Gluten Free And Autism

Do you have a child or know someone with autism? Does that person eat high amounts of wheat, barley, oats or rye proteins? Did you know that these proteins linked also with casein (the protein found in milk products) can trigger behavioral issues? To someone with autism these proteins can act as an addictive drug. Wow, mind blowing right? Some experts have even referred to gluten as "poison" for someone who is autistic.
Researchers have found that people with autism who eat gluten products regularly have a hard time breaking down the protein and found high levels of peptides with opiate in the urine. Opiates are similar to the drug known as morphine and affect the brain function. The two main problems have been linked as gluten (which is the protein found in wheat, barley, oats and rye) and casein (the protein found in milk.) Would you knowingly give your child morphine? Allowing a child who has autism to eat gluten products could be doing as much harm.
Now that you know the facts, where should you start? How can you possibly remove gluten from the diet? It will not be easy at first but will be beneficial in the end. It will take perseverance and research. At first it will take a lot of time because you will need to read labels and rule out all foods with gluten ingredients. You may even want to consult a dietician to work with you the first few weeks. They can come up with healthy meal plans based on the person's likes and dislikes. There are also many online resources to help. There are even" Gluten Free Bibles" which are guides to a full gluten free life. There are even gluten free cookbooks and foods you can purchase online.
You are probably saying right now, "This seems like too much work, I don't have the time for this." That may be the case first but once you understand and start shopping gluten free it is quite easy. Also, you must look at the long term benefits of the gluten free diet. You must realize that for many who have autism, foods with gluten are toxic to their brain and avoiding them is necessary. It will be challenging at first but with a little effort and a few good gluten free cookbooks your autistic child/friend will see improvements in behavior. I have read reports that after three months of gluten free living autistic children have been able to make eye contact and actually play calmly with other children. Now, doesn't that sound worth giving it a try?
There are so many resources and online products to help you with your new journey. It will require sacrifices and endurance. Remember this adjustment will take time but the results are so valuable. Start today and begin to live free!

For more information or to shop for protein powders go to http://livefreeproducts.com. Gluten free foods and an assortment of organic products.

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Can School Districts Prevent Autism Service Dogs From Attending School With a Child?

Do you have a child with PDD or autism that is receiving special education services? Are you considering, getting an autism service dog for your child, and you wonder what the school's reaction will be? Have you been refused to have an autism service dog attend school with your child and wonder what the law says about it? This article will discuss the requirements for school districts allowing autism service dogs to enter public school buildings, with a child that they are working with.
Autism Service Dogs help children with autism in several ways: the dog can assist children safely access different environments, the dog can be a calming influence, the dog can work on interrupting repetitive behavior by nudging the child, the dog can prevent the child from wandering away (by a tether), and the dog can track the child when they have wandered. Side effects of the dog is that children with autism that have one tend to be calmer and also tend to interact in social situations better than children with autism that do not have a dog.
But schools across the country have taken the position that these dogs are not service dogs, and that they are drawing the line to protect the health and safety of all students. I actually believe that the reason many school districts are refusing to allow the dogs is due to precedent. If they allow one autism service dog in then they must allow more. Parents have been suing school districts over this issue from California to Illinois. Recently 2 Illinois parents won court orders allowing the dogs to accompany their children to school.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has a section that addresses this issue. The ADA definition is that the dog must be individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. The ADA does not require the dog to be certified, to be considered a service dog. The service dog must be given total access to any public places where the person with a disability goes under the ADA requirements.
The Department of Justice has taken a stand for the child and parent in these cases. Alejandro Miyar a spokesman for the US Department of Justice states that the ADA requires public schools to allow service dogs to accompany children they serve to class. He also stated that autism is considered a covered disability under the ADA.
Another thing that school districts are doing to try and prevent autism service dogs is to state that this is an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) issue, and must be agreed to by the IEP team. I do not believe that this is the case, and parents should not fall into this trap. The actual issue is that the ADA allows access to service dogs in public places-so the issue is access for the dog. Another issue is, that the school district is discriminating against the child's disability, by refusing to allow the dog to attend class with the child with autism.
The newest tactic used by school districts is that the dog cannot be in the class due to another child's allergies. I think that this argument will not hold up in court due to the fact that the child can be placed in another class, the child could take medication if bothered by the dog, and other ways to limit the child's contact with the dog.
The ADA is clear; public schools must allow service dogs to attend class with a child. Several courts have ruled that it is a violation of the ADA to refuse to allow the dogs in class with a child with autism. If you are considering this for your child you must understand what the school's position may be, and how to overcome it, for the benefit of your child's education! Your child is depending on you to advocate for what they need! Good luck in your fight!

JoAnn Collins is the mother of two adults with disabilities, and has helped families navigate the special education system, as an advocate, for over 15 years. She is a presenter and author of the book "Disability Deception; Lies Disability Educators Tell and How Parents Can Beat Them at Their Own Game." The book has a lot of resources and information to help parents fight for an appropriate education for their child. For a free E newsletter entitled "The Special Education Spotlight" send an E mail to: JoAnn@disabilitydeception.com. For more information on the book, testimonials about the book, and a link to more articles go to: http://www.disabilitydeception.com

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Do Autistic People Have Different Brains?

It appears that the brains of children with autism are significantly larger than the brain of neurotypicals, but this difference decreases with age. The researcher Corchesne and his accomplices have found out that 90% the 30 studied boys with autism had a larger than normal brain volume. Yet this difference was not to be seen in the womb, so this seems to indicate that there has been a form of brain overgrowth during postnatal (after birth) development. Normally during early brain development a child loses a substantial amount of neural connectivity, to allow for more specialized brain function. Actually the phenomena of synesthesia, which was often associated with autism, seems to be caused by the failure to lose neural connectivity during development.
Another area in which the brain of people with an autistic spectrum disorder and the brain of neurotypical differ is the cerebellum. A part of the brain, most commonly associated with motor activity. Yet, what is not commonly known, is that this area of the brain is also associated with attention. When adolescents with autism where compared with their neurotypical peers, the children with autism showed less activation in the cerebellum in relation to attention and more in relation to motor activity. This suggests that there's a difference in the way that the cerebellum works in people with an autism spectrum disorder, when compared to neurotypical people. This is particularly interesting, because autism is also heavily linked with a disruption in motor coordination.
There have also been shown slight differences in the amygdala and hippocampus and areas of the prefrontal cortex associated with social cognition. Yet great caution is needed when clear roles are assigned to those very complex brain structures. This is especially the case when dealing with autism, because the localization of brain function (localization is defined as the clear correspondence of a specific part of the brain to a specific brain function) is far less consistent in people with an autism spectrum whose brains tend to be organized in a different way, and in a way that differs from person to person.
Although the differences between the brains of a neurotypical and someone with an autism spectrum disorder are not clear-cut. Modern neuropsychology clearly states that the differences are present and are profound. Yet it is important to remember that this does not mean that the brain differences cause autism, it might be actually the other way around- autism might cause the differences in brain structure. What it does prove, in association with other evidence, is that autism is primarily a biological disorder.

I'm an aspiring psychotherapist who blogs about psychology. If you want to know more about autism, psychopathology and practical ways of improving your mental health, please visit it by clicking here

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The Absolute Power of Autism - Disability or Genius

The Autisarian Race
You would think that most of the time research into autism is not something people choose to do. Most of the time it's probably done because a person is faced with the challenge of raising an autistic child. This is a scary challenge, but what if you were faced with raising two autistic children? Consider the pain of watching them go through the effects of the disorder together, or one after the other. The good thing is that as a parent goes through trials and tribulations with their autistic child, they can become an expert in the art of managing the genius inside the disorder. If they learn to simply pay attention, they may find something amazing inside their child.
Most people don't consider the drastic longterm consequences of slow reaction to the alarming birthrate of autistic children. It seems likely if the puzzle isn't properly addressed soon, within the next ten to fifteen years the world may be responsible for what could be an entire race of adults who are unable function on their own. Take a minute to think about what would be a massive drain on the welfare system.
It's hard to imagine a disabled person has any connection to humankind's evolution.
A blind guy, a person with autism, or attention deficit disorder, no way these people could have anything to do with evolution. Naturally your first thought would probably be devolution, but if we closely examine what we know about what we don't actually know, we would be amazed by the possibilities. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the unexplained can't be explained because we haven't figured out how to use our brain's full potential. This means that as far as we know anything is possible.
If a man is born blind he can't value sight because he never had it. His lack of sight becomes a problem in his mind because people tell him he is disabled because he can't see. Because the man has no sense of sight his senses of hearing and touch are far above average, so he can hear and feel things like music astoundingly better than the average human being. This may give the man a natural ability to play a musical instrument far better than his human counterparts without instruction. This creates the question, is this man disabled? According to society he is, but Webster's dictionary calls him a genius. We have a nasty habit of negatively labeling things we don't understand, so similar arguments can be made using those labeled disabled because of ADD, or Autism. Are these labels a product our ignorance? Are these people disabled, or are they precursors to our evolution?
Autism has been around longer than most people realize, twenty years ago it was called mental retardation. We know very little about autism, but the number of children being born with it is astronomical, it's almost like some kind of invasion.
Great minds have consulted and surmised that this condition somehow interrupts the brains capability to communicate properly and since we don't understand it we label it a disability.
It seems when a certain power of the brain is taken away, or not included at birth other brain powers increase giving a person extraordinary abilities, or a certain knack for something. Unfortunately most of the time the knack is never discovered and this eventually creates a disabled person. The huge number of children being born with autism has uncovered some of these hidden knack's. If you research the definition of the word knack you'll find that it comes very close to the meaning of the word genius. Maybe we should stop trying to cure autism and try to manage the genius inside it instead.
If you think about it, an alarming number of people being born with extraordinary capabilities could be a push in the evolutionary process of humankind. Autism could be the creation of a new human being, the creation of the Autisarian.

The Inspire Weekly uses a book series called Survivor Evolution to motivate families affected by autism to search for the power behind the puzzle. The series was created by two autistic brothers who have publish three books so far. Support the Survivor Evolution Series. Start at the beginning and follow the series. Buy their first book; Flames of Avasten. http://www.theinspireweekly.com

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Coming Wave of Autistic and Asperger's Syndrome Adults

The latent brain of an autistic child has potential just beyond reach. However, gentle stretching may open a whole new world. I have been awe struck by the mental capabilities of those whom the world shuns. We can learn much from them.
Mental and motor skills of young people with autism, Asperger's syndrome, and other mental challenges span the mental spectrum. Autistic individuals may have above normal IQ while social skills too have a vast range. The objectives of the family, care givers, and friends should be to inspire and offer hope and life to the soul of the child. Introduce them to great music. The latent brain may be that of a savant or prodigy.
Over the years, I have observed and pondered the minds of savants and prodigies who manifest what the brain is capable of achieving. Allow me to introduce you to five savants.
Kim Peek, the real Rain Man, inspired Dustin Hoffman and crew to make the movie. He read 8 to 10 books a day with near perfect recall. He knew history and events: world, American, baseball, NASA, the Bible and much more. He could quote any verse and tell you were that verse was located. Give him any date and would tell you on which day of the week it fell. He knew every zip code of every town in America and memorized phone books for fun. Kim died in 2009.
Leslie Lemke was the first savant that I observed from his youth. He was May's Miracle. He was adopted by Mary and Joseph Lemke who brought life to his latent brain. Others called the baby a hopeless blob of flesh. Blind and speechless, he had to be helped in every step of life. Then one night, he started playing beautiful music on the piano and later broke out in fabulous vocal impersonation of any singer he chose. He still performs in public concerts as of 2012 at age 60.
Daniel Tammet can learn a new language in a week and make "impossible" mathematical calculations in his head. Stephen Wiltshire flies over a city by helicopter and later renders a detailed drawing of the skyline view with remarkable accuracy from memory. Alonzo Clemons loves to sculp horses and cattle. Moldable clay quickly becomes animal likeness in his hands.
These five savants are exceptions, but soon a wave of autistic adults will be exposed to a world unable to meet their needs. The autistic adult no longer has parents who can provide their vital support. Studies show that most autistic adults continue to live at home and about a third of them have never had a job or attended school.
This wave of autism struck US about 40 years ago. The truth is that many autistic individuals are smarter than the average person. Their brilliance is blocked by expression skills that leave the autistic frustrated and the observer confessed. Thirty years ago, the CDC estimated that there were two autistic children for ever 1,000 children. Today they say that autism has escalated to 1 in 88 children. Without pinpointing the cause, they admit that it may be an environmental factor.
Autistic children can expect to live as long as normal people. However, there is nothing normal about autism as each is unique. It is expected that many will live to be 80 or 90 years of age. The more challenging time of life for an autistic adult escalates at 20 to 25 years.
At an international autism conference, I sat at the feet of "experts" in the field who basically disagreed with each other. I do not claim to be the expert in autism but I do know that bad sugars seem to compound negative effects and Smart Sugars seem to have a positive beneficial effect in mental improvements. Evidence is that toxins, which contributed to the mental challenges, can begin to be removed by the polysaccharides.
Your homework for this Lesson is found online in short videos of five savants you will never forget. The short videos can be found online at The Endowment fro Medical Research.

JC Spencer has invested two decades in the research and study of glycomics, the science of sugars. He is CEO of The Endowment for Medical Research, Inc http://www.endowmentmed.org/
Author's book is available free at http://www.GlycoscienceNEWS.com
References from the textbook Expand Your Mind - Improve Your Brain and the ebook and Change Your Sugar, Change Your Life. The book, Change Your Sugar, Change Your Life is downloadable without charge.

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Toys That Help Autistic Kids Using The Multisensory Approach

One of the emerging techniques in helping autistic kids develop their sensory and motor skills is the multisensory approach, which uses baby toys and games that encourage the child to make use of two or more senses together. When you're selecting the right toys and games for an autistic kid, you should find products that produce music or some kind of sound when they're touched or pressed. For instance, a teddy bear that says "I love you" is a good idea for a toy to give to a special child. Other suggestions are included in the following discussion about educational and nurturing products for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Some children with autism learn when presented with visual cues along with sounds. So, a therapist may hold up cards with colorful illustrations while saying the words printed on them. When a child with ASD has the ability to focus on visual stimuli even for a few seconds, this technique has a chance of improving the child's cognitive functions. As an alternative, the toy itself makes the sound, such as a pre-recorded voice speaking the word. This is most common with electronic toys that produce animal sounds when the child presses the key with an image of the animal.
However, among baby toys that are best used during a multisensory training with an autistic child is the set of nine blocks in the Plan Toys pack. The set includes three visual blocks, 3 auditory blocks, and 3 blocks for kinetic learning. Each block's surface has a different feel to encourage the child to identify various textures based on touch. The other blocks must be handled with an adult present to guide the child when determining the differences between the visual cues, verbal cues, and tactile sensations.
Auditory and olfactory senses are another pair of sensory stimuli that help kids with ASD control how they interact with their environment. A set of visually arresting cards that have been printed with colorful images of common fruits also contains small packets that exude the scent of each fruit. These common fruits include banana, apple, orange, and strawberry. A second set that works the same way contains images of foods, such as chocolate, milk, cheese, pizza, and ice cream. After learning which scents are associated with foods or fruits, the child may point to the cards to indicate the kind of food he or she wants to eat. Even when the child hasn't learned to speak the words yet, this ability to recognize objects visually is a great leap towards helping an autistic kid in developing cognitive functions.

Encourage positive interaction that strengthens bonding with your kids through creative play. Guide them through their discovery of the world around them using educational baby toys and nurturing products for children with special needs. Find them all at http://www.limetreekids.com.au where kids and parents can learn from each other.

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The Little Known Secrets To Effectively Hugging An Autistic Child

How much do you love to get a hug?
You see we often seek pressure in a variety of ways to calm ourselves and cope with emotional or sensory overload.

but hugging an autistic child can be quite something different as I’m sure you have found out.

Have you ever wondered how to hug your Autistic Child and get the responses that both of you need?

Well here are the top 8 things that you need to know about hugging your autistic child.

1. Hugging your autistic child can cause more distress than it was obviously meant to cause.
I know this sounds horrible, but your Autistic child doesn’t understand what is happening.

2. Autistic children or adults are often unable to communicate their needs by indicating a particular amount or length of pressure.
So when you are hugging your autistic child this can really be quite ineffective and can actually a negative effect.

3. The simple hug can be both distressing and frustrating for your autistic child.
Imagine not being able to communicate what it is you need and it being forced on you by someone who will not let it be, that’s pretty much what it can feel like, so be careful and understanding.

4. Autistic children sometimes crave pressure to help calm anxiety
This is very important, but how can we do this when we are distressing them all the time with our hugs.

5. Allowing Your Autistic Child To Control The Pressure of A Hug Can Work Wonders
This is enabling them to do and give what they want while still experiencing the feelings that they need to achieve.

6. You don’t have to give your autistic child the hug they need
Something that acts in a similar way can be used; a lady that has Autism has created what is called ‘The Hugging Machine’.

7. You can wrap your child in a blanket
This will allow them to control the pressure that they need also. Blankets act as a barrier to squeezing and can give your autistic child the freedom that they need when entering into such an act.

8. Children with ASD sometimes react better with Mechanical devices
Great work is actually being carried out which will be able to have the devices tailored to the needs of the specific autistic child.

These kinds of positive steps forward with your Autistic Child can make you see a much brighter future. But that’s only a small tip of what is available to help your autistic child.

You see, it doesn't matter where you live, who you know, what you believe in, or even who you voted for in the election. You are part of a community, part of a select group of people who can join together to combat the confusion and frustration associated with having an autistic child.

I personally don’t agree with all of methods that people have created for child autism, but I agree with the message that they are trying to give to the world (our community). They are giving us freedom, joy, happiness, and hope for the future …

Those are ideas we can *all* get behind.

What really makes me hopeful is that you are educating yourself in what needs to be done, this will in turn give you the knowledge to make proper decisions in relation to your autistic child.

By: Thomas R Stewart

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Thomas Stewart is a full time internet author who specializes in Childhood Autism. Along with his unconventional and often controversial ideas his work will bring you to a new place of knowledge when it comes to starting on a path to recovering from autism. You can pick up his FREE e-Course & Find out more about Thomas at www.Autism-LaidBare.com

Early Intervention Makes a Huge Difference for Autistic Children

Autism is much more common in today's society than parents might think. With the numbers increasing annually, the Centers for Disease Control has stated that one out of every 88 children has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.
Times Have Changed
Back in the day, if a child was diagnosed with autism there was little to no help available. Children were left to work independently and parents were left to pay extensively for private tutoring and assistance-often without results. Autism organizations were not around to provide assistance for autistic children so that they could find a way to live somewhat normal lives. In fact, just over a decade ago, autism was considered a learning disability and often children were poorly diagnosed.
Today, autism is a growing concern and is also becoming more popular in research. More parents are aware of what autism is, and there are organizations to help educate and provide financial assistance to parents of autistic children.
Diagnosing Autism
Early detection is key in helping a child with autism live a more normal life in society. Since autism can be seen as early as eighteen months of age, children should be watched throughout their development for any warning signs of autism. High-risk groups, such as children with siblings diagnosed with autism, should be watched even more closely by physicians and parents alike.
Warning signs of autism include:
• Not engaging in pretend play, not making eye contact, not liking to be held or cuddled, not understanding typical emotions or relating to their own feelings, not handling change well, and not relating to others
• Repeating actions over and over, and repeating words that are said to them
• Having unusual reactions to everyday things
• Rarely responding to their own name
Why Early Intervention Is Imperative
Research has shown that early intervention can improve a child's overall development. Children who receive autism-appropriate education and support at key developmental stages are more likely to gain essential social skills and react better in society. Essentially, early detection can provide an autistic child with the potential for a better life. Parents of autistic children can learn early on how to help their child improve mentally, emotionally, and physically throughout the developmental stages with assistance from specialists and organizations.
Lastly, catching autism and working through it early also benefits parental relationships. The strain of caring for an autistic child can be an everyday challenge, but with early preparation and intervention, parents can prepare themselves for the road ahead emotionally and mentally.

myASDF is helping families affected by autism by providing education, information, and financial assistance when, where, and how it is needed most. Learn more about how you can help support children on the autism spectrum by visiting http://www.myASDF.org or by calling 877.806.0635.
Michael Slutsky is the director of myASDF, a charity that supports children with autism spectrum disorders by providing education, information, and financial assistance to their families and relevant community service organizations. Visit http://www.myASDF.org or call 877.806.0635 for more information and to see how you can help.

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Speech Therapy For Autistic Children

Since autism is a bio-neurological disorder, it has no predefined treatment. A series of cognitive therapies are prescribed to the individuals so that they can at least cope better within the society. One of them is the speech therapy as autistic children and adults have difficulty in communication with a third-party.
Speech pathological therapy is defined as the treatment procedure that treats the disorders of speech among children and adults. The patient may have difficulty in understanding, or delivering of certain speech sounds, language etc. There are different types of speech disorder. The therapy also varies according to the affected areas of the individual.
The Speech Therapy for Children
Initially starting with the toddlers, the speech problem can continue till adulthood. It is important to recognize the particular affected area before starting with the procedure. The child should be kept unaware of this treatment, as it proves itself a better solution this way. The treatment can be carried subtly with the help of the family members with activities and exercises that is integrated to improve the quality of the verbal communication.
Speech Therapy for the Toddlers
Since it is during this time that the child learns to speak, it is challenging to identify the problem in the communication system and delivering a treatment accordingly. Following are some of the techniques that the guardians can adopt and teach the toddler.
• Create a choice: The individuals with the language barrier often avoids to commune at all cost. A choice amongst it favorite toys forces an answer and prevents adapting to the language of signs.
• Repetition and Imitation: The superlative way that the caretakers and the family members can improve interaction is by repeating the words that she or he fails to pronounce. Breaking them up in smaller syllables or showing it by action often interests the child and thereby enables him or her to learn faster.
Speech Therapy for Juvenile Children
It's good to clear all speech related problems before the child starts school. This would encourage his confidence and self-esteem. The following activities can be used to eliminate the speech related problems.
• Art: Drawing may calm the child, but the child should accompany the same with a description.
• Toys: These objects can be introduced and thereby enable the child to get more comfortable with the pronunciation of the letters.
• Visual therapy with pictures: Images has always been found useful, as it is more appealing in appearance. The pictures can be flashed and the child may slowly master its problem.
These activities can all aid to improve the communicative ability in autistic children. The comprehension of these handicapped children is slow and they usually fail to cooperate with the therapy. This is the reason that the children should be handled with utmost care and the therapy should be interesting enough. Combining reading aloud sessions with tongue twisters and dialogs with art etc would definitely encourage the child to speak

Milan Zones has been reviewing the benefits of the speech therapy for Autism Treatment California. She understands that the treatment depends on the severity of the disease that the patient is suffering.

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History Of Autism Pioneers

Autism does not have a long history, and this is due to the fact that the history of autism really didn’t begin until the first decade of the 20th century. Although, autism as a condition was around prior to this time, it was not a recognized condition and most people would have been regarded as insane. In fact, it wasn’t even until the Swiss psychiatrist, Eugene Bleuler, coined the term “autism” in the 1912 issue of the American Journal of Insanity, did the term even exist.

However, despite being the first person to use the term, Bleuler considered autism to be another form of schizophrenia in which schizophrenic’s lacked social skills with others, and were more absorbed in themAlthough Bleuler may have been the first to recognize one of the most common traits of autistics, there were three other pioneers of autism who really set the wheels of autism research in motion. These three doctors had a huge impact on what people believed autism was in the mid 1900’s, as well as how the disorder is recognized today.

Dr. Leo Kanner – (1894 – 1981) – Dr. Leo Kanner was an Austrian-American psychiatrist, who was one of the first to specialize in child psychology. Kanner, a doctor at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins Hospital, is credited with recognizing autism as its own unique mental disorder. According to the history of autism, Kanner created the label early infantile autism, which he wrote about in 1943 in the journal “The Nervous Child”.

In his report, Kanner discussed his research based on a group of eleven children who all closely displayed the following traits:

• Social interaction difficulties
• Difficulty processing and adapting to changes
• Particularly good memory
• Belated echolalia (repeating speech made by others)
• Exceedingly sensitive to sounds, and other stimulants
• Food issues
• Good intellectual potential

He used the term autism to describe the main characteristic all the children he studied displayed – little to no interest in socializing with other people.

Dr. Hans Asperger (1906-1980) – Dr. Hans Asperger, was a scientist and pediatrician. He is best known in the history of autism for defining Asperger Syndrome – a specific type of high functioning autism. The first time he defined Asperger syndrome was in 1944, when he studied 4 young boys and, like Kanner, found that each child displayed similar characteristics. He identified these characteristic behaviors as autistic psychopathy.

Although Asperger identified most of the same traits as Kanner, he didn’t note his group having delayed echolalia. Alternatively, he said that the children had clumsy movements and irregular motor skills compared to regular children, and also that they talked much like grown ups. Asperger referred to them as “little professors”.

Unfortunately, the findings of Dr. Hans Asperger regarding autism were not widely discovered until the late 1980’s even though his reports occurred much earlier in the history of autism. It is believed that there were two main reasons why Asperger did not receive the recognition he deserved until much later than his original observations. The first reason was his findings were delayed due to World War II. The second was that his work wasn’t written in English and was not translated until almost 50 years later.

Dr. Bruno Bettelhiem (1903-1990) – Bruno Bettelheim was an Austrian-American writer and child psychologist. Bettelheim developed his own theories on autism and is best known for his theory of the “refrigerator mother”. In his work “The Empty Fortress”(1967), Bettelheim wrote about three therapy sessions with children who had infantile autism. He claimed that their disorder was caused by having emotionally cold mothers. His theory was widely accepted, and for many years, parents (particularly mothers) were considered the problem behind autism.

For information on recognizing and treating autism sign up for the free Autism newsletter below.

Today, Bettelhiem’s theory has been disregarded by most. However, the characteristics described by Kanner and Asperger are still used to define the basic behavioral patterns of autistics. Nevertheless, all of these men have made a serious mark on the history of autism.

By: Rachel Evans -

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Rachel Evans. Sign up for a free newsletter about autism and discover more on the signs and symptoms of autism.

selves. Bleuler’s study was the beginning of the history of autism.

The Perfect ABA Classroom

ABA is bigger than Autism.
ABA is not just a reputable and empirically supported treatment method for managing the symptoms of Autism. It's much larger than that.
B.F. Skinner, the father of Operant Conditioning wrote in the book "Walden Two" about a fictional society based on everyday application of behavioral sciences. Skinner spent most of his life trying to make people understand that applying behavioral principles to everyday life could only improve society. At the time, Skinner's writings were considered odd and unrealistic. Public opinion today hasn't changed that much.
People still have the misconception that ABA is just for people with Autism. Or ABA is just about making bad kids behave.
ABA is for anyone who wants to improve, manage, or reduce behaviors, and a behavior is any observable and measurable action. ABA is defined as: applying behavioral constructs and theories to significant social problems. So by definition, ABA is bigger than Autism because it is meant to address any significant social problem.
Behavior Specialists or BCBA's arent "Autism Experts". There are some BCBA's who have never worked with anyone with Autism and have no desire to. Being an ABA professional means you study and seek to understand behavior and you have a responsibility to share behavioral knowledge with anyone who could benefit from it. That could be a business, an adult with OCD, or a school district.
ABA at its core is a way to teach. I'm not a teacher, but much of what I do involves helping individuals learn. If I am working with a 5 year old who bites his fingers whenever he feels anxious, it is my job to teach that child replacement behaviors to handle his anxiety so he will stop biting himself. All great ABA therapists are great teachers. What would really be amazing is if all great teachers were also trained in basic ABA.
If ABA wasn't viewed as just an "Autism thing", maybe schools would realize how valuable ABA knowledge would be for ANY educator.
What would classrooms look like if ABA was just seen as a standard of excellence in education?
ABA Principle Reinforcement - All children would be motivated to learn based on the specific interests of that child. Internal as well as external rewards would be used so that children would have fun learning and enjoy school. Any time a child displayed learning difficulties or showed disinterest in school, their reinforcement package would be re-evaluated for effectiveness.
ABA Principle Differentiated Instruction- Children would have modified curriculum based on how they learn best. Some children may write vocabulary words on the chalkboard, while other children might type their vocabulary words on the classroom computer. It would depend on the way each individual child learns.
ABA Principle Environment is Key to Understanding Behavior- Children displaying behavioral issues would not be viewed as stupid, bad, or stubborn. The environment, such as teaching style, reinforcement, or an over-stimulating classroom, would be closely examined to look for factors maintaining poor behaviors. The ICEL method would be used so that the student is the last option to consider when learning problems happen.
ABA Principle Analysis of Data- Ongoing data analysis would be part of all curriculum, so teachers would know when a student needed new challenges or might need simpler tasks. Children in special education would be moved into inclusion classrooms based on performance data, and not based on administration preferences, or teacher opinion. This focus on not just collecting, but actually analyzing data would lead to higher accountability for teachers, districts, and administration.
ABA Principle Prompting & Fading- Prompting would be used to move a child from not knowing a skill, to knowing a skill. Prompt levels would vary depending on how much help the child needs, and reinforcement would increase as prompts decreased to encourage the child to desire to complete the task independently. All classrooms would use various prompting tools suited to the individual child so that each student in the classroom is performing to the best of their ability. For example students performing poorly in math would be allowed to take tests with calculators, and be paired with a higher performing student during independent task time. Any implemented prompts would be faded out eventually to prevent prompt dependency.
ABA Principle Conceptually Systematic- Conceptually systematic classrooms would have interventions and curriculum rooted in science. Science and research would drive critical decisions, not opinions, political hot topics, mandated testing requirements, or teacher preferences.
ABA Principle Behavior Management- ALL teachers would be trained in behavior management techniques. This would ensure more confident teachers who are thoroughly equipped to handle mild, moderate, or severe behaviors, and would reduce the need to shuttle children with behavioral problems into special education classrooms. All teachers would know how to conduct a FBA, create a behavioral intervention, and use EO to know when a student is highly motivated to learn.
ABA Principle Generalization & Maintenance- Curriculum content would be taught in multiple environments for all children to encourage retaining of information, and so the children can apply what has been learned. PE skills would be reinforced during recess time. English skills would be reinforced on field trips. Math skills would be reinforced in Art class. Review of previously learned skills would be embedded into the school day to ensure children are not regressing and to alert teachers if old material needs to be re-visited. Students who tend to lose old information more quickly than others will have their instruction modified to include more maintenance tasks.
ABA Principle 1:1 Ratio- Children would receive much of their instruction in a 1:1 or small group format (less than 5 children). The ratio would be kept small until the child has grasped the concept and is demonstrating learning, after that point large group instruction (more than 5 children) can be introduced for generalization, and social purposes. Classrooms would be smaller, and children would be divided into small groups based on ability and performance level.
ABA is for everybody. If educators, Speech Therapists, Occupational Therapists, etc., all had even a basic understanding of ABA it would only improve upon the services they offer and increase the quality of their instruction.

http://www.iloveaba.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tameika_Meadows

Am I Spoiling My Child With Autism or Pushing Too Much?

We all want to be confident that we are doing our best as parents but confidence can be difficult to maintain when our well intentioned friends and relatives sometimes judge us to be too demanding or too indulging where our children are concerned. Their declarations and suggestions come from the non-Autistic world - a perspective that has limited knowledge of raising a child with Autism and therefore is difficult to accept. Our job is to help educate them otherwise but that takes time and parents of children with special needs don't have much of that.
Parents of children on the Autism spectrum are focused on finding their way through this unpredictable journey of Autism, learning as they go. Finding the right balance when parenting any child is a challenge but exploring uncharted waters such as these takes extra energy as well.
A good parent is always examining his or her skills and evaluating them for effectiveness while being open to make adjustments along the way. Getting stuck in default mode or a pattern of responding that might be a bit too indulgent is easy to fall in to and difficult to get out of at times. Avoiding a dilemma such as this requires being open minded and receptive to creating new ways of relating to your child.
With this in mind, I always encourage parents to keep the end goal in mind because it will help you stay on the most direct path to your child's best future.
Occasionally ask yourself:
What type of person do I want my daughter to be?
What type of skills and values do I want my son to have as an adult?
And the most important question of all,
Is what I am doing right now as helping my child get to where I would like them to be as an adult?
If the aim is to have an independent individual blossom, have the courage to ask yourself if you are doing too much to keep your child dependent? Yes, sometimes it is easier and quicker to do things yourself but it may be robbing your child of learning and mastering a crucial daily living skill. A child who is not able to care for himself adequately is one thing but being able to and having someone else do it for him is another.
How much we enable our children or encourage them to do for them selves will depend on where they are on the Autism spectrum. The one thing that will differ from child to child is the starting point. But wherever we begin from, we should always be moving our children forward towards the person we know they can become. Sometimes all they can manage is baby steps and other days they may even regress backwards but the question should always be; How have I moved my child towards her potential today?
Every parent wants their child to reach for the stars and grab the ones they can and parents of children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder are no different. Just how accommodating do you need to be in order to help your child grab the stars within reach and how forceful do you need to be in order for your child to stretch a bit further for more? For any child to accomplish all he is capable of and more, finding just the right balance between not enough pressure and too much is extremely important.
Finding the best way to motivate your children without unknowingly discouraging them can be tricky. And just as Goldilocks did, every parent needs to find a method that is "not too easy, not too tough, but just right" for each child.
How does a parent find just the right touch? Here are six strategies to keep in mind for discovering just what your child needs to blossom.
• Take baby steps - Pacing one's self and finding a rhythm are the first things that come to mind when knowing just how much to push or not. Breaking things down into small and attainable steps is always wise. If you want your child with Autism to become more social, then gradually expose him or her to small chunks of time in a social setting. Start with five minutes, and then add one or two minutes more after each success.
• Motivate your child internally. On of the best indicators of success is how self-motivated a person is. Unfortunately, parents sometimes spend too much time trying to get their children to comply with the use of external rewards. To help your child acquire a way to self-motivate, it is always better to focus on using praise - and praise for effort more than you do on outcome. The sooner a child gets a sense that they have power and control over their own learning by the amount of effort they put into it, the less likely you will have to prod them along.
• Tap into interests - Always try to tie in one of your child's favorite activities or pastimes into the experience when you are gently nudging her towards a goal. This will help stimulate her internal motivation to stretch herself as much as possible. When your goal is to reduce a repetitive behavior, distracting your child with another activity or task that they really favor is helpful.
• Watch for signs of stress or success - Always be on the alert for signals of distress and have a plan B on hand that is ready to put in place. Stress is counterproductive to progress and can easily lure your child on the Autism spectrum into a state of frustration and anxiety that can lead to a negative experience making it unlikely that your child will want to pick up again where she left off. On the other hand, if you see success, celebrate it!
• Create enjoyment - Who doesn't like fun? Find a way to keep things light and humorous. Not only will your child delight in the process more but the contagious nature of laughter will spread throughout your child and help create a positive and powerful energy that is bound to increase his stamina towards his goal.
• Make adjustments as needed - Paying attention to your child's ability to transition is important here. When you know an adjustment has to be made begin shifting gears as gently as possible considering what you know about your child's tolerance for change. The skill and finesse at which you make this happen will directly correlate to paving the way to success

Connie Hammer, MSW, parent educator, consultant and coach, guides parents of young children recently diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder to uncover abilities and change possibilities. Visit her website http://www.parentcoachingforautism.com to get your FREE resources - a parenting e-course, Parenting a Child with Autism - 3 Secrets to Thrive and a weekly parenting tip newsletter, The Spectrum.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Connie_Hammer

Autism's Applied Behavioral Analysis Is Not Always What It Appears To Be

Is Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) the almost-cure for children affected by autism?

Many states have mandated insurance coverage for autism treatments - with the ABA brand as the focus, alongside a theorized long-term savings over the lifetime of every autism affected person who participates in the intense intervention.

When one reads that ABA is effective what is rarely mentioned is the fact that there is no set program from which it is defined. It is comprised of differing teaching methods and therapies - and when put together - the sum total of these are represented to be an ABA type of approach.

The intense form of ABA has not been completely validated by the scientific community. Even so, media reports usually include a pretty strong validation statement when informing on autism intervention issues. The statement will always sound something like:

ABA therapy is known to be extremely effective in treating children with autism if given at an early stage of development. It is scientifically validated and includes positive reinforcements and individual goal setting, to achieve dramatic behavior modification. ABA therapy allows children with autism the opportunity to reach maximum potential and the hope of becoming independent.

The problem with such a statement is that ABA therapy has not been proven to allow children to reach maximum potential as far as becoming independent. Most usually require lifelong care in spite of earliest involvement in ABA types of programming.

Ongoing study of recent - and historical - ABA treatment models shows that the initial slight gains from earliest intervention for many autism affected children reach a point of plateau. And this is because - so far - the majority within the spectrum do not have the learning curve that allows for development at the same rate as typical peers. This does not mean that the affected children will never learn - and for many it simply means that the pace at which they make gains is going to look different from their typical peer.

From media reporting and organizational advocacy, a rush to judgment ABA environment has been created since many engage upon the "intense teaching now, save later" argument. By insisting that ABA can do what it cannot do, some experts have put care professionals and school teachers in a difficult position. By wrongfully asserting that ABA can significantly normalize a child or change the neurology behind every case of autism - some experts have created an overall acceptance problem that in turn creates future deficits with regard to planning for suitable integrations and placements.

Most recently the New York Times provided an excellent series of articles on the subject of autism. One of the pieces pens that experts do not know why some autism affected children do not respond to therapy. This is not really accurate. Experts do know why; it has to do with autism onset patterns and IQ upon initiation of programming. Perhaps the experts do not want to explore the issue of onset and IQ with media - because they feel that it might rob hope. Or, maybe the experts do not mind pointing it out and the media just has a hard time reporting such.

The autism term encompasses a vast array of affected individuals who have experienced differing onset patterns. The way in which autism develops gives clues as to future outcome. The onset pattern when coupled with initial IQ gives crucial insight.

Higher IQ upon initiation of programming is found to allow children to make greater gains. And outcome consistency is found with regard to the relation between IQ and performance of those with immutable brain damage or dysfunction. (Mazurek) Said another way, children who initially present with the same degree of autistic features - but with one having an IQ average of 100, and the other 40 to 55 - the autism features shrink for the child with the higher IQ, but not for the child with lower IQ. (Copeland)

IQ upon initiation of therapy was focused upon early in the development of ABA types of programming - even by the trend setting Lovaas'. He seemed to opt for involvement of children who had higher IQ measures with regard to initiation of his first study. After completion of that study he deemed that his programming had recovered the children from autism. Alongside Lovaas' proposed recovery experts tried to point out that those children with higher measures of IQ would have been able to achieve such outcomes via other interventions. Also, follow-up of some of Lovaas' recovered children - at age 13 - revealed a continuation of significant behavioral issues. (Conner)

With regard to how developmental gains apply for the overall autism spectrum, after involvement with intense early instruction - Outcome of early intervention for children with autism (Smith) informs on a number of reports of children with autism making major gains with early intervention. Nine of the reports on behavior analytic treatment that she researched had less favorable results than claimed by reviewers (Dawson, Osterling). Most of the studies lacked the most basic features of sound study. All but one of twelve studies lacked data on children's progress following the termination of treatment; and this was proposed to be a crucial omission because initial acquisition of some skills does not guarantee continuation of betterment or long-term benefit - according to the author.

More recently, Evidence-Based Comprehensive Treatments for Early Autism acknowledges that:

Reports of dramatic changes and excellent outcome have only been reported in a few studies. Experts are still very early in the process of determining what kinds of interventions are most efficacious - both over the short-term and the long-term. Caution is recommended with regard to evaluating comprehensive autism treatments as a whole package (branding); this is because branding does not allow for scientific conclusion with regard to which element of the package was responsible for the change. Branding is proposed to possibly cause economic difficulties for society. Branding's consequence is that a high number of intervention providers are not adequately equip to provide quality treatment. Meanwhile, other quality treatments that are lest costly and more readily available are ignored, due to favor for the branded treatment. Currently, there is no evidence that ABA types of treatment lead to recovery - and this written after consideration was given to the most empirically designed study models. (Rogers, Vismara)

Autism, no matter how it is intervened upon represents hope in stages. Hope can prevail in spite of the fact that autism holds significant challenge.

The personal hope I experienced while persevering too strongly upon behavioral interventions for my own daughter was simply hope in a tunnel. However, when I was broken by too complete a focus upon how to deal with her development - I began to see purpose no matter her presentation. And thus began hope on my horizon. It has never left. My daughter operates a little differently and we cannot really test her IQ or tap completely into her intelligence. Even so, she enlightens me and my family every year by displaying gains that show us she is as much like us as she is different from us.

*****

About our journey with autism... At the very beginning I figured, no big deal, we'll get our daughter normalized in no time and pretty soon she would be asking for the car keys. It didn't quite work out that way and as my entire family and I continued to work through the ebb and flow of her unique walk, we fell madly in love with her in all her glory. For a real life look at one case of severe autism, just Google "Hello, Dr. Wells". It is a sixteen year account of autism that turned to schizophrenic like psychosis.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Valerie_Ann_Dunham_Bruce

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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.

Connie Hammer, MSW, parent educator, consultant and coach, guides parents of young children recently diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder to uncover abilities and change possibilities. Visit her website http://www.parentcoachingforautism.com to get your FREE resources - a parenting e-course, Parenting a Child with Autism - 3 Secrets to Thrive and a weekly parenting tip newsletter, The Spectrum.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Connie_Hammer

Autistic National Society

A variety of support and information groups exist to help families that are living with autism. Physicians, psychiatrists, educators, and parents who join these groups describe the tremendous benefits of belonging to an organization that advances the cause of autism research, as well as providing a support group for families, friends, and teachers of autistic children.

Founded in 1965 by Dr. Bernard Rimland, the Autism Society of America is the premier national autistic support/advocacy group in the United States. It is the oldest and largest "grassroots" organization in the autistic community. The Autism Society of America is dedicated to increasing public awareness of autism and the issues faced by families living with autism; the society's mission is to provide information, education, support, and advocacy for autistic programs and services.

The National Autism Association is an American support group designed to educate and empower families living with autism. They work to educate society about autism, its heredity factors, and environmental factors. Those involved in the autistic community are encouraged to assist their loved ones reach their full potential and raise money for autism research.

The National Autistic Society is an organization in the United Kingdom that works with individuals and government bodies to promote the rights and interests of individuals diagnosed with autism, as well raising the awareness of those living with and affected by autistic individuals. The Society provides local advice and support for families affected by autism; care and education for children and adults with autism; employment training for adults with Asperger's syndrome; training for parents and professionals; reliable information and publications, and routinely lobbies and campaigns for the funding of autistic programs and research.

In Canada, the Autism Canada Foundation is the main autism advocacy group. Their goal is to "engage, educate, empower, and unite people to find a cure for autism." The Autism Canada Foundation supports research that addresses the cause of autism, promotes public and government awareness of early diagnoses and effective treatment options, and provides caregivers with a wealth of objective information on treatments, therapy, and educational rights and opportunities.

Online support groups are a wealth of knowledge and experience. Knowing everything about autism is the first step in ensuring that your child has the most advantages possible. In addition, mental health and medical experts strongly recommend that families and caregivers of autistic children attend local support groups. Some people may find the idea wishy-washy or "corny", but the resources available to members of support groups are amazing. Parents and caregivers can share ideas and strategies for communicating with their autistic children and receive emotional support from someone who understands the process and is living through it as well. Often, people from your autism or Asperger's syndrome support group are among the only people who understand what it is like living with these children, and will never be "sick" of hearing you talk about your fears and triumphs. There is no substitute for experience, and the advice given and friendships made at support groups is often invaluable.

After reading many different books on autism, I've been able to narrow down a terrific resource that encompasses all of the fundamental facets of this disorder. Want to learn the ins and outs of Autism? Gain the knowledge that experts are sharing by Clicking Here!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sam_Kronish

Autism in Children - Two Important Signs to Monitor That Indicate the Condition

Do you know that more and more people are being afflicted with autism spectrum disorder? This is a fact because many children are continually being diagnosed with this disease on a daily basis all over the world. In the United States alone, it is estimated that more than 2 million people are infected with the disease and the figure is likely to be increasing on a daily basis.

If you are a parent or an intending one, there are certain signs you need to monitor in your child to know if that child is having autism. The major signs to monitor usually affect the communicative and behavior skills of the patient. Read the below two important signs that can help you know whether your child is autistic or not. But of course, ensure that you get the doctor's confirmation before taking any action.

The first sign area you will like to watch out for is the inability of the child to display the needed social skill when it is time. A normal child is likely to show gestures and imitate certain words before he or she reaches one year and six months. If your child at this age cannot show this skill then watch out as he or she might be a victim of the condition.

Another is the behavior he or she is constantly exhibiting. An autistic child usually displays a repetitive characters like the repetition of some words when it is not necessary. He or she could also repeat certain actions such as flapping of hands. The habit is often referred to as stimming. A child with autism usually displays this habit.

These two signs, among others, should alert you to the presence of autism in your child. But of course, before making any decisions or arriving at any conclusions, you should talk to your doctor to examine your child and let you know what the true situation is.

Click to learn --> Autism Toddlers Symptoms and secrets to High Functioning Autism!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elliott_Snow

10 Tips That Will Aid You in Buying Gifts For Autistic Children

There are many specific considerations that must be made when purchasing gifts for children with autism. Age, the degree of autism, the child's learning level, how well they communicate, along with their particular interests - all come into play.

1. The first tip is to do your research. Find out all the information that you can about the child you are shopping for. Their learning level may not be the same as their age or grade level, so do not assume that the toys aimed at a certain age is appropriate.
2. With this said, not all autistic children need or want toys under their age group, so keep this in mind when looking to purchase a toy. If you are willing to take a look at toys in any age group, this will give you a greater chance at finding that perfect gift!
3. Choose a gift that is helpful in verbal development and interaction. With a little effort, you can find a pack of flash cards depicting emotions, designed specifically for autistic children.
4. Pick a gift that aids in sensory, visual, and fine motor skill development.
5. Handwriting can be difficult task for many children with autism. Looking for gifts that will help a child in their specific problem area is a great gift idea.
6. Even though all children with autism are different from each other, it has been observed that a commonality is a fascination with music and texture.
7. Autistic children are often fascinated by toys with unique textures, helping them focus their senses on that object, inducing a calming effect.
8. Since music is another common interest for many autistic children, a gift that allows listening or making music stands a good chance of putting a big smile on the youngster's face!
9. Autistic children can become frustrated easily, resulting in tantrums, or worse, them hurting themselves. Avoid buying any toy that is small and easily swallowed such as marbles or coins. Avoiding toys with sharp edges is also a good rule to keep in mind.
10. A quick list of suggestions:
• A cheap mp3 player.
• Spiky ball.
• Flash cards.
• A cheap radio.
• Weighted pens.
• Smooth glitter ball.
• Koosh balls.
• Play dough.
• Dry-erase boards.
• Sound recorder.

Andrew Nolan suggests looking here for more gift ideas for autistic children!

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Autism Behavior - What Are Replacement Behaviors?

Replacement behaviors are one of the techniques used with children with Autism. This technique is very successful for parents who successfully use it.

Replacement behavior is a tool that parents deliberately teach their children. This tool is called a replacement because you are trying to exchange it for an unwanted behavior.

One of the many things that parents of children with Autism have learned is how to extinguish or get rid of a behavior. Unfortunately, during this process all children tend to substitute another behavior. As parents of children with autism know sometimes the behavior their child substitutes is worse than the original behavior.

Children with disabilities have their own talents and coming up with a behavior that adults consider worse seems to be one of them. Since we, as the adults, are smarter than they are we can do something about this pattern.

Many parents have learned to substitute what is called a relaxation behavior for the unwanted behavior. Counting to ten if you child can or will count or even deep breathing are two relaxation behaviors.

Other parents use physical activity as a replacement behavior. This can be ideal for some children as it expends excess energy and makes them sleep better. That is true whether your child has a disability or not.

An important consideration in teaching replacement behavior is for all the adults who support the child with Autism to use the same behavior. Because some children with Autism have different levels of understanding, it may even be necessary for parents and other adults to agree on the language they will use when substituting the chosen replacement behavior for the unwanted behavior.

Substituting physical activity for an unwanted behavior also gives parents other perks. One of these is reducing the child with Autism's frustration. Just the opportunity to be up and moving around seems to help with the frustration. It also gives the parent the opportunity to be up and moving around too.

Another perk is moving around seem to give the child a chance to think of words to use instead of behaviors. A parent may have to prompt their child to do this but it does happen. Similarly relaxation behaviors can give the child time to think of words.

A final perk is a little more selfish for the parent. Relaxation and physical activity can give the parent time. Time to review what was happening and come up with a different plan.

Would you like more free information? Please register here:
http://autismonabudget.blogspot.com/2009/12/free-information.html

Mylinda Elliott is the parent of five children. The third of the five has Autism which was diagnosed early on. The fourth of the five children has Aspergers. She is a self taught expert on Autism Spectrum Disorders. Mylinda Elliott has also worked professionally in the disability world for the past fifteen years. She is considered the "Go To" woman for advice or resources on disabilities.

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Autism and Behavior Challenges In School

If you understand that not all children with Autism or ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders) will display the same symptoms, it can help you to understand why teachers are often at a loss as to how to help each of their students with their form of this disorder. For example, one child may display only the mildest symptoms and manifest his or her condition with a few socialization problems. Another child, on the other hand, might display serious behavior challenges in school, and this might make it very difficult to ensure they are receiving an adequate level of basic education.

Because there are now federal mandates about the inclusiveness of all students, even those with serious or disruptive behavior challenges in school, it is necessary for schools to consider how to resolve the issue. Many have turned to an organized system for Autism training, and ask teachers, aides, administrators and all staff to participate. These systems come in a wide range of formats and styles, but the very best of the best will rely on ABA.

ABA means Applied Behavior Analysis, and this is actually a science that focuses on human behavior and how to improve social significant behaviors when there are some problems. Though there is no accepted cure or approved single treatment for ASD, the programs based on ABA principles are often the most common types of training used to help schools to meet the needs of Autistic students, especially those with behavior challenges in school.

This is because they cater to the individual and the specific challenges that they display. The solution to the displayed symptoms are then determined by the one on one interaction with the teacher or parent.

How does Autism manifest itself as behavior challenges in school? Interestingly enough, this is an entirely unpredictable issue. One student may require support with the development of their academic or cognitive skills, and another might not be able to easily socialize or interact with peers. Because Autism has a host of symptoms and a large number of forms, it is best for a school to support its staff with a training system that utilizes the widest set of solutions available.

ABA is the underlying science for the best Autism training, and many schools are choosing to use systems that include video training, workbooks, and guided discussions that all work to show teachers and educators the best methods for teaching students with any form of ASD.

Garrett Butch is the father of a 6 year old with autism and the founder of Maximum Potential Group.
Maximum Potential has developed courses that train parents, therapists and school systems how to work with children with autism.

http://www.maximumpotentialkids.com
http://www.abatrainingcourse.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Butch

How Much Fish Oil Is Needed For Autistic Kids?

As well as discovering how much fish oil is needed for autistic kids, it is also vital to ensure the oil is high quality too, being pure and high in omega 3 fatty acids. Learn the facts here and how to ensure you get the most effective and safe supplement.

One leading psychologist suggests that as many as 4 out of every 10 autistic children could improve dramatically, with 7% being cured completely.

In this study of 70 autistic children between 6 and 11 years old, it was found that a further 30% showed significant improvements, began to make eye contact and socialized much better.

So how much fish oil is needed for autistic kids?

The optimal dose is one distilled 1000mg capsule or soft gel containing at least 50% omega 3 fats of which at least 270mg should be DHA. After the age of 10-12, they can have the adult dose of two a day.

The omega 3 fatty acids are what make fish oil so powerful and the DHA fats provide most of the benefits. They are responsible for the anti-inflammatory qualities and make up a large percentage of the brains fats too.

Most of us are deficient in these fats but autistic children almost always have very low levels of these in their brains and increasing them can have a dramatic effect.

My son is mildly autistic and after 3 months on quality oils the differences were very obvious as his speech and general awareness significantly increased.

These oils are well-documented to show improvements in speech, reading, writing, cognitive awareness and vocabulary as well as improving hand-eye coordination.

I mentioned distilled oils earlier and this basically means they have been through the process that removes any remaining traces of toxins like mercury to leave safe and pure oil. This is essential especially as mercury is thought to be responsible for some cases of autism.

Check the label or website to see and you should also be able to see the individual DHA/EPA amounts. If they are combined or not there, you should avoid the oil as it will always contain more of the less useful EPA.

The best oils are the ones us adults use as the kids supplements tend to contain additives like flavourings that aren't needed. If the oil is fresh and pure, it will not give those fishy burps and you can even pierce the capsule and pour onto their food or into their drinks if they cannot swallow, as it will only have a slight ocean aroma.

I hope this article shows you clearly how much fish oil is needed for autistic kids and what to look for to get the most effective and safe oils to help significantly improve the quality of their life and aid in their future development.

If you would like to learn more about the pure DHA fish oil supplements I personally take and give to my son daily, visit my website below.

Discover the best omega 3 fish oil for autism available today.

Rich Hawkins is a dedicated researcher of the amazing health benefits of quality fish oil. Take a moment to visit his site now at www.best-omega-3-supplement.com and discover the latest DHA omega 3 supplements that he recommends after extensive research.

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