treating the various symptoms related to Autism. However, it should be stressed that the results are inconclusive at best. Cons: There is conflicting evidence that there's a link between Autism and digestion disorders. In fact, clinical studies on the issue are somewhat conflicting. It s...

There is an issue with regression that comes up frequently in my practice. Oftentimes, this regression will happen following a course of antibiotic treatment or following antifungal treatments, and rather than improvement, you see regression. Antifungal treatments can include prescriptions such as Nystatin, Diflucan or Nizoral or herbal remedies like oregano oil, grapefruit seed extract, etc. If you see a worsening in behavior along the lines of irritability, aggression, self injury or withdrawal, you could be seeing signs of an underlying bacterial problem. A common bacteria that many children on the Autism spectrum deal with is called clostridia. There are many types of clostridia bacteria, one type is called clostridia dificil and can actually cause one form of inflammatory bowel disease. When we talk about these negative behavioral changes and regression, we are not talking about this type. Although that form can produce certain toxins that could contribute ...

This is the most common question that parents ask whenever they notice odd behaviors from their children. A lot of people assume that if their child fails to talk at the age or 2 or 3, he is autistic. This is a big misconception. There are numerous reasons as to why speech might be delayed in toddlers, and a lot of other reasons why some children are not hitting their milestones, but sadly, autism is one of them. It is comforting to know though, that talking late in toddlers does not automatically mean that your child is autistic. Autism is a disorder that lasts a lifetime. It is referred to as a developmental disorder because symptoms normally manifest before a child reaches the age of 3 which is a critical period of development. It then causes concerns in the child's development, learning and growth. When a child has autism, the areas that are affected normally concerns delayed skills in the following: - Sensory - the way a child receives and process inform...

Understanding the way your child's brain works is crucial to being able to provide an optimal learning environment. Below is a brief overview of some of the research about the brains of people with autism. Then you'll find easy, practical ways to implement this knowledge and create an optimal learning environment at home. The Science Autism is referred to as a "spectrum disorder" because there is such a wide variation among people with the diagnosis. Researchers using technology that allows them to be able to see how our brains are structured also see that the brains of people with the label 'Autism' are vastly different from one another. Because of this, some scientists have suggested we need to look below the level of the brain's structure to the way individual neurons (brain cells) are wired to find the "miss-wiring" that affects all people with autism. Researchers have found evidence that the way some neurons are connecte...

Natural remedies for autism are helpful in improving and managing the known symptoms of autism. It is common for parents and caregivers of people diagnosed with autism to feel frustrated. Feeling ignored as patients go through their endlessly repetitive daily behavior is normal. It is a struggle trying to communicate and reach the private world of people with autism. And since the signs, symptoms experiences of autism vary from person to person; it is never safe to generalize anything regarding effective treatment approaches and methods. Conventional treatment approaches recommend patients to take prescription medications to control their anxiety and prevent feelings of aggression and tantrums. However, the circulating news regarding the horrible effects of incorrect and prolonged use of common autism medications resulted in the ever increasing interest for safer and more natural options to managing and improving autism symptoms. On natural remedies for autism The...

Children with autism vary greatly in their symptoms of the disorder, now more commonly known among the autism community as Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD. Symptoms of ASD can range from very mild, such as a person with high functioning Asperger's Syndrome, or very severe such as a child who is totally non-verbal and has very little ability to care for him or herself. Here are three common behaviors in children with autism. Behavior Number One: Children with autism have an extreme need for routine and structure. Despite the severity of a child's autism, most have an extreme need for routine, order and structure in their daily lives. They do best when on a routine schedule, preferably one that is posted visually with words and/or pictures. Children with autism frequently want to eat the same types of food and drinks, some becoming very picky eaters. Perhaps more common than a picky eater is that the children will come to expect a certain food associated wit...

Though relatively new to the medical world many in the field believe their may be a direct correlation between autism and genius level thinkers. Many of our greatest historical thinkers are thought to have suffered from autism or Asperger's, so perhaps the rewiring of the autistic mind is actually a form of evolution, a level of higher thought. Some of our greatest composers showed autistic traits and tendencies. These musical masterpieces were perhaps created by a mind more in tuned to music; after all, recent links have shown that music may help to minimize the effect of autism so perhaps some of its greatest creators were driven to do so in their focused minds in order to set things more right in their worlds. Beethoven, Hans Christian, and Mozart are amongst the worlds highest talented musical masterminds and all are thought to share one common ground, outside of music of course, and that is Asperger's. Some of our greatest intellectual thought provok...

When you are parents with autistic children, there are so many autism treatments that you need to consider. There are so many different possible therapies out there, from the traditional to the alternative to ones that seem just plain crazy. One therapy that has been getting attention of late for an autism treatment is music therapy. Music Therapy Music therapy may not be exactly what you think it is. It is not focused on learning to play instruments so much as it is focused on using music to engage the mind and emotions of the autistic person, and helping them to communicate. Music is a more primal, some would say more natural, more patterned way of communication. People with no abilities to communicate whatsoever have been shown to actually respond and connect to others with music therapy. Most people with autism like patterns, and music is full of patterns. Also, music has rhythm. It is something that people with autism can feel, rather than have to think abou...

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (often abbreviated as CAS) is a somewhat rare speech disorder. It is estimated that 1 in 1,000 children will be diagnosed with apraxia. In comparison, 1 in 150 will be diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Many parents, and indeed doctors, are not aware of what apraxia is, and thus the early warning signs may go unnoticed. Like many other neurological disorders, early treatment is the key to helping your child overcome the difficulties this speech disorder can present. In medical terms, Childhood Apraxia of Speech is a motor-planning disorder that is characterized by difficulty sequencing the speech movements necessary for volitional speech. In layman's terms, the messages sent by the brain to the muscles and nerves that control voluntary speech get scrambled and the muscles and nerves can't decode them to understand what to do. This is not a speech delay, but a true neurological disorder. It is unclear what causes apraxi...

I am a teacher and recently, I assisted to one of these workshops meant to improve the quality of your teaching methods. I also am the mother of two young autistic children. My oldest is a 5 years old boy, which is considered to be non-verbal as he may not have used more than six words in his life. "Mama" was said for the first time about a year ago when he was 41/2 years old. I can't describe to you how precious this magic moment was. I still enjoy it every time he pronounces it. Sometimes, teachers need to be taught a few things! During this workshop, we were studying the multiple ways that a person learns new information. Some are visual and learn using diagrams, drawings, pictures, etc. Others are using manipulative to understand new concepts. There are eight types of learning styles. One of them is called: "verbal". This type of processing is done orally and using written material such as books, essays, etc. One of the statements that w...

There's something up with a child you know. He's clumsy, picky, always on the move, or flopped in a chair like a wet noodle. He's impulsive, intense, and quirky. Maybe he has a learning disability, ADHD, or autism, or maybe not, but his behavior and responses to everyday sensations are puzzling. Why does he withdraw or act out? Why are transitions so difficult? Can he really hear the fluorescent lights that he claims are distracting him? It's very likely that this child you're concerned about has sensory processing disorder, also known as SPD or sensory integration dysfunction. An estimated 1 in 20 children and almost all children with autism have SPD. This child's nervous system is wired atypically, causing her body to process everyday sensations differently. Unable to rely on her senses to give her an accurate picture of what is going on in her body and her world, she is prone to anxiety, distractibility, impulsivity, and frustration. A ...

A child or adult with Autism or a Communication disorder will have difficulties fitting into our extremely verbal world. These difficulties can create isolation from others and threatening walls of silence. However, there is a specific sub group of people diagnosed with these disorders who have a hyper-visual system. In these cases, when the visual system is harnessed, teaching communication becomes much easier. I Rode the Train, I Want to be an Engineer Hyper-visual people are experiencing visually when speaking. Their communications may appear to be almost nonsensical rambling but in fact they are following a very logical pattern. The difference is the pattern followed is visual rather than verbal. The exchange below illustrates this point. I asked Mark, a college student, "How did you get here today?" He replied, I took the train in from Long Island. My family went to the beach (Mark was seeing himself on the train but did not say this). Maybe I...

If your child has been diagnosed with autism, you need to get his or her life has normal and structured as possible so they can thrive in their environment. That includes obtaining the appropriate education. You need to find a school that caters to autistic children in order to have the right balance of education necessary in a structured class. A special education teacher is specially trained to work with children with autism. They know how to help them understand and they work to build up a trust between themselves and the teacher. There are special training classes that a special education teacher must go through before they qualify to teach special education. When first introducing your autistic child to their special education teacher, it is important to only speak kindly about him or her, even if you have a problem with the teacher. Don't ever pass those harsh feelings onto your child. If you do, your child may not feel as comfortable with the teacher as...

A relatively new method for treating individuals that are suffering from autism is musical therapy. When discussing treatment options, serious consideration should be given to incorporating this method. Musical therapy often helps patients improve their temperament as well as their learning skills. By connecting to the non-verbal sections of our minds, music proves to be an excellent form of therapy for those suffering from disorders that limit their communication skills. If you haven't had much success with other forms of autism treatment, you may be pleasantly surprised by how much this method may help. The reason that musical therapy can be so effective is because you can use it in addition to other treatments for learning social skills. By its very nature, music therapy is non-threatening to patients allowing behavior and social skills to be improved by the many games that can be played using this method. Autistic patients can break through social barrier...

Autistic savant? Yes, there are many amazing heart-warming stories that baffle even the most talented people in the world. According to Dictionary.com a savant is "a person of profound or extensive learning; learned scholar". It is a remarkable thing to think that someone with the debilitating symptoms that often accompany autism may also have the amazing mental powers of being a savant. Interestingly studies have shown that about ten percent of all those with autism are savants. Researchers also think that one percent of all non-autistics have some savant abilities. One theory is that these abilities come out because of some type of head trauma. In some autistic savants the feeling is the trauma may be a caused by a seizure or a fall. Lets use the example of a twenty six year old autistic savant in the United States. This young man is unable to drive a car. He cannot tell right from left, but he is able to recollect pi to the 22,514th decimal place. ...