I was given a copy of The Autism Mom’s Survival Guide by Susan Senator. I'm offering this book to the first Autism Blogger member with at least 30 points who contacts me, with the caveat that you must write a book review on Autism Blogger when you are done reading it. This book lists for $16.95 on Amazon.

Any takers?

http://susansenator.com/survivalguide.html

Picto selector is a freeware Windows application written for easy selection and printing of Pictos (also known as PECS). The Pictos, 5000 black and white pictures,  come from the website www.Sclera.be and have a Dutch, English and French translation. The application itself also supports those languages.

With Picto Selector the time consuming cut, paste and editing in Word is over.

Do you need some ideas for unique holiday gifts?  Ali-Pat Publications offers a variety of fun handmade items for sale!

• Christmas Wreaths 18" and 14"
• Bells
• Ornaments
• Magnets
• Back Pack Clips
• Jacket Pulls
• Bird Feeder
• File Folder CD's
• Puzzle Piece Craft Kits

Visit our products page for more information on all of these products!

www.alipatpublications.com/AwarenessProducts.html

If you have questions regarding these items please contact us at info@alipatpublications.com

            Alison and Patty

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 »

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

Hello!   We at Ali-Pat Publications LLC are excited to be a part of Autism Bloggers. We wanted to share with you some information about our company, ourselves, and our thoughts about the educational needs of children with Autism. 

Although there are many existing programs, 

what we hear repeatedly from teachers is the desire to conserve space and to minimize the amount of time spent at the copier reproducing the file folder games.  The other concern is that existing programs work well for typical children but need to be modified for special needs children.

It is from hearing these concerns expressed regularly that we set out to create a program offile folder games to address these needs:

Minimizing storage by having the games on CDs as opposed to large books, therefore leaving room available for other supplies.                      

Ease of downloading and printing directly in the classroom, freeing up the teachers and assistants to spend more time teaching.

   read more »

My son Emerson, nicknamed "Little EM" just turned 4 yesterday.  Being the father of an autistic child has been the greatest challenge of my life.  I have come to understand and empathize the supposed 80 to 85% divorce rate.  This forced venture has also taught me so much about myself.  Though autism looked to tear my family apart, it backfired.  It filled me with a grinding resolve to see our family through this whole.

At one years old Little Em was so averted to touch and close contact that when I coddled his face in an attempt to get a look at those beautiful blue eyes, they rolled white in his head. Whenever I came home at night was deaf to my pleas for a hug and utterly inifferent to my presence.  If I tried to pick him up, all I got was elbows and knees. This is where Dads lose control and hope and the family fabric can disintegrate at frightening speed.

I am happy and proud to say that today, he will shower me with kisses and come running to give daddy a hug when I come home.  Turning the worm and getting him to go from a distant eyed stranger who found all those around him irrelevant to an engaging happy little boy didn't happen without hard work, tears and creativity.  But we did it.  We catalogued our tacticis and progression and compiled them into a comprehensive program to help other parents out there struggling to connect with their autistic children.    read more »

$10 off coupon for adult weighted blankets at http://www.cozycalm.com

Good for any twin, long twin, double, or queen size.  Yes, we have grown-up colors!

Expires July 31, 09

Discount Coupon Code:  July10-A

Go to www.CozyCalm.com

I hope you like them!

 --Eileen.

I first tried a weighted blanket in Sensory Integration Therapy.  My occupational therapist recommended that I get one, so I did--five times.  But, with my sensory issues and my autistic sense, none of them were "right" so I designed my own.

They became popular so I made an online store and started selling them at Cozy Calm.  People buy them (a lot!) so they can relax, get to sleep, and stay asleep.  The deep pressure from our weighted blankets called proprioceptive input, induces the brain to produce serotonin and dopamine (the calming chemicals) and melatonin (the sleep chemical).

Features:

• Machine wash and dry
• Even weight distribution
• Soft
• Professionally sewn
• High-quality fabrics
• Inner liner for strength
• The filling is plastic beads that come from an American company (for safety)
• They're gorgeous!

You can see them in my store: Cozy Calm

You can contact me directly at e@cozycalm.com or at 763-533-6125.

I hope you like them!

--Eileen.

I was talking to my sons ABA supervisor frusterated at the fact whenever I am driving my son would randomly unbuckle his seat belt and stand up. I didnt know what to do because I kept having to pull over and fix it. Sometimes it would take a while since I was in traffic sometimes and couldnt get over. SOOOO she told me about an amazing product called Angel Guard. You can google it. It fits over the buckle so little hands cant unbuckle their belts, keeping them safe. I havent tried it yet, but I am sure odering it! https://www.angelguardbuynow.com/?cid=632863

I should have posted this sooner, but I have used this product and it has been a godsend for us!  If any of you out there have an autistic child who wanders, know that you are not alone.  My son will wander off anywhere and is not afraid of anything.  I was about at my wit's end and then I came across the portable playard! :) It is a three foot tall fence that is about 36 square feet if you buy the extension (which we did) and it hooks together.  We took it camping with us, threw in his favorite toys and voila!  We had a happy guy who couldn't wander off.  I took it to my daughter's ballgames, camping, family parties, etc...We have used it once this year, but he can almost climb over the side so it is time for it to go! :) For $70 (that is which the extension piece) it was well worth it.  I probably would have paid more. 

Hi all,

Great news!  We bought our 15 year old, nonverbal, autistic son the iPod touch, in order for him to have a more mobile talker than the one the school district provided.  A simple text to speech app existed called 'Speak it'.  As our son can read, write and type, although not ideal, we thought that this could be useful for him.  After a bit more research, we found that Assistiveware was almost ready to release a new app called Proloquo2Go.  We bought it the day it came on the market.  It is excellent!!  Those guys are genius!  It is simple, has great pictures, and is easy to program.  Our son, David, has always loved his earlier iPods, so this was an easy transition.  It is so nice and slim, it slips right into his pocket.  The added bonus, is that now he gets to take his movies and music to school with him too.  He has been proudly showing off!  Now he is carrying something cool and desirable, instead of something kind of weird.

 We were a bit worried about his ability to manipulate it, as his fine motor skills are not really good, but happily, no problem!  If anyone out there uses an assisted talking device, I urge you to check this out.  They are selling packages right now for $500 that includes an additional speaker.  So far, we have not found the speakers to be necessary.  The 8g iPod was $229, and the introductory offer on the Proloquo2go app is $149.  

 I highly recommend this product!

 Lauri