Today is October 22, 2009 and last Friday I went to the pediatrician with Nicholas.  He told me after Nicholas had tried the stratterra and the concerta just recently that maybe Nicholas didn’t need meds.  He said this because I had reported that the recent use of concerta made his tics worse and that he had problems going to sleep with this new medication.  Seeing as both drugs and no drugs had no real behaviour modification changes for the better, the doctor retold me to go back to behaviour modifications at home on my own with a new stratedgy in mind.  He told me about the rights of a child and the child’s priveledges and that I need to make that fine line of the big difference.  I guess I new about this before but what I was doing before wasn’t working.  I was taking Nicholas’ priveledges away for wrong doing.  However, I hadn’t been implementing the earning part of it.  He now has to earn his right to the priveledges.  Tomorrow will be one week since we started the new technique of earning the priveledges.  It is actually working better than I had thought it would.  Sure he is going to try and get the attention seeking behaviours out and rant and rave about it but I won’t give in!  Apparently hugs are earned too?!  So obviously if a child wakes from a nightmare and cry’s you can give the hug, however, if the child is freaking out and having a rage fit and then wants a hug later about that same situation then the answer would be absolutely NO.  

Derek loves Halloween...yes it does have something to do with candy but not as much as it used to...he likes dressing as one of his favorite movie characters once a year (or more) and walking around and other than the fact that he is 2 or more feet taller than most of the other kids he feels like one of them on Halloween.

In the past he has dressed as:

Prince Charming(Sleeping Beauty) - Willy Wonka - Cat in the Hat - Cowardly Lion(last year even put on make up) and this year it took a while to decide but the pick is in and the winner is......American Legend Paul Bunyan

I knew the invitation said snacks, but they usually serve grapes and vegetables.  To the delight of all there were cupcakes, danishes, apples with caramel dip, and sandwhich rolls.  That is a delight to everyone but me.  I froze and before I could move Chase was yelling "MUPPINS!!!".  To keep peace and not to drag my son screaming from the gym (which we all know amplifies children's sounds) and then to the car because we would have had to leave.  Forgive me, but I let him indulge.  I wanted to see my daughters in their program.  Well, as you quessed it I had to leave anyway.  Not even 15 minutes into the program Chase was pushing himself across the floor on the slick gym surface and foaming at the mouth.  Happy as could be, but quite the distraction.  Gotta love it.

We had a hard time picking out a name for the baby.

We went through dozens of name books, web sites, family history and favorite books and movies. We whispered names and yelled them, wrote out monograms and said the whole family’s names together in a roll call.

It wasn’t until the hospital forced us to fill out the paperwork, two days after Quinn was born, that we decided that yes, Quinn was it.

Quinn had other ideas.

“Quinn! Quinn! Quinn! QUINN! QUINN! Q-U-I-N-N!”

Nothing.

She always responded to “No!” and “Hey!” but not to her name.

We noticed this long before we started doing any research, but it didn't take long to discover that one major red flag of ASD is a child who consistently ignores their name, even though you are sure they can hear you.

So we started yelling random names and nouns indiscriminately to find out if Quinn was just not what she had in mind:

“Jane!”
“Pilar!”
“Harriet!”
“Obi-Wan!”
“Tilly!”
"Frenchie!"
“Def Lepard!”
“Sandwich!”
"Phillip Seymour Hoffman!"
“Murgatroyd!”

But anything we put into the slot where a name would go did not matter. She ignored us.

I began to suspect she had a secret name, like those singing cats in “CATS.” So I ran through Munkustrap, Quaxo, Coricopat, Bombalurina, and Jellylorum and tried to guess her deep and inscrutable singular name.

It became the world’s longest running modern reenactment of “Rumplestiltskin.”

Although she was mum like a cat, I’m a little ashamed to say we taught her to listen to her name like you would train a puppy. We would move around the room calling her name, and when she came to us she would get M&Ms. No lie. It was like Sandra Dee in "If A Man Answers."  read more »

I am of a generation, and a family, where entire conversations can go by without an original sentence being uttered.

It might go something like this: Simpsons, Simpsons, Dirty Dancing, Seinfeld, High Plains Drifter, Road House, infomercial, Psych, Psych, Breakfast Club, novelty T-shirt, Onion, Simpsons. Then signal the conversation is over by yelling "chung chung" a la "Law and Order."

By the end of it we’ve somehow decided, in our own special idiom, to order pizza, play Battleship, then take the dog out for a walk.

It’s a little like cockney rhyming slang.

So when we would ask Quinn a question like “Are you hungry for breakfast?” and she would respond with “Strawberry, mmmmmm! Lime Cordial, my favorite! Rum punch (hiccup)” We thought nothing of it. Yes, she’s hungry.

Sometimes her recitations seemed almost appropriate:

Pet store clerk: Do you like the puppies?

Quinn: My name is Nemo!

Me: She likes the fish. (Which was true. She hated the puppies.)

Or the time we walked into a screening session and she joyfully declared everyone present “Gorgeous! You’re gorgeous!” They were all so tickled, I didn’t have the heart to tell them that they were playing the role of Grandma in a recent episode of “Max and Ruby.”

And she’ll still do it.  Recently we were shopping and she said, “This is kind of fun (giggle giggle).” And I thought it was so sweet. But I have heard her say the same thing 100 times since then, with the identical reflection, and discovered that it a line from “Land Before Time.”

Once we identified her constant quoting as an issue, we started expanding on what she said and questioning her, and trying to build connections between what she said and what was happening: “Rum punch! Does Mary Poppins have a big spoon? Yes she does. And here is a spoon for Quinn, because you are hungry for your breakfast.”  read more »

Constantly being exposed to problematic behaviors is frustrating! Don't forget to take a time out for yourself. If the moment is too much, walk away until you are calm enough to try again. Try wearing ear plugs to decrease noise or protective pads if your child kicks/hits. Schedule in weekly, daily, and/or hourly breaks for yourself. You are worth it!

Using a token board can help reduce problem behaviors. When used consistently it communicates to the learner how long the task is and what they get in return for the work.

How can I figure out what my child is willing to work for during a task?

1. Ask them

2. Watch what they play with or eat often

3. Hand them a toy and see if they like it

4. Feed them some food and see if they like it

5. Try the same items the next day to see if you get a similar reaction

6. Try using the items during a task vs. free time

Types of reinforcers

1. Edible-food and liquid

2. Social-praise, someone's attention

3. Sensory-feels good, looks good, smells good, tastes good, sounds good

Skillsprout.com

"Instruction, defined functionally, produces behavior changes" (p. 43)

 Barrett, Beatrice H. (2002) The Technology of Teaching Revisited: A Reader's Companion to B.F. Skinner's Book. Concord, MA. Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies.            http://www.behavior.org/

If the instructor's actions did not change student behavior, was instruction effective? 

Tip: If you are not effectively changing behavior within 3 days of instruction, try changing your method again and again.

 http://blog.skillsprout.com/consultation/what-does-instruction-mean/

Consistency

Make sure that the message you are sending to your child is usually the same. EX- "No means no."

Motivation

Will your child enjoy doing what you are asking of them? If not build in motivation. EX-Your child can do math but doesn't really like to. Add in short 2 minute fun time breaks.

Expectations

Does your child know what is expected of them? Show them, tell them, and model what you want to happen. Communicate how long the task lasts, what they will be doing, and what can they get in return? EX-use visual schedules, token boards, and preferred items while modeling the behavior you want to see.

Skill Level

Check to see if your child has all the necessary pre skills to accomplish the goal. EX- Your child likes math but is having trouble completing problems. How fast can they say the numbers, add them, or count in a chain? Are the pre skills fluent or do they take a long time to accomplish?

Knowing this will help you achieve the outcome you are looking for.

http://blog.skillsprout.com/consultation/need-to-know-basics-for-better-outcomes-when-working-with-escaped-maintained-problem-behavior/

Howdy from Tx. Glad you found us. Thank you Todd for bringing us all together. You are our angel =)

I just wanted to say "howdy from Texas". Welcome to this wonderful site. Thanks Todd for all you do. You're our angel honey "muah"

http://www.yaiautismcommunity.org/blog/?p=169

Last Halloween, my son Alex (then 10) kept trying to dash into other people’s apartments when they opened their door at little brother Ned’s “trick or treat!” Alex would crane his neck, hunch his shoulders, then bolt like a top NFL draft pick straight toward the costliest-looking breakable thing he could spot inside. “No, Alex, no! You don’t live here, and these people don’t need you poking around!” And they were nice, but no, they didn’t need that.

We trick-or-treat in a 15-story apartment building, then we go downtown to grandpa’s apartment building and do three or four floors there, then Alex and I usually bag it (ha ha) and head back home to hand out candy. He and I have never joined Jill, Ned and many of the other kids in our building in going to the rest home across the street – just as we don’t do many other special things during the year after reaching what I think is the outer borders of Alex’s autism.

A branch of Toronto's renowned Hospital for Sick Children is being criticized for funding an autism conference whose organizers champion the discredited belief that childhood immunization causes the neurological disorder.

The event -- to start on Saturday at the University of Toronto medical sciences building -- also includes presentations that some experts are calling unproven science, promoting such alternative treatments for autism as homeopathy and hyperbaric oxygen chambers.

Organized by the American group AutismOne and Autism Canada, the meeting has received $5,000 in funding from SickKids Foundation, the hospital's fundraising wing.

Click on the newslink to read the entire article.

A tactic used by insurance companies to deny expensive behavioral therapy to autistic children has been deemed illegal by a Los Angeles judge.

In a preliminary ruling, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant found that Kaiser Permanente's refusal to pay for a child's autism treatment because the provider was not licensed by the state runs counter to California's Mental Health Parity Act. That act requires insurers to cover care for mental and behavioral problems at the same levels they do for physical illnesses.

"A refusal to pay for . . . services based on the fact that the provider is not licensed is inconsistent with the intent of parity," Chalfant wrote in his Oct. 20 ruling.

It's the latest development in a long-running battle by parents nationwide to require insurers to pay for treatment of their autistic children. One of the most promising -- and expensive -- treatments is known as applied behavioral analysis. Therapists break down tasks such as feeding and dressing into tiny steps, then teach their autistic patients to master them through repeated drilling and rewards.

Click on the newslink to read the full story.

Another source to turn to
Web site offers more affordable access to autism treatmentby Erin Wisdom  read more »

Location(s)

I thought I would send the "Brochure" again, as a reminder…to the Free Seminar at The Children's Board of Hillsborough County, "Healing Childhood Epidemics". I have heard that the seats are filling up fast, but there are still some left. If anyone wants to come…I was told that they can either call, (813) 935-4744 to register, or they can also register on-line at http://www.HitAutis m.com/Events
I personally was fortunate to be able to attend one of these Seminars this past summer at the Children's Board…and it was absolutely "Fantastic"…I hope everyone that is interested, is able to attend, because there is a tremendous amount of wonderful, and very helpful information at this seminar!!!

"HEALING CHILDHOOD EPIDEMICS"  read more »

The Offices of Research and Education Accountability (OREA) released the first in a series of reports on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) Thursday. Operating under the Comptroller of the Treasury, OREA is in its 15th year of providing policy research and analysis on topics ranging from education to health care to criminal justice.

Compiled in response to legislative inquiry, "Autism in Tennessee: Part 1 - An Introduction to the Issues and Data Collection Methods," includes an overview of the disability, a review of related laws, and information on data collection and estimates of prevalence. Subsequent reports will delve into public education and health care services related to autism in Tennessee.

Part 1 of the report was written by Joseph Woodson, Associate Legislative Research Analyst for OREA. In researching data for the report, Woodson found the number of students receiving autism-related special education services more than tripled between 2001 and 2007. However, the statistics do not reflect the cause for this change. It could be the result of increased prevalence, but it could also indicate more frequent identification and diagnosis of ASDs.

Click on the newslink to read the entire story.

In Great Falls, two teacher's aides are accused of abusing a teenage boy with autism, police say. The aides are accused of holding the boy's head under a running faucet because he fell asleep, making him eat his vomit and leaving him in dirty pants for several hours. Both women deny the charges.

Click on the newslink to read the entire article.

well this is my second time writing a blog and already i feel like i have lifted alot off my chest, at the moment i have nobody around to talk to or anyone that can understand what it is like for day to day challenges, so finding this website has done great for an outlet of my thoughts and emotions. 

I am now going to try to carry on with my prior blog so if you dont understand you might have to go to the previous blog to get an update.

now where was i ah yes Whooping Cough.  read more »

Well this is my first time writing about my experience, in 1999 i was pregnant with my second child which was great, my parents had bought me and my partner a house back home and we had moved from the city to my small home town with my son whom had turned 1, he was such an awesome baby, and although i was turning 21 that year, me and my partner were still very young and immature, we had been together for 4 years and we very different in every way possible.  I was always attracted to the bad boy image and definately tried to settle down with one, which in every case it rarely happens (the settling down part) so as i was busy planning our future as a family he wasnt looking further then each day, no ambitions to share, no future dreams at that point. so looking back now i can laugh and realise how blazae i was trying to create a family future with the wrong person.  Of course the stress for being a young mother and not being able to accompany my partner out to evening events became stressfull on our relationship, (as i guess some people dont realise the importants of looking after your children on a regular basis!!!) and we had already began to find that our lives were quite seperate indeed! i was no longer the defining girl on my partners arm at events and to me the stress of not being acknowledged on the scene was quite insulting.  When my daughter arrived in october that year i was delighted i had a girl to play dress up with, buy dolls and make up and do all sorts of girly things with.  when i relflect back on her as a baby it is quite a blur i know i have blacked out parts my memory to ease some of the pain.  I do remember her crying more then usual (usual is only compared to my son)  read more »

My mom is a teacher.  For the past couple of years she has been working with middle school aged kids with developmental disabilities.   With all that Cooper teaches us, she has extra insight into what these kids go through that many teachers don't have.  Last week as she sat with one of her autism-spectrum students, another child asked if she would be at the Saturday tutoring session.  "No," my mom answered, "I am going to be at the Autism walk on Saturday."

"What's that?" the student asked.

"A whole bunch of people are going to go on a walk to raise money for people with autism."  my mom explained.

"What's autism?" the student asked.

There was a boy with autism sitting right in front of him in the classroom.

~~

Perhaps it shouldn't, but it surprised me that a boy in grade 7, who sat next to a boy with autism, would be in the dark regarding autism.  When I was in school, I personally don't recall sharing a classroom with a child with a noticeable developmental disability (like autism).  20-30 years ago, most of these kids were not in the general classrooms, they had their own education settings.  These days, it just isn't like that.  Children are integrated into regular classrooms as much as possible.   read more »

Alex Barton was voted out of his kindergarten class for having autism

Alex Barton's parents always knew he could excel in school. All it took was a little time - and not being cruelly voted out of class.

My son with autism has 3 sisters.  D is 21, T is 18, and MH is 11.  They all live at home with us, and sometimes (well, who am I kidding?  Most of the time) the dynamics can be downright crazy.  The 2 eldest bicker and in-fight alot, and the youngest is usually embarrassed by her older brother and his disability.  The most I ever had hoped for was that somehow, magically, they would all love each other and show kindness toward one another, but I wasn't sure how to bring that about.  I grew up the eldest of 3, with 2 younger brothers, and we all fought and bickered, but we were never given any guidance about our relationships by my parents.  It was either "Get along, or else!!" or my mother would be sad that we were fighting.  We grew apart as we got older, and only now as middle-aged adults with families of our own are we getting to know each other, and yes, I'm happy to report, really love each other.  Wow, I want this for my kids!  But I don't want them to have to wait until they are grown to be close to each other.

I want to say that what followed was my idea.  That it was part of a brilliant plan I came up with, and that it solved the entire sibling issue.  Well, I can't claim any of these things.  But what did happen was practical, and subtle, and beautiful.  Here's how it went:  read more »

oh boy, where do I begin?

Are there any users on here who are college students and autistic? Advice from parents who have helped their autistic child through college would be appreciated too. I'm curious to know what techniques you used to help you get through college. As it is right now, I'm just barely passing through any of my classes (if you consider a D+ passing). It is a source of frustration and irritation because it seems that I fail to understand the content of the course even though my homework grades are high. This last midterm I have taken completely devestated me because out of a class of 57, I was one of 7 people who failed the test. I don't understand why I failed for a class that should be relatively easy to pass. I know that it's not me putting on the wrong test number because my test grades for other classes are similar in terms of points. I just don't know what to do anymore. Just going to class, taking notes, and studying is not helping me. What little self-esteem I had is virtually extinct with 4 failed midterms. (probably on to five and six when you read this post.)  The university has no resources for helping me out. None of my peers understand much less know about my condition. Even with a mild case of autism, I don't know how to ask for help on campus since there seems to be this thing where all students attending know where to go to for help. I know I sure as hell can do a lot better than a stupid 1.2 gpa.

any ideas.

http://jeffslife.tripod.com/alextheboy/

Alex would learn to pilot an F-16 in exchange for a chocolate-chip cookie.

Autism parenting sites all warn about overusing bribes, but nothing sticks Alex to his barber’s chair or to a seat at a family event like a chocolate chip cookie. Jill whipped them out to get us all through last Passover (“Sit down, Alex, or no cookies. NO. cookies!”…), and it worked, more or less. He’s sat through dinners in restaurants, movies, circuses.

Not oatmeal raisin nor peanut butter. Not macadamia nut nor Cherry Wink. Maybe a straight chocolate cookie, probably for a brownie, but not for a doughnut of any flavor at all.

“Cook-KIE!” he says in the kitchen. “Cook-KIE!” he says in the store. To him, Chips Ahoy are currency.

Alex would learn to pilot an F-16 in exchange for a chocolate-chip cookie.

Autism parenting sites all warn about overusing bribes, but nothing sticks Alex to his barber’s chair or to a seat at a family event like a chocolate chip cookie. Jill whipped them out to get us all through last Passover (“Sit down, Alex, or no cookies. NO. cookies!”…), and it worked, more or less. He’s sat through dinners in restaurants, movies, circuses.

Not oatmeal raisin nor peanut butter. Not macadamia nut nor Cherry Wink. Maybe a straight chocolate cookie, probably for a brownie, but not for a doughnut of any flavor at all.

“Cook-KIE!” he says in the kitchen. “Cook-KIE!” he says in the store. To him, Chips Ahoy are currency.

   read more »

When one identical twin develops the developmental disorder autism, the risk of the other developing it is high -- substantially higher than it is for fraternal twins, a new study confirms.

The study, which gathered information from 277 twin pairs in which at least one had an autistic disorder, found that when one identical twin developed an autistic disorder, the other one also did 88 percent of the time.

That compared with 31 percent among fraternal twins. Unlike identical twins, fraternal twins are no more genetically similar than non-twin siblings.

Click on the newslink to read full article.

http://thefastertimes.com/specialneeds/2009/10/22/sick-of-elmos-world-a-dad-rails-against-his-autistic-sons-fixation/

Zoey the Muppet is sad because her fake father was going to take her somewhere and he couldn’t because he had to work. “Maybe she’d be happier,” my wife Jill snaps, “if he didn’t have a job and she didn’t have food on her table or money to buy her little ballet slippers!” Oh no, says Jill, checking the screen, Zoey doesn’t have her tutu in this one.

“This one” is The Elmo Movie, a video wherein somebody has a problem or series of problems that an 11-year-old like my son should have long since tuned out.

“I’m tired of little toddler rants,” Jill adds. “When your children are nine years old, you’re done with that. I have no patience for Elmo or Zoey or their pain! I sound like a maniac.”

If only. It may be Zoey or Elmo or Thomas or Barney, but kids like my son Alex (PPD-NOS) seem hooked on such TV.

Location(s)

PRESS RELEASE

LOS ANGELES, CA:

Frederick S. Starr, M.D., FAACAP, BCIA-EEG will be speaking at the Fred Segal Preece and Toff Salon at 420 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA on November 15, 2009 from 2:00 – 5:00 PM.  Dr. Starr is the Medical Director of 5 Starr Psychiatry and Neurofeedback, Complementary, Alternative and Traditional Mental Health Treatment Center in Nashville, TN.  Dr. Starr will be sharing his clinical findings using a new transdermal homeopathic treatment called Respen-A™ in some of his autistic patients.  He has performed before treatment and after treatment qEEGs and has found that Respen-A™ resulted in a normalization of the qEEGs within 3-4 weeks of initiating the Respen-A™ treatment.  These changes in the qEEGs have been accompanied with the following observed clinical improvements:  read more »

"Each student brings to the classroom a unique genetic

endowment and a unique lifetime conditioning history as

well as an individualized set of current social and cultural

contingencies within that student's family, community,

and peer group." (p. 47)

Barrett, Beatrice H. (2002) The Technology of Teaching Revisited: A Reader's Companion to B.F. Skinner's Book. Concord, MA. Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies.            http://www.behavior.org/

What makes up a student's behavior...

• Genetics
• Family traditions
• Cultural Traditions
• Community Rules
• Peer Rules
• Life Experiences

http://blog.skillsprout.com/consultation/what-a-learner-brings-to-the-table/

In the interview I linked to in the news story I just posted, Ari brought up an interesting idea:  The autie as a *Changeling*- a fairy child, left to replace a child stolen by the Fey.

 That's a very interesting idea to me- you see the same kind of wrong imagery in the latest Autism Speaks campaign of the child being "stolen" by autism.

 I've had a fascination with such interesting explanations for mythology since reading a series in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine explaining dragons as crocodiles, and unicorns as rhinoceros.

 Can anybody point to other myths that might have been about auties and aspies? 

Madness Radio Podcast interviews Ari Ne'eman from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network

An interesting discussion over at NY Times blog site, in the regularly occurring column Schott's Vocab, on the terms Autie and Aspie and how they are used.

 

"Since an initial lesson description is a product of teacher behavior,

it is the teacher's responsibility to discover and to alter whatever part

of the lesson plan is not functioning. It is not sufficient to explain

 the lack of success in terms of a deficiency on the part of the student." (51)

Barrett, Beatrice H. (2002) The Technology of Teaching Revisited: A Reader's Companion to B.F. Skinner's Book. Concord, MA. Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies.            http://www.behavior.org/  read more »

Something snuck up on me.  I knew in the back of my mind it would arrive someday, and I am shocked to realize that today is indeed, someday.  When Cooper began kindergarten, all of the kids were little and innocent.  Sweet, shy, some a bit behind in their language capabilities; all still very much like babies as they marched on with their giant backpacks.  The occasional teary outburst from Cooper at school didn’t phase the group, they all still cried a lot.

In grade one and then grade two, changes began to happen.  But at age 6 & 7, the developmental differences between Cooper and the others were still not as drastic in appearance as perhaps they really were.   The kids were still so “little.”  Now, in Grade 3 I have been hit in the face with a realization…  the developmental gap between Cooper and his classmates is widening.  And will likely continue to seem and be wider and wider.  This gap has crept up on us and now stands wider than I remember it seeming last year.

We have worked really hard to help Cooper develop emotionally and socially as well as learn the basics.  I don’t want a little boy who just knows how to “repeat after me” – when we know that our brains are experience-dependent.  He can learn to engage in flexible thought; he can develop more mature relationships than what would have been expected from someone with ASD.  My heart has always been to see him progressing forward – no matter how fast or slow – just forward.  I’m good with that.  read more »

I am single mother of two who lives in small city in  Michigan.  My son is 7 years old and was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3 years old.  Raising two children alone has been a struggle.  But it has really been a mental struggle for me lately, since I have been contempating about relocating to another city.  Or even a different state.  I currently reside in Michigan and there are very LITTLE jobs here. I have lived here for most of my life and I desperately need a fresh start!  I have never left this town, except for an occasional vacation to Chicago.  But that is about it.  I have been searching for jobs in other areas of the country.  I have not had any leads on employment.  But I am extremely anxious and afraid  right now because everything I have to consider while looking to relocate.  Who knows where I may obtain employment? In addition, I have been researching special education services, schools, and autism resources in various areas around the country.  I have come to the conclusion that I would be taking a huge risk with uprooting my son to another city or state because waiting list for services may be extremely long, special education services may suck, resources limited and ect ect..........  I feel so lost and confused right now I need some support!  San Diego California but I would be relocating across the country with no lead on employment and I read the school systems are horrible.  However, the autism services appear to be plentiful! And it appears to be a very diverse area.   I guess I am looking for the perfect place for us to relocate but I know there is no perfect place !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Please help with any suggestions or support I would greatly appreciate it!

Generalization, for the most part, has to be systematically planned for and taught-not hoped for.

 http://blog.skillsprout.com/uncategorized/consistency-in-programming/<!--

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I am a mother of a 4 year old little girl. She is an awsome little thing, and so smart. I have been seeing a doctor who is delaying my request to test to see if my little girl is autistic. I am wanting to know if anyone out there can give me some names and numbers to call. I am in Texas, but I am more than willing to travel anywhere if it gets here a doctor to give us some answers. I am desperate to help my girl, if anyone can help me I will be so grateful to you. My name is Gwen and please help me if possible. Thank you everyone.

   My son is 10 y/o and has been stamping his feet more or less in protest for a variety of reasons.  However, since he is getting bigger and heavier the stamping in protest is becoming larger and harder.  If I try to tell him quite feet, he gets more upset and begins to hit himself.  Does anyone have any ideas on how to change this behavior?  I had a behavioral therapist come to the house which of course he would never stamp his feet while they were around (even if he got mad).  I need to stop this before the entire house comes down!! Help, please, any ideas are needed and appreciated.

Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Jen and I am a Behavior Analyst in the Chicago area. I am on here to network with educators (parents and those working in the field). I hope to add to the resources as best I can. Thanks! :)

So before I go into this entry let me say that I would not change one day of my life with my son everyday is an opportunity to learn whether it's a good day or bad. I also share credit for the idea of this entry to fellow blogger seebert, the catalyst of this is from a couple of back and forth comments between us that led me to ask....

Do you see Autism as a blessing or a curse?

There are folks out there that see Autism as a blessing I count myself as one of those, I cherish what it has taught me and without it I would not be the person I am today and more importantly my son would not be the person he is today without Autism.  I had someone ask me once "What was that day like when he was diagnosed?" I told him that was a great day because I didn't have to stand there and spend 20 minutes explaining why my son didn't talk I could just say Autism and walk away.

There are folks that see Autism as a curse, I have had people look at me as if someone died when I tell them that my son has Autism.... from my personal experiance some people  take a diagnosis of Autism as the end of something.

So I am curious on how others feel about this, so I open it up to the group.

A BEST PRACTICE GUIDE TO ASSESSMENT AND INTERVENTION FOR AUTISM AND ASPERGER SYNDROME IN SCHOOLS

 read more »

Aika will be performing "All He Has To Say" (Autism Song) at the Boston Autism Speaks Walk on October 18th, 2009!!! The performance will begin at approx 10:15 AM

Location(s)

Aika will be performing "All He Has To Say" (Autism Song) at the Boston Autism Speaks Walk on October 18th, 2009!!! The performance will begin at approx 10:15 AM

Aika will be performing "All He Has To Say" (Autism Song) at the Boston Autism Speaks Walk on October 18th, 2009!!! The performance will begin at approx 10:15 AM

“Massachusetts may have the best health care in the country, but it doesn’t cover the treatment for the fastest-growing health threat to children – autism,” writes ex-NFL quarterback Doug Flutie, in the Boston Globe. “More than 500 babies born this year in Massachusetts will soon be diagnosed with autism. What their parents will learn first – what my wife, Laurie, and I have learned from our son Dougie – is that while the hopes and dreams for their child may change, they will also intensify.” A touchdown statement if I ever heard one. And here’s the extra point from the head the Flutie foundation for autism: “Parents will … be dismayed to discover that, though they’ve always paid their health care premiums, their health plans will not cover these services."

I’m somewhat familiar with kidney transplants , and the one 20 years ago in my family was completely paid for and coordinated by a state’s kidney foundation
. Government, or private? We didn’t know at the time, and had no time to puzzle it out. But we heard a legend that such public funding existed for transplants because decades before friends and relatives had wheeled sufferers of renal failure right into the halls of Congress and said to the reps, “Know what? Unless you act, all these people are going to die. And they vote. And so do their loved ones!”

Someday, just as we once decided our highways and military protection needed to be public in funding and maintenance, someday sooner than we think the idea of affording healthcare for the wildfire of autism will be handled outside the private sector. For better or for worse, but at least there will be, well, a public option. As always for parents facing such a situation, the key question becomes “When?”

http://www.blisstree.com/autismvox/when/

“Pick a color,” I tell Alex, pointing to the markers in the tray. Alex can’t seem to hold a pen. He tries to grip it in all of his fingers instead of in just the index and the middle finger, pressed by the thumb. He looks over at the TV (even when it isn’t on), at the cat (even when she’s asleep), at the wall. I take his chin in my fingers, pivot his nose back to the grindstone, and say, “Pay attention.” I put the marker in his hand and make him say the letter before he writes it. I hold his hand with mine, guiding him gently. Sometimes I take my hand away and say, “You do it, Alex.”

He pulls my hand back to his. I pull my hand away. He pulls my hand back to his. “You do it!” he says. Birth of a catchphrase.

http://www.iteachautism.com/blog/

It is an honor and privilege to exercise the freedom I have to speak and to express myself without boundary via this correspondence. I cherish freedom of expression and appreciate the efforts made by so many to preserve that freedom for me.  I also feel a deep sense of honor and duty in lifting my voice to you on behalf of my 5-year-old son, Nathan, who is unable to do so for himself. Like so many children across this country, and around the world, my Nathan has slipped from the safety of my loving grasp and into the darkness of autism. His life exists among those haunting statistics that lead many conversations about this epidemic; however, I choose not to frame this request in terms of a numeric reference. The statistics have been identified repeatedly, so I feel certain that you are, indeed, aware of them. Instead, I wish to speak to you specifically about the issues relative to my child and to the countless others like him. These precious children are living in a place without liberty, without justice, and without the freedom of speech. They are living in a prison, inside of autism.  read more »

This is part two of my “remembering heroes” bloggings and today I want to talk about another teacher. In the days of my 5^th grade year I was asked if I would take part in something of a school expirament. The administration wondered what would happen if some fifth and sixth graders were combined in classes.

I’m not sure if they wanted to know if two grades could just be taught at the same time, or if it were possible for some students to even skip a grade. I took part all the same. We were quite a mix in that classroom and we had a teacher none of us would ever forget. Her name, Mrs. Cocadrilly. Mrs. Cocadrilly had a very special style about her and made learning fun. She even let us know that was the intended deal before we fully got started.

She made it our choice. Learning could be fun and entertaining or dull and outright boring. It would completely depend on us. Several of us, especially the boys, were kind of the black sheep of our perspective classes. We just didn’t fit with the rest of the common or typical crowd. This never affected Mrs. Cocadrilly who came to school with a smile every day. If we got into trouble, we learned about it quickly with little left to discuss afterward and no harbored feelings.

She taught me some manners and stepped in often on bullies or other nonsense that would hurt any of us. She was a little eccentric to look back now, but it gave her such flare. I understand she still volunteers with her husband to help the kids who go to the very same school I went to. Mrs. Cocadrilly taught me what “good” people are actually like.

Anyone see this report?  It is based on the research going on now with the "Neuroplasticity" of the Brain, and the book: "The Brain That Changes Itself"...Amazing!!!  I am very exciting about these findings as regards to helping all those in the Autism and Autism Spectrum Community.  I am sending the link to this report for all those that are interested.  There are 3 parts to this report: 1. Mirror Therapy for the Brain   2. The Brain That Heals Itself    and 3. Born With Half a Brain....I would love to hear what everyone thinks about this new research...there is a great potiential with these findings....I believe....

http://www.hitautism.com/uncategorized/neuroplasticity

Caden is an extremely sensitive child.  His response (up until recently) to almost anything he didn't like, whether it was a child taking a toy away from him, an item of food dropping, a child hitting him, etc. was to cry.  That was always his response.  He now understands what "frustration" feels like, and the difference between feeling "sad" because someone took something away from him versus feeling "frustrated."  His scale, as of late, is tipped heavily on the "frustration" side.  His response is to yell at the top of his lungs "I am feeling frustrated" which is followed by stomping and general grunting.  Have other parents experienced this and, if so, how do you approach the behavior?  The ABA approach would be to put him in a timeout and not acknowledge him until he calms down.  We've done that and his behavior continues.  If we can get to him quick enough, and talk him "off the ledge" he calms down.  My concern is that when he does this, and we are not around, people are not going to know what to do with him.  How do you teach self-regulation and the different levels of feeling frustrated?

A Texas boy with autism is being called a hero after he used what he learned in Cub Scouts to save his teacher's life, ABC Local 13 in Houston reports.

Kyle Forbes, 10, was alone in a classroom with his teacher Sheri Lowe. After Lowe bit into an apple, she choked.

Kyle used the Heimlich maneuver that he learned in Scouts and had practiced with his dad.

Click on the newslink to read the entire article.

This has nothing to do with Autism, but since you belong to an online group, it does affect your life.

Backup your computer.

I have worked in the IT industry for over 20 years. It still surprises me today how many people never backup their important data. They don't realize how important it is until their hard drive crashes and all of their music, photos and documents are gone. Can you imagine losing all of your photos?

All you need is an external hard drive, flash drive, DVDs or even CDRs. Do what you have to do to make sure that all of your important stuff is in at least TWO PLACES.

End of my public service announcement.

Check out link in our blog to moving and beautifully written essay in the NY Times on life with autism.

Also an autism fitness event we hope Alex will like: http://ow.ly/uOea

Thanks for visiting autism vox! (We welcome comments, suggestions, criticism!)

Location(s)

The Autism Grass Roots Tour

Featuring world-renowned Autism speaker, Kristin Selby Gonzalez, this 2 hour lecture, "Autism: Recovery Is Possible- Two Hours that will Change Your Child's Life- The Autism Hope Action Plan"  is packed with effective tools, information and hope to help your child with Autism.

Also, nominate a mother (or yourself) to share her story at the tour and she will be rewarded!!!

Visit http://www.autismnationwide.org/  to REGISTER or for more details!  read more »

There he is, just behind the foggy glass. I can see his sillouette. He can see mine, too. But I cannot fully access him. Of course, I know he is okay, meaning that he is not going to die....but I cannot reach him to hold him tight in my arms. I keep telling him, "Nathan, Mommy's coming in, baby. Step back from the glass. It's coming down, honey. Get your stuff. Mommy's coming in to take you out of there." And I thow myself against the door. There are sounds from the impact - a shift in the weight of the door, even a small crack...but no break. I take several steps back and call ahead in a loud voice, "Baby, you are doing real good! You are a great listener. Can you look at me, Nathan? Look Mommy in her eyes! Okay, honey, step back again. Mommy's coming in". He just keeps playing Super Mario on his gameboy....and takes one step back. I run with all my might and thrust my entire weight against the door...and knock myself out, only to awake to see my son pressing his face against the glass and looking at me in silence. I try not to let him see my tears, so I turn my face as I place my hand against the glass where he is pressing his little cheek. I fall to my knees and beg God, "Please, God. Free him! I remember how he was before this happened! I remember when he said, "Momma". He is IN there! Look at him! He plays Mario on his gameboy with one hand and Pac Man on his iPod Touch with the other...but he can't even say, "help!" He is only 5 years old! Please, God, FREE HIM!!!!!"  read more »

This is a list of 5 of the 28 tips.. click on the news link to see them all.  read more »

Children with ASDs face a far brighter future today than they did a generation or two ago, when autism was considered a rare condition and the so-called "refrigerator mother" was unfairly blamed for causing it. (The refrigerator mother theory, popular in the 1950s and 1960s, suggested autism was caused by a lack of maternal warmth towards the child.)

These days, the focus is on early intervention to give children the best possible chance of an independent life.

But, although things have improved, experts are concerned that many children at risk of developing the condition are still not being identified early enough. Children with an ASD are usually around three years old before they are diagnosed. This is despite mounting evidence that interventions are most effective if they begin earlier, ideally around age one.

Part of the problem has been that autism has traditionally been diagnosed based on symptoms that tend to develop later, such as repetitive behaviours and difficulties interacting with peers.

Young and her colleagues believe the key to intervening earlier will be finding a way to identify children at risk before they develop the classic symptoms of autism.

In a bid to do this, the team has developed a list of 16 behaviours that most children master by age one, but that children with an ASD generally acquire later. Children aged one to two who are unable to do a number of these so-called "core deficit-linked" behaviours should receive further assessment for autism risk, Young suggests.

Some of the things parents and carers can watch out for include:  read more »

I have been so busy! There are so many things to write about that I have not written anything. Kindergarten has gone pretty well so far, with the exception of the absent teacher. She was on medical leave last year due to cancer, she was here for a month, and now we have had a subsitute for almost a month. A very savvy older lady though, thankfully, could have been much worse.

The issue we are having is homework. Homework is one double sided page, with one side circling and crossing out stuff (fun) other side drawing a specific picture and writing a number 15 times (not fun). I try to make light of the situation; "Are being crowned king of five land today? Are you running a five marathon today? This is just practise honey! Its just to get better!" But in his mind this is it, all five be picture perfect the first time or the world as he knows it will burn in flames.

 Lets just say we both hate homework time.

hello, my name is tammy iam 38 years old and i have a 9 year old son who has autism more specificly ppd, he was diagnosed at the age of 2 and (by the way this is my very 1st blog so bare with me) since then alot of things have changed, at 2 he could only point and grunt, he would rock back n forth all the time, we had numerous amonts of "accidents" with him taking off his pull up and smearing feces all over everyhting in his room, one time he threw all his toys out the window, it was summer and we just had the screens in, lol that was funny thou. now alot has changed, he is 9 now and i am divorced from his father, unfortunalty, i dont have custody of him, due to many reasons like not having a lawyer, being on disability and unable to provide for him and his 13 year old brother. my ex husband will only allow me to visit him at his home, which has become very uncomfortable seeing as how he is remmarried. dominic, which i should have said before, calls his new step monster mom, and it hurts me, i often wonder if he will remeber me when he sees me? they live quite a distance away, so i try to call but he doesnt like talking on the phone, but i send him cards and notes every week, to let him know that iam still here and love him more than life itself. i recently got a tattoo (a portrait) of dominic on my left forearm, alot of ppl think it will make me sad, but it doesnt it makes me proud and happy when i see his face everyday, i will try to add a photo of it once i figure this whole blogging thing out that is all for now

I new to Autism Blogger, so I don't now how this works.

I have a four year son recently disagnosed with autsim. I'm having a hard time excepting the diagnoses. I really don't  know what to do. I love my son. I very angery.

We will be starting a drop-in session for teens and adults on the autistic spectrum and for carers to meet each other on Tuesday 27th October at the Friends Meeting House, St John’s Street, Bury St Edmunds.  Teenagers are welcome from 6.30 until 7.30 with a carer to accompany them and adults from 7.30 until 8.30.  During the adults session there will be the opportunity to go to The Bushell pub if you wish to. You are welcome to drop in and say hello at any time.  The first session will be getting used to the building and collecting ideas about what our members would like to do during future drop-in sessions.  Refreshments will be available.  If you have specific needs that you would like us to know about before the evening, please let us know by e-mail to westsuffolknas@google.com or by calling our branch mobile.

Yes, you did read that!  We are working in collaboration with the Suffolk Kite Flyers to host an Autism Friendly Firework display.
‘Light Up The Sky’ – Saturday 24th October at Rougham Airfield.  This is an annual event held by the Suffolk Kite Flyers to raise money for Children In Need, where they do indeed light up the sky with beautiful illuminated kites.  This year they have kindly invited the West Suffolk Branch to join in, and we are going to stage an autism-friendly fireworks display during evening. To get to the venue, take junction 45 off the A14 which is sign-posted for Rougham Industrial Estate and follow the signs from there, along General Castle Way. Volunteers will be at the junctions on the estate between 6.45 and 7.05pm to direct you.  For Satnav the nearest postcode for the area is IP30 9ND

Gates open at 6.45pm and we will be there until 8pm. The fireworks will start at 7.30.  The fireworks will all be low-noise and accompanied by an illustrated ‘firework timetable’ so that everyone knows what to expect and when. The display will be slow paced and will be about 10 minutes long.  It will be possible to park cars in a line so you can view the display from inside your car or inside our mini marquee if you don't want to stand outside.  We will try to provide pop-corn and glow-sticks for sale.  (Glow-sticks can be attached to kites so you may wish to bring a kite too.)  
It can be quite exposed and dark on the airfield so wrap up warm and bring a torch.  Consider ear-defenders for members who are particularly sensitive to the wind or to noises, we are able to loan a small number of these. 

We are really excited about this event, as firework displays are usually out of the question for families with a member on the autistic spectrum! Please bring a minimum donation of £3.50 per person if you are able to, as this all goes to support Children in Need. 

Ottawa County Sheriff's Department is launching a new program to help find missing people with mental conditions like Autism and Dementia.

Under the Safe and Sound program, the Sheriff's department keeps the patient's photo, name, address and contact information on record. A numbered ID bracelet is then issued to them, making it easier to track them, and find their home.

Click on the newslink to read the full article.

According to the Autism Society of America, Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is the fastest growing developmental disability, with a 10 to 17 percent increase in the number of cases each year primarily among children. As these children with ASD become adults, they will face many challenges, including finding a job. A new guide from the University of Missouri will minimize this challenge by giving employment service professionals new information about helping adults with autism find jobs.

Click on the newslink to read the full article.

   I wasn't sure which heading to put this under, i have a soon to be 6 year old that i am desperately trying to potty train. it is starting very slow... and she will do #2 on the toilet more then #1. we are trying the usual praise, cookies, stickers, even prizes if she simply sits on the toilet throughout the day. i expect it to take at least 9-12 months to get her to do it on her own or even to initiate that she has to go.

  i guess i am wondering if anyone else has seucceded on this and if they have any further advice or ways that worked for them. she is a low functioning social butterfly. she loves people, adn her vocab has grown, but her mental abilities are absent. she was just diagnosed this year and she was at about an 18 mnth mentality... shich is jsut about potty training time, its been about 3-4 mnths since then so we are going full fledge with th epotty training and i am seeking any advice.

thank you in advance for your time and any responses i may get.

HH 

Hi There:

 I am new to this site.... My name is Denise and I have two children on the autistic spectrum... Sean is 7 and Brett is 5. 

I wanted to share something with other parents that has helped my two children so much.... the are the Watch Me Learn Video/DVD collection.  The website is www.watchmelearn.com.  These are the best video modeling tapes I have ever used and we have used them all.  The thing I think my children like best about the videos are that they use children to do the video modeling .   My boys have learned so much from the video's..... pumping on a swing, turn taking, freeze dance, tag, hide and seek, duck duck goose, how to act appropriately on a bus and in school, to name a few. 

It is proven that children on the spectrum are visual learners ..... these videos use methods to develop and strengthen communication skills, acedemic performance, and social and self-help skills.  The child watches the video and is given the chance to memorize, imitate and generalize those behaviors.

I would encourage any parent to purchase these DVD/Videos they are definately worth every penny!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck.... Denise 

Most of the Group links are geared towards Alabama but some of the others are not.  Just thought this would be helpful.  These were some I pulled off of my favs.  

Books on  Autism

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/159233394X/ref=nosim/autismweb

http://specialchildren.about.com/od/speechtherapy/gr/sayitright.htm

http://www.templegrandin.com/templehome.html

Therapy for Autism

http://home.kcbx.net/~halwilson/Geezer/index.htm

http://www.thepathwaystolearning.com/pathways-to-learning-q.htm

http://www.dore.co.uk/programme/

Sign language  read more »

There is a very strong partnership with Autism Spectrum and Sensory Disorders...whether they are over- sensitive or under- sensitive...it is always an issue.  With my little boy, I found that the "over sensitivies" are what I noticed...and yet there were under sensitivities that I didn't even know about.  While he couldn't take load noises or bright lights... I never realized that he couldn't smell.  I didn't realize this until after he started to get better with his sensitivities to sight and sound...as he progressed through Hemispheric Integration Therapy....He surprized me when I was making dinner one evening by saying, "Mmmmmm...is that Barbeque Chicken I am smelling!"  I  almost passed out cold, because I realized that in the 9 years that this child has been alive...I had never, ever heard those words come from his mouth.  How elated I was to tell the Dr. the next day..."He's smelling now!"  "I never knew...that he wasn't."   But...I feel so fortunate that now he can!!!

A few months ago I found and saved a certian article all about sensory issues...and it's title is "The Sixth Sense".  I noticed it again the other day and I thought that I would share it with everyone...it is so interesting!  I will post the link:  

http://www.hitautism.com/medical-articles/autism-spectrum-disorders-the-sixth-sense

One of the hallmarks of autism is a need to find order, or to try to create it, in a world that can often seem chaotic and disorganized.

But for researchers trying to understand the disorder, which can affect perception, cognition, social and motor skills, communication and other domains, autism itself can seem incoherent and enigmatic.

Matthew Belmonte, assistant professor of human development and a 2009 recipient of the National Science Foundation's Faculty Early Career Development Award, is using a novel tool -- a suite of science-fiction-themed video games he developed with collaborators in computer sciences -- to find order behind the range of autism's manifestations.

Click on the newslink to read the entire article.

The new Center for AAC & Autism, based online at AACandAutism.com, is dedicated to helping children with autism learn to communicate through the power of alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) devices.

"More than half of the thousands of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) every year are unable toc ommunicate verbally," explains the Center's Director, Cindy Halloran, OTR/L, who has worked extensively with children with autism during more than 20 years as an occupational therapist. "Our own experience and published research show that AAC offers many of these children a viable method of independently and spontaneously expressing
themselves."  

Focusing attention on the promise of AAC for nonverbal communicators is a key mission of the Center.  "A voice output AAC device gives a nonverbal child a way to communicate, which can improve social engagement, decrease frustration and aberrant behavior, and help others to see the child's true potential,"Halloran adds.  

Click on the newslink to read the entire article.

Greetings and salutations to all you beautiful people lol! Seriously welcome to AB if you're new. Cool people. You're not alone. You can thank Todd for this wonderful site.

Last Halloween, Alex kept trying to dash into other people's apartments when they opened their door at Ned's "Trick or treat!" "No, Alex, no! You don't live here, and they don't need you looking around!" On November 1^st, Jill read on a Myspace autism group that Alex's behavior is not only common, but understandable. "It's weird, when you think about," Jill points out. "Somebody opens their door for you, but then you don't go into their house!" I can see where that would be weird, sometimes. Like much about Alex's behavior almost since the instant he was born, it makes sense if I can only snatch a moment to think about it.

To give ourselves a break once, we signed Alex up for a weekend camp. After a few times, he didn't like it.

"Alex, do you want to go to camp on Friday?"

"No!"

jeffslife.tripod.com/alextheboy

An ongoing debate in the world of autism education is whether kids with autism respond better to real photos or to icons or line drawings.

Iconicity refers to the degree of resemblance between a picture and the object that it depicts. A cartoon image, for example, would have a low degree of iconicity, while a photograph would have a higher degree of iconicity.  read more »

My 7 year old son and I are moving from Brooklyn to Chicago in March.  Anyone in Chicago?  How do I get a placement within teh public school system?  We will be living Near North.  I do not want to move withoout a seat in a good school.

I

I gave a workshop recently where one of the participants asked a really important question.  “What are social skills?”  That question promoted some discussion that demonstrated we don’t all have the same ideas about the social skill needs and challenges of our students. One attendee suggested teaching social skills meant focusing on teaching conversation skills.  Others shared a broader view. 

What ARE Social Skills?  read more »

I don't know, maybe it is the throw up and worrying that he will miss school. Maybe it is feeling like there is not enough of me to go around, but sometimes it is just good to be in the company of those whose lives are as crazy and wonderful as my own.  I would love a good cry, but I already have a headache.  I feel like I am wasting time if I laugh.  And, my teenagers ate all the cookies last night.  A soak in the tub is out of the question and it is raining outside.  So I quess I will go get some hugs...that always works!!!

Everybody has their ideal of a normal life...we see something on TV or in a movie that depicts "normal" and we tell ourselves thats how it has to be....or we have freinds or family that seem to have everything and do everything and we tell ourselves that is what normal is I want that...

Well I beleive that life is life and normal is what you make of it.

Just because some of our kids or ourselves do not conform with other peoples perception of "normal" does not make us any less "normal" or any less of a person. My neighbor cooks in his garage...thats normal for him, people down the road have sheep in there front yard (its a big front yard)...but thats normal for them, my son will go out on the front porch in his boxers and watch the clouds go by and screams with excitment....thats normal for us. 

Others people's insecurities with themselves is what makes them feel the need to judge others, we as a group may be some of the most secure people on the planet, because we take things as they come and don't judge. When people become more tolerant and accepting of the differences in others then there will be no "normal" people  there will just be people.

I saw a video on the nightly news a few years ago. It could have been 20/20 or some other program. -Anyway it showed the reporter getting a taste of Autism. He had a tack in his shoe, they had him look up a word in the dictionary, they were flickering the lights and yelling at the reporter to find the word. Oh, he also had a rubber glove on.

I would like to use this as a tool for my teachers aides to demonstrate what it is like to have autism, we have an autistic student with severe incidents. Thank You!

mritttter4lakewoods@gmail.com

Halloween's a much bigger deal than it was when I was a kid. That can be a good thing, as it leaves more time to find good tips to help Alex celebrate and have a good time. Click here for great links, including costumes for kids with sensory issues, gluten-free, casein-free Halloween cookies and more: http://www.blisstree.com/autismvox/halloween-is-the-new-christmas/

As a kid, it seemed like the "Public Service Announcement" tests came on the television at least once a day. Usually right in the middle of a good "Laverne and Shirley" episode (yes, I used to think there was such a thing!) would come the deep male voice, "This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast Network. If this were a real emergency, the next 60 seconds would include important information and blah, blah, blah. Beeeeeeep."

Nowadays those long test beeps are rare. If there was some sort of emergency, these days most people would likely find out about it through a friend's facebook status. Emergencies aside, it is how many of us find out about what is going on in our country and our world. It is a very real fact for thousands of people. How many of you first learned about Farrah Fawcett or Patrick Swayze's deaths through facebook? Who learned of the recent earthquake in the American Samoa from a facebook link?

News travels fast. More than 100 million users log onto facebook every day. No, Austin Powers, that isn't one million, that number is one HUNDRED million. Staggering. I have been on facebook for over 3 years now. I too am guilty of learning about some of the events happening in this world first from my facebook friends, but the simple truth is that I have connected with some terrific people and I am glad that I would rather check what they are up to in my day before turning on the world news. (Which can be, quite frankly, annoying at times)

One of the great people I have connected with via fb is a guy named Craig Lancaster. Craig and I went to high school together. We weren't bff's or anything in high school, but as adults we have realized that we have a lot in common. We probably would have been good friends in high school if we had the opportunity to get to know each other better.  read more »

I was just wondering if there were any that had heard about this new therapy...besides me.  I felt that for any that didn't know about it...I would share some of the successful results that this therapy has had on my little boy.  First of all, let me explain that my 9 year old son is Aspergers, and while there was an amazing amount of intelligence in some areas...there were some that lacked...extremely!  Area such as, while he had a wonderful and amazing vocabulary...he could not speak pragmatically...or mirror...or understand social ques, and unspoken language.  Other areas that he had difficulty in was his fine motor skills in regards to writing...he could not even grip the pencil right...Although, this child could tell you a story that would boggle the mind of Mark Twain himself...In fact, I would sadly refer to this fact by..."He is a writer...that cannot write!"  This unbalance in his little life caused a tremendous amount of frustration for this child, and I worried very much, because I saw alot of depression and anxiety...too much for just a little boy!

Well, of course we tried a tremendous amount of different type of therapies. and searched out a lot of advice, both medical and non - traditional.  And I read a library of books on the subject as well.  When I first heard about "Hemispheric Integration Therapy", I had some doubts...because we had tried so many, many things that had not helped in the past, but this however...had a "different ring" to it...and it made sense to me.  So we gave it a whirl!

Let me tell you just some of the results we have had since we started just 6 monthes ago:

1.  He is understanding Pragmatic Language now...and he "gets" Humor now.  He is mirroring and understanding unspoken language along with social cues....Wow!  read more »

New Jersey, which last summer mandated insurance companies cover certain therapeutic services and behavioral intervention as it relates to autism and other developmental disabilities, has taken the plunge of an official autism registry

*   *   *.

New genes and genomic regions that might be associated with autism have been identified by an international research team. The researchers identified a single-letter change on chromosome 5 near a gene called semaphorin 5A, which is believed to help guide the growth of neurons and their long progressions, called axons. The activity of this gene appears to be reduced in the brains of people with autism.

Read more here:http://www.blisstree.com/autismvox/research-and-a-registry/

Any comments on using traditional nannies for autistic child?  Extra training, retention, etc... 

Any comments on working full, part-time or not at all to care for your child. How easy is it to do ABA in the home consistently if both parents work outside the home?  I am thinking that with turn over of trained people and the unknown of having hired help, it might just be better to stay home.  However,  in the long run it might be best to have more money saved for my child even if that means I am not with him as much now.  Any suggestions or shared experiences?

Just wondering how helpful it is to send your autistic child to school with your typical kids?  Anybody have experience with that or keeping their kids in separate schools.

My son is 6 years old is moderately mentally retarded and has autism.  He is verbal, toilet trained, goes to ABA school that we are happy with.  We have 2 typical children one of which will be ready for kindergarten in 2011.  We'd like all our kids to go to the same school.  There is a school district that might do a good job with him and would be good for our girls.  However, the school does not have as many ABA trained folks and merely contracts from time to time to help out with certain issues.  We would have to move into that school district because our current district had limited options for him. 

A new study of <A href="http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1927415,00.html">adults with autism from England</A> dispells some common myths about autism.

 For instance, the rising diagnosis myth.  This study shows that it is an illusion of diagnostic criteria- when using modern diagnostic criteria, we find the same rate of autism (about 1:100) for every age group- the same as the autism rate in the United States.  And while low functioning autistics are less likely to graduate high school or college, they're employed slightly above the rate for neurotypicals, likely due to savant abilities, dispelling the myth that adult autistics will need to be dependent for life.

 Sure enough, Autism Speaks has already come out against this study, which provides hope to parents instead of fear mongering.  And while some of their claims have some merit (low sample size, avoidance of institutionalized autistics in the study), their primary fear-mongering statistic of an autistic epidemic is entirely dispelled by this new groundbreaking study.

 Autistics have always been with us- and the fact that the 1:100 statistic does not change for people older than 70 who didn't have the same vaccinations available, shows that mercury, while it may be a symptom for some people in their greater autistic experience, isn't the cause. 

For a few days before Halloween we start talking to Alex about a special day coming up. He's 11 now, and since he loves chocolate (though not other candy) I think he'll be a bit more excited. Sometimes we go through our apartment building and then take the bus to Grandpa's building, which he always finds exciting. Here's our five tips about Halloween (click for a really cute picture of Alex and Ned dressed as cowboys one year): http://www.blisstree.com/autismvox/five-tips-for-halloween/

My son Seth will be 7 years old this month and he refuses to blow his nose.  I can't seem to get him to understand that it will help instead of wiping his sleeve across his face which causes chapping.  The cold season alreadly started here and alot of kids have been sick at his school so it wasn't much of surprise when he said he wasn't feeling well after school yesterday.  We had a rough night this past evening and I kept him home today to try to get him to rest.  Of course, his nose is running and he won't let me wipe it with a tissue.... Any advice on this subject would be greatly appreciated!

The Causes to Low Physical Activities Participation of Children with Autism

Alexander Chan, Autism Lifestyle  read more »

 Jordan Lake School of the Arts is a new inclusive autism education. This place is amazing and I wanted to share it with everyone.  Look at the Facbook page or website www.jordanlakesa.com

Healing Childhood EpidemicsWhat You Need to Know About Autism Spectrum

Disorders, AD(H)D, Developmental and Neuro-Behavoiral Disorders

Tampa, Florida—October 31, 2009

Free Seminar

Children’s Board of Hillsborough County1002 East Palm Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33605For directions, www.childrensboard.org  In the last two decades childhood disorders including autism, ADHD, developmental and neuro-behavioral disorders have skyrocketed to epidemic proportions. Toxins and chemicals from the environment, genetic vulnerabilities, nutritional deficiencies and negative effects from traditional health care can converge to affect the body’s biological functioning and systemic performance. In addition, intestinal pathogens, metabolic disorders, inadequate protein consumption, food allergies, gastro-intestinal disorders and enzyme deficiencies can also contribute to imbalanced brain chemistry and physical impairments.This seminar will discuss a comprehensive treatment approach that integrates biomedical, nutritional and dietary interventions along with therapeutic modalities. Dr. Mañé, D.C.  will also discuss the latest advancements in Hemispheric Integration Therapy (H.I.T.) with regard to ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorders and how this treatment can dramatically improve the lives and well being of patients. Mañé’s innovative therapy was recently featured on Tampa Bay, news Channel 8, www.tbo.com

9:00 – 10:30 “Introduction to Biological Treatments for Childhood Epidemics”  - Dr. Nelson Mañé

10:30 – 11:30 “Our Journey with Autism, ADHD, Developmental Disorders & Depression: A Parent’s Success Story” -  Christiane Gram

 11:30 – 12:30 “Targeted Nutritional Supplements for Autism, ADHD and Related Disorders”  - Dr. Nelson Mañé

12:30 – 1:30 Lunch & Learn – Open Discussion / Parent Support Bring Your Brown Bag Lunch  read more »

A Marietta College student and Warren High School graduate is attempting to cover new ground in autism research, exploring an area of the disorder mostly ignored until now.

Heather Haught, 20, of Tunnel, a junior at the college, is entering the second phase of a research project aimed to form a better picture of what foods those with autism spectrum disorders prefer and how a diet can be made to cater to their needs and address eating problems associated with autism.

Often, children with autism are underweight, while many adults with autism are overweight or obese.

"I want to try to determine how we can get these people into a healthy weight range and have it be based in science," Haught said.

Haught had little background on autism when she learned a bit about it in a developmental psychology course at the college. She took that interest to assistant psychology professor Alicia Doerflinger, who had a background in the research of development of feeding behaviors, and the study was born.

The two found they would be virtual pioneers in their experiment, titled "The Effect of Food Preferences, Food Intake and Taster Status on Body Weight in Children with Autism."

"When we started to look at the literature, there was obviously not a lot of work done in that area," said Doerflinger. "Even though it's pretty well known that parents of children with autism have feeding issues on a daily basis, there didn't seem to be investigation into that in any depth. It was a little niche we could move into."

The lack of previous studies may be due to the difficulty of working with young children who are autistic or simply because with all the functionality issues related to the disorder, it may not have been a high priority, she said.  read more »

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) - Research on a new device - a version of which is now available to consumers -  that measures young children's language-learning environment and holds promise for use in the screening, assessment and treatment of  young children with autism, will be the topic of the first 2009-2010 UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute Distinguished Lecturer address on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

The address will be presented by Steven Warren, a senior scientist, professor of applied behavioral science and vice provost for research and graduate studies at the University of Kansas, at 4:30 p.m. in the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute auditorium, 2850 50th St., Sacramento.

Warren is internationally recognized for his contributions to understanding language development in children and his leadership in the field of developmental disabilities. He has conducted extensive research on early communication and language-intervention approaches and has published more than 120 papers, chapters, and books on these and related topics.

Warren’s major research interests are early communication and language development and intervention and the prevention of mental retardation. His Distinguished Lecturer address focuses on his research using a new device that is an extension of the LENA (Language ENvironment Analysis) system, which Warren calls a “breakthrough technology.”  read more »

(NaturalNews) According to a U.S. government survey just published, rates of autism in children have doubled since 2003. Today, an estimated 1 in 91 children are being diagnosed with autism, making this the highest rate in any population in the history of human civilization. Meanwhile, the vaccination push in America continues, specifically targeting children with not just seasonal flu vaccines (which may contain thimerosal), but also the H1N1 swine flu vaccine.

It all begs the question: Is there a link between vaccines and autism?

In defending vaccines, many doctors have blamed autism on a genetic cause. But if it's genetic, why are rates skyrocketing so quickly? The gene pool obviously isn't changing that dramatically. There's no such thing as a "genetic epidemic." If genes caused autism, the rate of autism diagnosis should be holding steady year after year. Clearly, something else is at work, causing the sharp increase in autism.  read more »

One does hope that the surge, epidemic, tragedy, or whatever else we parents want to call it when our 11-year-old still watches “Elmo” will be treated with the human respect and attention it deserves, and won’t become just another political, ratings-rich football booted back and forth between Fox News and MSNBC.

http://www.blisstree.com/autismvox/new-numbers-smart-surveys/

"Shocking" new autism data released in the U.S. on Monday sent reverberations across the border and renewed calls for Canadian government agencies to get a grip on autism rates in this country.

The U.S. data found the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder has continued to increase, and now affects one per cent of children in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

The CDC said it went public with the findings, because they were similar to those published Monday by the Boston-based medical journal Pediatrics, which found that ASD affected one in 91 children — including 1 in 58 boys — in the U.S.

"These data affirm that a concerted and substantial national response is warranted," said the CDC in a statement.

The published Pediatrics study, done by the Health Resources and Services Administration, surveyed by telephone 78,000 parents with children aged three to 17.

Suzanne Lanthier, of Autism Speaks Canada, said the U.S. data were "shocking" and should motivate Canadian health authorities to focus their energies on dealing with autism.

"We need to start paying attention to that, and putting significant resources into finding out why this is happening," said Lanthier.

Lanthier said Canada does not have similar national data on domestic autism rates.

Autism advocacy groups in Canada have relied on the previous 1-in-150 rate released by the CDC in 2007, said Lanthier.

"Given what we have seen, there is no reason to believe that Canadian rates would be significantly different from the U.S.," said Lanthier.

Canadian studies have pegged child ASD rates in Canada at between one in 147 and one in 165.

   read more »

Bryan is six years old, and autistic.  The clinically observed statistics cited by authorities claim one in 120 to 150 children have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In point of fact, how many “normal” children have a cognitive disorder that either has not yet been expressed, or is thought minor enough to be overlooked by the conventional medical community?  The number of children estimated to have a cognitive disorder has been put at three times the ASD figures--that is a huge number!  The percentage cited by “experts” depends on the study, and who is collecting and tabulating data.  Either way, we know these disorders can be caused by a significant toxic exposure to mercury.

Bryan developed autistic symptoms two weeks after being injected with a vaccine containing thimerosal, which is 49% mercury.  Why was he cognitively affected, when so many other children show no effects from a single exposure to mercury?  And why do some children need two or more vaccinations to be negatively affected?  There are many causes, but there are clues that have become apparent in my biologic dental practice.

Bryan’s parents sought out my practice because they both had “silver” (mercury amalgam) fillings in their teeth.  Through their own reading and Internet research once their son was affected, they realized the risk of mercury exposure people have from these old-fashioned fillings.  (All silver-colored fillings in teeth are 50% elemental mercury, and all off-gas mercury vapor into the mouth nonstop).  They also understood that simply removing mercury fillings without precautions was dangerous. They wanted the mercury removed as safely as possible, according to the biologic protocols that exist to protect patients from the incidental mercury vapor and particles released during removal of mercury dental fillings.  read more »

Recovering Autistic Children, Edited by Stephen M. Edelson, Ph.D. and Bernard Rimland, Ph.D. This book is the extensively updated and enlarged revision of Treating Autistic Children, which was published in 2003. Almost all of the 31 parent reports have been updated and 83 pages of new information have been added. You'll find up-to-the-minute information from ARI's acclaimed Defeat Autism Now! <!--(DAN!®)-->Project and new sections including Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment (HBOT); clinical use of Methyl B12; Specific Carbohydrate Diet; Low-Dose Naltrexone; Chelation; Medical Marijuana to control aggression; and much more! Thousands of autistic children have recovered and are recovering, based on the sound information in this book. 2006, paperback, 468 pages. ($24.00)

Changing the Course of Autism, Bryan Jepson, M.D. edited by Jane Johnson. A decade ago, autism was a rare disease--today, most Americans know a family with an autistic child. Autism is now epidemic, currently affecting half a million American children, or 1 in 150. This makes it the most common developmental disability--more common than Down's syndrome, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation combined. Autism is growing at a startling rate of 10-17 percent per year, which means that the disease could reach several million Americans in the next decade. 2007, paperback, 358 pages ($18.95).

Facing Autism: Giving Parents Reason for Hope and Guidance for Help, by Lynn M. Hamilton. A treasury of detailed, helpful information from a mother who has carefully investigated all of the promising treatment approaches. 2000, paperback, 361 pages. ($17.00)  read more »

Wasn't 150 the new 166? With no end in sight, I'm starting to think that the higher rate of diagnosis is meant to show (at least for some people) a higher rate of cure.

http://www.blisstree.com/autismvox/so-is-100-really-the-new-150/ 

My family and I moved to NC 4 yrs. ago before my son was diagnosed with HFA. He is almost 9 should be in 3rd. grade but is only at a 1st grade level. We are not having any sucess here in NC with his schooling. We are planning on moving back to Mass. mid Dec. with hopes we can get my son into a great public school that has good resources to help with Autism. We are looking to move somewhere along 495 between Franklin all the way up to  Westford. Our location will all depend on what school I find for him. I am looking for any input good or bad from parents expereince with schools up there. I plan on coming up in Nov. to visit as many schools as possible, so any and all information will be helpful.

When very young children first begin to learn language skills, they learn new words by hearing the spoken word tied to the actual object (Richards & Goldfarb, 1986). For example, if parents repeat the word car every time they take their child to the car, the child will quickly learn that the word car represents the real car. Learning new words is not limited to pairing a word with an actual object. As children get a little older, they can also learn new words when the word is paired with a picture of the object. Studies show that nine months old children don’t yet see pictures as representations, or symbols, of an object. Most infants, instead, respond to pictures by hitting, rubbing, and grasping at the image. It is as if they are trying to pluck the object off of the page (Pierroutsakos & DeLoache, 2003).

However, in just a few more months, children start to understand that a picture is actually a symbol for a real object (Priessler & Carey, 2004). In fact, by 18 months, children are able to learn words by exploring pictures with adults, then generalizing these newly learned labels to the actual objects represented.  read more »

Location(s)

Healing Childhood EpidemicsWhat You Need to Know About Autism Spectrum

Disorders, AD(H)D, Developmental and Neuro-Behavoiral Disorders

Tampa, Florida—October 31, 2009

Free Seminar   read more »

I know I’ve mentioned that I grew up with no one knowing I had Asperger’s Syndrome. It made things quite a challenge for any who dealt with me and there were those who gave up. I’m not writing to talk about them today. Today, I want to pay my undying respect to those who took one extra step beyond and never, no never, gave up on me.

The first person I want to talk about, taught me in Boy’s Chorus at Irving Jr High in 1982. I have to say that Junior High years were the hardest on me. I had a heavy helping of bullies and general difficulty. Matters at home were no different and I felt depression’s grip icily on my heart.

I started storming out of classes because I simply felt so overwhelmed. I couldn’t handle the fact that I had no safe haven. I couldn’t process all of what happened around me and I had no idea why. So, I started considering suicide. No, no one knew of this, not even Ms. Paula Baack, my chorus teacher.

Ms. Baack gave me an example in life that made me change my mind about how long I wanted to live. She never knew this until I emailed her recently. One very special day changed everything and started me thinking. I got very upset that day and I stormed for that door, like I had several times before. What she said froze me in my tracks.

“David, if you go out that door, we are through!”

No one had ever said anything like that to me before and I couldn’t imagine what a dire consequence it meant I faced. All the same, it flipped a switch somewhere in me that no one else had managed to find. I turned and slowly walked back to my seat. The rest of the class could only stare in total amazement.

Ms. Baack is, to this day, a great teacher and powerful performer in her own right, but she can do one other thing better than most teachers I ever met. She could and still can reach the student. She reached me at Death’s door, even though she had no idea that such an event lay so close to me.

Is the spike in autism diagnoses going to be accompanied by the sound of cash registers ringing out at drug companies? Maybe more attention will mean more treatment and more services: http://www.blisstree.com/autismvox/the-spike/

I feel very much for those families that are experiencing this.  My child had some kind of problem which was diagnosed as a learning disability...Hearing about all the children that are being diagnosed with some form of autism makes me wonder if he might have had it in a mild form..it was difficult to communicate with him for the first 6 years of his life...that was hs only problem which with a lot of work we ( teachers, specialist)...were able to finally help him overcome this....whatever it was that had caused his problem ( I strongly suspect his baby formula) his disability is no longer apparent....He is an adult now with a wife and kids  Good luck to everyone who is going through this ordeal...Don't give up....never give up

I just found out now 1-91 American children are affected with Autism. Can you say epidemic? Go to autismspeaks.org for more info,

Ever since Tyrell was an infant I knew he was a special little boy. I first noticed his motor development was off of schedule. This is when I first had a feeling something was not right. He started sitting up on his own at ten months and then every month after that his motor skills started to progress. He said "dada" at six months and "mama" at twelve months but something was still off about him. I never thought he was a special needs child. However, I did know he was developmentally delayed. He was diagnosed with PDD at fifteen months. Hearing my child was autistic made my heart sink to my feet. What hurt the most was to learn that his cognitive skills were at an eight month old level and his speech was at a three month old level. It was very hard to deal with the news that my child may never be normal. The good news was that Tyrell was not diagnosed as severe or mentally retarded. He was diagnosed mild to moderately Autistic. This means there is hope for my son's future. Today his cognitive level is between 12 to 18 months and his speech level is about 8 months. I am pleased to say 24 hours a week of Early Intervention is changing his life for the better.

Over four hundred people laced up their sneakers to participate in the Autism Walk do 2.The event is sponsored by the Southern Minnesota Autism Coalition as a way to not only raise money... but to promote tolerance and acceptance of those diagnosed with autism.Karen Wright says, "I think a lot of people don't necessarily understand what autism is and so it's great that people can come and learn a little more about it because the prevalence of autism is becoming so much greater."Walk Do 2 raised over thirteen thousand dollars today, and it's money that will all be spent locally.Right now there are over one hundred and fifty kids in the Mankato school district diagnosed with autism.

Click on the newslink to read the article.

At one point in her son’s seven-year life, Anna Latif wondered whether he would ever recognize her as his mother.

Diagnosed on the middle-to-low spectrum of autism, Latif’s son went to traditional doctors and followed the traditional treatment for the disorder that has no cure.

Click on the newslink to read the entire article.

You know what’s really exhausting about autism? The endless to-do list. This morning Jeff let me sleep in (we take turns with this on weekends). While I was dozing and listening to the sounds of my family waking up and starting an easygoing weekend day, Alex was shrieking and chattering.

http://www.blisstree.com/autismvox/autisms-to-do-list/

Companion Card for Queenslanders who live in Australia website is www.companioncard.asn.au this website promots the human and legal rights for people with a disability to have the same opportunities for participation and recreation as other community members. It also a practical way of supporting carers of people with a disability.

Cardholders present their card when purchasing tickets at a participating businessess, pay for their ticket and are issued wtih a second companion ticket at no charge.

The program has strong support across government and his endorsed by the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland.

Autism Queensland represents, Training Services eg: Practical Workshops, Seminars, Early intervention programs, Education and theraphy programs, Respite and holiday programs and family support. Outreach Services, ( Vision- A life of choice and opportunity for people living with Austism). www.austismqld.com.au

Positive Partnerships is supporting school aged students on the Austism Spectrum, www.austismtraining.com.au

Autism Spectrum Disorder THERAPY CLINIC now operates the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Therapy Clinic with ASD experienced Speech Pathologists and Occupational Therapists who can focus on areas of concern yuo have with your child's development. Email: ASDClinic@autismqld.com.au

If I have helped at least one person in my State Of Queensland then I am doing my job right!!!

GOOD LUCK

I sell Avon for a living and never thought a lot about the type of person that bought my product until recently. I received an email from a mother who bought Avon's KIDS bath time body paint for her son. See her son has autism and she thought this would give him maybe some fun in the bathtub instead of the hassle it usually was. The first night she used the product she was amazed. He didn't want to leave the tub. The body paint, which happens to also be soap, was keeping him quite busy and entertained. He was coloring every inch of his body and the bathtub wall. (It washed off really easily). He didn't understand that this was a soap nor did she care to tell him but was happy to see she was getting what she wanted with out all the problem, a clean child. She couldn't believe that something that cost only $1.99 could be such a nighttime helper.

Christina Fugere
www.youravon.com/cfugere

We are parents of 5 kiddos, the youngest are our twin boys who only recently were diagnosed as Autistic.  We are learning as we go...anyone in the Texas Panhandle area with experience we would love to meet!

For the first time since we had a chaotically late driver a few years ago, we’ve run into a snag with Alex’s school busing common to the autistic.  read more »

I have a son that was diagnosed with PDD. He is two now. He was diagnoised about 11 months ago. I am pregnant again with another boy. I have my worries that he may also be on the spectrum or have development delays. The children will have different fathers. Would that make a difference? The Autism Spectrum Disorder runs in my family. What chance does my second son have at being Autistic too?

My daughter, Becky is 15 and was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Autism Spectrum since she was 2 years 7 months.  Currently she is still non verbal, requires 24 hour care and supervision and has a lot of self agressive and aggressive issues.  Becky is incredibly beautiful and well loved by those who know her.

When we first found out she had autism, I was full of fight and spirit, going to do anything to free my daughter from the ravages of the symptoms of autism.  We started an early intervvention program based on the therories of Dr. O Ivar Lovaas's model.  We worked 40 hours a week, 7 days a week from 2 years 11 months until she entered elelmentry school full time in grade 1.

Becky is now in Grade 10.  She has an excellent team working with her at school and things are going well educationally, dispite the challenges of her behavior symptoms.

I been a single parent to her and her 2 brothers for over a year now.  And although THAT is challenging I am much more happier now than I was and a calm house has seemed to help Becky.

That is our genereal history.

More on Sylvia Tagle, the special ed teacher convicted of putting hot sauce in soda and allowing a child to drink it: Did she do it? Tagle has defenders who describe her as a caring and committed teacher. Was she? I am having a hard time getting a complete picture because the coverage of this story was so skimpy. I can understand why there wasn’t much space devoted to it. It just doesn’t seem like that big a story.

http://www.blisstree.com/autismvox/all-the-news/

"My gut is telling me that something is not right."  "Things don't feel right...my baby's little hand...his frightened crys...his frequent sicknesses..."  I would question, I would ponder, I would read...but found no validation.  Instead, from those that had knowledge so much more than my own...I would get patronizing responses like:  "All children are different."  and "All babies hit their milestones...eventually...don't worry..."  and..."You're stressing too much"

These are the typical responses. that I would recieve from those that I trusted to give me answers to my many questions...but...my questions seemed silly to most, and like I was an over-protective mother to say the least...and so the more questions I asked...the more I felt the fool...and so I became mute.  I tried to ignore my gut, and all the questions that I had in my head and in my heart, but I couldn't.  My subconscious seemed to know this and I started to have nightmares, and much trouble sleeping at night.

After 8 years of struggling, many doctors, therapists, books, ect. ect. ect....with not yet a clue or glimmer of anything that even resembled an answer to my question...the one that I have had since my child's birth...."What is wrong with my child?"   I finally found an answer, and I found someone finally...finally...that validated all my concerns...every last one of them.  And...then...my friends....we have started to move forward...and we have found accomplishment and great success.

The moral to this story is this:   "Always...always....listen to you Gut"   That, is a saying that has been around forever....and what is literally means is...."Listen to your Heart of Hearts always...and Trust in it."

ATclarabelle

The Medium Bus

0740 in the morning, standing at the end of the drive way, my eyes were glued to the corner of our street. My four year old little girl is preparing to embark on her first day of public school pre-school. Check that, public school developmental pre-school. She was all decked out in her windbreaker and lunch box supplied with gluten-free snacks and an apple juice box. I doubt she had any idea what had transpired, or even what was to yet come. Her Mother and I presented our case before the IEP Board from Fayette County and finally secured her a spot to get the help she most desperately required. Maggie was four and not yet potty trained. She was prone to day-long meltdowns and toy arranging. She did not play with her toys; she lined them up by color or shape. My baby girl was diagnosed Autistic.

My wife Lisa was kneeling beside Maggie and trying to prepare her for what was to come. She began by describing all the new activities that would take place, new friends to meet and routines to learn. I kept my eye on that corner. One thought continued to permeate my mind. Lisa stood up straight again and rested her hand on Maggie’s head. She stroked her hair and kept her eyes on me. We told ourselves this was for the best. We rationalized that Maggie deserved the chance to grow and evolve into a “typical” kid. Typical is PC speak for normal. I want Maggie to have a normal life.

I heard it long before I saw it. My ears detected the rumble of the engine; my eyes saw a brief flash of school bus yellow through the trees. I prayed a silent prayer. That seems silly now. But that morning is was far from silly. My daughter was going to have to ride the short bus to school. My baby girl was going to board something that they make fun of on Super Flair. I know you have seen them. I admit, I giggle a bit when I read them also but you kind of lose the humor a bit when it is your child.  read more »

well i have the update on my sister third son she call me today and yes the test came back and he does have autism now the has three sons with autism how can i help her though this?

When this was made at a convention, I had recently (9 mo) been in a car accident and knew I would not be able to work as an electrician due to severe vertigo. I thought I could make a living selling on line and set out to learn about it. I had some misadventures and had to walk through walls as usual. (my first anoxic seizure was there and the founder revived me! cool eh?) I am nearly ready to sell something online with my daughter's assistance. She believes in me. An autistic may not be the ideal parent, but we tend to put every effort into what we do. I have wonderful strong children for some reason. My son and his wife gave me a granddaughter who is not autistic.

I know I like to kvetch and cry on this blog (when I;m not being incredibly, boringly intellectual).  Sorry about that.

I started another blog where I try to be positive.  Please take a look.  You'll see a different side of me.

http://sher-letsgo.blogspot.com

To the Sponsors, Donors and Supporters of Autism Speaks:

We, the undersigned organizations representing self advocates, parents, professionals and allies in the Autism, Autistic and Disability Communities, are writing to you to express our concern about the recent actions of Autism Speaks. Our work is about helping empower and support people with disabilities of all kinds, including adults and youth on the autism spectrum, and we recognize that there are a wide variety of means towards accomplishing this goal. Yet, Autism Speaks’ recent choice to use fear, stigma, misinformation and prejudice against Autistic people as a fundraising tool does real damage to people with disabilities everywhere. The most recent example of this lack of ethics can be found in Autism Speaks’ new “I am Autism” campaign which states, “I am autism...I know where you live...I work faster than pediatric AIDS, cancer and diabetes combined. And if you're happily married, I will make sure that your marriage fails. Your money will fall into my hands and I will bankrupt you for my own self-gain...I will make it virtually impossible for your family to easily attend a temple, birthday party, or public park without a struggle, without embarrassment, without pain...I am autism. I have no interest in right or wrong. I derive great pleasure out of your loneliness."