Archive for the 'autism' Category

An autistic child in a family is the cause of diverse reactions from the supportive feelings of family member to those of disgust and disappointment from many people. A family member may scold the autistic child. The child may be unfairly looked at. The family member may insist that the autistic child be treated like other children though it is unsuitable. These things are not receptive to the relative or to the autistic child or situation. As a parent, be ready to face the situation.

Unreceptive relatives cannot comprehend what autism is and what it means to the child and your family? Though many perceive autism as mental retardation, many autistic children and adults re extremely intelligent but unfortunately incapable of expressing it like others. Explain to this hostile family member what autism is and let him spend some time with the autistic child. Let them observe the effects of autism and what methods you use to cope with it.

If the family member is still hostile and unreceptive, unsupportive and does not accept your explanation, ask him why he is so adamant. Is he scared of the child being hurt or worried about spending time with the autistic child or do they feel guilty and embarrassed. Granting that you know why the relative is unreceptive you can tackle the issue and help him manage the problem.

If the family member is prejudiced and adamant no amount of your explanation, talking or spending time together will help him. If he is stubborn and preconceived in his mind you can never make him realize how beautiful your son or daughter is with all autism. It is rather difficult to get rid of this person from your life.

But both you and your child will be free from that person’s negative energy and personality. At this juncture you require the best positive support from the other family members and the adjustment of other children that offers you the source of strength. Participate in parent support groups for autistic children by strengthening your support network. See that you are around those who do love and accept your child family.

Autism is a brain development disorder impairing the person s capacity to interact and communicate with others in a normal way. Though we know what it is, it is extraordinarily complex and cannot be comprehended by its mere definition.

The behavior of the autistic individual is characterized by a pattern of repetitive activities which are also stereotype. In other words it is motor behavior seemingly driven, non functional and repetitive. It is abnormal activity and can some times result in self injury.

Autism is just a part of a spectrum of conditions designated as Pervasive Developmental Disorders or PDD. A few of the disorders include Asperger s disorder, Rett s Disorder, and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. Though these exhibit similar clinical features, their symptoms vary as well as their behavior. Autistic patients exhibit a range of different patterns.

The three major indicators of autism are the three general aspects of impairment of communication repetitive pattern and stereotypic behavior. These problems manifest themselves at a very early age usually before the age of three, interfering with the natural growth of basic skills. Hence they are termed Developmental Disorders . The child will face obstacles in varying degrees. It is accepted that these challenges will prolong throughout their lives.

Other conditions indicative autism but do not need fully exist are impulsive behavior, short attention span, odd fears, and responses to sensory input, anxieties, unexplained abnormal skill and abilities. In spite of great awareness of autism, research has not yet identified its exact cause and nature contrary to the belief that autism is rare along with its similar conditions, it is much more prevalent and the rate of its growth is higher. This may be because medical experts are abiding to diagnose better and there is greater spectrum of associated similar conditions.

According to estimates the range is 1 person to every 500 to 1 person for every 1000. Autism is not partial to any ethnic, racial or social group but boys suffer three times more than girls.

Autistic children and adults are direly in need of pressures in various ways to relieve themselves and calm and cope with sensory over load. Hugs and squeezes from other people, very often, are distressful to autistic persons as they are unable to communicate their needs by indicating a certain amount of pressure. For both the autistic person and the one hugs or squeezes him it is frustrating and ineffective.

This frustration is relieved by the hug machine to enable the autistic individual control the situation as both the children and adults crave for pressure to calm down their anxiety. It is in this context that a woman with autism developed the hug machine or hug box or squeeze machine. It has two padded side boards connected near the bottom of the boards to form a V shape. The side boards are pushed by a lever to form pressure. The lever also permits the autistic children to control the amount and length of pressure.

People are examining why autistic persons respond to pressure and how it produces a calming effect. The hug machine may affect the greatly increased sensory functioning of the autistic person with disruptive or distressing behavior. The pressure applied may transfer the focus of the autistic person to a single feeling – that of pressure thereby producing a calming effect. Anxiety, for many autistic persons is crippling and frustrating and so proper social behavior becomes more difficult. The only means of releasing such anxiety is through pressure. The hug machine is in good use for several programs, researches and studies.

Squeezing and hugging an autistic child, instead of helping, can cause anxiety and increase their senses. You can, in the place of hug machine, crate a similar object. Wrap the autistic child or adult in a blanket where they can control how much pressure to apply.

Buy padded boards simulating the hugging machines side boards and tie or tape some heavy duty yarn to each side. This will allow the child to control over how much pressure to apply and for how long. Enquire if the child’s school is interested in purchasing the community hugging machine. Though this cannot be the panacea for all the child’s problems, it allows the individual to cope with the world and society.

Most autistic children are almost devoid of self discipline resulting in inappropriate out bursts and potentially dangerous habits like aggression, harming themselves and having their heads against walls. Self management is the technique with which parents and educators try to prevent these and other behaviors of autistic tendencies. Empowering the child over itself is the key to control violent situation. It may be a positive step towards learning other behaviors also.

Self management becomes effective because the child is not at all controlled by others. Regular self management treatment during particular times of day or at school or therapy leads to the child practicing it all through the day. The key is to implement a program where the child monitors his or her behavior and activities. Start with short amounts of time; continue monitoring the child from a more passive stand point. Tell the child every ten or fifteen minutes that he or she is in control and needs to monitor and be aware of good and bad behavior.

This monitoring is a kind of self evaluation. Under control, the child reflects on it behavior in the past and present. Clear goals should be set for the child like an afternoon with no aggression for others or a day at school with no self injury. Ask the child every fifteen minutes how he or she is doing and if the goal is met. If the answer is negative the child is not ready for self management or the goals are not achievable. Ensure that the goals are easy to reach at first and then move the child toward difficult goals in the future. Success in self monitoring makes the child more positive towards experience.

A rewards system is an important part of self management. Let the child come up with its own reward according to it interest. Reinforce these good behavior or goals clearly in the child’s mind and reward the child. This renders the child totally in control of the self management system. As a simple reward put on a smiling face when the goal is met and a sad face when it is not. Gradually when the larger goal is met a new toy may be given as a reward.

As it takes a long time to develop these programs, the child and the educator must have enough time to devote to a self management experience. Reinforcement of good behavior with rewards should be determined by the child and not by an adult. Then the child will continue even when not participating in the program. This can be a good treatment program for the autistic child if it is mature enough.

Different methods have to be utilized in the treatment of autism as there is no way of curing it completely. One means of controlling autism symptoms is to make a study of the diet given to them. According to the reports of parents of autistic children control of diet plays a vital role in the child’s behavior. The two chief dietary concerns are Glutton and Casein.

Glutton, a substance found in many common food products, wheat, rye and oats is the main culprit casein found in milk products and other dairy products. By decreasing the consumption of dairy products like bread and cheese you can control autistic behavior.

Glutton and Casein cannot be digested easily because the peptides in these substances cannot be broken down by the digestive process. As a result of this inability to breakdown the peptides, these are all absorbed into the blood stream. Major brain functions are disrupted by these elevated levels of peptides resulting in autistic effects. By avoiding foods containing glutton and casein from the child’s and your diet the body can breakdown the peptides, present in the body. The doctor can administer a simple urine test to find out if you or your child has a high absorption rate of these peptides.

Consult a doctor or nutritionist before bringing in major changes in your diet. Never attempt to cut glutton and casein from your diet suddenly as it is unhealthy to cut anything from your diet instantaneously. Your body could go into withdrawal. On the other hand start reducing these products slowly and steadily until you totally avoid them. If you are really interested in cutting these products the doctor can give you a list of all products containing glutton and casein.

There must be a dietary nutrients found in glutton and casein through some other replacement. The doctor can help you in this regard. Maintaining a balanced diet is the healthiest thing to do, cutting on glutton and casein will surely help in controlling autistic behavior which option should be considered seriously by parents. But taking a healthy diet totally is the best way to keep you and your family hale and healthy.

In dealing with autism, as in other disorders, a number of treatment options are available including educational, behavioral, biomedical, nutritional and sensory choices. For patients who are not rich enough or for those who have no medical insurance the cost of treatment is forbidding and can drain their purse empty. You have to monitor carefully the effect of treatment overtime to ensure that the child receives the best treatment and attention. Find out which treatment works and which does not and avoid paying for the ineffective methods and pay for treatments that create a positive difference.

Before treatment, first, evaluate the abilities of the autistic person. A number of services, organizations like Autism Research Institute offer a check list of evaluation points focusing on behavior and illness as linked with autism. Autistic persons are likely to have increasing functionality as they mature. So some positive effects in the person’s life are the result of the natural growth process. After about two months fill out the check list once again and compare it to the first. If there is a sharp increase in a positive way in the person’s behavior it may be due to treatment.

Begin only one treatment at a time. Don’t do the mistake of trying every thing at a time when good and bad effects causes out and you will not know which treatment has produced the positive effect and which does not work. Fast studies can guide you but they will not be helpful as autism is an extremely complicated disorder. A few treatments are new and have only short term effects. It is a process of trial and error and two months is sufficient to study the differences with in an autistic individual. Discontinue the treatment method if no positive improvement is noticed and go in for a treatment that works.

Don’t forget that you need not wait for two months to decide on the continuance of the treatment. If the side effects of the treatment are unbearable and affect the life of the patient, the treatment may be discontinued. You have to just monitor the methods continuously. Treatments may not work after a time when autistic children mature and grow just like every one else. Consult the doctor before you try anything new to be as safe and healthy as possible.

While parents of autistic children have plenty of information to deal with them and their different behavior, there is no such information or tools to manage a sibling who is autistic. The situation for the brothers and sisters of the autistic child is very stressful. The following tips can help children to deal with an autistic sibling.

At times, parents, in their involvement with the future and change of the autistic child forget that their other children too must deal with the situation. They may feel the new situation acutely, be jealous of the autistic child and feel neglected. Their friends may also tease them about having an autistic brother or sister which will cause stress. Thus behavioral problems may crop up; the sibling may act out and become a “problem child” to get the attention. The sibling may even try to hurt the autistic brother or sister to take him away from family ambience.

But that is only an occasional happening. The presence of an autistic sibling compels one to “grow up” and be responsible. A strong emotional attachment may develop and a keen longing to keep him or her safe in all circumstances. Living with an autistic sibling may teach one to be more open about another person’s difference. The company with an autistic sibling is a life enriching experience of emotional and mental strength and tolerance for others in life.

Find a support group to manage your autistic brother or sister. Resources should be available at the local chapter of the Autism society of America. This is very important as the siblings should not feel lonely and isolated in the new situation. Always try to increase family instruction. A family day or night a week should be ear marked when all children spend time with parents or other family members and partake of their day or week experiences and any problems.

The best thing is to neglect some aspect of your life and ask them for a moment of their time. That will be the best solution. It is the bounden duty of all parents to cater to and understand the needs of their children whether they autistic or normal. It is proper and healthy communication that helps the family run smoothly without any hitches.

Musical therapy, the latest method for autistic patients is beyond any discussion options. It can effect wonderful improvement in temperament and learning skills on the part of autistic patients. Music links the nonverbal part of our brain and becomes the perfect therapy for disorders that cause trouble in communication like autism. You can reach on this innovative method of treatment for help in autism if you have not succeeded in the past.

Combined with learning social skills musical therapy is effective. Music is a soft and non threatening medium for patients and music can be employed in playing a number of games that improve the patient’s social and behavioral skills. If an eye contact is maintained and encouraged while singing or using instruments they need to get close to the face, musical therapy can make the autistic person break social barriers.

The best and the most significant and singular help of musical therapy for autistic children and adults are in the development of speech skills. Music is the means to link the verbal and nonverbal functions of the brain. Speech problems of autistic children include humming, grunting, making non work noises, blabbing nonsensical phrases or cries. A few others can use phrases and sentences and communicate but without any emotion. Autistic people are noted for monotone voices. However skilled the autistic person might be in speech he can take part in musical therapy by clapping rhythms, humming along or doing simple echoing songs.

Commonly considered specifically good in music, a few have a perfect pitch and other autistic persons can plan a particular instrument very well with a little instruction. Though the autistic child is not a genius in music he has musical abilities greater than his other skills. So a musical therapist can utilize music as a link to this kind of learning with other kinds of learning not merely as speech development and social behavior development but as a means of communicating emotions and develop memory.

Musical therapy, with a combination of all other techniques really can work wonders for autistic children and adults. Music can teach to children how to communicate in nonverbal ways in an easy through trained professionals. Do more research on musical therapy option to offer another option in treating autism?

Self injury is painful and dangerous and one wonders why any person should indulge in that act. This dangerous practice is prevalent in autistic children to a great extent. Many theories are in vogue for the existence of this practice and a few methods are also available to wean away children from this harmful practice.

Their inability to communicate through language like others frustrates the autistic persons as they are not understood and do not get what they need or want. This frustration, impossible for communication through word, manifests as self injury and banging their heads or biting themselves. Self injury is also means of drawing the attention of others. The autistic child frustration and the need for attention go hand in hand. For instance, by scratching one self until one bleeds the autistic child draws the immediate attention of others who try to understand what the person really wants.

Frustration and attention theory has been in vogue for quite some time. Studies in recent times have indicated that self injury can have a biochemical component that relieves one of some pain and frustration through the release of endorphins or “happy hormones” into the system. The autistic child, thus, forgets his pain and frustration temporarily. It is believed that frequent self injury on the part of the autistic child mask or cover up through endorphins all the pain and frustration linked with such behavior. It becomes an addictive action.

Some professional suggest ignoring the self injurious behavior of the autistic child as an acceptable method of treatment. Others suggest drugs and communication therapy provide the autistic child with another method of communication. There are drugs that stop the additive behavior of releasing endorphins into the system. Nutritional solutions are also available. Vitamin B6 and calcium are helpful to families with an autistic child.

For family members, training on how to communicate with an autistic child is extremely important. Normal persons are used to communicate through easily recognizable words or body language. But communicating with an autistic child needs a completely different process. Solutions for both the child and the family with leanings for self injury should be found to overcome this distressing practice.

There are medicine options galore available to control autistic symptoms as in the case of any other illness, disease or disorder. Autism can never be cured through medication but can only be controlled to a certain extent. Each drug has its own advantages and disadvantages and side effects. The doctor will prescribe effective drugs to treat autism. But autism differs from person to person and hence you should be very careful in using these drugs and watch how the body reacts to the treatment.

Safety of the drug is the first consideration. A few cannot be used in children and people under a certain weight. Ensure proper dosage of the drug and find how it is administered (pills, injection or liquids). This is important if you are not comfortable with certain methods like injecting yourself or your child. Examine how safe the drug is to people who do not suffer from autism. See that the drug is not lethal in case it falls into the hand of children. Also find out what you should do in case it falls in for the wrong hands.

More a comprehensive idea of the side effects of the drugs you are using. The drugs can control aggression responsiveness, hyperactivity and other autistic tendencies while at the same time cause sedation nausea and dizziness. Think thousand times before starting a treatment lest you will have bottles of pills to counter act the effects of others. Don’t forget that medications that have long term effects. Will you and your child be slave of the drug? Will you be tolerate how will it affect the body over the time? It is the doctor who should answer these questions before you start any medication.

You can research on these drugs at your local library or on the internet. Journals and health care magazines are up to date and reliable. But there is altered information on the World Wide Web. So be cautious about following the advice before consulting the doctor. He will also be able to offer the literature about the medication options for autistic patients. Researches are on the many choices before making any decisions for the betterment of your health.