Autism-Articles

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...

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...

The Sensory Profile Assessment (SPA) is used to identify the child's unique sensory preferences and provide tailored intervention strategies. This assessment tool provides a standard method for measuring and reporting sensory processing abilities. The purpose of the profile is to provide a tool for linking performance strengths and barriers with processing sensory information. It is designed for children aged three to ten years and takes 15- 20 minutes to administer. It involves the parent or caregiver of the child completing a 125-item questionnaire, which reports the frequency with which the child responds to various sensory experiences. There is also a 38-item short profile available that takes five minutes to administer. Once the questionnaire is completed, the summary score sheet is used to obtain a profile of the child's responses. The items of the sensory profile cover three major sections, including sensory processing, modulation, and behavioral/ e...

The ever increasing number of children diagnosed with autism has created a degree of alarm in the US and around the world. So far, doctors have failed to find a cure for this illness. Some parents and health practitioners have begun to experiment with alternative forms of treatment including acupuncture. Acupuncture is a holistic approach in treating and preventing certain diseases. While still considered "strange" in Western eyes, it's been around for centuries and has been practiced for decades in the US. It uses very thin needles that are inserted into targeted points in the body. The body has about 400 of these points linked through a system known as meridians or pathways. Once these acupuncture points are stimulated, they are believed to help create balance in the body. Autism is a brain disorder that is long term. This disease is characterized by deficits in language, social communication and cognition. Children who are diagnosed with this ill...

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...