Archive for the ‘Autism’ Category
July 4, 2010
With the U.S. soccer team advancing to the second round of the World Cup last month, soccer got a bump in interest in the U.S.
Though the U.S. is long gone from the tournament, the semifinals and finals coming up this week and next weekend present a good opportunity for children to watch the games on TV and get interested in the sport.
For children with autism and other disabilities, soccer is one of the best team sports to attempt, since it is fairly simple and doesn’t require a lot of equipment.
Playing soccer and other sports, exercising, and developing motor skills are areas that are often overlooked and under appreciated when it comes to therapy for children with autism. Sports and exercise can even improve social and cognitive skills for children with autism. Most importantly, soccer and other sports are fun.
To see the rest of my article on Examiner.com, click here.
Tags:autism, drills, exercise, Soccer, World Cup
Posted in Autism, Disabilities, Examiner.com, Soccer | Leave a Comment »
June 27, 2010
Last month the top 10 mistakes and lessons learned from therapy programs for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) were examined in this column.
Now here’s number 11: Parents (or teachers) refusing to try augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for non-verbal or minimally verbal children or adults with autism.
People with autism often have delays or deficits in communication, especially speech. However, many children and adults with autism have considerably better receptive than expressive skills. That means that they understand a lot more than it appears.
AAC systems can take the place of, or supplement and enhance speech by enabling people who don’t have typical verbal abilities communicate better. AAC systems can improve the ability of children and adults with autism and other disabilities to initiate requests and respond to questions.
To see the rest of my article on Examiner.com, click here.
Tags:aac, augmentative and alternative communication, autism, children, parents, speech, verbal
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June 20, 2010
From "My First Words Touch and Feel Pictures Cards," dk.com
Studies show that enjoyment and success in reading early on are major factors in predicting how well young children will readin the future, which is especially true for children with autism and other special needs.
In addition to motivation, children with autism usually need to have new concepts broken down into simple steps for them to be successful.
To learn pre-reading and early reading skills, books with few ideas per page, large text, colorful pictures, and tactile textures can help keep the interest of children with autism. Lyrical language and rhymes can help kids memorize word families, hold their attention and keep them motivated.
To see the rest of my article on Examiner.com, click here.
Tags:autism, books, motivation, pre-reading, simple steps
Posted in Autism, books, Disabilities, Examiner.com | Leave a Comment »
June 13, 2010
Oral arguments were made in the autism vaccine appeal case of Michelle Cedillo vs. Health and Human Services Thursday at theU.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C.
The case of Cedillo, a 15-year old girl with autism, was the first test case of more than 5,000 cases in the Omnibus Autism Proceeding. This proceeding was created by the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) because of the large number of cases in which parents claim vaccines caused autism in their children. The federal government established the VICP to prevent the pharmaceutical companies who manufacture vaccines from being sued.
The vaccine court ruled against the Cedillos in February 2009 and affirmed the ruling six months later.
Sylvia Chin-Caplan, an attorney for the Cedillos, told Examiner.com after Thursday’s court session the case should go back to court: “I’m hopeful that because the substantive due process so tainted the entire procedure and so tainted the outcome of the case entire case that the appellate court will recognize that and will give us an opportunity by remanding the case.”
To see the rest of my article on Examiner.com, click here.
Tags:due process, Michelle Cedillo, MMR, Omnibus Autism Proceeding, Sylvia Chin-Caplan, vaccines
Posted in Autism, Disabilities, Examiner.com | Leave a Comment »
June 8, 2010
Kids Enjoy Exercise Now held its 9th annual sports festival Sunday at Hadley Park in Potomac, Maryland. The sports festival is an annual celebration in which KEEN families participate in sports and games with their children and siblings, along with volunteer coaches.
KEEN is a national, non-profit volunteer organization that gives children and young adults with disabilities a chance play sports and recreational activities in a non-competitive, welcoming atmosphere. KEEN athletes include children with physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and autism.
For the rest of my article on examiner.com, click here.
Tags:autism, Bethesda, cerebral palsy, Disabilities, Down syndrome, KEEN, Kids Enjoy Exercise Now, sports
Posted in Autism, Bethesda, Disabilities, Examiner.com | Leave a Comment »
June 4, 2010
I decided to make a family coat of arms for me and my future family. The words mean virtue, diligence, honor, and faithfulness. I was inspired to do it after I was stabbed in the back last fall. I’ll never forget that and will always use the events to motivate me. It reminds me how I should live my life, even though I was already living it that way. Consider it like a rededication.
Tags:Frandsen family coat of arms, Mike
Posted in Autism, Disabilities | Leave a Comment »
June 3, 2010
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recklessly misled the public about the safety of lead levels in the water in Washington, D.C. between 2001 and 2004, according to a disturbing and damning congressional report released last month.
The Report, “A Public Health Tragedy: How Flawed CDC Data and Faulty Assumptions Endangered Children’s Health,” was conducted by the House Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight of the Committee on Science and Technology.
The congressional investigation found that a 2004 CDC report that was rushed to calm the fears of the public after the D.C. lead scare used flawed data to come to the inaccurate conclusion that lead levels in the water were safe. The discredited report, published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), has since been widely quoted by media and government agencies across the nation to tell the public that drinking water containing high levels of lead is not a health hazard.
Environmental health problems often affect poor, minority residents disproportionately. In D.C., lead levels were worst in the city’s poorest neighborhoods, in Southeast and Northeast. See a Washington Post map of lead test results from 2003 to 2004.
More examples of how environmental problems affect disadvantaged people, and how fetuses, infants, and young children are affected most by toxicants is seen in CNN’s series “Toxic America” June 2 and 3 as Sanjay Gupta reports on environmental health hazards.
To see the rest of my article on examiner.com, click here.
Tags:CDC, CNN Toxic America, Congress, crisis, lead, Sanjay Gupta, Washington D.C., water
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May 31, 2010
Children with autism are often very poor at identifying, understanding, and regulating emotions. They are usually especially deficient in empathizing, or understanding that other people have emotions. Emotion coaching is an area that doesn’t get enough attention.
The levels here are listed as beginner, intermediate, and advanced for simplicity. For kids who can’t read you can still read the books to them and break them down into simple terms. These books are great for neurotypical kids as well, of course.
These books on emotions are different than ones on social stories or social skills. There are many excellent books on learning to share, having good manners, and being safe and careful. Those are all necessary and great but books on emotions take it a step further.
To see the rest of my article on examiner.com, click here.
Tags:autism, books on emotions, emotion coaching, empathy
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May 24, 2010
British doctor Andrew Wakefield has lost the ability to practice medicine in the United Kingdom. The British General Medical Council ruled today that the doctor, who authored an infamous study in 1998 theorizing a potential link between the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism, had acted in a “dishonest”, “misleading” and “irresponsible” way. The ruling of professional misconduct comes the same day Wakefield’s new book is released.
“The panel has determined that Dr Wakefield’s name should be erased from the medical register,” the GMC said in a statement. “Dr Wakefield’s continued lack of insight as to his misconduct serve only to satisfy the panel that suspension is not sufficient and that his actions are incompatible with his continued registration as a medical practitioner,” it said.
The GMC found Wakefield guilty of serious professional misconduct in failing to release financial details of conflicts of interests related to his research, among other improprieties. The GMC case centered around Wakefield’s research methods but did not investigate the legitimacy of Wakefield’s findings.
“Efforts to discredit and silence me through the GMC process have provided a screen to shield the government from exposure on the … MMR vaccine scandal,” Wakefield said.
In Wakefield’s new book, “Callous Disregard: Autism and Vaccines: The Truth Behind a Tragedy,” he describes the MMR vaccine controversy and defends himself against charges that he acted dishonestly and irresponsibly in conducting research.
For the rest of my article on Examiner.com, click here.
Tags:Andrew Wakefield, autism, Callous Disregard, controversy, GMC, Lancet, MMR vaccine, professional misconduct
Posted in Autism, books, Disabilities | Leave a Comment »
May 19, 2010
Wandering-related factors such as drowning and external exposure are leading causes of death of children and adults with autism, according to studies and reports.
Jim Moody of the National Autism Association called for more awareness and prevention of wandering at last month’s Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee meeting in Washington, D.C.
Wandering is most closely associated with Alzheimer’s disease but it is also a major problem in people with autism, who often have compromised communication abilities, impulsive behaviors, and a lack of a sense of danger.
Click here to see the rest of my article on examiner.com.
Tags:autism spectrum disorders, deaths, drownings, Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, Jim Moody, National Autism Association, wandering
Posted in Autism, Disabilities, Examiner.com | Leave a Comment »
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