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.

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Is ABA the Right Approach For School Systems Teaching Autistic Children?

Children are very diverse. If you walk into any classroom and ask students to tell you what they most enjoy doing, you are going to get a very wide range of responses. What most of these children will have in common, however, is the ability to easily learn concepts taught by their educators. For children with autism spectrum disorder, even this basic ability is hampered by the fact that their brains simply work differently. In order to learn in a classroom, they must first work on learning how to learn. ABA therapy is a proven method of doing just that.

The brain of a child with autism spectrum disorder works very differently than the brain of most children. Essentially the neural pathways that help children make connections between behaviors and consequences are simply not there. One thing that science has taught us, however, is that the brains of these children are not simply stuck in this state. With proper ABA therapy, these connections can be developed and these students can often learn to perform as well as or possibly even better than their peers in a classroom setting.

So, why ABA therapy? There are a number of different therapies available for students with autism, after all. The difference, however, is that ABA is proven to work on many levels. Not only does it teach the fundamentals of learning, but it can help to condition behavior, teaching these students how to act in a social setting and what to do in a certain scenario. These are skills that will have a lifelong impact on your child. With ABA therapy, your child can learn how to react to other students, what to do if they ever get lost, and even how to form social bonds with new people.

Applied Behavior Analysis has been around for a few decades and is considered to be the most effective form of treatment for autism. While other methods show success in some areas, studies show that children taught using ABA therapy at a young age exhibit greatly improved social and educational skills well into their adult lives. In other words, ABA is about permanently teaching children with autism spectrum disorder. While many methods offer temporary solutions, teaching ABA in schools can equip students for a lifetime of learning. The use of DVD training programs and classroom materials can be a highly effective way for any school system to provide educators with the tools necessary to give these students a head start on the rest of their lives.

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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Autism: A Hopeful Heart In The Midst Of Pain

Autism is the most damaging truth that an individual could ever face. It gives parents of autistic children a lifelong responsibility to take care of their own future. They begin to question destiny and wonder what is in store for their children's lives. They have the darkest future ever. Will they ever experience the beauty of nature? Or just remain isolated their whole life? Will they ever find their one true love? Or just forever stay under the care of their parents? Will they ever pursue their dreams? Or just have no dreams at all? Well, these are just some of the heartbreaking questions that keep lingering in the edges of their minds and hearts.

To be able find answers to these queries, let's take a careful glance at this medical condition. Autism is a lifelong developmental disability in which its causes can be rooted to genetics and environment. But even during this modern technology, there are no solid grounds to establish the primary cause of the disease. An autistic child doesn't enjoy the thrills of his atmosphere. He has a world of his known and his interests just revolve around the world he created. He remains isolated from the rest of the world and unfamiliarity causes him to freak out. In short, he only finds comfort around familiar people in his life. Truly, we can fairly conclude that autistic children don't find delight with environmental surprises.

Autistic children have difficulty in speech and communication. They find difficulty in expressing their feelings and understanding others as well. Their language and vocabulary skills are really poor. They speak in languages that only they can understand. At times, they also tend to have echolalia. This means they tend to repeat other people's words. Because of this, they have impaired social interactions and imagination. They lose track of the society they are in. They cannot sustain building relationships with others. This may actually scare them. They only love routines. And a disruption in their usual schedules may break their hearts so deeply and may result to tantrums. They also have compromised learning skills. It's difficult to instill new knowledge or information in their usual world. But, what is amazing with autistic children is that at most times, they have unique talents. They stand out at in a particular field and they are extremely excellent in that endeavor.

What is the treatment available?

Treatment methods for Autism is currently widespread. One of these is the hyperbaric oxygen treatment. This therapy basically helps the patient breathe in extra Oxygen through a pressurized chamber. According to studies, patients who have received at least 40 hours of therapy for more than a month were observed to be more tolerable and quick to respond when being talked to. There is no explanation as to the improvement of this kind of treatment. What is believed is that the pressurized Oxygen could reduce the inflammation which have been said to constrict the flow of blood to other areas of an autistic child's brain which controls speech.

Being good stewards of the human race, we should not take autism as a curse but as a special responsibility. It is not the autistic children's fault why they are made that way. So, the best thing to do is to provide emotional and social support to them. Never look at them in a judgmental way and never turn your back away from them. They need our love and acceptance. In that manner, you'll truly nurture hope in their seemingly hopeless condition. It's true that there is still no cure for autism. But, do you know what the best cure for these autistic children is? It is our longtime support, unconditional love and nonjudgmental impression to them and their parents as well.

Francisco Perry is an enthusiastic writer of Chambertherapy.com who likes to share information on HBOT therapy and Portable Hyperbaric Chambers as well as related products.

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Childhood Epidemic Rises 6,000% What Can Be Learned About Autism?

The latest tallies show that over three million people in North America alone carry some type of autism diagnosis. With this increase the biggest question people are asking is why. Over 20 years ago the incidence was estimated to be 1 in 10,000. Now it's a whopping 1 in 166 according to the U.S. Center for Disease control and is still expected to rise. With the life long care of someone with autism costing approximately 2.2 million per person according to the MIND Institute, we need to start committing proper resources to early intervention now to enable this population to lead fulfilling and productive lives as well as contribute to society

The frustrating point in the above scenario is the lack of interest and resources allocated through government and other agencies towards a solution. This includes actively determining the cause and implementing adequate research towards curative and helpful measures. The US Government will happily spend 1.9 billion dollars for a single Trident nuclear submarine in a fleet of around fifty, yet is only spending 66 million on the entire special education area, which includes special teachers, training and proper equipment and supports.

While hosting an autism conference in Hawaii last month I received a call from a grandmother asking if I could help her thirteen-year-old autistic grandson who was still in diapers. This just shouldn't be happening in this day and age. Whether there is a cure for autism or not, there are programs and interventions that help all children with autism grow up to be productive community citizens especially through early intervention practices as mentioned earlier. This can happen when parents put their own egos aside and recognize very early that their child has autism, accept the diagnosis and get the treatment the child deserves allowing them to use their inborn strengths and talents to live to their fullest.

Methodologies also need to be more visible and understood. Yes there are successful ways to approach autism like Applied Behavioral Analysis, Greenspan, Daily Life Therapy, Miller Method, the SCERTS method and Relationship Development Intervention which may all sound Greek to some, however, most parents just hear of one and go with it. This could be due to the nature of the beast so to speak, in that many parents of children with autism even show signs of autism themselves such as structured, literal thinking. This forces them to have limited beliefs and be less willing to consider other options in a more abstract manner. Many of these methodologies and belief systems have become rigid and unchanging even though many more options are now available and even more are on the horizon.

As to the cause, many speculate that mercury in addition to other heavy metals could be a strong culprit though the proof is not in the pudding yet. Books like "Evidence Of Harm" by David Kirby, a New York Times writer clearly organizes all the facts for others to draw their own conclusion surrounding the issues around immunizations. Perhaps it's in the dental amalgams, the fish we eat or other environmental surroundings.

Then still others are pointing to the gene pool saying it is passed on from one generation to the next. I know in my case, I believe my Aeronautical Engineer father has a high functioning form of autism and I grew up thinking he was "normal". I was therefore attracted to someone who also has many symptoms of autism such as the lack of social skills in certain situations, an egocentric focus, and perseveration (doing the same thing over and over again), especially when it comes to working 7 days a week 12 hour days. And then, there's me. The more I learn about autism, the more I certainly can see signs in myself.

The best, most proven hope of helping children with autism to lead fulfilling and productive lives I know of, is early intervention. Also, many experience reduced symptoms in their children with autism when gluten and casein are removed or reduced from their diets. Other dietary strategies are being successfully implemented such as a modified Atkins type diet or even sugar and milk free diets. Even if it isn't perfect, it's a step in the right direction. Others are having luck by adding vitamins, minerals and glyconutrients back into their systems. Glyconutrients are the sixteen essential sugars missing from our diets due to the poor cultivation processes with our natural fruits and vegetables.

Our Sherwood Park, Alberta based firm, Autism Today is Western Canada's leading provider of autism conferences. Parents, teachers and professionals can go to: http://www.keystotreasures.com to learn about our upcoming "Keys To The Treasure Chest" conferences and workshops. Upcoming speakers include: Dr. Lori Ernsperger and Nick Martin, March 2005, Stephen Shore, June 2005, Dr. Steven Gutstein, October 2005, and Dr. Temple Grandin, Dec 2005. Autism Today also hosts online education and Tele-classes as well as a broad selection of books, videos and other learning material.

To wrap up, more studies need to be in place to prove the validity of certain hopeful interventions. Parents need to know what options are available to them instead of hopping on the first methodology train that comes along. Through autismtoday.com we are implementing two such programs. The first is an unbiased study for glyconutrients in a predetermined group of children with autism. The second part of the effort involves devoting a portion of our site, which will be geared to offering a way for parents to sample some different methodologies for their children before deciding on a particular approach of treatment for their child.

Karen Simmons, known to many as “The Autism Lady” is the mother of six, one of which as autism, author of “Little Rainman”, “The Autism Experience”, “Artism”, “Surrounded By Miracle’s and “Peace of Mind for Autism” (CD). She has been featured in local media as well as Woman’s World Magazine, CBC Radio, The Donna Seebo Show and The Vicki Gabreau Show. Also she is the CEO and founder of Autism Today Online Magazine at http://www.autismtoday.com, which is host to the top autism experts in the field today.

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Closing the Door on the Autism Epidemic - Early Prediction and Successful Intervention Now Possible

Closing the Door on the Autism Epidemic

In order to rid this nation and the world of autism we must first know the cause for these neurological disorders. With the cause understood, we can predict which individuals will be at the highest risk for developing the symptoms of autism. This test covers the entire age range as individuals have been known to incur these risk factors at any age. The prediction of autism is now possible by completing a simple survey. This survey is based upon fifteen environmental and dietary markers for autism that have been shown to be accurate more than 95% of the time in a study involving more than a thousand individuals. It is believed this test, with early intervention for those found to be at high risk, will allow us to close the door on the autism epidemic thus stopping the development of more children with autism.

Early Prediction
The recently developed screening test has been shown to identify the greatest risk factors for developing autism and it is now being implemented on a limited basis. The symptoms of autism are simply an expression of the various nutritional deficiencies associated with picky eaters or those who fail to eat an adequate diet for good health. The expressions of autism are many and include any or several of the following: toe walking, rocking, tantrums, meltdowns, repetitive speech, lack of eye contact, tics, speech impairment or non-verbal, etc. that pose social problems plus many other symptoms. Some individuals express amazing abilities in math, art, or music but the cause for these talents are not well understood.

The incidence of autism in the U.S. is about 1% of the population or 1 in 88 children and is reported to be increasing at the rate of 10-17% per year. This survey is appropriate in all cases to predict the risk of developing autism. The survey will identify if the individual is in a high risk category even though symptoms are not yet present.

Successful Intervention
Once the survey is completed and the level of risk has been identified, the type and extent of early intervention will depend upon the analysis of the survey results. The appropriate intervention will totally eliminate the risks identified in most cases and at a fraction of the cost associated with searching for a medical solution. The primary treatments generally employed by the medical professions for autism, are for the treatment of medical problems. Autism is not a medical problem but having autism can lead to numerous medical problems.

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. His recently developed screening test is being implemented on a limited basis so that the success of the various interventions can be more accurately confirmed. For more information on this 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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The Power of Positive Self-Talk for Kids With Autism

What type of messages do you think are going on inside your child's mind? Children with special needs such as Autism will intuitively grasp that they are different and pick up on the less than positive judgments from others - however subtle they may be.

Do you pay attention to that voice inside your head? I am not talking about auditory hallucinations here. I am referring to the things we say to ourselves everyday. That continuous chatter of our inner dialogues that typically never stops unless we actively meditate.

Experts tell us that we are constantly talking to ourselves, using between 150 and 300 words a minute to be exact. We plan what needs to be done next or we review things that just happened. Most of this self-talk is harmless yet some of it is detrimental to our self-worth. "That was so stupid of me." or "I will never be popular... thin, smart, pretty, etc." You know what I am talking about. We battle with this every day.

Having some negative self-talk from time to time is to be expected but it is important to be mindful about how often we do this so that it doesn't become our default mode. Unfortunately, these malicious little voices can be even more powerful than positive affirmations because we often find them easier to accept.

Each pessimistic thought or word is a negative affirmation and has the capacity to do a lot of damage if allowed to continue. Self-fulfilling prophecies are built from the thoughts that run inside our heads so repeating positive messages makes better sense if we want to create optimistic possibilities.

We will begin to accept whatever our conscious mind comes to believe, it's that simple. But turning off the negative isn't really that simple to do and if it isn't easy for us as adults think of how difficult it is for our children.

Solution: Teach kids positive affirmations at an early age.

Regardless of your child's challenges and abilities - ALL children will benefit from learning to listen to the positive voices inside their heads and if they don't have many, we need to help them develop some. The more we help our children focus on positive self-talk the more it will minimize the self-blame and doubt that sprouts from paying too much attention to the negative.

As adults we can prevent them from creating a broken record of negative self-talk that gets in the way of progress. We can give our children a jumpstart by teaching them positive affirmations while they are young, setting the stage for good habits to take hold.

For those of you who saw the movie, The Help, there is a powerful example of helping a child develop positive affirmations when Aibileen, a third generation housemaid, who has helped raise seventeen children, teaches Mae, the little girl currently in her care, to repeat the words, "I am smart, I am kind, I am important."

When we encourage our kids to speak and believe such statements instead of "I can't... " or "I should..." etc we are giving them the best gift there is to help them reach their full potential and experience success in life.

In order to get these statements to soak deep into their subconscious mind we can also write these affirmations down and post them in places that our child is apt to run into on a daily basis. The bathroom mirror, their bedside table, the refrigerator, the TV or computer screen and their lunchbox are all good examples of where to place affirmations.

Depending on where your child is on the Autism spectrum, he or she may be more visual and think in pictures. Therefore, find visual pictures that represent the affirmation you want them to absorb and cut them out. Have them look for pictures of what is important to them or what they are good at (or want to be good at).

You can then use these photographs and pictures to make a vision board with your child. This is a great tool to create a positive atmosphere in a child's bedroom, a place where they can refer to it often. Doing this activity together will not only enhance your connection to your child but it will also give you insight into their likes and dislikes, their passions and interests.

They sooner we can help our children to acquire a habit of dismissing the negative dialogue inside their heads and replacing it with positive and affirming self-talk, the sooner our children will be on the road to maximizing their potential. It is a well-known fact that maintaining good thoughts about one's self creates a mindset conducive to growth and an attitude and spirit that is ripe for blossoming. What better gift can you give a child with Autism?

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.

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Occupational Therapy For Children With Autism

Everybody has things that they do in everyday life that are important to them. These are called meaningful occupations, because they have a particular importance to the individual. For children, a meaningful occupation is that of a player, learner, friend and son/daughter. In order for a child to engage in these roles, there are many skills and abilities the child needs to develop. For example, for a child to be a friend to someone, he must be able to communicate, empathise and negotiate. The areas that children with Autism often present with difficulties is in communicating, maintaining eye contact, responding to the feelings of others, maintaining appropriate levels of alertness, screening out irrelevant information, and the use of fine motor and gross motor skills. These difficulties when combined can cause the child to struggle maintaining friendships, learn at school, or communicate how he/she feels.

Occupational Therapists work with children with Autism to find out what is meaningful to the child, identify barriers, and facilitate for the child to engage in those meaningful occupations. Occupational Therapists often work on the sensory processing difficulties that children have. This includes tactile defensiveness, where the OT gradually introduces new textures so the child can maintain alertness and not be distracted by particular sensations. Other areas that OT's work is building the child's skills in recognizing the feelings of others, and the skills required for self care tasks such as eating, dressing, playing. Education is important for the family and teachers to ensure they understand the learning, sensory and communication needs of the child.

Want to learn more about child development and parenting? Eileen Simoni invites you to find the BEST help for your child. Get access to our competitions and discounts, and find out whats hot on the family calendar. Child Of Mine is Australia's largest video directory for parents. Come and join us CELEBRATE the abilities of all children. Sign up for a free membership today at [http://www.childofmine.com.au]

Eileen Simoni

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