Posts Tagged ‘autism’
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
Posted in Autism, Disabilities, Examiner.com | Leave a Comment »
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
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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 »
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
Posted in Autism, books, Disabilities, Examiner.com | Leave a Comment »
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 6, 2010
Second in a three-part series.
Jennifer VanDerHorst-Larson is a mother of a child with autism. Like many parents of children with autism, once VanDerHorst-Larson found out her child was diagnosed, she took matters into her own hands and became directly involved in the therapies and treatments for her son.
In 2002, at the age of 19 months, VanDerHorst-Larson’s son Cade was diagnosed with autism. Cade also has Celiac disease and a seizure disorder that occurred following his 15-month vaccinations. VanDerHorst-Larson believes that those vaccinations led to Cade’s autism. He was a healthy baby boy who had reached all of his developmental milestones, but there were dramatic changes in Cade directly after he had his shots for MMR, the flu, and chicken pox, VanDerHorst-Larson says.
Click here to see the whole interview I did with VanDerHorst-Larson at examiner.com.
Tags:autism, Celiac, Jennifer VanDerHorst-Larson, MMR, seizure, therapies, treatments, vaccinations
Posted in Autism, Disabilities, Examiner.com | Leave a Comment »
May 2, 2010
First in a three-part series.
Autism is a treatable biochemical medical condition rather than an incurable psychological disorder, says Lyn Redwood, whose son recovered from autism after having mercury removed from his body. Redwood’s son Will is one of a growing number of children who have recovered from autism or made excellent progress from behavioral therapies and/or biomedical treatments.
I interviewed Redwood during the Autism Research Institute, Defeat Autism Now! semi-annual conference in Baltimore April 10, which she was coordinating. ARI conducts and fosters biomedical scientific research designed to improve the methods of diagnosing, treating, and preventing autism.
For the rest of my article on examiner.com, please click here.
Tags:autism, Autism Research Institute, biomedical, chelation, Lyn Redwood, mercury, recovery, vaccines
Posted in Autism, Disabilities, Examiner.com | Leave a Comment »
April 20, 2010
Play dates are invaluable in helping children with autism learn the social skills that are so necessary to be happy and successful in life. Social skills, which come naturally to most typical children, are often severely delayed in kids on the autism spectrum.
Integrating communication skills (both verbal and non-verbal), emotional awareness, and sensory processing into play dates can make the cognitive work that autistic children do more efficient. Sports, exercise, and work on motor skills can also make learning more effective. Children can learn important life skills during play dates such as taking turns, sharing, and problem solving.
To see my full article at examiner.com, click here.
Tags:autism, cognitive, emotional awareness, play dates, sensory processing, social skills
Posted in Autism, Disabilities, Examiner.com | Leave a Comment »
April 13, 2010
Four years ago, autistic teenager Jason McElwain became an overnight sensation by scoring 20 points in four minutes of action in a high school basketball game.
While many children with autism may never reach similar athletic heights, McElwain and others like him give children and parents hope. Perhaps the most significant part of the story was the acceptance that “J-Mac” received from his peers.
Whether children who have autism are high functioning like McElwain or are less advanced, playing sports can improve several aspects of their lives.
See the rest of my article on examiner.com.
Tags:autism, Jason McElwain, social skills, sports
Posted in Autism, Examiner.com | Leave a Comment »
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