Autism Definition

Thursday 27 December 2012

Dealing With Embarrassing Situations As a Parent of a Child With Autism

Every once in a while parents are embarrassed by their child’s behavior or the factual remarks they make, such as pointing to a person next to you in line and claiming, “she’s fat!” Moments like this can be very uncomfortable but fortunately do not occur often, but the risk may be higher if you are a parent of a child with Autism.

All children eventually learn how to regulate their behavior and speech but children on the Autism spectrum tend to be slower at acquiring this skill. Children with autism experience the same world we live in but in a dramatically different way and they are limited in their ability to read social situations.

Most children with autism don’t even realize that their behaviors are socially unacceptable. Some of these behaviors may include:

1. inappropriate touching or invading another’s space,

2. handflapping, spinning or stimming

3. fascinations with particular objects,

4. extreme displays of affection or the exact opposite.

Some children respond aggressively when least expected and many have sensory issues that produce bizarre reactions to food textures, tastes, light, sound and smells.

Therefore, as a parent of a child on the Autism spectrum the possibility of having your child commit a social ‘faux pas’ in public is high. Unfortunately, until we are able create more awareness about Autism and minimize the judgmental reactions of others, parents will have to continue to deal with some embarrassing situations deemed ‘socially inappropriate’ by onlookers.

Eventually, you may develop a protective armor from the piercing looks of disgruntled strangers that just don’t understand but what can you do in the meantime?

Finding ways to minimize or prevent the number of embarrassing incidents you might have to endure is one option. Here are some strategies to consider that might help.

Remember, you are your child’s best teacher. Your child may be receiving therapies that work on building appropriate social skills but you are with your child 24/7. Don’t overlook potentially embarrassing actions and address them as they occur by telling and showing your child what to do instead, how to do it and when.

Appeal to the way your child’s brain works best. Most children on the Autism spectrum are very visual so use pictures, photos, lists or video modeling to communicate with your child. Some may respond better to auditory input, so make a recording for your child with step-by-step instructions for them to listen to. Others may need to be physically manipulated by taking their hand and demonstrating just how much pressure to apply to petting an animal or touching people.

Be persistent. Constant repetition and reinforcement will eventually work to instill more suitable behaviors in your child. It typically takes twenty-one repetitions of an action before a new behavior becomes a habit but a brain that is wired differently may take more time – so start early, practice often, practice some more and have patience.

Use distraction. Plan ahead when going out in public and bring a bag of tricks with you to divert your child’s attention when your gut begins sending you a warning that something potentially unacceptable might occur. Fill a backpack with stress relievers and favorite items that will quickly catch your child’s interest.

Give people information. If all else fails, be prepared with a short statement to say to others that will enlighten them. Some parents carry around cards that explain their child’s behavior and may even provide suggestions for being helpful or information about websites that educate people about Autism.

Ignore onlookers. It takes time to build up the confidence, courage and a secure sense-of-self necessary to disregard the gawkers and disapproving stares that you may encounter. Begin building your protective armor by forcing yourself to focus on your child who really needs you to respond appropriately in that moment. Try creating a mantra to recite in circumstances such as these that would reassure you and help you concentrate on what is most important – your child.

Most importantly, be kind to yourself. Remember that every child has the potential to call attention to themselves or fall apart and every parent has the capacity to handle it inappropriately at times so don’t be hard on yourself after an episode such as this. Tell yourself you did the best you could and use it as a learning experience to gain insight about what you might do differently the next time.

Discover Summer Fun--For Children With Autism

Spring seems to come and go and summer is the time when there should be fun for children with autism. What makes summer fun for children with autism?

Depending on where you live or the climate of your surroundings for the summer months, there can be many variations of fun for the summer with your child who has the disorder of autism.

If you live by many lakes, as I do in Minnesota, the summer fun is endless. Children, with autism can go canoeing,boating swimming, walking, going to the zoo, the library, bicycle riding, swimming and enjoying the many green lush parks that are filled with many picnic tables to enjoy your food with your child.

Each child, with autism, is unique and displays many unique interests and talents. You, as parent(s) or caregiver(s) must be interested in your child, so you will be able to discern what your child with autism, can do, for their capabilities.

For example, your child may not enjoy bicycle riding, but enjoy walking and looking at the flowers, or picking the flowers to take home. He or she may not enjoy swimming, but enjoy the visit to the zoo with all the variations of animals that are visible.

Another example is, summer fun for your child could be to enjoy an outdoor picnic, that requires very little stress, but is still able to enjoy the summer outdoors and nature.

An excellent point to remember is, your child may not like bright sun-light or the glare of the water that is on the lakes. So, take that into consideration if you plan to be where there is water and sun-light.

Summer fun for children with autism can be fun, by just having picture puzzles available, so your child can put them together on your porch or placing a table outdoors for your child to work on with the puzzles.

You could purchase a light weight large rubber ball and play catch with it, draw pictures of the trees and clouds, water, boats and flowers. Be creative, children love new challenges that are fun.

Summer fun for children with autism can be simple. Listening to music and relaxing with their parent(s), family, caregiver(s) outdoors or indoors can be very enjoyable.

Whatever is planned for to have summer fun, with your child that has autism, you and your family, should be prepared to be creative with new innovations, ideas for planning.

Encourage your child to take part in the planning. Give your child choices. For example, your child may not like or enjoy swimming, but there could be the possibility of swimming lessons available, which could encourage your child to participate and develop new skills. In addition, your child, may not enjoy the zoo, but enjoy boat riding or walking through a flower garden with many vibrant colors.

Let your child know that the discovery of summer fun is enhanced with the interests and development of trying new things and challenges that are geared to your child and the family.

The summer fun is surrounded with the interests for your child, the age, the climate and what your child is capable of doing. Never push or force your child to do something that will create great frustration and anxiety. Encourage your child and love your child.

——

“Do you want to learn more about this topic, Discover Summer Fun For Children With Autism? and other topics that are crucial to you and your child? If so, Bonita Darula is inviting you to be her guest at==> http://www.autismintoawareness.com to download your brand new e-book and COMPLIMENTARY bonus products, where she breaks the silence that surrounds the many levels or autism.”

Wednesday 26 December 2012

Autism intervention help with dyslexia Dyslexia help dyslexia teaching reading and writing

Imagine if you will, a pipeline spanning the field of education from reception/kindergarten, right through year twelve.This pipeline is long and broad, and all students are freshly siphoned into the pipeline at the onset of their academic career.Certainly there are a few branches for those who are gifted or those with a propensity for math, science, or one particular subject, but ultimately, the pipeline successfully ends in the same place for all students and they enter the adult world educated and erudite.

Well, in theory anyway.But what happens to those students who deviate from this pipeline?What about the ones who enter the world predisposed to slide down a divergent path and are flushed from the system, either in the middle or at the end, without the requisite skills we expect from everyone else?Why is it that one fact remains constant in education: students with learning differences stray from the path early in their education, and most find it exceptionally difficult to return.

Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes is a recognised leader in the remediation of learning difficulties ranging from Dyslexia to Hyperlexia, as well as Autism Spectrum Disorders.Students at Lindamood-Bell centres and school projects receive intensive sensory-cognitive treatment in either a one-to-one, or group environment. The therapy is designed to stimulate, then stabilise the processing systems in the brain that underlie solid reading and language comprehension and expression, so that they may find their way back to the pipeline.

One of the major obstacles to a successful education is the inability to read and spell fluently.There exists reams of research on the topic of dyslexia, and experts are now generally in agreement that the most useful methods of reading instruction are those that stimulate the brain to automatically recognise the number, the order, and the identity of sounds within words.This is known as Phonemic Awareness, and is the foundational skill that allows a child to understand, and then consciously implement phonics.However, new data indicates that this is only part of the picture.Research conducted by Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes points to another, perhaps more important piece of the puzzle.The brain must not only auditorily perceive, but also visually represent, sounds, letters, and words.This is known as Symbol Imagery (SI) and it appears to be a major factor in the creation of both independent reading fluency, as well as orthographic spelling.

The Seeing Stars programme by Nanci Bell directly stimulates the underlying processes of both phonemic awareness and symbol imagery.Students are first gauged on their ability to visually represent consonant and vowel sounds.Although we certainly do need to auditorily perceive the sound for the letter -B’ we do not track words on the page with “grunts and groans.”Rather, our symbol imagery takes that sound information and turns it into a visual representation in our mind.We must be able to picture the letter “B’ in order to be able to consistently recognise and use it on the page. Similarly, this process extends to the development of a sight-word vocabulary, and also the base for proper orthographic spelling.Words must be pictured and deposited into a visualised “index” so we are not forced to decode or guess at every step.Ultimately, the goal is to build the student’s auditory and visual processing systems to the level of independence so that they may show strong fluency on the page.Once these underlying sensory-cognitive functions are stimulated, the child experiences success at every level, and re-enters the pipeline with renewed confidence and vigor.

Of course, there are countless numbers of well documented cases of the student that can read well, sometimes far above their age level, but does not understand the language on the page.They will also typically exhibit difficulties in comprehending and using spoken language. This can be a devastating problem, as it affects not only the tasks they are being asked to accomplish in school, but also situations in their general life.These are the students who may be labeled Attention-Deficit, Hyperlexic, or perhaps may even be on the Autistic spectrum.Yet, their true underlying weakness is based on an inability to properly dual-code language. Allan Paivio, author of the Dual Coding Theory (DCT) and a cognitive psychologist, stated, “Cognition is proportional to the extent that mental representations (imagery) and language are integrated.”Research from the 1970s and into the 1990s has validated Dr. Paivio’s work as a viable model of human cognition and its practical, as well as theoretical, application to the comprehension of language (Bell, 1991). Dr. Paivio believes that in order to think and understand, humans must be able to simultaneously generate imagery and corresponding language to describe that imagery.

Nanci Bell’s Visualizing and Verbalizing programme (V/V), has been described by Dr. Paivio as “Dual Coding Theory in practise.”The goal of V/V is to develop the sensory-cognitive function of concept imagery-the brain’s ability to form an imaged gestalt from language-in order to improve and stabilise reading and language comprehension, as well as verbal and written expression.Other difficulties directly affected by the development of concise concept imagery include such higher order thinking skills as main idea, conclusion, inference, prediction, and evaluation.These critical thinking skills are applied to following directions and problem solving tasks, as well as general language comprehension and expression. The student can then perform cognitive tasks previously unable to be performed in relation to language and literacy development, as they are now able to visualise and comprehend the gestalt (the whole) of language, rather than the parts.

Students who stray from the pipeline should never be viewed as lost causes.Their difficulties can, and should be remediated.The paradigm of reading instruction (see inset) is a simple concept to understand, but unfortunately, it is not applied often enough.Student success in reading and language comprehension is reliant upon the complete integration of the entire sensory-cognitive processing system, not just one piece.Those parts that are not functioning properly can be directly stimulated to the level of independence.

More Information:

http://www.lindamoodbell.com/

http://inforequest.lblp.com/

What Is Autism Disorder Spectrum

You may be wondering if there is a difference between the terms -autism- and -autism spectrum disorder-. Well, the term -autism- describes any one of the 5 different types of pervasive developmental disorders. These pervasive developmental disorders make up the autism disorder spectrum.

There are conflicting theories about how the five disorders relate to one another. While some researchers believe that they are all separate disorders with similar symptoms, others promote the theory that autism is really a spectrum. According to this theory, at one end of the autism disorder spectrum, there are the mild cases. At the other end, cases can be so severe such that the person inflicted cannot cope with functioning and living independently.

Autism is a chronic brain disorder that manifests in developmental difficulties in the areas of social interaction, verbal skills and communication. It is usually detected after the child turns three. However, in certain cases, it may also be detected when your child is one.

If your child is autistic, he is likely to have repetitive and narrow interests. He will not be willing to try new things or food, preferring to always stick to the same ones that he is used to. Also, he finds it hard to cope with changes in schedules and environment. He can react violently when any change should occur or if there is a disruption to his normal schedule of activities.

There are also conflicting views about what causes autism. Some scientists and researchers believe that it is a genetic abnormality. Yet others think that it is caused by an injury to the brain or exposure to an environmental toxin. The latter view is supported by the fact that in some population areas, autism is at higher rates of incidence than it is elsewhere.

You may start observing some odd developmental problems of your child between the ages of 12 and 36 months old. It may be that your child is not hitting some milestones with underdeveloped or delay in speech and communication skills. You may also begin to notice that he tends to keep himself or if he has little awareness of social cues. However, if your child only has mild autism, you may not be able to detect that anything is wrong until he goes to school. In some cases, your child may go undiagnosed until he is older when social and communication skills are required.

If you have an autistic child, you may fear that his disorder may become worse over the years. However, there is no cause for concern apparently. Research shows that autism is non-progressive, meaning that it does not get worse in time.

Here is a breakdown of what makes up the autism disorder spectrum or otherwise known as the 5 pervasive developmental disorders:

1. Autism. Symptoms can be recognized before a child turns 3 years old. However, they may be more obvious much later than this. If your child is diagnosed with autism he will have difficulty making or maintaining eye contact, have impaired social functioning, can be overwhelmingly absorbed with himself and would seem like a loner.

2. Asperger Syndrome. Asperger Syndrome is similar to autism in that it tends to show up before your child turns 3 years old. However, your child will be able to function at a higher level than an autistic child. He can still have problems with social functioning, communication and speech. He will also have narrowly defined interests. But with some therapy and help, most asperger children are able to live independently when they get older.

3. Rex syndrome. Doctors cannot agree whether Rex syndrome is a type of autism or not. This syndrome almost exclusively afflicts girls. Usually your child will develop normally for 6 to 18 months and then all of a sudden, show a remarkable loss of skills in such areas as speech and lose the ability to control her hands and her feet. This syndrome can be tested for with an 80% accuracy rate.

4. Childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD). CDD takes place a little later. It happens after your child turns 2 to 4 years showing a marked degeneration in social, physical, mental and verbal skills. The long period of normal development below the age of 2 is the distinguishing factor between autism and CDD.

5. Pervasive developmental disorder. This disorder applies if your child is not within any of the above other 4 mentioned categories. He is diagnosed with a pervasive developmental disorder if he is found to have impairments in social interaction, stereotyped behavior and communication but with symptoms not otherwise defined.

My son, autism and Elvis

My son, autism and the king

If you tried to envision the world an autistic child lives in you would probabaly think that it is a dark and mysterious place because we don’t understand it unless we too escaped into our safe little place too when we were young kids. For most autistic children there is a time when they withdraw from their parents, their family and their friends to escape into a world that is safe to them and not so dark or mysterious. To them it is their safe place where they find comfort, quiet, peace and an escape from the imposing social cues that the outside world creates for us to integrate in our chaotic lives. That is the main difficulty that autistic children have to live with is the inability to have meaningful social interaction. It takes a great deal of time, patience and dedication of so many people to open up an autistic child’s world and help them connect to the world we know and live in every day.

As the father of an autistic child I try to understand what my son goes through when he is having difficulties and I try to be very sympathetic and allow him to try to express what is happening. I have seen my son at his best when everything is going well for him and I have seen him at his lowest point when he is so frustrated he loses his composure and has a “melt down” where he is completely out of control. Fortunately these meltdowns don’t happen everyday because they are very difficult to see and deal with and for my son it is a very real crisis happening in that moment in time that causes him to react with such pain and anger.

I have learned that music helps calm my son and allows him to thrive and find peace and comfort and it is one of our most effective means in helping him get through a difficult time. As a follower of music and one who sincerely appreciates it’s power and beauty I have managed to introduce my son to music artists I grew up listening to as a kid and am delighted to see how much my son loves and appreciates the music and the artists I’ve grown to know and love.

One artist that has had a profound impact on both my life and my son’s is Elvis Presley and I have recollections of my son listening to Elvis as a small boy as he developed an interest in his music on Rhapsody when he was just a little boy creating play lists. He created several Elvis Presley play lists that enabled me to work late into the night on occasion listening to them. I also remember playing his music at night when my son was just a baby in the crib and he seemed to sleep peacefully to his lullabies. He seemed to take to Elvis’s music right from the very beginning. I was quite delighted to see how much he enjoyed listening to it and how it has influenced him. He even sings Elvis songs when my wife has a Karaoke party and he usually wows our family, friends and guests when he sings on cue.

I remember listening to Elvis because my mother was a big fan and she just loved his way and his singing. She was always listening to his music and because of her I became a fan of his music too and so have my wife and son. My most favorite Elvis song would have to be In the Ghetto as it is such a touching and powerful song and one that brings tears to my eyes. Elvis always delivered his music with such emotion and beauty. Two other favorite songs of mine would have to be Suspicious minds and Jailhouse rock.

I was inspired to write this entry when my son created a list of his most favorite Elvis Presley songs and I am indicating his first 5 most favorite songs on the list as follows:

1) Teddy bear

2) Suspicious minds

3) Jailhouse rock

4) A little less conversation

5) All shook up

I was quite impressed with my son’s choices and I know he puts a lot of time into his lists and this is a tribute to Elvis for the beautiful music he left us, to my mom who I miss and love very much and cherish for she exposed me to such wonderful music from Elvis Presley that are precious memories, to my dad who also was a fan of the king and his favorite song was his version of Amazing Grace and to my son who inspires me every day and makes me so proud and gives me such wonderful ideas and gives me the opportunity to share Elvis’s music with all of you.

My son has autism but that does not limit him in any way and he is a very gifted and intelligent boy who has great ideas and visions and is very creative and I encourage him to further his creativity through his interest in music and I will complile his lists and use them in my writing to show the world how much my son inspires me and shows me how truly special he is.

Edward D. Iannielli III

Dealing With Embarrassing Situations As a Parent of a Child With Autism

Most children with autism don’t even realize that their behaviors are socially unacceptable. Some of these behaviors may include:

1. inappropriate touching or invading another’s space,

2. handflapping, spinning or stimming

3. fascinations with particular objects,

4. extreme displays of affection or the exact opposite.

Some children respond aggressively when least expected and many have sensory issues that produce bizarre reactions to food textures, tastes, light, sound and smells.

Eventually, you may develop a protective armor from the piercing looks of disgruntled strangers that just don’t understand but what can you do in the meantime?

Finding ways to minimize or prevent the number of embarrassing incidents you might have to endure is one option. Here are some strategies to consider that might help.

Autism and the school of hard disk

Some children with autism has hit the college open public and only high quality with little modification to. Political legal students concerning children with the misery. Here are a few details you need are only on autism and the College to collect.

The poverty Act: persons entitled to problems was signed, to ensure that all children a public training and appropriate free of charge that must be passed to them. The law requires special training service, as long as this should remove the people needs of children. Autism has accepted this request.

A free and appropriate education: he is training equivalent to the child of unusual conditions. It is the understanding of the development.

Learning of less restrictive atmosphere: suggesting that fasting may be marketed in an educational implementation by the smallest well socialize, not a disability that are tailored to their specific needs. The college can what it can, your autistic child in the cut them into regular classrooms.

To determine who should be above all the results of your child at school, the child should be. In this way, the analysis can be requested by the College or the parent company. If you are in a letter to the College to study a jota, the child is taken into account. They need a residence to register for the paper to check the permissions on the analysis, instead. By determining your little could learning with mental health problems and behaviors should be examined. Shortly after the end of the College assessment would have met, you can talk about their results and get to quickly improve your.

IEP: an IEP is used after exclusive educational services that is a child. The organizing team to assess the infant can form part of the staff that produces the IEP. The mothers and fathers also need advice are included in the at the IEP. An IEP will be able to explain that young grapes have received adequate training. You can also use the list of solutions that meet the child at the controls of the IEP. The IEP can be displayed at any time, if the child services does not work. An example of some services can be integrated, an IEP in nice job time, tests out loud on the outside for the toddler, or is very long for the child support was added. Each IEP can be unique for each child. PEI is determined on the basis of each year, except the mother and the father to call ahead. The mother and the father has the right of each IEP meeting.

You are a funder of the ideal as your child once on the College network. Some academies should you try race. You must do everything to prevent young people with distinct solutions to the school. To participate, you must be the only one for your little ones. You can use your voice. If you do not feel comfortable to do so with the school on your own students professionals of the law and the Organizer is to improve.

Autism Definition

Thursday 27 December 2012

Dealing With Embarrassing Situations As a Parent of a Child With Autism

Related Reading:

Discover Summer Fun--For Children With Autism

Related Reading:

Wednesday 26 December 2012

Autism intervention help with dyslexia Dyslexia help dyslexia teaching reading and writing

Related Reading:

What Is Autism Disorder Spectrum

Related Reading:

My son, autism and Elvis

Related Reading:

Dealing With Embarrassing Situations As a Parent of a Child With Autism

Related Reading:

Autism and the school of hard disk

Related Reading:

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