Archive for the 'autism' Category

A complete assessment is necessary every three years for students in special education to decide their eligibility for special education. The case study of a seven year old autistic child named Adam gives a detailed educational assessment.

Adam the seven year old autistic child is the student in Special Day class for severely handicapped children. This child has an advocate and parents who are involved in his education. With the evaluation decided the parents desired for additional evaluations like the functional analysis, occupational therapy and also for helpful technology assessment. The signed evaluation plan copy was given to the particular specialists. They were the occupational therapist, speech therapist, nurse, psychologist and the special education teacher.

Adam had a psycho-educational profile revised with simple and clear instructions for which the response expected was non verbal. This test provides details on perception, fine motor, gross motor, eye hand combination, cognitive verbal and performance and also imitating activity. A set of toys and play activity helped in the determination of the skills. The result spread to seven developmental and four behavioral areas. This showed the child ability and weakness in the different areas

The evaluation tools for Adams portfolio were behavior reports, progress reports, work samples, daily reports and comments from parents. The daily report sent by the teacher and returned by the parents duly singed aided in the evaluation.

The functional analysis of Adam done by the psychologist showed unruly behavior like screaming and biting. The school sent a feed back form to the parents to be completed. The teacher in the class also collected the information for the repeated troublesome behavior. The assessment report made consisted of the data given by the psychologist, teacher and the parents.

The occupational therapist and the speech therapist evaluated Adam after working with him for one year and created a report. The nurse tested him with special equipment and said him to be normal in hearing. Adams parents said he had no problems with hearing and sight.

There are other tests used to assess an autistic child which rely on the information given by the parents or directly evaluated by an expert therapist. The other tests along with the parents and specialists provided are Pre-Linguistic Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (PL-ADOS), Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC), Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R),

Adams wide and complete assessment provided information about his behavior, development, health, coordination, communication and other cognitive skills. This information provided for the IEP Individualized Education Plan helped them to decide that the position for Adam was appropriate. The Occupational therapist set some goals for Adam. The functional therapist wrote that the unruly behavior occurred during a change. The assistive technology revealed that Adam was very good in that area. The team work help in the correct assessment and showed that Adam was improving excellently in his special day class.

Autism is a brain disorder which starts from infancy and continues till adulthood. It hampers the development of speak skills, social interaction and creativity. The reason for autism is yet to be investigated but it is believed this disorder is caused due to chemical imbalance or genetically.

Research says that 1 out of 166 children in US are autistic in different variations. The national health institute gives a data that 1 out of 1000 children are autistic. Both facts say that autistic is prevalent in US in many children. It is assumed that autism is also hereditary one child in a family runs in generations. Diagnose autism with the help of several psychoanalytical tests and other general tests. A complete physical and neurological assessment reveals autism in a child.

The signs and symptoms of Autism are apparent by the time the child is three years of old and persists till adulthood which is clinically tested both physically and neurologically with the help of ICD-10. The clinical definition defines that ‘autism must manifest delays in “social interaction, language as used in social communication, or symbolic or imaginative play,” with “onset prior to age 3 years”, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder

When detected early we can modify this brain disorder with the help of therapies where their social skill and the communication skill is developed to a great extent which enhances their personality. But some autistic people do not respond to the therapies and would wish to remain as they are because autistic people never accept change easily and so it becomes difficult to modify them.

There are two different factors that result in autism. Autism is either due to a psychological chaos or due to a bio-chemical disproportion. Children affected with autism rarely speak and only commune when necessary. So they hardy socialize.

Autism disorder ranges into three – they are Classic autism, Aspergers syndrome and the Pervasive Development Disorder or the PDD. These types differ from person to person according to the magnitude and symptoms shown by each individual. The damage caused by autism affects three main areas. They have limited types of behavior, disability in communication and socializing. Again person differ according to their intellectual levels, their independent level and the severely affected ones.

Autistic children emote very less and prefer to stay alone. They react very less to their surroundings and never get aroused by the social actions. Children suffering from autism have the problem of absorbing the necessary nutrients from the digestive system. The formation their digestive is such that they suffer from chronic gastric irritation which leads to slow absorption of the nutrients. This makes them have limited diet which in turn causes deficit in the body of important and balanced food. So due to their restricted diet they lack in copper zinc ratio and also in inadequate supply of calcium, B12, vitamin-A and Sulphate.

These deficiencies are supplemented with vitamin B-12 and the behavior problem can be checked with the help of therapies wherein the child is behavior modification program to respond better to their surroundings and society. The success of the therapies depend on how much the autistic child is able to learn as autistic children do not respond well to new tasks and lessons.

The deficiency of magnesium when supplemented with magnesium injections can improve the behavior of autistic children. A change in the behavior problem is seen when vitamin B-12 is given for two to four weeks although it takes three months to respond to the vitamin well. Dimethylglycine (DMG) improves speech skills and also perks up the immune system of the autistic child. It also improves patience in the child and also gives better eye contact.

It is better to ignore the negative behaviors and give more attention to the positive behavior of the child which will be beneficial in the long run.

Autistic children have violent behavior of banging their heads or being aggressive towards others. Control these outbursts with the help of self discipline. This when induced slowly but effectively will help to get a control over these disturbing behaviors. Self management helps the child to keep a control over himself during such outbursts which in turn can help the child learn other good behavior.

Start teaching the child self control for ten to fifteen minutes daily and keep a check on it. They can practice it whether at school or at home during particular time of the day and as the autistic children have the habit of repeating things this can be very effective as they keep on repeating it. This way they can keep a check on their negative behavior themselves. As the child no longer needs restriction by others it shows a tremendous improvement in the violent of the child.

Set goals according to the response of the child and should also be very clear like if he/she has been polite with others or has not had any physical injury. Monitor the child regularly and evaluate whether the child is able to maintain the self control. If the child is able to cope with the limit given by you them all is fine if not it means the child is able to keep up with the limit set by you. So begin with goals easily reachable by the child and then advance little by little according to the response given by the child. The child gains a more positive attitude when he/she can reach the self control set by you.

The best way to make the child reach the goal is to reward the child whenever he/she does it. Reward the child with something of his/her preference. This sort of gesture will create a positive attitude in the mind of the child and enhance the good behavior. The reward can be simple ones in the beginning and later to better ones depending on how the child attains the goal. Start with smiley faces for self control maintained and sad faces for every bad behavior. This smiley faces when reaches a considerable amount due to the more number of goal achieved can be replaced with a favorite toy of the child.

All the above said management program can not be done overnight and needs enough time and dedication. The parent or the caregiver should chalk out the plan taking the childs ability into consideration. An autistic adult can respond to the program better than a child without a reward. An autistic child can also attain the goals set by you for self management program provided he/she is mature enough to understand skill you want to reinforce.

Autism begins in the early stages of childhood and detected by three years of age. It differs from person to person from mild disorder to severe ones.
When a child reacts peculiarly to light or sound it means they are the indications of autism. Any normal sound hurts the child, normal odor makes them feel very strong and a hug or touch to the baby may be agonizing for them. Their reaction is termed “meltdown” when they hear loud sound and see bright lights.

An autistic child is happy when alone and is unresponsive to the environment they are in. They stay aloof when in a group and have no curiosity for toys and playthings.

Some high functioning persons have communication skills but they are devoid of modulations and sometimes repeat words and sentences over and over again. These form a part of their daily activities and refuse to accept any change in their regular habit. In some circumstances the activity becomes serious like banging their head, self wounding, scratching or biting.

An autistic infant refuses to be touched or cuddled and shows an extraordinary liking to some objects. At times they may even have bouts of violent behavior. They do not have much pain sensation. They do not know risk in any action and their eye to eye contact is also very poor.

Training in autistic children is difficult as they do not react to normal teaching techniques. Although they have normal hearing skill they act deaf during such sessions. The indications of autism are most severe during teenage but tend to decline in adulthood. But with more and more training and rehabilitation one can bring a good change in the life of autistic children and adults.

Autism is a grave brain disorder, which begins in infancy and results in poor development of communication and socio interaction skills. Identify this disorder in childhood with their behavior such as avoiding mother or caregivers, do not like to be cuddled, avoids eye contact, and refuses to be in groups, difficulty to adjust to the surroundings, lack of creativity and other repetitive and typecast behaviors.

Every autistic child is unique and so is their behavior and progress. Some autistic children cannot view people and objects while some even have destructive behavior like self wounding like banging their head. They cannot adjust to new surroundings and never accept change. Some autistic children have excellent IQ and excel in math, music and arts but all autistic children have low demonstrative aptitude.

Autism has two functioning levels. They are hyper-active function and hypo-active function. Some autistic children are very spontaneous and hard to be controlled and some are very silent and inactive. But the significant symptoms of autism are poor social and communication skills, nor response to sound and smile, avoiding parents or caregivers, no eye contact, lack of proper speech, repetitive actions like clapping the hands or rocking of the body. They are also highly insensitive to the surroundings and show interest in a particular toy.

An autistic child does not have creative skills unlike a normal child even while playing or with playthings. They do not have any fear and do not react when others are in trouble. They lack clear skills and have no sympathy or concern for others.

What triggers autism and ASD ia still a mystery. Although it is a faulty genetic disorder the exact genes are yet unknown. It is a hereditary disorder so parents with one autistic child have more chances of having another autistic child. Another noted feature of autism is that it affects mostly boys than girls.

Signs of autism must be detected in time so that proper intervention at the right time can alter the further deterioration of the behavioral problems and help in the enhancement of the behavior modifications. Autistic children need more love and care from the parents than the normal children for their betterment.

An autistic child in the family means strain on the parents or the caregivers. It is very necessary to take care of oneself along with the family and also to look after and educate oneself about the autistic child. The best method to deal with the autistic child or adult is to seek the help of the autism support group. They help the parents to interact with the expert therapists on daily basis. This way they exchange ideas and learn a lot about autism. An autism support group should participate in five important tasks to function efficiently and help the parents of the autistic child.

Partnership and Complete Support

People are brought together to start partnerships and promote communication with the people involved by the autism support group. The support group helps people to grow and learn about the instructive prospects and complement the requirements of the autistic child/adult with the wants of the parents and caregivers. The aim of the support group should be such that they provide a complete conventional training to suit the needs of the autistic children/adult.

Optimistic and Educational Support

The support group should provide an optimistic environment both to the autistic present and also to their caregivers and parents so that they can express their thoughts freely without any shame or guilt. The parents of the autistic children interact without any difficulty with the encouragement of the support group.

The support group provides proper education and awareness about autism which helps the parents and the caregivers to manage and support their autistic children. They impart complete knowledge about autism its signs and symptoms, behavioral problems, and remedial therapies which in turn assist the parents and caregivers with autistic dependant relative.

Promotion

Finally it is duty of the support group to speak up for the autistic people as a whole see to it that their needs complied with. It so happens that while bringing about awareness in the society the autistic people are neglected and so this is a very important aspect of the autism support group that they meet the requirement of the autistic people.

Some Early Signs and Symptoms of Autism – Don’t Ignore

An ailment related to brain which begins from infancy and shows symptoms by three of age and continue throughout adulthood is called Autism. This disorder affects the progress of brain and shows indications as given under -

Inability to learn from the environment he/she is in
Poor communication and speech skills
Indifferent behavior towards parents and problem relating to other people as they do not have the sense of feeling for them
Very little attention
No social communication
No creative or inventive participation during play
Repetitive activities and also rocking of the body
Does not accept change and reacts in outbursts

Autistic people cannot see things in others point of view which is possible by normal human beings above the age of five. All these autistic characteristics persist in adulthood but the condition of acuteness differ from person to person.

Some autistic adults excel in studies and go to extent of acquiring degrees and can also live on their own. But some people do not learn the daily and normal skills and are affected with other mental problems.

Autism is a permanent brain disorder due to an unidentified cause. Although it is neurological disarray it has nothing to do with mental illness. Research says it may be the result of some chemical or viral contact during pregnancy or could even be genetic.

The amazing fact is that some autistic people are extremely proficient in mental and mathematical problems while some become experts in artistic field like music and drawing.

There is no permanent cure or medicine for autism even today but with proper rehabilitation and training these autistic children can enhance their skill socially and can attend normal schools and also participate in social events. There are two types of autism classified according to the brain circuit system. They are Asperger’s syndrome and developmental delay syndromes.

While assessing an autistic person the symptoms of sensory integration dysfunction are looked into by the therapist. In this test the child shows signs of low response or over sensitivity to touch, sight, movements or sounds. Their awkward body movements, alertness, poor concentration, sudden outburst of physical or verbal behavior, difficult in accepting changes or learning something new also shows the autistic behavior of the child while assessment. They also have the difficulty in hearing to some while others may be too loud for them.

Autism varies from child to child and a parent is shocked when the doctor says that their child is autistic. They would like to take a second or third opinion to clear the doubt. There are some indications and symptoms which indicate autism and when you see such in your child rush immediately to the doctor to verify it who can be of help in guiding you.

This brain disorder occurs before three years of age and at times even earlier. The first symptoms of autism are delayed or failure in speech. The next one is that the child stays aloof and never joins in a group while play or other circumstances. Both physically and intellectual assessment along with the family history evaluation when done will help in diagnosing autism in a child. Your regular pediatrician can help you in this matter as they will be able to spot an unusual behavior in the child.

Further check the auditory sensations to see if the child hears properly. Sometimes the delay in speech could be the fault in hearing. These tests are of two types. One is done to see the how much sound the child can hear and respond and the other evaluates the sound the brain can respond to. So the second type needs drugs to sedate the child and then take the tests. Usually only the first test is done and the doctor also asks to take the Fragile X syndrome test which generally affects an autistic child. Samples of urine and blood are taken to test the metabolism rater and also the DNA.

Lastly the doctor may suggest MRI or CAT scan to look into the problem and and diagnose autism through these tests. Although second opinion is good it is better to consult the same doctor so that the child and the doctor can have a better rapport which can help in tests and treatments easily. Any abnormal behavior spotted by the parent when immediately reported to the doctor can help them by therapies and behavior modification programs. The earlier the child is diagnosed with autism the sooner the behavior alteration programs works. This can help the child to adapt to the society and can have better prospect in life.

When the parents find out that their child is autistic they go any extent to look after and safe guard them. They look for places where their children can live in peace but it is better to set up programs for your child which can provide them with activities which in turn can manage their behavior problems socially.

Autism when detected in the child study closely the signs and indications of the autism which can help you to provide proper program and support. Join the group of people who have autistic children and exchange ideas and information which can help the parent in dealing with the child.

Choose a program that deals correctly with the social anxiety of your child. Every autistic child is unique and the same program cannot benefit every child. It depends on the behavior of the child and the skills displayed by them. An early intervention always helps the parent to modify the behavior of the autistic child which in turn can improve their social anxiety.

Playtime is a very good program for autistic children as this helps in the interaction with other kids and they can also befriend them. This participation in the play not only let them have fun but also makes them get over social anxiety. A board game played according to the age of the child helps the child to mingle and play together with other children.

Autistic children cannot understand the feeling of others which hampers their social interactivity. Picture cards of characters with facial expressions and attitude can help them in understanding the body language and feelings of others with practice.

The parents should sit and work with the child giving them opportunities to manage socially. Autistic children do not react to change very easily and sometimes may be indifferent and walk off but it is the responsibility of the parent to choose the program of their interest.

Finally autistic children learn only through patience from the parent and practice from their end. Never force the child to do an activity. Try to explain the situation slowly and patiently instead of giving them surprises. When planning a family dinner with the child or making your child play with other children make sure that the child is comfortable and enjoys the situation.

Autistic children learn with time as their ability is pretty slow but it is on the part of the parent to have endurance and provide them with ample opportunities which can help them manage social anxiety.