Aspergers Symptoms in Children 2012

Aspergers Syndrome - known as AS (and also called Asperger's) is a disorder that is included within the Autism Spectrum Disorder group. It was first diagnosed by an Austrian pediatrician named Hans Asperger, who noticed a group of symptoms within some of his young patients. The disorder itself as we know it was defined in 1981 and evolved until it was standardized in the early 1990s. Although most people are diagnosed with the disorder at age seven or eight - or older, Aspergers symptoms in children do appear at a much younger age - sometimes in kids in their first year of life.
There is a suspected genetic component to AS, although no solid causes have been identified. Likewise, there is no single treatment or cure for someone diagnosed with Asperger's - instead, the child (or adult) has the option to undergo behavioral therapy to minimize symptoms and to improve function. It works to address repetitive or obsessive routines, poor communication skills or abilities, and clumsiness. Fortunately, most kids appear to improve as they grow up, but in many cases, communication and social difficulties remain.
Aspergers symptoms in children may vary. Some kids show signs of the disorder at a very young age (under one year old) while some kids appear to be reaching developmental milestones as normal and then start to regress, usually around three. In other kids, symptoms appear in force around six or seven years of age. Each case is different, and the degree of severity of symptoms may affect whether the parents or caregivers notice there's a difference in their child.
Symptoms of Aspergers in children include deficits in physical coordination, communication, and development of varied interests. Typically, although not always, a child with AD will show lack of empathy, clumsiness, inadequate math skills, limited non-verbal communication, unusual speech, and obsessive interests. Younger kids, like toddlers (age one to four) may show advanced vocabulary, delayed pointing, delayed use of gestures, delayed potty training, limited eye contact, and preoccupation with a single topic. These toddlers often need a rigid routine and repetition in daily activities.
An infant may also show a group of symptoms that may mean the child has AD. Aspergers symptoms in children under the age of one include abnormal non-verbal communication, failure to reach certain milestones by age one, lack of social skills, obsession with complex topics, reflex abnormalities, and poor coordination. If you have noticed one or more of these signs in your child, mention it to your pediatrician. Although children are typically not diagnosed until older (around seven or eight), he or she may make a tentative diagnosis and you can begin treatment to help reduce your child's symptoms.

Register for your FREE webinar training now and discover the key to unlocking childhood Autism and Aspergers syndrome. autismininfants.org

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What Do Colors Have to Do With Autism? Opening the Door to Better Understand Children With Autism

Wikipedia lists about one thousand different colors. Actually the number of colors possible is likely without limit, provided all of the primary colors are present. If you were an artist where would you be if sixty colors were not available to you compared to the other artists? The missing colors would severely limit your ability to produce the range of colors available to the other artists. The actual effect on your paintings would depend upon which colors were missing. If it were a primary color that was missing your ability to mix and blend would be severely limited.
So it is with the many nutrients required for the body to be healthy. Those who are lacking the fifty or sixty nutrients found to be absent in those with autism should expect to experience symptoms not found in those individuals that consume a nutritionally complete diet. There are several nutrients that are essential and they must be in the daily diet for best health as they are not stored in the body. Other nutrients are essential because the body cannot manufacture them such as eight of the amino acids, two fatty acids, etc.
The type of symptoms and the severity would depend upon the level of deficiency and the type of nutrient missing. Unfortunately the relationship of specific nutrients in relation to specific symptoms is not well understood in many instances, especially with brain health.
The history of chronic disorders does provide clear evidence that most, if not all chronic disorders result from one or more nutrients being too high, low, or absent from the diet. Therefore if one is to successfully eliminate the risk of all nutrient deficiencies it is necessary to understand what those nutrients are and provide the necessary amount in the daily diet.
My recommendation is that you take "The Nutrient Express" rather than "The Slow Boat to China" by avoiding the marketing hype advising this or that ingredient or supplement. There is no question but that your body needs vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, antioxidants, etc, or this or that special nutrient. However, a proper diet designed for nutritional adequacy will include those same nutrients - at a much safer level to meet the needs of the body and generally at a fraction of the cost.
It is without question that good health derives from good nutrition and poor health derives from poor nutrition. With that truism, what can we expect from medications and therapies for the treatment of autism?
Medications are usually found to block some metabolic process rather than contributing to one's nutritional needs. There are those that would have you believe that Applied Behavioral Therapy (ABA) is the first, best, and only way to treat autism. These therapies do not address the problem of nutritional deficiencies and this would be a lot like trying to mix a beautiful color when a primary color is missing.
To ensure proper help for the autistic child, simply evaluate the child's diet to determine if the needs for the developing brain are being met before attempting medications or therapy. This presumes that you have done your homework and have a clear understanding of what nutrients are required for a healthy brain. If the brain is starving, it must be fed to have good health and this would likely reduce the need for extended therapy or long term medications.

Dr. Rongey is a Food Scientist & Nutritionist. His niche is in identifying the cause of chronic disorders. The cause of chronic disorders has been researched for the past sixteen years and autism for almost five years. Several books concerning the cause of chronic disorders are available in ebook or paperback format. For more information on his research or the availability of the books on autism or healthy living, you can contact him as follows:
Harold Rongey, Ph.D. email: hrongey@gmail.com Phone: 858-740-7272 or his web site at http://www.whostolemyfood.com

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Speech Therapy For Nonverbal Children

Children with autism not only may have trouble communicating socially, but may also have problems behaving. The goal of speech therapy is to improve all aspects of communication. Speech therapy sessions will vary greatly depending upon the child.

Many scientific studies demonstrate that speech therapy is able to improve the communication skills of children with autism and consequently many autism centers offer speech therapy. For example, the Marian Hope Center in Missouri, offers many therapies with a focus is on individual goals for each child. The center, open since 2007, offers play groups, play classes, and pre-kindergarten classes. Special education teachers work with children with autism on skills that will allow them to mainstream and/or become a part of the community. There is an emphasis on integrative therapy that combines treatments such as speech therapy and nutrition therapy.

Older Nonverbal Children

Speech therapy has also been found to be beneficial to older nonverbal children. Some professionals thought that if children did not speak by age 5, then they would not be able to speak. A review of speech therapy studies in older children found that some children were able to speak their first words between the ages of 5 and 13. There were no reports in the speech literature of anyone older than 13 years starting to speak. Even in the 5-13 year old age group, however, it was relatively rare for children to start speaking. For example, out of 183 nonverbal children in two studies, 11 spoke their first words between 5-13 years of age. Speech therapy was helpful for some children, and worked after other therapy options did not work. Other helpful therapies included behavioral therapy (ABA) techniques (reinforcement, shaping, fading), sign language use, special education programs, and computer-assisted learning were also helpful.

Receiving Speech Therapy

Autism is a condition covered under the United States' Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004. The cost of this therapy is often covered by the government through this act. Unfortunately, sometimes there are lengthy delays before the government is able to supply the therapy that a child needs. A recent study examined the fate of the 14,623 children in 2004 who were under the age of three, lived in New York City, and who had developmental delays that required therapy services. In New York City, children with developmental delays are given an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) to define the services that are needed for that child. Ideally the child would start therapy services within 21 days of getting their IFSP. The authors of the study found that some children had to wait longer than 21 days to get therapies. The percentage of children who had to wait varied for different therapy services. The highest was 13% for speech therapy, and the lowest was 4% for physical therapy. People in this study who lived in low-income or Spanish-speaking neighborhoods had more service delays than people who live elsewhere.

Please visit Healing Thresholds to learn more about speech therapy and other autism therapies.

Lara Pullen, PhD is the co-founder and CEO of http://autism.healingthresholds.com. Healing Thresholds Autism Therapy is a free website and email newsletter dedicated to healing the lives of families touched by autism. They provide comprehensive therapy fact sheets, daily updates of autism therapy research and news, and a global directory of autism-related therapists and services. A comprehensive fact sheet about speech therapy -- plus research summaries, news, and comments -- is available at http://autism.healingthresholds.com/therapy/speech-therapy.

Lara is a former research scientist in the field of immunology. She has been a medical writer since 1999 and has written on a wide range of topics from Alzheimer's disease to diabetes. She is the mother of three children, the youngest of whom has Prader-Willi Syndrome.

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Facts About Autism Treatment

Autism treatment is not considered to be a fix-all, a cure. People diagnosed with developmental disorders can expect to have to live out their lives with them. Treatment is for therapeutic purposes. Treatment is given in the hope of providing these individuals with coping methods, and skills needed to successfully handle life's situations as easily, and comfortable as possible. Treatment takes on the form of therapy sessions both one-on-one and in a group setting. It involves speech pathology therapy that focuses on not only the semantics of verbal communication but the psychological and emotional characteristics as well. Treatment can also take the form of standardized classroom instruction-these classes are special education classrooms that specifically are meant to educate individuals with developmental disorders.

Depending on the severity of the symptoms a child may be able to participate in the general setting of classes at his/her school. High functioning autistic, while still faced with the awkward social skills and awkward communication skills do have some ability to successfully participate in group setting such as public school classrooms with little or no extra help or attention. However, they still look at things in a different way and will probably come to understand and learn them in a different way as well. Because of this difficulties are more likely to occur than not and teachers and parents need to be aware of this. Children with developmental disorders are prone to bullying and negative relationships with their peers. It is difficult for children, especially those at a young age to be accepting of something so drastically different from their selves.

Most will act out because of fear of the unknown. It is necessary for teachers and caregivers to teach children a more accepting attitude of change and difference. It is with open minds, patience, and compassion that we can live together peacefully. Hiding anything different from the world is not the best course of action. However, in some cases where the severity of autism is extreme it is beneficial to everyone involved to place the child in an educational environment geared toward his/her disorder. This doesn't mean ostracize them from the general public but simply provide them with a stable environment in which they can learn to handle said general public, comfortably.

Speech pathology therapy can be useful in helping an autistic child to build a better communicative repertoire. Communication is often difficult for autistic children no matter the severity of their symptoms.

They do not understand and react to social, environmental, emotional, intuitive cues. Due to this autistic children can develop antisocial tendencies that can unknowingly ostracize themselves from their peers. Therapy can help them to develop communication skills they are comfortably with and able to use in any situation. This can actually help them to better understand those around them which will lead to success in everyday life. It can also help autistic children to make friends-which can be of great benefit to them.

Again, autism treatment is not meant to be a cure. But it can help to alleviate the major negative characteristics of the disorder. It will help a child live as best a life as possible for him/her.

For the latest videos and training information on child development as well as books and curricula on Autism please visit childdevelopmentmedia.com.

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Speech Pathology - Affects Good Communication

Communication is very essential to our daily lives and it is the best way to express our emotions in order to be understood. There are two types of communication: verbal and non-verbal. Verbal communication is also a form of oral communication, it is the process of sending and receiving messages with words. Normally, speech is categorized under verbal communication. On the other hand, non-verbal communication is defined as conveying of messages other than speech or writing which includes sign language and body movement.

Now, let's focus more on speech because this the medium we always used to express our thoughts, opinions and emotions through spoken words. However, in some cases speech is not achieve because of speech pathology or also known as speech disorder.

What is speech pathology? It is the study of speech abnormalities and/or the organs of speech. It is also involve in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders which relates to speech, language, swallowing, fluency, voice and communication. What are the causes of speech pathology? This includes hearing disorders or deafness, voice problems, stuttering, developmental disabilities, autism, and stroke. We will dissect each cause of speech pathology to understand more why they cause speech disorder.

• Hearing disorder and deafness. A deaf person does not have the capability to hear sound at all. If sound is not perceive so with spoken words or uttered sound. On the other hand, hearing disorder means difficulty in hearing and understanding spoken words. Most commonly for hearing impaired individuals, use of hearing aid in order to assist them in understanding spoken words.
• Voice problems. Voice is very essential for us when we speak. Did you ever noticed that if you experienced sore throat, pharyngitis or laryngitis, often times you will have a difficulty to make a sound and voice will not come out from your mouth. Most of these disorders are treatable.
• Stuttering. This is a disorder that affects the normal flow of speech. It is affected by repeated or prolonged sounds, syllables or words.
• Developmental disabilities are birth defects that causes a lifelong problems with how body part or a system works. This is also a genetic condition that is often attributed to mental retardation. Mostly these disabilities affects speech.
• Autism. This is a disorder that affects children. They are often described as " special child usually confides in their own old". Children with autism have a difficulty to communicate and interact socially.
• Stroke. This is a medical emergency that affects the human brain were sudden confusion, trouble or inability to speak and understanding of speech is a common symptom of this condition.

In some cases, speech pathology or disorders are genetic and cause is unknown. Five percent of children entering first grade have noticeable speech disorders but mostly they can be treated with help of speech pathologist or speech therapist.

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Therapy For Autism Options Are Diverse and Careful Consideration of Each is Important

There are so many diverse autism therapies to choose from that one must carefully identify the needs of the child before choosing which one, or set of therapies, are best. Unfortunately there are also many ideas out there from overwrought parents and well meaning but unqualified therapists that some of the options available are either not safe or not proven to benefit the autistic child.

The feeling amongst educators of autistic children is that early intervention programs must focus on behavioral and cognitive abilities that are disrupted by having autism. Special needs education programs that can focus on these areas of need, with an early start, can assist autistic children to learn, maybe even be taught to speak. As adults their education must continue, but now some researchers are talking about using antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs to assist with the daily living of these adults. Others feel that these drugs as therapy for autism will do no good and may cause harm.

Studies have shown that using computers to teach autistic children has made many breakthroughs. Computers allow the child to learn without having to be forced into social situations. The computers stimulate the child without overloading them. They have no need to attempt conversation while comfortably learning at the computer. They can control their situations and this is very pleasing to them and makes learning easier for the autistic child.

For children who are severely affected with autism Multisensory Stimulation has had some positive results. They allow gentle stimulation by use of soothing colors, gentle sounds, music and scents. This is all done in a controlled setting so that the child does not suffer an overload. This therapy for autism is more popular in Europe, especially in Germany.

A still experimental therapy is Neurofeedback. In this there are electrodes put on the child's scalp. This is to help the autistic child learn to control their brainwaves. A recent pilot study involved eight children. After ten weeks of his treatment five of the children improved when asked to perform tasks that included imitation. This was considered highly successful.

Other children are put into therapies that include restrictive diets or a program to purge the body of toxins. These are referred to as biomedical interventions and are more experimental in nature. Many researchers believe that these are risky therapies and worry that they are tried by desperate parents who may involve their child in something that has not yet been proven to truly have any benefits.

If you think that there is "something not right" with your child you must find out as soon as possible if autism is the issue. Treatments are less effective with each passing day as we grow older, so find out now with the complete autism resource for determining symptoms and goes into depth about ALL treatment options for autism, natural AND medical. So do your family a favor and check out the information at Autism Symptoms

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Modern Day Therapies to Autism

But the thing that you don't realize is that these children do not want your sympathies but they want your support. Autism is a sort of brain disorder, it affects their neurological system, it does not make them mental or insane. Autistic children are even more creative than normal kids most of the time. They are unable to express their emotions and feelings it just does not mean that they are emotionless. They have a lot of feelings like worry, love, affection, fear etc but they are not able to emote as well as you do.

These kids need special care, love and affection from their family and also the society. Still there are many people in the society that see these Autistic children as threats. If your child is Autistic then you must give him some Autistic therapies so that he can be one with the society. There are different types of Autistic therapies that are offered by various health institutions that will really help your Autistic children to improve themselves. Some of these therapies are like behavior modification, communication therapies, and developmental therapies. These therapies help your child learn how to cope up with the society.

The other way to help your Autistic child is by an Autistic therapy known as play therapy. As Autism affects children who are as young as two or three years old, it is important to see to that these children are taught through this method which will enable them to learn while playing. Communication to such children is really important. You could communicate with them through pictures and other visual aids. This would help them understand what you are telling better. Social stories along with love and care also will do great wonders with your autistic child who needs your support.

Hope Autism Service offer Autism Therapy & Autism Treatment for brain disorder that typically appears during a child's first three years and lasts throughout a person's lifetime.

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Behavioral Therapy For Autism

Behavioral therapy for autism has a high chance of success. In this type of treatment, appropriate behavior is rewarded while inappropriate behavior is ignored. The success rate increases if the therapy is started when your child is still young; that is usually before he turns 3-years-old.

You would probably have discovered that your autistic child will challenge your parenting skills with their extremes of behavior. Extremes of behavior would include such things as temper tantrums, self injurious behavior, aggression and agitation. Essentially, he is dictating to you what he wants and his preferences. If he does not get what he wants, you are made to suffer the consequences. Rather than giving in, you should in fact learn how to teach your child a more appropriate way in which to get what he wants.

This is where a consistent program of behavioral modification will work very well. It will not only help you to cope with your child's behaviors but it will also teach your child more socially appropriate behaviors. Such a program must consist of 4 components: a structured daily routine; behavioral control; communication; and applied behavioral analysis.

You should instill a structured daily routine as your autistic child can then know what to expect. Autistic children do not usually cope well with inconsistency or change. Therefore, sticking to a daily routine is important as much as possible.

The next thing that a parent must learn is how to control tantrums and other such behavioral issues. In doing so there are 3 factors to bear in mind:

1. Those behaviors that are dangerous to the child or those around him must be dealt with first. These behaviors need to immediately be stopped with firm words and actions. Try not to show your child any anger while doing this though.

2. Autistic children need to be taught how to sit. The best way in which to do this is to reward appropriate sitting behavior while either ignoring or giving a negative consequence for inappropriate sitting behavior.

3. Autistic children tend to have bizarre, stereotypical, repetitive behaviors. The most obvious of these are finger flapping and rocking. These can be very distracting and thus a firm "stop" command is suggested for use. Next direct your child to another activity that will not allow him to continue these behaviors.

It is important that you talk to your child regularly. Whenever you are talking to an autistic child you need to be both simple and direct. You need to use short, clear sentences without going into explanations or using too many words. So, instead of telling your child, "Come here so that I can fix your pants and tuck in your shirt because you need to look nice" simply tell him, "Come here now." This is an easy command to process as you want to avoid confusing him.

Applied behavioral analysis (ABA) is a form of behavioral therapy that is popular. This involves breaking down tasks into individual components. Then, whenever a child successfully completes each step of the task he should be rewarded. It is believed that this form of therapy has a 47% success rate. It is important to note that ABA is not the only behavioral approach to treating autism nor is it a cure for autism. But it is a therapy that should be explored as one of your many options to helping your autistic child.

Sandra Kim Leong shares about autism diet [http://www.autismdietplan.com] and other therapies for children with learning disabilities. She draws on her experience as a mother to an autistic child. To read her posts, please visit [http://www.autismdietplan.com]

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Types of Therapy For Autism

Autism is a disorder that affects children usually around 2 to 3 years old. The child seems to develop normally, and then symptoms begin to appear. They begin to lose language and social skills. Symptoms can be mild to severe.

There are different types of therapies designed to help individuals and their families who are affected by autism. Play therapy is one type of therapy in which parents learn to interact with their children. Children learn to share and play with others through this therapy as well. Children can learn to interact properly with other children and adults, which is very hard for an autistic person.

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is another form of therapy. A one-on-one teaching method is used to teach the patient skills. It is fairly expensive and is applied by a behavioral psychologist. It is mainly used to teach an autistic child normal developmental functions.

Relationship Development Intervention is a form of therapy used to develop social and life skills. It teaches autistic individuals to share, learn problem solving, improve in self awareness, and learn how to be responsive. It sets the groundwork for the patient to be able to function on his or her own at some point.

Autism, although not curable, is treatable. Be sure to find a qualified therapist to guide your autistic child. The earlier the better in treating an individual so that social skills may be properly developed. Funding is not readily available for these programs as they are not widely accepted as of yet. It can be expensive, but it highly worth it to enable an autistic child to develop as normally as possible.

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Selective Mutism Or Autism?

My daughter was diagnosed with autism in May 2008. For several months after getting the diagnosis I had a very hard time believing it. Many people told me it can be very difficult to accept your child is autistic but the quicker you accept it, the better off your daughter will be. I decided to go ahead and start the therapy path suggested to me but I continued to feel my daughter's diagnosis may be wrong.

When given the diagnosis, I was told there was nothing I can do for her but to get her help through the state with therapy sessions. It took a very long time to get the therapy set up for my daughter. In the meantime, I started on my own crusade. While researching and talking to people, I learned a lot from so many other parents and teachers who deal with autism every day.

The first mom I ran into told me to try the Gluten Free / Casein Free diet. This diet helped alleviate her obsessive-compulsive behaviors, cut out her 2 hour tantrums, she began interacting with her siblings more, she no longer pulled her hair out and started sleeping through the night.

Another mom told me to take red dye out of her diet. I did this and it helped lessen the tantrums even more: It seemed to help calm her down. I met a dad who told me about a supplement called "TMG" (Trimethylglycine with Folic Acid & B12). This supplement helped level her tantrums as well. When I tested her and took her off this supplement she was less social and more emotional. When I say emotional, she was just not very happy or as happy while on the supplement.

All of the above treatments I mentioned helped tremendously but then I met some people that changed her and my life forever; her special education preschool teachers. They questioned if she was "really" autistic from when they first met her and seemed to think she was a Selective Mute (SM).

SM is considered a rare psychological disorder. It causes high social anxiety in the people who have it. Children and adults who have typical speech in comfortable settings may not say one word or act extremely "shy" in social settings. For instance, some kids will talk freely at home but once they arrive to school they clam up and don't say one word. Or, like in my daughter's case, they only whisper.

Some of these kids get diagnosed with autism because they appear to have autistic characteristics while being evaluated. My daughter would hardly say one word to the psychologist. She would not want to participate in answering their questions because her social anxiety would basically paralyze her. She would not exchange any eye contact. She would pinch her fingers in situations of high anxiety (which we used to think was stimming). When a psychologist would ask question after question, she did not say one word. If we were at home, she would have answered them all without hesitation.

Kids that are autistic can also have high social anxiety. This is where it may become confusing if the person diagnosing your child is not familiar with SM or if they are not thinking outside of the "autism box." You can most likely tell an autistic child from a SM child because most autistic children experience stimming, poor eye contact, sensory issues and repetitive behaviors in any situation. However, as I mentioned above regarding my daughter, she experienced many of these characteristics ONLY in social settings. If this behavior sounds familiar to you then you may want to have your child reevaluated and bring up your concerns of SM. Remember to video tape you child at home so the psychologist can see how they act in a comfortable setting.

The more research I do, the more I believe my daughter had the "perfect storm" and that is what led her to the autism diagnosis. I haven't mentioned a major point in my daughter's story yet. She has a food allergy (Celiac disease) that gave her certain characteristics of autism. The combination of those characteristics and having high social anxiety looks just like autism.

I never bought into her autism diagnosis because she never had the hand flapping or body rocking, none of the physical sensory treatments were working for her (actually had opposite effects), she was always very affectionate (loved to get hugs and being held) and she was very compliant. So many things just didn't fit for me. I always questioned it. I never knew if I was questioning it because I didn't want to believe it or if it was just a wrong diagnosis.

When the teachers first suggested SM I started my research and the more I learned, the more it seemed to fit my daughter like a glove. I finally had a diagnosis that made sense. I could finally get my daughter the correct treatment she needed.

I set off to research treatment plans for SM and found it very difficult to find any information. Over a week's time, I sadly learned there is just not a lot of information available for SM. I posted many posts on this disorder on my blog and received a tremendous amount of feedback from other parents looking for more information as well.

I was very excited when I met a woman online who is a psychologist with a SM daughter. Her name is Shannon Morgan-Gillard, Psy.D. She runs a clinic for SM children; The Brave Center.I asked her what she thought of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT); since this is the treatment I read was the most widely accepted in treating SM. Below are some thoughts and suggestions she gave me:

1. CBT is the right treatment for SM. Sometimes a psychiatrist is needed to find out if medication is recommended. However, Dr. Morgan-Gillard suggests you try CBT for one year before considering medication.

2. Focus on the anxiety. You need to treat the anxiety that lies underneath the verbal issues. Do not try to make your child talk (this may only lead to further anxiety). This is why ABA therapy is one of the worst types of therapies for an SM child. ABA tries to bring the language out. Once ABA therapy sessions began for my daughter, they caused a tremendous amount of stress for her. The therapists did not know it then, but they were making her anxiety worse. This is why it is very important to discover if you child has SM and autism or just SM. I believe in ABA therapy for autistic children but please make sure your child has the correct diagnosis before implementing any type of therapy.

3. Build confidence. Dr. Morgan-Gillard said, For young children, the behavioral part of CBT treatment is what is effective at first, because they do not have the capacity to identify their thoughts or reason with themselves to change their thoughts (that's the cognitive part of the CBT) until about age 7. CBT therapy can be implemented by helping your child complete tasks that cause a lot of anxiety for them. Approach these tasks by pulling them apart into workable phases. For instance, take your child to the grocery store and ask them to place an item on the conveyer belt. Overtime, once they are comfortable with that ask them to hand the money to the clerk. Once they are okay with that, ask them if they want to say "Hello" to the clerk. And so on. It may take a long time before your child will want to talk to a stranger so you never want to push that. The goal to this form of therapy is to make the child gain confidence and a level of comfort in normally high anxiety situations.

Children and adults that have SM are afraid of being judged in a negative manner when they are put into a high anxiety situation. For instance, kids may not talk because they do not want the attention to focus on them. Maybe they are afraid they will say something incorrectly or give the wrong answer. By encouraging your child to talk to people at a young age and ensuring they receive a positive response, you are helping to build their confidence and self-assurance. This is the basis of CBT.

4. Play dates are very important for small children with SM. Dr. Morgan-Gillard suggest you have as many play dates as humanly possible. With SM, the more frequent a repetition of something, the better. If you could have a play date every day, it would speed progress. When the child is in his/her comfortable setting, they can more quickly move to feeling socially comfortable with a peer, and toward talking with that peer. It's best to repeat play dates with the same peer for a while; then add another peer or switch play dates to another peer and repeat with that one, then add two together after a while, said Dr. Morgan-Gillard.

5. Act silly. If you can act silly around your child and be physically active with them, it may help reduce their anxiety level. I actually tried this at a birthday party. All of the kids were playing with the clown and running around acting like farm animals. My daughter ran over to stand by my side and held onto my leg as tight as possible. I took her hand and walked into the middle of the crowd of kids. I started acting like a farm animal too. She looked up at me with complete surprise. The other parents gave me the same look but it didn't faze me. I wanted my daughter to know it is okay to act silly. She jumped right in with me. We played farm animals for quite some time.

6. Don't say they are shy. A tip I learned from my sister was to never call my daughter, "Shy." Previously, this response was second nature for me. I always felt uncomfortable when a stranger would approach us and tell me how cute my child was and then try to ask my daughter a question and she would not respond. When my daughter would hide behind my leg and not say one word I used to come back and say, "Oh. She is shy." My sister brought up a good point and told me not to label her. If my daughter hears me say this over and over, then maybe she will believe she is shy. Now, I just give the stranger and smile and say, "Have a nice day."

These are the tips and therapy suggestions I have found helpful to date. I am always researching and looking for ways to help my daughter. My next target of research is art and music therapy. Although I am still in my learning phase of SM, I felt compelled to share what I have learned because any parent of a child who has been recently diagnosed with SM knows there is not a lot of information available.

I am happy to announce my daughter was re-diagnosed in May of 2009. After one year of questioning her autism diagnosis we finally received a diagnosis that made sense: She is no longer considered autistic and has SM. I stopped the ABA therapy instantly. The state dropped her because she is no longer considered disabled which was bitter sweet. I am now on my own trying to help my daughter with the CBT approach. I feel incredibly hopeful and have seen tremendous improvements in my daughter; so much so that I now consider her to be a "typical" child.

I hope my daughter's story will help educate the public on Selective Mutism. I can't help but wonder how many kids are currently diagnosed with autism that actually have the same "perfect storm" as my daughter had. I believe trying the Gluten Free / Casein Free diet is always a smart thing to do once your child receives any behavioral disorder diagnosis. I know it does not help all children but if it does help your child, it may give them their "typical" life back.

Alicia Preston
Friend In Reach
http://friendinreach.blogspot.com/.

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Nature Helps in Autism Therapy Techniques and Treatments

Nature Therapy is a current therapy designed to complement other therapies for children with autism. In addition to speech therapies, as well as physical and occupational therapies, activities in nature promote healing properties. Natural environments are filled with resources for sensory exploration. Autism is a sensory processing disorder. New research shows the soothing effects nature can have on children with autism. Children of all abilities benefit emotionally, physically and psychologically from consistent time in natural surroundings. Many therapists are bringing children outside as part of their therapy programs and having successful outcomes. Children are able to listen, to feel, smell, and observe outdoors.

Autism is often described as a sensory processing disorder. Sensory integration therapy is a type of therapy readily used with autistic children. During sessions, therapists work one on one with the child to encourage movement. The goal of therapy is to improve the brain's ability to process sensory information. During therapy sessions, the child performs an activity that combines sensory input with motion. Presently,many therapists are working with autistic children in nature, as part of programs, with much success!

Natural environments stimulate all of the senses! It is well known that being in nature reduces stress and stimulates the senses through sounds, visual images and scents. Regular outdoor time benefits all children's emotional, physical, and mental health. Several promising studies have found that therapy programs involving natural surroundings helps children with behavioral issues, ADHD and a diagnosis of being At-Risk. Nature is a soothing resource that is being used more and more in therapy programs for autistic children with exceptional result!

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

Autism Therapy - Making a Connection

A person with autism may among other things: avoid eye contact, prefer to be alone, may not speak at all or be severely language delayed and may be unable to initiate or engage in a conversation. Because of this many people mistakenly think these children/adults prefer to be alone and play by themselves.

There are many studies that show that this is NOT the case. They do want to relate to others, but simply cannot handle the anxiety of trying to build and maintain relationships that they do not have the skills to hang on to.

In order to teach them these skills we need to first make a connection with them. They need to be foremost, interested and a willing participant; anything less and a positive outcome could be negligible if at all. So how do we break this barrier?

A growing number of therapists' and organizations' have been breaking the barrier and making a connection using two methods. Animals and technology, although they are on opposite ends of a spectrum, both have proven to be highly effective in helping therapists make a connection and build a meaningful relationship with their client/child. In many instances allowing the client/child to flourish and meet or even surpass their goals.

Animals have been used in the therapy environment as motivators, ice breakers and over all to enhance therapeutic outcomes. Animals are non-judgmental, give affection unconditionally, and provide opportunities for physical and emotional therapy.

One organization in particular has had extraordinary success with a potbellied pig whose name is "Buttercup". When the therapist was asked, why a pig? She didn't hesitate in responding "Unlike a dog, there are no preconceived notions about a pig, no barking, no jumping and no licking. Oh yes, and his prickly hair makes petting him a pleasure, almost addicting. Not to mention his uniqueness factor which most of the time leaves such an impression; many clients ask for Buttercup whenever they get a chance. This wouldn't be such a big deal in a normal circumstance, but coming from a child who has never spoken a full sentence, it's a cause for excitement."

Technology is also growing in popularity. With the advent of devices such as the ipad and the itouch from Apple and software like Proloque2-Go teaching skills and communicating has taken a turn for the better. No longer are the lanky, heavy output devices traditionally used (many of which ended up being used for door stops) needed in order for a child with autism to communicate effectively. Whether you are using voice output, building vocabulary, correcting articulation or strengthening muscle coordination these devices make is easier, more fun and reinforcing. Students/clients will sit quietly and wait in line for a chance to use the magical device for just a few minutes.

I n both of these methods the child/client is interested in engagement, the therapists uses this opportunity develop a meaningful relationship with the student/child. Once the barrier has been eliminated and a solid relationship established, the ability to learn life skills has been maximized.

http://www.animalassistedspeechtherapy.com

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Natural Remedies for Autism for More Normal Living

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

On natural remedies for autism

There is always a place for prescription medication in most cases of autism. However, there is always the risk and caution for the possibility of suffering minor to serious side-effects, especially with long-term use. On the other hand, patients are given options to try some natural remedies for autism, which usually combines herbal, homeopathic and holistic approaches to treatment to maintain systemic balance to the nervous system functions of the patients. In addition, they deliver many of the benefits of common autism medications but with minimal risks of sedation or side-effects.

Food Nutrient Therapy

Vitamins and mineral supplements were found to deliver substantial improvements to the functioning of autistic people. Symptoms like irritability, aggression, anxiety and tantrums are directly linked to lacking or of food nutrients. Poor diet and intolerances to certain foodstuff like gluten in wheat and grain products and dairy products trigger many bothersome symptoms of autism. In this light, parents of many autism patients have noted remarkable changes to behavior with the elimination of such foodstuff to the patient's diet.

There is also a link that the deficiency in fatty acids found in fish is directly linked to childhood autism. The cell membranes of autistic children process fatty acids at a much faster rate. Apparently, the brain cell membranes are largely comprised of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, substances that are found in abundance in salmon, mackerel and other oily fish. In a sense, deficiency in these fatty acids may be considered a partial trigger for autism.

Education and Therapy

Specialized education and physiotherapy are drug-free natural remedies for autism. Therapy approaches like occupational therapy, sensory integration and music therapy are helpful in offsetting the developmental delay caused by the disease. The combination of specialized education and physiotherapy is a powerful tool to ensuring the progress of any autism treatment plan. The impact of this treatment approach emphasizes that there are no quick fixes to overcoming the disease.

Herbal Therapy

Tranquilizing and antidepressant drugs are nothing new to autism patients. They are used to overcome highly distressing and volatile patient reactions toward seemingly small changes to their environment. However, the main downside of these drugs is that patients tend to develop tolerance with long-term use. In this light, the calming and soothing effect of herbal teas and tinctures proves to be an ideal and safe alternative to drug medications. Herbs like passiflora helps keep patients less irritable, less easily frustrated and calmer. St. John's wort prevents over-metabolism of serotonin, which deliberately improves mood and behavior and helps increase concentration.

Considerations

As autism became pandemic in the Western world, it continuously spreads worldwide. Hence, having more options to treatment gives patients more chances of overcoming the disease regaining a more normal life. The natural remedies for autism gives you a variety of treatment approaches to improve the symptoms and overall well-being of autism patients.

Want to find out more about Most Natural Remedies, then visit Elaine Schulstad's site on how to choose the best natural remedies for autism for your needs.

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Knowing Autism Symptoms and Treatments

Autism Symptoms And Treatments

Among all the autism symptoms, the most general one being weak or stereotyped in communication and social skills. Some less common symptoms are mental issues, gastrointestinal problems or seizure disorders. Even though there are some having no difficulty in oral skills but fail in small talk or conversation. Next, they have sensory and motor issues. Most often are irritable to light, noise, crowds and other stimulation.

Hence, it is common to see autistic kids covering ears, react negatively to certain lit areas, etc. Usually autistic kids have weak fine and gross motor skills in their early stage, that is mostly reflected in their poor performance in sport or athletic activities, especially in their poor handwriting. Another syndrome is they are likely to involve in repetitious and ritualized activities, for example lining toys in a straight line, as well as having inadequate or few passionate interests, opt for activities that involves reduced verbal communication.

In this modern day, there are many proven & trustworthy alternatives available for autism symptoms and therapies, though they may not give the same consequence. The following gives the most prevailing and proven approaches:

- Physical Therapy- identical to OT, is helpful in building or toning their muscles to conquer their fine and gross motor shortcoming;

- Visually-based approach- this is one method helping to teach skills and communication involving picture-based communication, such as PECS, video communication system since most autistic kids have powerful picture memory;

- ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis)- out of all the approaches, this is the conventional and most safe or researched, it is more of an exhaustive coaching to teach or learn particular skills;

- Speech therapy- this is contemplated to be beneficial for autistic kids as most encounter problem in verbal and communication skills, particularly to the use of speech in building social relationship;

- Social Skills Therapy- this teaches them skills in communication as well as social intercommunication while playing or communicating among a group of kids;

- Biomedical treatment- this is very much based on DAN! Approach since they have the most exhaustive research.

This involves prescribing special diets such as GFCF (gluten-free, casein-free), supplements (such as vitamins and nutrition), and other alternative treatments. Though their approaches are not all accepted by FDA or CDC, they have quite a big support from parents of autistic kids.

- OT (Occupational Therapy)- this is particularly target on acquiring living skills and conquer sensory issues since most are weak in fine and gross motor skills

To gain more positive result among all the above available autism treatments, it is better to adopt a combination rather than a specific single approach.

Click here to read Recommended Information
You may click here to get Free ebook on Autism

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The Benefits of Animal Therapy For Autism

For those of us who have had pets in our lives, it's no great surprise to learn that interactions with animals can have therapeutic and healing benefits. Many animals soothe, comfort, and calm, just by their quiet presence. And animals are now also being used as a form of autism therapy.

A New Mexico Highlands University School of Social Work graduate student named Jennifer Baról lead a research project to study the benefits and impact of animal-assisted therapies on children with autism when used as a treatment tool.

The study, entitled "The Effects of Animal-Assisted Therapy on a Child with Autism" ran for 15 weeks between July and November of 2006. It was geared toward the goal of discovering whether or not there is any evidence that therapies based on animal-assistance would be able to improve an autistic child's social skills.

The results of the study were interesting. For example, before undergoing the animal-assisted therapy with an eight-year-old Australian Cattle Dog named Henry, participant Zachary, who was five years old, experienced a dramatic struggle in order to communicate. Zachary was prone to throwing tantrums as well as covering his ears and eyes when he became frustrated with his lack of ability to be understood. Participation in new activities was stressful to him. He couldn't understand how to play with others and had never before uttered a complete sentence.

However, once Zachary met and bonded with Henry, he went through a virtual transformation. His self-assurance level is much higher and he is willing to experience new activities with an obvious curiosity. Furthermore, Zachary is better able to understand what is going on around him, including the needs of others. Moreover, halfway through the therapy for the research project, Zachary completed his first sentence.

In the case of Zachary, a whole new world of experiences and understanding was opened up by the animal-assisted therapy. Within the mental hospital clinical reports, there have been many reports of autistic children who have built strong relationships with individual animals, such as pet dogs or cats. When autistic children play with animals, any violent tendencies they may have will typically disappear. They take on quite maternal characteristics, taking special care of the animal including feeding, cleaning up after them, and interacting with them.

The blood pressure of autistic children will also usually be lowered when experiencing an animal treatment. Furthermore, symptoms such as insomnia and headache can be eased with this treatment.

The companionship of animals can help reduce any lonely feelings in autistic children, promoting a base of healthy character development within them, including personality traits such as being respectful, trusting, contributing, committed, self-confident, and responsible. Autistic children can also learn decision-making skills, problem-solving skills, and both language and social skills through interactions with animals.

This kind of therapy can be beneficial overall, as well as in times of greater trial, such as puberty - when your child will go through many changes and have many questions and will be in need of greater stress relief.

Grab your free copy of Rachel Evans' brand new Autism Newsletter - Overflowing with easy to implement methods to help you and your family find out about animal therapy for autism and for information on autism service dogs please visit The Essential Guide To Autism.

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Treatment of Autism - The Importance of Supplements That Many People Overlook

Autism is kind of disorder that affects the social and behavioral skills of children. This syndrome usually manifests when the child is an infant, especially during his or her third birthday. The child with autism finds it difficult to communicate effectively and this is can be frustrating to those around, especially the parents.

The cause of autism has been attributable to many factors, though some of these have been controversial. For example, the issue that vaccination causes autism has been controversial since the report was made public. Also, in the past the term 'the refrigerator mothers' was coined to reflect the fact that bad parenting is one of the causes of autism in children. This has equally not gone down well with autism research.

There have been some treatment options administered to the autistic patient and some of the treatment options may include vitamins and nutritional supplements. This is not to say that nutritional supplements are the perfect treatment or cure for the syndrome. There are other medications, which the physician can prescribe for the child. Oral secretin and thylglycine, and niacin are some of the supplements that can be administered to the child with autism.

Many people who used such supplements on their autistic children insist that they discovered remarkable changes in the condition. That seems to be the reason why more parents are advised to use these supplements. But of course, before taking any supplement for autism, talk to your doctor to recommend the best one. Your doctor knows best about these and should be in the best position to tell you the specific types to give to your child.

To find Behavior Picture Cards for autistic students and Educating Autistic Child, click any or the 2 links!

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ABA Therapy Works to Lessen Autism Symptoms

Whenever a child is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, it is absolutely heartbreaking for parents. Because parents often hear phrases such as "no cure" and "learning disability", it can be frightening. Many parents also believe that children with autism disorders are unable to love or to show emotion. The truth, however, is that these are incredibly loving and intelligent children who simply learn and interact differently than their peers. That is where ABA, or Applied Behavior Analysis, therapy comes into play. ABA can be incredibly helpful at lessening the symptoms of autism.

While it is true that there is not a cure for autism, ABA therapy can help children learn to interact with their parents, educators, and peers. It can also help them learn how to learn concepts and ideas in the same way as their peers so that they can learn to function in a traditional classroom setting. The therapy is very specific, but it also has decades of experience and research that show it to be the most effective means of treating autism symptoms and helping children with these disorders to learn to interact and live in a similar way to their peers. Many people who undergo early intervention with ABA therapy go on to live normal lives and have successful relationships and careers as adults.

ABA therapy is incredible beneficial because it helps to break emotions, actions, and concepts into very basic steps or lessons. These steps are taught using prompts that are gradually reduced until a behavior or answer can be mimicked. While this may seem like simple memorization, studies show that it actually helps to rewire pathways in the brain that are responsible for learning and for making inferences from the things that are observed in the world around us. Simply put, ABA is incredibly effective.

Autism may not have a cure, but symptom reduction can be incredible. ABA therapy can often help to relieve a large percentage of the symptoms of autism, especially when introduced at a very early age. Many children are diagnosed with autism whenever they start to show delays in speech and communication. When ABA therapy is started this early, it is most effective, though studies show that it can be effective at any time. Reducing symptoms may be the best option parents have until a cure is found, but with ABA therapy, it is incredibly effective.

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 and school systems how to work with children with autism.

http://www.maximumpotentialkids.com

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Getting Started With Autism Music Therapy

Studies and anecdotal evidence alike are clearly showing that therapy based on music can have a significant impact on reducing the symptoms of autism in children including undesirable autistic behaviors. Music therapy is a form of autism treatment based on carefully planned musical exercises and experiences. It is carefully evaluated before, during, and after every session so that it can be altered to best suit the individual needs of the autistic child. There are many different elements involved in autism music therapy, including:

- Listening to music
- Creating music
- Singing along to music
- Moving or dancing to music
- Playing musical instruments of any kind

This form of music therapy can have a notable positive outcome when treating children with various types and levels of autism. Participation in this kind of therapeutic assistance provides the children with the chance to be exposed to carefully measured and chosen, non-threatening stimulation, since no human contact is required.

Music therapy is beneficial as it can be tailored to specifically meet the unique needs of the child based on their own autism symptoms and their tastes and preferences. This ability to customize the therapy is very important as every case of autism is different from others and what may be very effective for one child may create negative results in another. To accomplish this customization, there are several kinds of music therapy that can be used on their own or in conjunction with one another.

The results of autism music therapy is far reaching and touches on many elements in the child's life. This includes, but is not limited to the following:

- Socio-emotional development - Autistic children frequently struggle with (or ignore) social contact efforts made by other people. Using music therapy, children can be drawn out of social withdrawal through their relationship with the music or an instrument of their choice. The music works as an intermediary between the child and people around them.

- Verbal and non-verbal communication - Singing and dancing to music helps autistic children to improve their speech vocalization and express themselves physically. Many mental processes are stimulated by listening to and producing music, such as symbolizing, conceptualizing, and comprehension. Often, autistic children find it easier to accept different sounds than verbal speech. Music is therefore a good transition to get them used to sounds. Furthermore, when playing wind instruments and singing, the children become more familiar with the various parts of their mouths and how to manipulate them for speech and other purposes.

- Emotional fulfillment - Many autistic children struggle to respond effectively with stimuli in their environment, making it difficult to enjoy a full emotional experience. Therefore, since the majority of autistic children respond well to the stimulus of music therapy experience, autistic kids can enjoy a fear-free experience for a full emotional moment.

Autism music therapy sessions are generally very flexible, allowing the children the opportunity to learn and express themselves at their own pace and to their own preferences and taste, achieving great emotional satisfaction.

Grab your free copy of Rachel Evans' brand new Autism Newsletter - Overflowing with easy to implement methods to help you and your family find out more about autism music therapy and how this autism treatment can positively influence symptoms of autism.

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The Five Best Teaching Aids for Children With Autism and Special Needs

We have had over ten years experience with tutoring and teaching our daughter with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Below is some of the Teaching Aids we used that we think were the most successful in her development and learning. These methods can be used with any child with or without an Autism Spectrum Disorder, Pervasive Development Disorder or Special Needs.

Teaching Aid 1 - Setting up a Therapy Room
In the beginning what got us going was the SON RISE program. Liz went to America to the Option Institute and did a two week course on how to cope with a child with Autism, methods for working with and tutoring a child with Autism and how to set up a therapy room for a tutoring a child with Autism and or Special Needs.

The course is not just for Parents of children with Autism, but also for children with Learning Difficulties, Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD) and children with Special Needs in general. The course also focusses a great deal on how to deal on an emotional level with the fact that your child has an intellectual disability, and there is ongoing support if you so wish.

So on Liz's arrival back home we set up a therapy room. We used a spare bedroom and painted it in bright colours. We set it up with shelves and storage drawers, play equipment, a computer and printer, a suitable child's height table and chairs for table top work and a sturdy floor covering. The basic idea was to have a room the child can identify with as a learning and fun area only, somewhere that they will in time know that when they are in there it is time to learn.

Teaching Aid 2 - Getting Through to a Child with Autism
One of the very useful things Liz learned from the SON RISE program was a method to work with Autistic children, a way to get through to them and that was to get yourself to their level. Get down on the floor and rock with them, spin objects like they do, repeat the sounds they make, enter their world. This is how we got Isy to acknowledge us, by doing just that! She began to pay attention when we entered her world and slowly we began to influence her behaviour and satisfy her thirst for learning.

Most children with or without Autism Spectrum Disorders, Pervasive Development Disorders, Learning Difficulties or Special Needs enjoy learning, they have a thirst for knowledge, it is just a matter of finding how to get through to them and making the learning fun for them and yourself.

Teaching Aid 3 - Applied Behaviour Analysis and Discrete Trial Teaching
The next step for us was getting into Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT). Liz also seeked out and trained therapists, including Uni students to work with Isy intensively and her progress was astounding. Isy loved to be in her therapy room learning. Each session would run for 2 hours, and she would get up to three sessions a day up to six days a week.

In a relatively short time Isy started to learn to count, spell her name, read books, ask for things, say yes and no, imaginative play, identify genders, moods, countless items, and much more. In a nutshell she began to communicate and be aware of her surroundings, we were over the moon! This stuff really works.

Teaching Aid 4 - Custom made Teaching Aids and IT Computer based Aids
After a while Liz was accumulating quite a range of Autism Spectrum Disorder related Teaching Aids, which could also be used with children with Special Needs, resources such as - picture cards, shapes, puzzles, colour cards, sizes cards, picture books, gender cards, etc. I also started to make up some IT or Computer based training aids such as Interactive Flash Cards with sound, and a personalised interactive Toilet Training Program. Around this time I was working in Antarctica and I would send Isy via the internet interactive stories of her favourite characters (Snowy and Humphrey) in Antarctica, this really went a long way in teaching her to read, she would thrash the stories!

Teaching Aid 5 - Things Children Love Doing
Another great teaching aid which I used to teach Isy language was her trampoline. She used to love jumping on the trampoline and even more so when I joined her, we would play silly games that required her to count or say short sentences. I would point up to the sky and get her to say short sentences like "touch the clouds in the sky" or "your turn" and "my turn" I would purposely lie on the trampoline until she would ask me to "get up dad" and "lets jump dad". Using a favourite activity to teach children is a very powerful teaching aid

Those early days on the trampoline where Isy was starting to learn to talk and we would jump laugh and sometimes just lie and look at the birds in the sky were without a doubt some of the best and most memorable days of my life.

These are some of the Autism Spectrum Disorder Teaching Aids we have found that really worked for us and our Daughter Isy. There are other factors involved in her progress as well such as Bio-Medical supplements, Physical activities such as Swimming and Horse riding, Music and Sound Therapy and what we believe to be a safe secure and fun home environment for all of us.

To see the relevant photo's and links related to this article visit:

http://isybeeautism.com/autism-teaching-aids/best-teaching-aids-for-children-with-autism-and-special-needs/

Hi, my name is Henry, I am Isy Bee's father

My wife and I originally started Isabella's Autism Pages and Isybee Autism web pages to help other parents in similar circumstances, and to give recognition to other people and organisations who have helped them help me.

We hope to cover a lot of ground writing articles and providing information and resources for families and persons affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

Please visit our website for more information and resources:

http://isybeeautism.com - Autism information and resources.

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Occupational Therapy for Autism Is Highly Beneficial for Children

There are several benefits associated with occupational therapy for autism. Children that suffer from characteristics for autism are suffering from a developmental based disorder that is considered to be highly complex, according to medical professionals. Children that suffer from characteristics for autism often experience moderate to severe complications with basic communication tasks, developmental progression, and relating to other people on a social level. Furthermore, they may experience severe limitations when it comes to their interests, the activities that they enjoy engaging in, as well as playing as typical children play. Throughout this autism spectrum disorder guide, you will learn about occupational therapy for autism and the benefits associated with this form of therapy.

Occupational Therapists

If you have a child that you believe will benefit from occupational therapy for autism, it is crucial that you consider the role of the professional that specializes in this form of therapy. Individuals that work in this field and specialize in those that display characteristics for autism place their studies on growth as well as development. They have a lot of knowledge on the effects of autism on an individual. These effects may include the child's social activity, their emotional state, as well as the physiological aspects that characteristics for autism cause. Once they understand the effects that autism has had on a child, they work with other professionals in the child's life, as well as the child's family, in order to set goals. The goals are commonly related to how a child performs academically, their behavior, as well as their developmental progress. This is why occupational therapy for autism is so beneficial for children that suffer from characteristics of autism.

The Initial Evaluation

When you elect for your child to engage in occupational therapy for autism, the professional working with your child will conduct an initial evaluation. The first part of this study is to determine if the child is completing tasks and engaging in behaviors that are considered to be age appropriate. This often involves detailed observations and spending time interacting with the child. This helps the therapist determine what the child needs the most. It also helps identify the strengths that the child has. The therapist will pay special attention to the child's play skills, their stamina level, how well they pay attention, their response to touch, the motor skills and several other important aspects of their physiological and psychological development. Once the therapist determines exactly what the child may need, they may encourage them to indulge in several activities, such as:

· Occupational therapy for autism will often encourage the child to engage in physical activities that may assist in the development of certain gross motor skills such as coordination. Examples may include playing with a ball, jumping rope, or simple exercises.

· Children with characteristics for autism may be asked to engage in activities that allow them to play with and socialize with other children. This will enhance both their communication skills and their social relation skills.

· Occupational therapy for autism will often assist in helping a child learn basic skills such as bathing, brushing their teeth, and tasks that are similar in nature.

Conclusion

As you can clearly see from the information contained in this guide, there are many benefits associated with occupational therapy for autism. If you are a parent of a child that exhibits characteristics for autism, you should consider how this type of therapy may assist your child. Unlike traditional forms of therapy, this type is often engaging and entertaining for a child. In addition to using an occupational therapist, you may also perform at-home occupational therapy for the child showing characteristics for autism. Encouraging them to play with toys that will enhance their gross motor skills, or perform activities that will help them develop certain cognitive skills are both considered to be appropriate courses of action. Even if your child does not attend outside therapy, they may still benefit from occupational therapy for autism activities performed at home.

This author has an interest in providing parents a source of high quality toys, puzzles, games, and more that enhance their child's emotional, intellectual, and psychological growth. To discover wonderful toys for children visit: http://www.mytoysmart.com

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