As I sit here watching my son warm up for his soccer game, I think how far he has come, and I attribute a big portion of that to sports.  My husband and I originally decided to enroll him in soccer as a social opportunity and a way to get some exercise.  It was that , sure, but it turned into so much more.

Just a few things that sports can do for your child:

Give her a subject to talk about that other kids can relate to

Give Dad something that he can get involved in

A way to get out of the house on a schedule

A way to meet other parents (for you)

A way to meet new friends that aren’t from school

Improve coordination

Improve self-confidence

Improve social skills

Because of all these benefits, I always recommend to the families that I work with to enroll their kids in a sport of some kind.  Gymnastics, soccer, basketball, swimming, wrestling, running… anything active,  really.  It doesn’t matter what sport, just something that your child enjoys that isn’t too complicated and too hard to get to.  It’s  a bonus if you enjoy it or used to play it too.  If something that you think would fit just right doesn’t, don’t be afraid to switch.  A lot of places will give you an introductory class so you can test it out.  Don’t give up on the first try. Sometimes kids have to try a few sports before they find “the one”. (A note for those of you that have boys: Ask anyone who has spent any time at all teaching boys and they will tell you they are inherently different than girls in just about every way.  They need to be moving practically all the time and keeping them doing this naturally keeps what we perceive as negative behavior down.)

Find a good coach that will be patient with your child.  If there isn’t one, volunteer yourself.  My husband had some of the greatest times coaching my son’s team and even waited in line to call from  Iraq in the middle of the night to find out how they did in a game because he had to leave before the season was over. Get your kiddo out there and  I bet you will see all these benefits and many more I haven’t even named. It’s worth it!

Jackie

AutismPower..com

Jackie

http://www.AutismPower.com

“Using A Chaser to Decrease Packing in Children with Feeding Disorders”  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis Spring 2012

What to do while Aunt Sylvia is staring you down while Tyler is shouting the F-bomb at the top of his lungs?

Don’t make a huge production out of it.  Remove him from the situation as quickly as possible with as little fanfare as possible.  A lecture on the inappropriateness of the word will probably be lost, and if it pulled you away from the dinner and got eyes back on him-a great bonus.  A calm, “That is an inappropriate word.  We do not say that,” and deposit him somewhere where he is safe and can not be seen or heard easily is best.   Go back to what you were doing before the interruption.  Don’t worry if Aunt Sylvia doesn’t agree.  She has no idea……

What they couldn’t tell me is about autism-the one thing I really wanted to know about.  I had worked with and heard about numerous families that have multiple children on the spectrum, so I knew there had to be some kind of genetic component, but I also knew there was no way to test for it.  All I could do is wait.  I worried, and I worried a lot.  That’s the thing about autism.  When your baby is born, it’s not immediately apparent.  Your wait isn’t over.  Your worry and watchful waiting continues.   It’s not an easy wait, but I have learned the hard way-Don’t worry until you know what you are worrying about.  You will waste away your precious pregnancy and your baby’s first year.  What you worry about probably won’t happen anyway.  It  will probably be something you wouldn’t have dreamed up in a million years, like numerous anaphylactic food allergies.  (A different  post all together) Enjoy every moment with your little one.  You will be glad you did, no matter what happens…..

Jackie  AutismPower.com

Think about what is limited.  Your money and your time.  Even Brad and Angelina have a limit on those. (Time anyway…)  If we go chasing every exploratory treatment, it is possible some of our   TIME…our   most precious resource for our child while his brain is developing,  is wasted.  Go for what’s proven.  If you have a little extra money and time, you can try other things that won’t cause harm.

Let’s look at  something that we hear a lot about lately-hyperbaric oxygen chamber treatments, or HBOT.

An ABC News article, “Hyperbaric Autism Treatment Shows Possible Promise” in March 2009 , mentions several times that no credible scientific studies have yet shown that this an effective treatment for autism.  They were waiting on academic groups that don’t have a financial investment in seeing it work.  Forward to a November 2011 NJ.com article, “Questions, risks surround hyperbaric chamber treatments for autistic children”.  The article states New Jersey is one of the three states where HBOT  is most often used. It is still the same story 3 years later.  Waiting on studies.  Anecdotal evidence.  Insurance isn’t covering. Parents paying huge sums of money.  Again, supporters say it will not hurt your child.  So,   this goes under the category of go ahead and do it if you have the extra time and cash,   IF  you already have him enrolled in scientifically proven treatments.

Jackie

AutismPower.com

“A search for appropriate treatment must be paired with the knowledge that all treatment approaches are not equal;”   Autism Society Website.

Reinforcement occurs when a stimulus change immediately follows a response and increases the future frequency of that type of behavior in similar conditions.

Don’t tune me out here.

What exactly does that mean?

I will tell you….what we think may look like a punishment MAY be motivating for your child.  Yelling at him MAY increase a bad  behavior!!!  Giving him candy may not increase a good behavior.  Look out for that.  Example….I used to have a client that would not put his coat on.  Mom would yell. This kiddo got a kick out of seeing his mom yell and get upset.   It got so he looked forward to leaving so he could NOT put on his coat so he could get all that good attention! In other words, make sure what you are using for a reinforcer is truly increasing the good stuff.  If the skittles aren’t making the coat go on,  they aren’t a reinforcer!

Jackie

AutismPower.com

www.gripcase.com

$39.99 (iPad)

$34.99 (iPad 2)

From the Developer

For your educational environment, there is no better iPad case. The Gripcase is virtually “student proof,” comprised of lightweight, shock-absorbent material that is also abrasion and tear resistant, bacteria resistant and washable. And, with ergonomic grips and handles, students can easily operate and transport their iPad.

From the Customer

I love my GripCase, it looks after my iPad better than any other case on the market. It features a bumper/crumple zone around the perimeter of the iPad protecting it from accidental drops and not so accidental tosses. The bumpers double up as ergonomic grips that enable almost anyone to keep a firm grip while using the iPad. The lightweight “Croc” material will keep your iPad safe from everything except sharp blows directly to the face of the Pad. As a therapist, I feel much less apprehensive about letting my students walk around with my iPad and my heart does not skip a beat when I see my new iPad 3 teetering on the edge of a desk.

Sure, you can’t use charging trays with the grip case. You’ll have to run an individual wire to each iPad or take them out of the case every time you want to use a charging tray. But, that is a small price to pay for the peace of mind you get knowing that, if your iPad is dropped or tossed it will live to see another day.

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Video Scheduler              By: MDR

www.look2learn.com

$12.99

From The Developer

Scheduler offers a variety of features in an easy to use interface allowing maximum customization. These features include various orientation locks, which prevent students from engaging in stimulatory behaviors with the video. Users can also select from three video and picture sizes. There’s also a pass code function, which can be applied to prevent users from skipping around to preferred aspects of their schedule.

From The Customer

Research has shown us that students with autism can acquire skills in daily living, social interactions, communication, behavior management and functional academics through video modeling. Now we have a powerful tool available at our fingertips to use in everyday real-life situations. Video Scheduler app takes visual supports to the next level by adding a video component that lets users embed audio-visual prompts into a schedule or modeling sequence. Video modeling supports can be made on-the-spot and replayed almost instantly to support and reinforce the acquisition of new skills. The developers have added several features to reduce stimulatory behaviors and ensure all steps in the schedule are completed in the order presented.

The video component of Video Scheduler will only work with iDevices that have the camera feature. Picture schedules can be made on iDevices without the camera feature.

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My PlayHome                        By: Shimon Young

www.myplayhomeapp.com

From The Developer

My PlayHome is the original and best dolls house app. Massively interactive, your kids can explore and use everything in the house. The characters eat, sleep, shower, brush their teeth and more. Want the room to be darker? Close the drapes! Fancy a change in music? Pop a different CD into the stereo!

From The Customer

Do you remember the classic Doll House with hundreds of pieces to move around the house while making-up stories about the family that lived there? Now there is a Doll House for the iPad. My Playhome is a wonderfully interactive app that allows the user to do everything from the laundry to cooking a meal while listening to their musical selection.

Best of all, many language concepts can be targeted easily while “playing” My Playhome. Prepositions, descriptors, categories, sequencing, activities of daily living, shared attention, receptive and expressive language, etc. are just a few of the communication/language goals that can be targeted in a single session with this highly motivating app.

The developer is promising as the doll house grows over time with new rooms and accessories, they will be given to you FREE.

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My Story – Book Maker for Kids               By: HiDef Web Solutions

www.mystoryapp.org

$1.99

From The Developer

Your child becomes an author with My Story, creating beautiful ebooks using simple tools for drawing, photo importing, voice recording, and more! Your child can then share books within the app, via email, or directly to iBooks.

From The Customer

Visual supports are highly effective tools in facilitating communication and language comprehension for children on the autism spectrum. They provide structure for social interactions, transitions and can help an individual understand new situations.

With My Story – Book Maker for Kids app it is easy to create a memory book, visual schedule or social story anytime, anywhere. Students love the draw over feature that makes it easy to add personal touches to their stories and the voice recording for personal narratives.

Therapists and educators appreciate the ability to target many goals such as expressive language, literacy, creativity and self-expression. My Story is very useful for special events and fieldtrips as you can document the event and send it to caregivers before the school day is over.

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In Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) the human-animal bond is utilized to help meet therapeutic goals and reach individuals who are otherwise difficult to engage in verbal therapies.

AAT is considered an emerging therapy at this time, and more research is needed to determine the effects and confirm the benefits. Nevertheless, there is a growing body of research and case studies that illustrate the considerable therapeutic potential of using animals in therapy.

AAT has been associated with improving outcomes in four areas: autism-spectrum symptoms, medical difficulties, behavioral problems, and emotional well-being.

So, you decide you want to give AAT a try. Picking an animal companion to help you in a therapy session is the easy part. Effectively using your furry friend as a key player in the therapy environment can be a little more complex.

This course is designed to provide therapists, educators, and caregivers with the information and techniques needed to begin using the human-animal bond successfully to meet individual therapeutic goals.

After completing this course you will have covered 6 key areas:

1. Identify the key features of AAT
2. Name three examples of how to build communication skills using AAT
3. Identify special considerations for working with individuals with autism spectrum disorders
4. List uses for AAT in occupational therapy and mental health practice
5. Identify situations where AAT may not be appropriate
6. List five ways to minimize risk in the practice of AAT

HealthCare professionals earn 2-CE credits or 0.2 CEUs

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Autism and Exercise: Autism Therapy. Image Purchased: Bigstockphoto

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 88 children in the United States has been identified as having an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a new study. Autism spectrum disorders are almost five times more common among boys than girls — with 1 in 54 boys identified.

Among my daily clients include  Athletes, bankers, editors in chief, actresses, models, lawyers, doctors and special needs children. Training these kids it has been an incredible experience but especially working with a girl with severe autism has reported me so much satisfaction that I can not express in my own words.

These three last years has been an incredible journey for me, I keep learning every day and me and my client are working as a team since we got started, 3 years ago. The capacity these kids have for success and their willingness to give their best still leaves me speechless even today.  I have been working for the last two years in devising a specific program for them where they will improve the brain plasticity with movement, multi-tasking, sensory system, balance, hand eye coordination and confidence.

Meditation is really important for kids with Autism and everyone else. I practice with my client lying down in a dark room and relax for 5 minutes teaching breathing and a better sense of self awareness. Very excited that my client is responding so well to my program.

From PARENTS.COM Exercises for Kids with Autism – And Everyone

by Diane Debrovner from Parents.com

A smart mom friend of mine who used to be a reporter at The New York Times told me about the new book, Super Body, Super Brain, by Michael Gonzalez-Wallace. He is a personal trainer who has collaborated with neuroscientists to develop a series of research-based exercises that encourage connections between different regions of the brain. Says neurobiogist John H. Martin, Ph.D., in the book’s Foreword: to keep reading click here

Like always, it was a pleasure to speak with Craig Evans.

This time we discussed two books: Apps for Autism and SPEAK, MOVE, PLAY and LEARN with CHILDREN on the AUTISM SPECTRUM

As a Speech Pathologist I work with many students with different challenges and different abilities. Through trial and error I have been able to find methods that help my students succeed in their respective goals.

When the iPod Touch was first introduced I decided to give it a try as an AT device. My students’ interest in the device was immediate, as you know; getting our students attention is the key to success. At the time I was beta testing Proloquo2Go and although my students’ interest was high many had a difficult time manipulating the iTouch due to its size.

When the iPad was announced, I pre-ordered mine. I knew I the iPad was going to be something potentially big. If the success I had with the iPod Touch was any kind of indication, I knew the iPad and its size would allow more accessibility to other students, so I hoped.

When the iPad arrived, I quickly familiarized myself with it. Apps were not as plentiful as today but, I loaded a few to test with my students. Since then the iPad has become an indispensible tool, not only in the special needs community but in the general population.

In the book Apps for Autism I share hundreds of Apps that I have successfully used in many circumstances. I explain what to use them for e.g. language comprehension, concept development and how to use them, their drawbacks if any and tips to overcome these drawbacks.

The second book, SPEAK, MOVE, PLAY and LEARN with CHILDREN on the AUTISM SPECTRUM incorporates two disciplines to enhance therapy outcomes. This book is packed with activities that I Personally use to achieve pre-set goals. The book is geared towards parents, caregivers and educators.

This second book deserves a blog of its own. Look for the blog in the coming days.

If you have any success stories, please share them with us.

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     I will attempt to have him perhaps soak  in the calming bath salts in his bath longer to see if this helps.  I could also increase the lavender essential oil in it as well.  We hope this will pass with time but until then I will continue to perfect my Calm Me bath salts for him.  This is the only time other than going to bed that my son has real “down time”.

Bubcaps are very effective against accidental depressing of the home button, but may only be a deterrent at best for a student who purposely presses the home button to escape a certain activity. In such a case the Bubcap can be used in conjunction with a visual aid in order to keep the student focused, there is an example of such an aid later in this article (see iPad schedule).

From the Developer

BubCap home button covers are rigid enough to deter toddlers from pressing the home button, yet flexible enough that adults can activate the home button with a firm press. It’s a similar concept to many child-proof caps for medicine bottles.

Which BubCaps should I order?

Due to subtle differences in the home buttons on different devices, please refer to these guidelines and choose the right model(s) for your situation:

BubCap regular is our least rigid model, which is great for most toddlers using an iPhone or iPod touch. It doesn’t provide much resistance on an iPad.

BubCap Ultra is more difficult to press through, and is best suited for toddlers on an iPad. Also works for older / stronger kids on an iPhone or iPod touch.

BubCap Max is the most difficult to press through, and is intended for older / stronger kids on an iPad, and are very hard to activate on iPhone and iPod touch, even for adults.

BubCap in Place

I have been using a BubCap with my students for about a month to assess their effectiveness with students on the spectrum. They are wonderful and do exactly what they advertise. Students with motor challenges or students who press the “Home” button by accident have benefited tremendously. They are able to hold and navigate the iPad without closing out of an app due to a misplaced thumb or accidental bumping.

Be Aware! BubCaps are super for students who accidentally hit or bump the home button, however may not be the answer for students with autism who frequently, intentionally press the home button. Students with autism should learn how to suppress the urge to frequently press the home button. Also, many students will quickly learn how to “press through” the BubCap.

Alternative:

The Ipad Schedule

Provide your child/student with a visual schedule of the apps/activities you want completed. After each app is completed, remove the icon from the schedule and move to the next task. Pictures were made by copy & pasting app icons from Google images. You can then print them and by using velcro and laminated paper you can build a simple visual aid. Of course there is other methods to building the visual aid, but you get the idea.

For best “buy-in” from students, let them choose an activity to embed into the schedule. Also, the last icon on the schedule should be a reinforcer of the student’s choice or an AAC app that allows the student to make a choice of reinforce.

Tip

double tap Home button

When a child/student accidently or purposefully exits an app by pressing the home button, simply double tap the home button and a window will appear on the bottom of your iDevice with recently opened apps. Tap on the app you were using and it will open where you left off.

‘Talking things through in their head’ may aid children with autism

By Loren Grush

Published January 25, 2012| FoxNews.com

Talking to yourself in your head may not be such a bizarre pastime.  It may actually be an important developmental tool.

A new study out of Durham University in England suggests that helping children with autism to ‘talk things through in their head’ could eventually help them to perform more complicated tasks – eventually helping them to lead more independent lives.

The research team, led by Dr. Dave Williams, at the department of psychology at Durham University, told FoxNews.com he found that using ‘inner speech’ is used by those with autism, but may be absent when they are planning complicated assignments.

“Most people in the typical population talk to themselves in their heads in order to solve problems,” Williams said.  “We think this ability to talk to ourselves in our heads is related to how well we communicate to other people.  Autism is a disorder of communication. Even though they speak overtly with language, they don’t tend to think it in their heads.”

The researchers observed a group of high-functioning adults with ASD and a comparison control group (neurotypical subjects) as both groups completed a task known as the Tower of London.  The test – which is also a popular mathematical puzzle – consists of five colored discs that are arranged on three pegs.  The object of the puzzle is to transform one arrangement of the disks between the pegs, one disk at a time.

In order to complete the task in as few moves as possible, a fair amount of planning is needed.

After working on the puzzles under normal conditions, both groups were asked to solve it again as they repeated a certain word out loud – either ‘Tuesday’ or ‘Thursday.’  Repeating words or phrases over and over is a way to suppress inner speech that helps people to plan.

“The neurotypical subjects took many more moves to complete this task when we interrupted their verbal thinking, whereas the participants with autism weren’t affected at all with this interruption,” Williams said.  “So it ultimately suggests they weren’t using verbal thinking in the first place.”

After having established this lack of internal dialogue for autism patients, Williams and his team hope to expand on their research and eventually develop ways to train people with autism to utilize language in their through processes.  They believe that if developing children with autism can learn to , they can learn to do more complex tasks much more efficiently.

“For some very high functioning adults with autism, they still find employment very difficult,” Williams said.  “If using this kind of dialogue can help them to behave more flexibly, that can lead to them being employed more readily and taking care of themselves more often.”

Caroline Hattersley, the Head of Information, Advice and Advocacy at the National Autistic Society, is hopeful about the implications of Williams’ study.

“This study presents some interesting results and could further our understanding of autism,” Hattersley said in a statement.  “If the findings are replicated on a wider scale they could have a significant impact on how we develop strategies to support children with the disability.”

Williams said no matter what, the key to learning more about autism lies in the root of the problem: communication.

“Social communication problems are the absolute core feature of autism along with behavioral inflexibility and rigidity,” Williams said.  “Any approach to curing autism has to come from that angle.”

But even with their research, Williams said they’ve only scratched the surface of the problem.

“It’s one piece in the jigsaw.  It’s not a cure for all their problems, but it could help quite a lot,” Williams said.

Click image to order

This practical resource is brimming with activities and guidance for using ideas from speech-language pathology and occupational therapy to boost communication, sensory, integration and coordination skills in children on the autism spectrum.

Suitable for use in the classroom, at home, and in community settings, it’s packed with easy-to-follow, goal-oriented activities and lesson plans centering around arts and crafts, music-making, cookery, sensory activities and skills for daily living.

Steve Jobs, a creative genius will be missed and forever remembered. He leaves behind a legacy that changed the computer, music, film and wireless industries.

Through his creative work Steve changed the lives of many, in particular, those in the special needs community. His inventions gave a voice to people whose disability kept them from communicating and expressing themselves. In turn, giving those around them an insight to who they really are and how much they really know. Thank You Steve Jobs for making a difference.

60 minutes ran a news video that sums it up well.

Since starting this blog, I have been approached by several people who have questions, concerns, and want advice. While I cannot instruct people not to vaccinate their children, I can encourage them to research the issues for themselves, and hopefully direct them to resources that provide them with the answers they are looking for.

Buyer beware: you will come across very disturbing information, just as I have. You can choose to believe it, or disregard it. The proof is not in the fluffy medical studies that do nothing to disprove the links between autism and vaccinations. The proof is in the alarming number of families who can testify to the changes that occurred in their children.

I have listened to people in the medical industry tell me flat out that there is no way there is a link between vaccinations and autism because all the studies they have seen said so. I always want to ask them “How many studies have you really read?” but I’m too afraid of stepping on toes and causing insult. You see, I’ve read as many studies as I can get my hands on, and not a single study provides a placebo group. Not one study shows the numbers of children diagnosed with autism that did not receive vaccinations, versus the number of children diagnosed with autism that did receive vaccinations. Someone told me as a rebuttal that there isn’t a large enough population of autistics to provide this statistic, like there is with cancer. Yet, we will have about half a million children in the United States become adults with autism in the next decade. I don’t know about you, but 500,000 sounds like a huge number to me.

I am not a medical expert, but I have witnessed the damaging side effects that the medical industry persistently denies. While 500,000 people with autism may sound like a huge number to me, it is apparently not significant enough for anyone to stand up and do something about this. FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND is just a drop in the pan to pharmaceutical companies grossing an estimated $20 billion annually from vaccines alone.

But, we need to be looking beyond vaccinations. We need to be looking at real numbers. Forgive me if I am repeating statistics, but I just need to point out that in the 1980’s, autism affected 1 in 10,000 children. What happened? What has changed in our environment? What has changed in our lifestyles? What is causing this? What is causing the other numerous developmental disorders that are now crippling our children? According to the CDC, 1 in 7 children are affected with a developmental disorder, including autism. We need to demand to know WHY!

Vaccines are only one of the many issues at hand with autism. Think of everything foreign from nature that has come into contact with your body. Think of every pill you have swallowed. Think of the chemicals in the lotions, creams, ointments, soaps, and perfumes you have put on your skin. Think of all the gases and fumes you have inhaled. Think of all the chemicals that were sprayed onto your fruits and vegetables, which you eat. Think of all the synthetic preservatives that go into your processed foods, which you eat. Think of all the hormones and antibiotics that are being stuffed into the livestock, which you eat. Think of the cleaning agents that meat is washed in, which isn’t washed off before you eat it. Think of the chemicals that go into the water that you drink.

These contaminants have intoxicated our bodies. It’s as if our society is in a drug-induced coma, and we are too strung out to notice that something is wrong with our cheeseburgers. The point I will continually try to make, is that this is not just about autism. This is about every illness and disorder that is plaguing our society. People are literally dyeing. We live in a poison bubble, and no one seems to care. It’s frustrating and heartbreaking. More people need to realize that we have only been taught what someone else wants us to know.

The pharmaceutical companies don’t want you to know that more and more people are surviving cancer with natural therapy. The pharmaceutical companies don’t want you to know that raw milk has been known to reverse allergies and cure asthma. The pharmaceutical companies don’t want you to know that their drugs are not safe for everyone to consume. And, we can’t rely on our government to inform us or protect us because the politicians don’t want you to know any of this either since it would cut into their campaign contributions. There is too much self interest and money at the top for anyone to care about the little people at the bottom. I am a little person at the bottom, and I say, “ENOUGH ALREADY!” When are we going to start demanding honest answers?

Why have we become so gullible as a society, that we take every one by their word? We are only being taught as much as someone else wants us to know. If we don’t challenge this system with questions and demand answers, we will never get to the truth.

Here’s a truth for you. Jonah completed his first 8 week clearing for the Hep A vaccine, and guess what… The dramatic improvements he has made in the last two months far exceed any expectations I had. He is saying new things everyday, and engaging in new ways everyday. He is greatly improved, and I have faith that he will continue to improve as we move forward with CEASE Therapy. We will be begin another Hep A clearing for 4 weeks this Monday.  Jonah has enlightened me to a truth that only experience can manifest.