Autistic

(Denver) The debate over vaccines and autism is back in court. Nearly 4,900 families of autistic children are suing the government. Kathy Walsh has more on their claims and this on-going controversy. Tech Tags: children's newswatch children's news kids news children kids youth

The story indicates that if an autistic child was in danger in a fire, that if a firefighter told the child to get away from the burning building, the child might do the opposite. So, with a growing number of children having autism — one in 94 in New Jersey — some parents of autistic children are calling on officials here to require that police and fire employees undergo autism-awareness train

Criminal charges have been dropped against a doctor accused of causing the death of a 5-year-old autistic boy. Dr. Roy Kerry was using chelation therapy on Abubakar Tariq Nadama in 2005. Chelation is an approved treatment for acute heavy metal poisoning; some believe it is a promising treatment for autism, but the FDA and CDC do not agree. The CDC claimed that the boy was given a synthetic amino acid called Disodium EDTA instead of Calcium Disodium EDTA. Kerry's attorney, Al Lindsay, denied that the use of the drug was an incorrect choice, that it was administered improperly, and that it caused the boy’s death. Lindsay said the boy died of a lack of oxygen to the brain, which was caused by a heart problem not associated with the drug. Kerry still faces a civil lawsuit by the boy's parent

Music has a universal ability to tap into our deepest emotions. Unfortunately, for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), understanding emotions is a very difficult task. Can music help them? Thanks to funding from the GRAMMY Foundation Grant... Tech Tags: children's newswatch children's news kids news children kids youth

Parents of autistic children are twice as likely to have been hospitalized for a serious mental disorder than the parents of children without the disorder, suggests new research. A review of Swedish birth and hospital records by U.S. researchers reveals... Tech Tags: children's newswatch children's news kids news children kids youth

Some bloggers have sitemeters. Some bloggers check their sitemeters to see who is searching what subject, if they are brave. Occasionally I am brave and check. What follows are three pieces upon subjects that three people researched via google. This is the second topic.CaressingI wonder what the searcher wanted to know? For current purposes I shall assume that we are in the realm of touch.I have two different perspectives to offer.My older son often appears impervious to pain.My younger son is on a different spot on the spectrum. Any touch by anything is ‘felt’ almost before contact, especially the area above his shoulders. It is as if he has a force field around him, To read on click "here"If you like what you read, send it to someone in 'need.'

In Wait list for autism therapy growing, critics charge the Star.com reports that "the wait list of autistic children who are eligible to receive intensive behavioural intervention therapy, or IBI, reached 1,148 on March 31, up from 985 last year." NDP critics argue that the government is moving at a slow, even glacial, pace resulting in many children "rotting on the vine" in the words of NDP critic Andrea Horwath who was also quoting parents she had met at a town hall meeting. The article describes spending increases by the McGuinty government but does not really describe a plan for getting children off the autism wait lists.When I was in Ontario last week, as part of the Medicare for Autism NOW! campaign, I had the privilege of meeting some Ontario parents and discussing autism

As with any illness, disease, or disorder, there are a number of medicine options available to help control these symptoms. It is important to remember that none of these medications will “cure” autism; they simply help control some of the effects of the disorder. There are advantages and disadvantages to each drug, as they all [...]

Although planning a family vacation with children may make any parents pull out his or her hair, it can be a rewarding experience for everyone in the end. It is no different if you have an autistic child in the family. The important thing to remember is that you need to be prepared for whatever [...]

autism effects every child differently, so it is difficult to find the exact treatments your child needs to cope with his or her symptoms. One thing that effects some autistic children (though, not all) is problems with visual perception. By using some standardized methods to help improve visual perception, you can give your child the [...]

Unfortunately, in modern times, many marriages end in divorce or separation. This statistic rises even higher when you mix in an autistic child. No matter how loving and understanding you both may be towards your child, the truth is that autism is a very difficult matter, and strain on the marriage is not uncommon. By [...]

One of the most major transitions in any person’s life is that from school to work. In high school or college, many people lead a protected life and are still helped financially and otherwise by their parents. After school, these ties are often cut, leaving the recent graduate to fend for his- or herself. This [...]

The news that a child in the family is autistic is most often met with a number of reactions. While all family members, even extended, would be supportive in an ideal world, the sad truth is that many are disgusted or disappointed. Does a family member scold the autistic child often? Does he or she [...]

When a family member is diagnosed with autism, there is a vast amount of information teaching parents how to cope with an autistic child, and there is also information for parents about dealing with an autistic child’s different behaviors. However, there are fewer learning tools for those who have an autistic sibling, even though this [...]

The financial burden for a family with an Autistic child can be astounding. Financial aid is difficult at best to find and the majority of funding for Autism, meagre as it is, is given to research. There is a little light at the end of the tunnel for families dealing with Autism. More: continued here [...]

Although planning a family vacation with children may make any parents pull out his or her hair, it can be a rewarding experience for everyone in the end. It is no different if you have an autistic child in the family. The important thing to remember is that you need to be prepared for whatever [...]

This from Deborah Yetter at the Courier-Journal: Mother complains that school isolated son in room 78 times"They keep calling it a time-out room," said Jeanie Montgomery of Centerfield, who has pulled her son from Crestwood. "It is a closet."Montgomery has filed a sworn complaint with the state Department of Education, alleging the school has violated her son's rights when it locked him in the 32-square-foot room built specifically to deal with disruptive behavior.Her complaint cites school records showing that Matthew was placed in the room 78 times during an 11-week period last year.Montgomery said she also has filed several complaints with state child-protective-service officials over the school's use of the time-out room, as well as recent instances in which she says Matthew came home

Health Minister Michael MurphySocial Development Minister Mary SchryerDear Honourable MinistersWill New Brunswick Care for Autistic Adults?I am the proud father of two terrific sons. The younger is a wonderful 12 year old boy with Autistic Disorder who is also assessed with profound developmental delays. When he was diagnosed with an autism disorder at age 2 there was very little in the way of autism specific services available in New Brunswick. Since then, with a cooperative effort by the Autism Society New Brunswick and governments led by both major political parties, there have been very substantial improvements in autism services in pre-school and school years but nothing has been done to improve the lives of autistic adults. Our current residential care and treatment system for

I came across this piece on Life Happens by Donna Mason. The Effects on Siblings of Autistic Children Oftentimes it is true that the child that makes the most noise, gets the most attention. This is true in a lot of families and moreso in families with children with Autism. Autistic children also require a lot more time and attention. In a family with more than one autistic child, it is doubly so. This could lead to a greater risk of sibling rivalry. Not for the challenges usually associated with these words but for attention. With the care that Autistic children need, it would be easy for the unaffected child in the family to get a little lost in the shuffle. Over time, this could lead to the unaffected child feeling resentful of their Autistic siblings and to begin a little attentio

Autism effects every child differently, so it is difficult to find the exact treatments your child needs to cope with his or her symptoms. One thing that effects some autistic children (though, not all) is problems with visual perception. By using some standardized methods to help improve visual perception, you can give your child the [...]

This article is an updated repost of a previous comment made on this site in 2006 which also previously appeared in an Autism Society New Brunswick newsletter. Since these tips were originally drafted ASNB has been successful in encouraging the provincial government to train teacher aides and resource teachers at the UNB-CEL Autism Intervention Training program. Premier Shawn Graham and Education Minister Kelly Lamrock have commited to training 100 TA's and resource teachers per year for 4 years at UNB-CEL AIT. One year's class has graduated and another should be starting soon. The training for these positions roughly reflects the training offered to Autism Support Workers and Clinical Supervisors who provide intervention in the pre-school agencies. Notwithstanding the above commitment

Autism, a neurological-based developmental disability, affects an estimated one in 166 people, according to a 2004 study by the Centers for Disease Control Prevention. Both children and adults with Autism typically show difficulties in verbal and nonverbal communication, social interactions and leisure or play activities, according to the Autism Society of America. Autism affects individuals [...]

The major media is again featuring a high functioning person with Aspergers who claims that autistics don't want to be cured. In the Chicago Tribune.com Alex Plank offers the anti-cure ideology promoted by Jim Sinclair, Michelle Dawson and Amanda Baggs, all very high functioning persons with pervasive developmental disorders which are often casually referred to as autism spectrum disorders. Mr. Plank according to the article " has a girlfriend and is interested in computers, writing and acting." So why should Mr. Plank want to be cured? I am not sure how or why Mr. Plank, or family members, sought and obtained his pervasive developmental disorder diagnosis. Given his own self description it is hard to see why he was even diagnosed in the first place but he certainly is not qualified to

In Injury propensity among children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Clinical Psychologist and blogger Nestor L. Lopez-Duran Ph.D., host of Translating Autism, reviews a study which , in Nestor's words, "provides some compelling evidence indicating a higher risk of injury in children with autism as compared to typically developing children. "The study - McDermott, S., Zhou, L., Mann, J. (2008). Injury Treatment among Children with Autism or Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38(4), 626-633. DOI 10.1007/s10803-007-0426-9 provides information which confirms what many parents already know - children with autism are more likely to be injured than typically developing children. Generally children with autism disorder are 21% more likely to be in

(Philadelphia) A local Toys R' Us is selecting special toys to help autistic kids in their development, Natash Brown reports.children's newswatch children's news kids news children kids youth autism

Both subjective and objective factors could trigger autistic tendencies. The subjective factor refers that some children might be born with shy and introverted character, which makes them not good at communication. The subjective factors basically come form family education. In addition, some children avoid social contact because of bad experience in interpersonal relationships. Autistic tendencies [...]

According to the Tifton Gazette an 8 year old non verbal autistic boy at Horizon Academy in Tifton, Georgia has been charged with assault after he bit his teacher. The teacher claims to have been walking by the student, engaged in regular teaching duties, when he reached up and bit her on top of her right arm. (This seems a little strange if the boy was seated how was he able to reach up and bite her on top of her arm while she walked by?).I am amazed that an 8 year old non verbal autistic boy was charged with assault in this case. Many severely autistic children bite themselves and others. It is sometimes a part of their neurological disorder. The boy might well have been overwhelmed by his placement in a classroom with other students and might have needed instruction in a quiete

CNN is continuing its shameful treatment of persons with severe Autism Disorder. If your only knowledge of autism was garnered from viewing CNN broadcasts or blogs you might think that autism is not a disorder, that every autistic person finds a way to communicate and that all autistic persons live happily ever after. You would not know that many persons with severe Autism Disorder, not Aspergers, not PDD-NOS, but Autism Disorder with profound developmental delays, require constant care and supervision. Some live their lives in residential and institutional care facilities. Some are assaulted in their residential facilities and lack the communication ability to express themselves to others. You would not know these things because CNN does not cover the "feel bad" autism stories, only t

The increase in the numbers of people with autism disorders is heading toward a new and critical phase - adulthood. Like everyone, as they enter adulthood, the needs of people with autism will change. The 1990's witnessed startling increases in autism disorder diagnoses which are now estimated by the CDC to affect 1 in 150 people and 1 in 98 males. There are those who offer their opinions that the incredible increases in autism diagnoses are purely reflective of changing diagnostic definitions and societal awareness but other than the diagnostic definition changes there is little solid evidence on which to base their opinions.A change in definitions of autism disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of he American in the early 90's, widely applied by the late 90's undoubtedly a

Police in the Los Angeles area are asking for public help in finding a 20 year old autistic man, with the mental capacity of an 8 year old, who has gone missing:Police are asking for the public's help to find a missing 20-year-old Sylmar man with autism. Daniel Robert Logan has been missing for two days, according to his family. Logan, who police say has the mental capacity of an 8-year-old, was last seen Wednesday at his residence on Cobalt Street.The police say Logan is also unlikely to ask anyone for assistance. He knows his name, birth date and address, but does not remember his telephone number.Logan is described as 6 feet tall, 160 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, and probably at this point sporting facial hair. He was last seen wearing a gray shirt, blue jeans and black slip-

CNN has offered a number of features on autism over the past few years. For reasons that remain unknown to many parents of autistic children CNN with all its resources and with its ability to speak to the world has chosen to obsess over Amanda Baggs, an allegedly low functioning autistic person, diagnosed with an autism disorder as a young woman, who amongst other abilities and accomplishments, was able to attend a college for gifted young people, (Simon's Rock College), make friends, and engage educators and professionals in discussion. Meanwhile CNN ignores the plight of millions of autistic people around the globe, including autistic children who hurt themselves quite severely.DailyRecord.co.uk is not as squeamish as CNN. In Help My Autistic Daughter Before She Kills Herself, the

The great and unshakable certainty in each person's life is that it ends, that at some point each of us dies. Most of us put that undeniable reality out of our minds as we go about our daily lives. We use euphemisms to describe the reality of death. We refer to the "time of our passing" or "when I am gone". In that way we are able to enjoy our time, the precious, fleeting moments that we have allotted to us. But for some of us it is not that easy to forget what waits for us. Some of us have a child that we know will not be able to live independently, to care for himself or herself as adults. That is the case for many parents of severely autistic children. Like many I wonder who will care for my autistic son when I am dead.In New Brunswick, Canada at this ti

"We trusted this caregiver, the assistant teacher, with our child, the most precious thing we have, and she violated that trust day after day by victimizing her," Spitzer said. "And this was a victim that couldn't speak, that couldn't tell anybody she was hungry or that her teacher was stealing from her."- Shawn SpitzerShawn Spitzer was commenting in the LA Times, about the Teacher's Assistant sentenced to six months in jail for stealing lunch money on 57 occasions over a three month period from her severely autistic 13 year old daughter who cannot speak. Ms Spitzer had been puzzled by her daughter's behavior, heading straight for the refrigerator when she got home from school every day, even though she had always been given a lunch box of snacks and money to buy a hot meal. Using a hi

The ocregister reports that a teacher's aide has been arrested on suspicion of felony child abuse after two other staff members at Alton School reported that he had repeatedly hit a teenage autistic boy on the arm while he sat at his desk, twisted his am behind his back, and lifted him out of the chair to his feet. The aide reportedly told detectives that "he had "crossed the line" in dealing with the teenager."The aide is now being held in Orange County jail. I am guessing that he will not "cross the line" in dealing with guards at the jail.autism

It is sometimes difficult to listen to, or read, statements by a few celebrity, high functioning autistic persons, and others who embrace their ideology, who claim that autism is just another natural variation of the human condition, a difference to be embraced, a joy in itself. I have never pretended to accept this view. At least not for those, like my son, for whom autism presents serious life restrictions and risks. One of those dangerous, even life threatening risks, is the tendency of some autistics to wander off, to get lost ... or worse. In some cases things end well ..... in others they do not. This story has a good ending:Missing Autistic Girl, 13, Found Safe, ... Janelle Halbrook had last been seen near Lake Center Middle School at Clarkman Street and Pioneer Boulevard ar

Now, don't get your curlers in a bunch. This is only a theory that someone presented to me a while ago. This individual's thoughts are out there, but for those who believe in the supernatural....The person's possible theory: What if Autism is a higher level of thinking and behavior that we don't understand. Almost as if they are intelligent life instead of being beneath us as many believe.This isn't my own theory, however, and to think that my ex-husband, his father, is some sort of extra-terrestrial.....come to think of it, that would explain a lot of things about him -- His toes, habits... Anyway, I digress. MY SON IS NOT AN ALIEN! He's just different and different does not a subhuman make. With that said, exactly what is he?In my years of living with him, I've found that he is beyond th

As a parent of an Autistic child, I have often wondered many things: "Will he ever find love and get married?" "Will he have children?" "What will happened to him when he graduates?" "Will he learn skills to be employable?" "Where will he live when he becomes an adult?" These worries abound especially now that he has hit puberty, has designs on one of his classmates and pops anyone upside the head if they even consider looking at her.I know that he has skills -- his highest score on Bop It is well over 200! Okay, so he's not an Autistic Savant, but I tried to play that handheld game and the most I could get was a measly 20 correct before the voice groaned, "Nooooooo! You're out!" But, because he can train his mind to listen and quickly produce what has been asked of him shows me that

In Scotland Lacks Autism Services I commented on an article on healthcarerepublic on July 6, 2007 and the lack of services for people with autism in Scotland. That article, Call to find autism early in Scotland, focused on guidelines published by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) calling on doctors to look for signs of autism in children and adolescents, including problems with social interaction and play, speech and behaviours. The article also expressed the doubt of many professionals in Scotland that early diagnosis would make much difference because of the lack of autism services available in Scotland.In Revealed: ‘invisible’ adults living with autism, the Sunday Herald today reports, on an impending report by the National Autistic Society, the lack of service

The reality of autism is much more than heart warming feel good stories. The reality of autism is not a culture, or a life style choice, for many severely affected persons with autism and their families. The news is often filled with such stories of autistic persons, children and adults, who wander off, and get lost, unable to look out for their own safety and well being. Sometimes such stories have happy conclusions. Other times ... they do not. I have commented in the past of a terrifying personal experience when my son left our home while I was talking on the phone. In the Chicago area TWO autistic men wandered off, went missing, in the last week alone. In Family searches for missing man abc7chicago reports on 21 year old Jamaris Collins, who has the mental c

By: Alphonso Sirtle... Many parents with Autistic children are afraid to let their child be a kid. They get so wrapped up in their child's treatment they forget to let them have fun. They focus on keeping them safe, and become to protective. The child's life becomes full of doctors, or therapy appointments. They get little time to just be a kid. While it is important to keep your child safe it is also important to give them time to do things they like. Here are some things you can do to make sure your child gets to be a kid.1. Give your Autistic child a certain time each day to do whatever they want to. If they have a toy or game they like to play let them. Everyone needs a break from doctors appointments and such.2. Arrange activities for your child that they like. This could be something like a trip to the park once a week, or a meal at their favorite restaurant. Let the child pick the activity. Maybe they would like some time to spend with grandma, or grandpa.3. Let them run and p

Do Not Spank your Autistic Child - Many parents use spanking to discipline their children. For children with autism, the decision to spank the child is a very difficult and heart wrenching to make. Many autistic children act out to be violent and aggressive and do not react well to additional stress and violence caused on them. More: continued here Other Review: Medela Vehicle Lighter Adapter (Baby Product)

As with any illness, disease, or disorder, there are a number of medicine options available to help control these symptoms. It is important to remember that none of these medications will "cure" autism; they simply help control some of the effects of the disorder. There are advantages and disadvantages to each drug, as they all have side effects as well as benefits. When choosing medicines to effectively treat autism, your doctor can make recommendations, but since autism is a disorder which varies from person to person, you should use drugs very carefully, watching to see how the body reacts to the treatments. First, consider the safety of the drug. Some cannot be used in children or in people under a certain weight. Make sure the dosage is easy to understand and before you choose one medicine or another find out how it is administered (pills, injections, liquid, etc). This is important if you are not comfortable with certain methods, such as injecting yourself or your chil

It's one of those "Theory of Mind" hic-cups. Some prefer to call is guileless or innocence. They don't dissemble or sugar coat the truth. What you see is what you get, quite refreshing in some respects. It's one of those developmental milestones that some children never reach. I grit my teeth and book the Respite worker for the three hour minimum. Every thing has been planned with careful precision. The parent teacher conference is only half an hour. Superior being that I am, I cannot be in two places at one time. The babysitter will come 45 minutes early, 30 minutes to become familiar [ish] and 15 minutes to allow me to drive to school. 30 minutes conference, 15 minutes home. One and a half hours work for three hours pay. This is the kind of job I want.I brief her. My only requirement is that homework is completed whilst I'm away. I resolve that I shall prompt them through the other complex chores myself on return, or if really desperate, do them myself.I spend a bl

Really ain't a picture that can show what OCD is, but this is as a good a one as I've ever seen....  This morning I got back from my run with Buddy, and Demetrius and Maya were at the table at breakfast.  Maya eating her cereal, Demetrius his toast and jam.  Demetrius was bright eyed and bushy tailed, Maya – not so much.   Demetrius: Daddy, Nonni and Grandpa are coming to the house in three weeks and will take us to a hotel and we will swim and watch movies and eat pizza at Chuck E. Cheese.  I found the DVD player (travel sized one) and want to watch Pooh Bear’s Christmas. He is completely obsessed with this and I’m just not in the mood to hear it over and over again, which is, of course, what he did. So there I was, irritated with this, ‘OCD-ing’ and finally got him to stop talking about it….under threat of his life.  He got on the bus and Kim and I got ready for his special needs pediatrician appointment.  We went over our game plan of what we wanted to talk

A young autistic boy has been given a new life it seems, and it’s all due to a dog named Topper… “Life started for us,” Lisa Jacobson says, on May 26 - the day Topper arrived. The 86-pound black lab-golden retriever mix wasn’t just a pet the Jacobson family had adopted. He came to their home with a higher purpose. Frank and Lisa Jacobson’s son Justin, 9, was diagnosed with autism when he was 3. They persevered through the neurological disorder’s symptoms - random outbursts and running off, for example - that appeared as Justin got older. But the onset of 30-minute epileptic seizures last year that took Justin out of school and put him into the hospital for more than a month was overwhelming for the family. There was a ray of hope during the hospital stay - it came from a random visit from “Teddy Bear,” a dog that traversed Mary Bridge Hospital to put smiles on the faces of patients. Justin took to the dog immediately. The animal s

Whilst I have a tendency to exaggerate, the truth of the matter is that careful planning is often the key to success. I decide that I will be successful. To increase my chances of success, I know that the best thing to do is to plot a time line, a feasibility study, for a trip to the supermarket. I am an American. I have a huge positive attitude. Fortune favours the brave! Then I'll check my energy reserves to see if we have a match?Albertson's is our nearest grocery store. I assume that we will spend the barest minimum of time within it's confines, 10 minutes maximum, to include paying and bagging at the check out. I determine which six items are most essential, in case we need to bail early, as well as an escape route, that doesn't include carrying anyone. Ten minutes drive there, and back again, with accompanying screams. That would be half an hour tops. I flick the corner of the on-line coupon I have been saving for an emergency. It would be so wonderful to have all

The front cover of the book Autistic Planet by Jennifer Elder (published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers) Last night we read the book Autistic Planet to Maya for the first time. She enjoyed it, the book was simple and to the point. She got it that some kids are 'different'...though she still seems to be missing the point that her brother is autistic. Demetrius wanted a book about Clifford and a new comic book he got in the mail read to him earlier in the day. That being said, after talking with Kim, here are our thoughts on the book: This is a simple, easy-to-read book that could be read to a class of children. However, we think it would need to be read by an adult that can answer the 'why' type of questions that this story will prompt and he/she (adult) will also need to be able to interpret the examples within and apply them to the wee-ones in the reading circle. This begs the question - what real-world example would the adult use to explain? There is a page toward the end of th

Ask: I’m teaching a boy with Autism and I’m trying to have more patience with him. Is there any way I can keep his attention for more than a few seconds? He’s a 7 year old with the mind of a 3 year old. He doesn’t talk, only baby words. Answer: This varies with each autistic child. I [...]

Ask: A close friend of the family adopted a boy who is 10 and is autistic. We’re meeting him for the first time tomorrow afternoon over lunch. I don’t really know much about autism so I just want to know if there is anything I should avoid saying or doing that might not be good or set [...]

The electronic toy, which is called LINKX, consists of blocks that the children must place against a specific object. The objects — for example a table or a window — are equipped with a small electronic device of a certain colour. If the children place a block against such an object, the block lights up in the same colour as the object and the child hears the word that corresponds to the name of the object (this word has been pre-recorded by the child’s parents).” ~ ScienceDaily.com, New Language Development Toy For Autistic Children Here is a link to the Product/Project Page. Check out the movie about the project, too. It’s ashame this item is not available for purchase, as of yet. At the bottom of the ID - StudioLab page there is an email link to express interest in the product. Related Links: StudioLab | LINKX ScienceDaily.Com | Product Press Release

The doctor who caused a worldwide drop in childhood immunisation nearly ten years ago by suggesting there was a link between the measles, mumps rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism is facing a disciplinary hearing with his two fellow researchers. Dr Andrew Wakefield, Professors Simon Murch and John Walker Smith, are accused of serious professional misconduct [...]

Hey guys: I'm going to review this book on the blog in a few days, but if your interested in lining up to get your copy now, here's the skinny on it from the publisher: Go Ahead and Flap Your Arms New Children’s Book Gives Insight into an Alternative Reality   “When your world spins out of line, you’re always welcome back to mine.” —Autistic Planet   Do you ever wonder what it would be like to have autism? What if everyone if the world was autistic? Welcome to Autistic Planet (June 2007; Jessica Kingsley Publishers; $16.95; paperback; 978-1-84310-842-9) a new book by Jennifer Elder, author of the bestseller Different Like Me: My Book of Autism Heroes. Enter a magical world where all trains run exactly on time, where people working in offices have rocking chairs, and where all kids dream of winning the chess World Cup. Take a journey to this alternative reality, where being different is ordinary, and being “typical” is unheard of. Written as a dialogue between two yo

Ask: My friend has a brother who had autism, he seems pretty normal to me though, autistic kids dn’t show emtionbut the hamsters or something died and he was cryin, like he was really upset and things like jokes he laughs truely, he has a little brother who is 3, he’s great with him, if [...]

Ask:I suspect that my baby brother (3 years-old) has fully developed many of the symptoms of autism. I’m really concerned and I want to know if he has it or not. The reason I want to know is because I don’t want him to be misinterpreted, harrassed, or mistreated later on in life. I want to [...]

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Most Mothers Of Children With Autism Show Great Strength Under StressThe shock of a mother finding out her child has autism is life-changing for most. But a new study shows moms can fare well emotionally and still have a strong bond with their child. Christina Adams says when her son Jonah's diagnosis was confirmed around the time of his third birthday, her life changed forever. In an instant she was transformed from the mother of a bright but somewhat "different" little boy into the mother of a child with autism. "It is a terrifying, horrific time when you realize that your life is never going to be the same again," she tells WebMD. "But it is also a watershed moment when your love for your child becomes more than you ever dreamed it could be." New research into the coping skills of mothers of autistic children confirms that they are more likely to report "poor or fair" emotional health and mental health than other moms. But they are also more likely to show "remarkable strengths," t

If you’re sick of hearing about all the “deficits” challenging people on the autism spectrum, join the club! But for every down side to autism, there seems to be a positive — an unusual trait that rarely appears among the “typical” community, but shines out among autistic folk. These plusses are well worth celebrating.1. Autistic [...]

1.Find out what kind of support is available outside the district in the area. They should know this if they are at all attuned to the needs of their students. 2.We checked out the schools before we checked out the houses. Opted for a smaller school outside the city. Less stress and shuffle. 3.Don’t underestimate how stressful [...]

It is the middle of a lesson in the classroom at Greenbriar Public School in Brampton, and the boys, aged 12 to 14, take turns jumping on the trampoline in between listening to their teacher. “It releases tension,” teacher Carole Ann MacDonald says matter-of-factly, as she surveys a classroom that also includes terrariums, a beanbag chair, [...]

When your child is diagnosed with autism, there may be a tendency to panic. [translation = probably only me] It is quite possible that panic will prompt a parent into frenzied activity. [translation = research ‘fix it’ yesterday, but faster] After this phase when the fog lifts a little, it may be that the parent sets some goals, tiny ones. It is a good idea to identify some trivial matter that makes life exceptionally difficult and work on that little bit only. [translation = baby steps] In our family circumstances, I decided that henceforward, we would collect the mail from the mailbox every day.Let me explain. The mail comes daily and is placed in the mail box on the fence in the garden. I found that I was unable to leave the house and the mail would accumulate day after day, much to the annoyance of the mail carrier. The problem, was that if I left the house with my children inside, they would panic during the minute and a half that I was absent, even though I was cle

1.Modify the Environment Safety is key. And for autistic children, creating a safe environment is a challenge. Since so many of your child’s behaviors may have the potential to be dangerous, it’s important to take precautions such as bolting shelves to the walls and floor, putting a dead bolt on the front door, and latching cabinets [...]

Make sure the program deals with all aspects of autism. Make sure the people offering the program are professionally qualified. Seek advice from your doctor, autism professionals and autism organisations. Only choose management programs that are based on sound, scientific principles. It might be best to avoid experimental programs. Consult with your doctor or autism professionals for guidance. Be wary [...]

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee Jeff Donohoo, a 36 year old man suffering from autism, is a quiet person until someone brings up his life’s true passion: the Atlanta Braves. Nancy Donohoo, Jeff's mother said, "Since they grew up with him, they just knew Jeff was Jeff. They didn't think of him as weird or ...