The Missing Piece

Autism Groups Oppose Redefinition of "Autism"

2012-01-26T15:22:00.000-08:00

From Autism Action Network

The following is a press release that was released earlier today by a coalition of autism related organizations, including the Autism Action Network, opposing the redefiniton of "autism" proposed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual V by the American Psychiatric Association. We believe that the new definiton of "autism" will result in tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people with autism losing their autism diagnosis and with that the services, education and insurance coverage we have fought so hard to provide.

Changes in DSM-5 Autism Definition Could Negatively Impact Millions

Autism organizations concerned that autism diagnostic changes will jeopardize services, impair tracking, and disrupt research around the globe.

WASHINGTON, DC – Proposed changes to the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorders in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 5 (DSM-5) will potentially disrupt appropriate and necessary services to hundreds of thousands of individuals in the US, hamper the ability to track the numbers of people with autism, and interfere with efforts to establish biological causes of autism.

“The proposed criteria make it significantly more difficult to qualify for an autism spectrum diagnosis and they completely eliminate the categories of PDD-NOS and Asperger’s Disorder,” stated Wendy Fournier, National Autism Association President. “In a well-intentioned desire to improve the specificity of an ASD diagnosis, the new criteria may, in fact, go too far and create unintended consequences. It is critically important that any diagnosis address all the symptoms of an individual and allow them the supports they need.”

The new criteria, rationale and previous criteria are available at: http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevisions/Pages/proposedrevision.aspx?rid=94

Currently, the federal government is spending millions of dollars to track prevalence of ASDs in 11 states; the 2000 birth cohort is due out this year. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires schools to report the number of students with autism annually. Both sets of data have shown dramatic increases in autism spectrum disorders. One in 110 children in the US is now affected by autism compared to one in 10,000 in the early 1980’s. By significantly changing the criteria for diagnosis, the new DSM-5 will impair the ability of public health officials to compare future rates of autism spectrum disorders to past rates, since the definition will have changed. Accurate projections of trends in autism rates are critical to planning educational interventions, Medicaid and adult services. "By analogy, if the medical community chose to only count melanoma in the future instead of all types of skin cancer, it would look like skin cancer rates had gone down, even though other types were still present and needed treatment,” said Ginger Taylor, Canary Party Executive Director.

In addition, incidence and prevalence are critically important to investigating environmental causes of autism. “Toxic exposures to the general population change

time and having good consistent epidemiology allows researchers to judge the likelihood of a toxin being involved in autism,” stated Eric Uram, SafeMinds Executive Director. “The APA’s new criteria should add a specific mechanism to map the old diagnoses onto the new ones in order to allow researchers to compare new and old datasets. We also would like to see the APA address the issue of regressive autism by including age of onset as part of the criteria. The etiologies of infantile vs. regressive autism may be entirely different, but the new criteria do not distinguish them in any way.”

A primary concern for parents is the likelihood that many children on the autism spectrum may not be diagnosed under the new criteria, thereby depriving them of appropriate early intervention and treatment. “Even in the states that have passed autism insurance legislation, the tightening of the criteria for autism may exclude children who need treatment with Applied Behavior Analysis,” said Mary Holland, Managing Director of the Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy. “Our organizations advocate that the criteria should err on the side of over-diagnosing rather than under-diagnosing since no harm is likely from providing educational services to a young child, but great potential can be lost by not providing treatment.” Early intensive treatment improves outcomes for children with autism, making it highly cost-effective for tax-payers when compared to providing adult services.

"The autism community strongly recommends that the proposed DSM-5 autism spectrum disorder diagnostic criteria be revisited with these concerns in mind," concludes Sallie Bernard, President of SafeMinds. “These issues are too important to remain unresolved.”

Lisa Ackerman

TACA Founder

Irvine, California

(949) 640-4401

Mary Kay Betz
Executive Director, The Autism Society of Illinois
Lombard, Illinois

(630) 691-1270

Doreen Caruso
President/Co-Founder, The Pilot House
Fairfield, Connecticut
(203) 292-8452

Rebecca Estepp
Director of Communications, Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law

Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy

Poway, California

(858) Poway, California

(858) 829-6454

Angela Fish
Executive Director, Exceptional Families Network

Puyallup, Washington

(253) 830-4368

Wendy Fournier

President, National Autism Association

Portsmouth, Rhode Island

(401) 835-5828

John Gilmore
Executive Director, Autism Action Network
Garden City, New York

(516) 382-0081

Rita Shreffler

Executive Director, The Autism File

Springfield, Missouri

(417) 818-9030

Ginger Taylor
Executive Director, The Canary Party
Brunswick, Maine
(855) 711-5282

Parents heed 'Buyer Beware' When Looking at Reading Programs!

2012-01-02T09:58:00.000-08:00

We've all heard the term 'Buyer beware'. This concept is a very important one when it comes to your child and the programs you choose to use with them.

Just a few weeks ago I had several parents in the community I know come and ask me about a new reading program they had just read about. The reading program had been highlighted in an article published in a newsletter which was produced by a educational support organization.

I researched the program and also contacted the creators to discuss it with them. I spent about forty-five minutes on the telephone one day after watching an on-line demonstration and assessment. I asked questions and listened very carefully. I did not give my own input or opinion.

The program was being promoted as a solution for dyslexia. The creators had indeed done their research and even admitted to me on the phone that their approach was opposite most dyslexia program approaches in that they taught reading in an opposite manner as an Orton-Gillingham approach.

If you are not aware, a proficient reader uses both a visual memory of the shape of words and a phonetic ability to read unfamiliar words (using sound and rules). It is the orchestration of these two skills in combination that allow a reader to be able to conquer almost all material. It is also very important to note that instruction in the phonetic area MUST coordinate and work along side the teaching of sight words - these should not be separate. Typically someone with dyslexia will have difficulty with one or both of these ways of reading. Of course there are many other issues that may be adding to the difficulty but today I am focusing on just these two - sight word (picture reading) and phonetic reading.

The reading program creators explained to me on that there are two ways to learn to read, phonetically which they labeled as the slow way to read and sight words which they call the fast way to reading. Their program provides words flashed on a computer screen which are pronounced by the computer. The student is expected to look at the word on the screen and then repeat what the computer had pronounced. They explained that by doing this over and over the child will learn to recognize and read the word. Their program would provide 3500 to 4500 words for the student.

The program will work for some students but it is providing a temporary patch for the problem because the child will only be able to read the words that were flashed before them and that they remembered. Any new words they encounter at higher grades, in college work, or in business will not be decodable. The second issue not being addressed is the fast that there are no spelling skills being taught.

I asked how a child would learn to spell and was told hesitantly that eventually they would just remember the spelling by seeing the word over and over. I remember when California tried that in their public schools in the early 90s when I was teaching. We ended up with about five years of students who did not have spelling skills because we were only allowed to teach spelling through exposure.

Another big issue here is many dyslexic student tend to be day dreamers and/or hyperactive. This program would not keep their attention and would just be another, in a long list, of attempts to teach them to read. I did ask what kind of motivation was provided through this computer reading program and was told that the stories are really fun and that the kids would enjoy them. Dyslexics tend to be strong picture thinkers and the flat 2 dimensional word is difficult to process and boring to work with. The children we work with usually are not motivated by reading until their phonetic and sigh words skills have been built up and are not longer a strain.

When I came back to these parents who had first asked me about this program and explained what I had learned they were very disappointed. The question that I kept getting was, then why was this educational support organization even printing an article about this reading program? The educational support organization, while having good intentions, simply prints informational articles relating to education that are submitted. They are not equipped to judge if a program is good or not, and even more so able to judge if a program would work for someone with dyslexia.

It is so important for parents to talk to multiple sources about thoughts, opinions, and approaches in order to begin to get a good understanding about their children's challenges and solutions. If you get an explanation that doesn't really make sense - then it doesn't really work.

So many parents out there struggle with programs which kind of work and each time a student is made to go through a program that kinda works they become more discouraged.

Visual versus Verbal Learners OR Pictures Thinkers versus Word Thinkers

2011-12-16T03:49:00.000-08:00

Using a simple True/False Learning Styles questionnaire (like the one below), researchers found that people could reliably predict whether they are predominantly visual or verbal learners. When verbal learners remember pictures, they translate pictures into words (their preferred style of storing information); whereas visual learners will do the reverse - translating words in pictoral representations. Verbal learners activated their left supramarginal gyrus, whereas visual learners activated their right fusiform cortex.

Great to see these individual differences in learning confirmed with functional MRI imaging. Even among some of our esteemed colleagues we've heard such opposite remarks as, "Who can think without words?" and "I can't make any pictures in my mind..." For different subjects, this visual-verbal divide can have dramatic consequences on student achievement (or lack thereof).

Verbal teachers may have very little understanding for students who can't explain their work, whereas visual teachers may be baffled why their verbal students can't understand what's right in front of them to see. Interestingly, the translation of visual information into verbal, or verbal into visual is rarely taught - most successful adults have stumbled into effective strategies for learning difficult visual or verbal material, but maybe studies such as this will change.

Visualizer - Verbalizer tendencies do seem to run in families, so parents and relatives may be more natural tutors than teachers who may have a very different cognitive thinking style. In some cases, it is one parent who is more like the child - and that's the one that needs to help the most and provide strategies for learning and retaining difficult material.

The Visualizer-Verbalizer Cognitive Style (REVISED)

T F 1. I enjoy doing work that requires the use of words.
T F 2. My daydreams are not so vivid that I feel as if experience the scene.
T F 3. I enjoy learning new words.
T F 4. I can easily think of synonyms for words.
T F 5. My powers of imagination are not higher than average.
T F 6. I seldom dream.
T F 7. I am not a slow reader.
T F 8. I cannot generate a mental picture of a friend's face when I close
my eyes.
T F 9. I don't believe that anyone can think in terms of mental pictures.
T F 10. I prefer to read instructions about how to do something rather than have someone show me.
T F 11. My dreams are not extremely vivid.
T F 12. I have better than average fluency in using words.
T F 13. My daydreams are rather indistinct and hazy.
T F 14. I have to spend very little time attempting to increase my vocabulary.
T F 15. My thinking does not often consist of mental pictures or images.

Let each True = 1 and False = 0. Scoring

The individual's score is computed simply by adding up their scoreson all fifteen items and dividing by fifteen. Verbalizers will be equal to or approaching 1, whereas visualizers will be equal to or approaching 0.

fMRI of Visual and Verbal Learners pdf Visual learners convert words to pictures and vice versa
Eide Neurolearning Blog: The Tyranny of Our Thinking Styles

When Learning and Remembering Compete: A Functional MRI Study

2011-12-13T03:37:00.000-08:00

Interesting study which has obvious implications for children who may have difficulty listening and expressing themselves with ease. Often when a child has trouble participating in a discussion there can be several issues that may be responsible. Some of the issues that may be causing problems for the student are auditory processing problems, processing speed causing a slow response, language issues, and articulation issues are a few common ones. This information about competing mechanisms of learning and remembering in the brain would explain challenges where other more common issues could not.

Abstract Summary:
This study provides clear evidence for a bottleneck in our memory system between learning new and remembering old information. The ability to continuously learn and remember is usually taken for granted.

Virtually all interactive situations we encounter require concurrent learning and remembering. For example, normal social communication requires that we process the new information that another person is providing. While listening, we are usually already retrieving information in preparation of an appropriate reply. Other examples include driving through an unfamiliar city while interpreting familiar traffic signs, or encountering novel products during shopping while remembering what we need.

Although these examples clearly illustrate the importance of the simultaneous occurrence of learning and remembering, this study shows that remembering and learning compete for resources when both processes happen within a brief period.

The study also examined the neural consequences of the competition between learning and remembering using functional MRI (fMRI). In line with the behavioral competition, the neuroimaging results showed a clear suppression of learning-related brain activity as a result of concurrent remembering. Finally, the study provides evidence that a specific region in the prefrontal cortex can resolve the bottleneck, possibly by allowing rapid switching between learning and remembering.

http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1000011

MRI Demonstrates That Different Part of the Brain Can be Activated Between Students Who are Good Spellers and Those Who Struggle

2011-12-10T03:31:00.000-08:00

"Working memory is best described as a distributed architecture rather than a single mechanism; and good and poor spellers engage working memory architecture differently.

We propose that spelling is an executive function for translating cognition into language (sounds and morphemes) and then into visual symbols rather than a mere transcription skill for translating words in memory into written symbols in external memory."

Basically, the memory a learner uses to complete everyday tasks in a school setting uses multiple areas of the brain to pull information. So the memory that is used to complete a task such as spelling is not a simple recall but has multiple steps involving more than one part of the brain. Students who struggled with reading, spelling, and writing are most likely struggling with much more than one simple issue.

To read the entire abstract go to: http://jowr.org/articles/vol1_2/JoWR_2009_vol1_nr2_Richards_Berninger_et_al.pdf

Navigating College: A Handbook on Self Advocacy Written for Autistic Students from Autistic Adults

2011-11-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

The Navigating College handbook is a first-of-its-kind resource written by autistic adults for autistic college students exploring the various aspects of the higher education experience. From traditional topics like classroom accommodations and dorm life to hot-button issues such as disclosure and sexuality, Navigating College provides first-person insights from current and past college students on the autism spectrum. Unlike many other resources written by parents or professionals, Navigating College is designed to be uniquely accessible and relevant to autistic people ourselves, utilizing the insight and perspectives that comes from experience. Whether you’re a student on the autism spectrum yourself, a parent or family member looking to purchase a copy for an autistic relative or an educator or disability services professional, we hope you enjoy and make good use of this valuable resource.

Source: http://www.iodbookstore.org/products/Navigating-College%3A-A-Handbook-on-Self-Advocacy-Written-for-Autistic-Students-from-Autistic-Adults.html

Flummox and Friends - social learning

2011-10-31T22:35:00.000-07:00

Join Professor Gideon T. Flummox and his friends as they put their minds to work creating inventions that help them understand the most perplexing scientific mystery of all: other people!

Flummox and Friends lets families talk about social and emotional challenges as they watch and laugh together. Co-created by expert practitioners in the field of social communication, the show takes a kid-centric approach to exploring the unspoken rules of interaction.

http://www.flummoxandfriends.com/

Impaired Carbohydrate Digestion and Transport and Mucosal Dysbiosis in the Intestines of Children with Autism and Gastrointestinal Disturbances

2011-10-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

Gastrointestinal disturbances are commonly reported in children with ASD and may contribute to behavioral issues, study reveals.

To read this study please go to: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0024585

Colleges Step Up to Meet Dyslexia Challenge

2011-10-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

Even high-achieving students may find it difficult to be admitted to competitive colleges, but for those with dyslexia, the hurdles can be higher. A growing number of colleges, though, are showing a greater appreciation for these students.

To read this article please go to: http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2011/09/27/colleges-step-up-to-meet-dyslexia-challenge

Autistic brains develop more slowly than healthy brains, UCLA researchers say

2011-10-26T04:51:00.000-07:00

Researchers at UCLA have found a possible explanation for why autistic children act and think differently than their peers. For the first time, they've shown that the connections between brain regions that are important for language and social skills grow much more slowly in boys with autism than in non-autistic children.

To read the entire article please go to: http://www.semel.ucla.edu/news/11/oct/20/autistic-brains-develop-more-slowly-healthy-brains-ucla-researchers-say

In Defense of the GFCFSF Diet for Children with Autism

2011-10-16T14:07:00.000-07:00

The GFCFSF diet, known as the “Autism Diet” has been around for many years and has helped many people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) improve their lives, health and functioning.

By Holly Bortfeld

The GFCFSF diet, known as the “Autism Diet” has been around for many years and has helped many people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) improve their lives, health and functioning. The following are my reasons to defend the diet.

The Diet Has Proof To Back It Up

Research by Dr. Harumi Jyonouchi shows that 91% of people with ASD who were put on a strict GFCFSF diet improved. Jyonouchi’s papers say that ASD children have an aberrant immune response to the dietary proteins found in gluten, casein and soy. This peer-reviewed research merely backs up what parents have been saying for more than 10 years. Countless parents report that the diet is dramatically beneficial for their child. The most common comment we hear from parents is that their child “came out of the fog” when we started the diet. Many parents report that their children began to talk or increased their speech with the diet as well. Although this is anecdotal evidence, the preponderance of is it massive and consistent, and deserves a trial by families.

While we would like to have more double-blind studies to back up the diet, the truth is that it’s a very hard thing to study and make sure compliance was 100% in both groups without putting each in a controlled environment. Most parents would not allow this. The few recent studies that have been done were designed to fail as they didn’t run for the full 4 month trial period (most just a mere few weeks), although parents report that 4 months is the turning point. Additionally, those trials still allowed soy and unlimited high-sugar foods.

Diet Improves Health

ASD children usually self-limit their diet to a handful of things – usually all gluten and casein, and many times light-colored foods only. The typical ASD child can be down to a menu of chicken nuggets, French fries or chips, bananas, milk and yogurt. Parents report that their children “refuse all other foods” leading to poor nutrition. The sensory defensiveness that many ASD kids exhibit is vastly heightened before the diet and texture becomes a roadblock to healthy eating as well. Once they are on the diet however, they expand their food choices to include more healthy choices, thus improving their nutrition.

Diet Improves The Symptoms Of Autism

Common problems in ASD such as sleep issues, tantrums, challenging behaviors including self-injury and safety awareness are commonly reduced when the diet is implemented. Before the diet, my son like most ASD children rarely slept through the night. A child, not to mention parents, functioning on 2-3 hours of sleep chronically, sets them up for a cornucopia of dangers. Sleep deprivation is linked to immune system problems and increased behavioral issues. For parents this can mean car accidents, missed work and increased illness, all causing a cyclical problem in the home for everyone. Most parents report a reduction in behaviors, especially self-injury, elopement, dangerous climbing, recurrent ear infections, rashes and other medical conditions once their children are on the diet. According to the Autism Research Institute’s Parent Ratings of Biomedical Interventions, diet is consistently in the top interventions for efficacy.

Diet Enhances Therapies

Before the diet my son had a 1:1 in-home 40-hour-a-week program. The problem was that he didn’t seem to know they were there. Once we implemented the diet, it was as if he woke up and said “Oh, you want me to do this? Sure, why didn’t you say so?” Once he was fully on the diet, he was finally able to attend to the therapists at both his in-home program and his in-clinic OT and speech therapists. Until that happened, I felt like we were wasting our money on the therapies. Our behaviorist, who had been working with ASD kids for 20 years at that point had set out a “realistic” time table the average child at my son’s functioning level would take to accomplish the goals we set for him. Once the diet was on board, however, my son flew through the goals and we were rewriting new goals monthly instead of semi-annually, which is what all of the professionals normally did. After a few years of witnessing children who were on the diet for themselves, all of the autism specialists we visited no longer accepted patients who weren’t on the diet. Their reasoning was that if they only had a limited amount of time to see children, they would rather spend 2 years with a child who will progress 4 years worth of development, than a child who will progress 4 months worth of development in the same time period.

Diet Can Negate The Need For Psychotropic Medications

We have heard hundreds, if not thousands, of parents over the last decade tell the same story: “the doctor/school/therapist suggested medication to control the behaviors, but we opted for diet and they stopped suggesting medication since my son has responded so well to a simple change of food!” While this is anecdotal, it is a proven issue when it comes to gluten-induced seizures. I have had many doctors and parents tell me about children who had seizures and the removal of gluten stopped them, thus making that child’s seizure medication unnecessary.

Maybe The Question We Should Be Asking When It Comes To Diet And Autism Is “Why Not?”

The most common reason I hear against the diet is because they want their kids to eat the same foods as their peers sitting next to them in the school cafeteria. The problem with that is that school food is typically poor quality, low nutrition, high fat, sugar- and corn-syrup-filled junk food that plays a part in our national obesity epidemic. As parents, I would hope that we would strive for better, not just the same substandard food the public schools serve.

Another myth worth debunking is that the diet is too expensive. The diet is only as expensive as you make it. Any diet, even the traditional American wheat and milk-based diet, is expensive if you buy a lot of pre-made foods. Here is a great article on doing the diet on a budget and GFCFSF Diet on Food Stamps.

Soucer: http://www.tacanow.org/family-resources/in-defense-of-the-gfcfsf-diet-for-children-with-autism/

Asperger's theory does about-face

2011-10-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

by Maia Szalavitz

A groundbreaking study suggests people with autism-spectrum disorders such as Asperger's do not lack empathy – rather, they feel others' emotions too intensely to cope.

People with Asperger's syndrome, a high functioning form of autism, are often stereotyped as distant loners or robotic geeks. But what if what looks like coldness to the outside world is a response to being overwhelmed by emotion – an excess of empathy, not a lack of it?

This idea resonates with many people suffering from autism-spectrum disorders and their families. It also jibes with the "intense world" theory, a new way of thinking about the nature of autism.

As posited by Henry and Kamila Markram of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, the theory suggests that the fundamental problem in autism-spectrum disorders is not a social deficiency but, rather, a hypersensitivity to experience, which includes an overwhelming fear response.

"I can walk into a room and feel what everyone is feeling," Kamila Markram says. "The problem is that it all comes in faster than I can process it. There are those who say autistic people don't feel enough. We're saying exactly the opposite: They feel too much."
Virtually all people with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, report various types of over-sensitivity and intense fear. The Markrams argue that social difficulties of those with autism spectrum disorders stem from trying to cope with a world where someone has turned the volume on all the senses and feelings up past 10.

If hearing your parents' voices while sitting in your crib felt like listening to Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music on acid, you, too, might prefer to curl in a corner and rock.

But, of course, this sort of withdrawal and self-soothing behaviour – repetitive movements; echoing words or actions; failing to make eye contact – interferes with social development. Without the experience other kids get through ordinary social interactions, children on the spectrum never learn to understand subtle signals.

Phil Schwarz, a software developer, is vice-president of the Asperger's Association of New England and has a child with the condition. He notes that autism is not a unitary condition – "if you've seen one Aspie, you've seen one Aspie," he says, using the colloquial term.

But, he adds, "I think most people with ASD feel emotional empathy and care about the welfare of others very deeply."

So, why do so many people see a lack of empathy as a defining characteristic of autism spectrum disorder?

The problem starts with the complexity of empathy itself. One aspect is simply the ability to see the world from the perspective of another. Another is more emotional – the ability to imagine what the other is feeling and care about their pain as a result.

Autistic children tend to develop the first part of empathy – which is called "theory of mind" – later than other kids. This was established in a classic experiment. Children are asked to watch two puppets, Sally and Anne. Sally takes a marble and places it in a basket, then leaves the stage. While she's gone, Anne takes the marble out and puts it in a box. The children are then asked: Where will Sally look first for her marble when she returns?

Most 4-year-olds know Sally didn't see Anne move the marble, so they get it right. By 10 or 11, children with developmental disabilities who have verbal IQs equivalent to 3-year-olds also get it right. But 80 per cent of autistic children age 10 to 11 guess that Sally will look in the box, because they know that's where the marble is and they don't realize other people don't share all of their knowledge.

Of course, if you don't realize others are seeing and feeling different things, you might well act less caring toward them.

It takes autistic children far longer than children without autism to realize other people have different experiences and perspectives – and the timing of this development varies greatly. But that doesn't mean, once people with autism spectrum disorder do become aware of other people's experience, that they don't care or want to connect.

Schwarz, of the New England Asperger's association, says all the autistic adults he knows over the age of 18 have a better sense of what others know than the Sally/Anne test suggests.
When it comes to not understanding the inner state of minds too different from our own, most people also do a lousy job, Schwarz says. "But the non-autistic majority gets a free pass because, if they assume that the other person's mind works like their own, they have a much better chance of being right."

Thus, when, for example, a child with Asperger's talks incessantly about his intense interests, he isn't deliberately dominating the conversation so much as simply failing to consider that there may be a difference between his interests and those of his peers.

In terms of the caring aspect of empathy, a lively discussion that would seem to support the Markrams' theory appeared on the website for people with autism spectrum disorder called WrongPlanet.net, after a mother wrote to ask whether her empathetic but socially immature daughter could possibly have Asperger's.

"If anything, I struggle with having too much empathy," one person says. "If someone else is upset, I am upset. There were times during school when other people were misbehaving and, if the teacher scolded them, I felt like they were scolding me."

Said another, "I am clueless when it comes to reading subtle cues but I am very empathic. I can walk into a room and feel what everyone is feeling and I think this is actually quite common in AS/autism. The problem is that it all comes in faster than I can process it."

Studies have found that when people are overwhelmed by empathetic feelings, they tend to pull back. When someone else's pain affects you deeply, it can be hard to reach out rather than turn away.

For people with autism spectrum disorder, these empathetic feelings might be so intense that they withdraw in a way that appears cold or uncaring.

"These children are really not unemotional. They do want to interact – it's just difficult for them," Markram says. "It's quite sad, because these are quite capable people. But the world is just too intense, so they have to withdraw."

Maia Szalavitz writes about the intersection of mind, brain and society for publications like Time online, The New York Times, Elle and MSN Health. She is co-author, most recently of Lost Boy, the memoir of Brent Jeffs, a young man raised in Mormon fundamentalist polygamy. She is also senior fellow at the media watchdog organization stats.org.

What's It Like After Recovery From Autism?

2011-10-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

A Day In Our Lives...

We've mentioned before that our son is recovered from autism. Recovery means the damage has been stopped and he is not getting worse nor just staying at the same state of functioning but has improved immensely. Do we believe it can be 'cured'? No, not from what we've seen in our own child but many of the issues and symptoms can be improved so that they are no longer detectable or there at all.

So, our son has moved on into young adulthood. There are still daily and weekly issues for him. When he was really ill with the Autism his body did not grow at a normal rate in weight, height, or maturation. It was like he was living in an alternate universe in which time passed slower for him than for the rest of us and his body appeared to mature and age slower. He also seemed to mature slower in social, emotional, and academic areas. He has even asked us a few times in his later teens if there was a way for us to just change his birth year and move it back by two years.

One of the big causes for the slow growth overall was the gut disease that accompanies most, if not all kids with autism. Once we cleaned up and healed his gut he grew and appeared to age at a normal rate. Unfortunately for him, that was towards the end of the growing years. He will never be a large or tall man but he has been slowly creeping up in height and weight. At present he is about 5'4" which is taller than many of the medical professionals had predicted years ago.

Once his body was cleaned up, including bringing an immune system that was not functioning properly back on line, he also began to mature and grow emotionally and socially at least double speed of a typical child. People who knew him wouldn't believe their eyes when they would meet him 4 - 6 month later. When he became more comfortable with social situations it turned things around and he craved the experiences. He went from not being able to attend a social event to being out 4 out of 7 nights a week at functions. We find often we are presented with issues that we never thought we would have to deal with when he was so deep into the autism that he had.

As I said before he is recovered, not cured. So with that said, he still has to take care of himself and live a life clear from toxins, foods that cause inflammation of his gut, certain kinds of medicines, and he has to take a few supportive items that help his gut to run well. If he allows his total body burden of toxins and stress (physical and emotional) to grow too large his body/brain will begin to regress backwards.

This past summer he was hired as a camp counselor. This was an amazing opportunity for him and he really changed and grew from the experience. One of the challenges was that he lived at the camp the entire summer. As a young adult we let him make his own choices about taking care of his body and gut. During the summer he stopped taking the things he needed to support his gut such as digestive enzymes, probiotics, and a few other items. He also did not pay attention to how his gut was working and take action to keep it in good condition.

When he came home by the end of the summer he was showing quite a few symptoms of autism but he wasn't really behaving too autistic - just a little here and there. These were symptoms that some doctors might say are co-existing, if they recognize them as something seen often in children with autism, but we believe they are outward, detectable signs that his immune system and gut aren't doing as well as they were before.

Symptoms he was showing were: warts, constipation that was becoming chronic, severe athletes foot, severe dandruff, big sugar cravings, a lot of pimples, sensitivity to chemicals, sensitivity and gag reflex coming back with several foods, sensory processing issues, depression, anxiety, irritability, and extreme inflexibility over many things in daily life. These were all symptoms that disappeared as we healed his gut and body and brought his immune system back on line.

He saw his doctor who confirmed that these were all indeed coming back and that they were signs of his gut and immune system struggling.

I guess what I want to tell the other parents out there is even if you get to a point where you feel you can say your child is recovered from autism, your child may still be vulnerable and it is important to teach your child they will need to do the right things for their body to maintain their health. Unfortunately, as our child is learning, that means you may not be able to eat the same food as everyone else and do things that stress your body that many other teens and young people do.

Top 10 IEP Tips for Parents

2011-10-06T13:39:00.000-07:00

It’s IEP time again for many parents of children with autism. Last week, we polled our readers for their answers to the question, “What do you do to successfully prepare yourself for IEP meetings?” Here are the Top 10 Tips of the week.

1. Do your research. Familiarize yourself with special education law and research any specific concerns you have. A good resource is www.wrightslaw.com .

2. Bring supports with you. This could be a knowledgeable family member or friend, or you may want to hire an expert, especially if you’ve not been able to secure the services your child needs in the past.

3. Keep an open mind, but don’t allow yourself to be steamrolled. Be prepared to stick to your guns in advocating for needed supports and services.

4. Obtain a draft IEP two weeks prior to the meeting. This will allow you to make revisions as needed via email or phone calls in advance, and to prepare to advocate in any unresolved areas.

5. Keep the lines of communication open throughout the year. Insist on a communication log between you and your child’s teachers and support staff for consistency in keeping this a team effort.

6. Audio record the meeting to be able to address any discrepancies in memory down the road. Notify the school in writing prior to the meeting that you’ll have a recording device with you.

7. Make a list of your child’s strengths and challenges to share with the team. This will better acquaint all involved with areas needing particular focus and effort.

8. Don’t sign anything at the meeting. Instead, take all paperwork home with you to review outside the pressure of the meeting. Resolve any issues with the IEP team before signing and submitting the paperwork.

9. Be professional. Present yourself in a manner in which it’s clear you take your child’s education seriously.

10. Remember that you are your child’s best advocate. Be the eyes, ears, and voice for your child during the entire IEP process.

Source:
http://www.autismfile.com/what-is-autism-facts/children-with-autism-facts/successfully-prepare-iep-meetings

Charming Allergy Alert Bracelet with Emergency Contact Information

2011-09-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

We just found these and think they are really great for all kids!

Kids want them, parents love them! ICOE stands for "In Case of Emergency" and puts your emergency contact information with your child or loved one at all times. The allergy alert/medical alert bracelets only come in one color option, as pictured. This is to make them recognizable and unique from our other emergency contact bracelets, which come in other colors. We paint the outside of the bracelet white with a paint manufactured in the US. This is to make them recognizable as an ICOE bracelet and to make the designs and phone numbers stand out. Our designs and phone numbers are laser engraved into the bracelet. There are three sizes available: Toddler (fits wrists less than 5.9 inches), Child (5.9 - 7.1 inches), and Adult (7.1 - 8.0 inches). Please specify the size needed when checking out and enter 1 or 2 emergency contact numbers to go on the bracelet. Also, please include the allergy(ies) and/or medical condition(s) to go on the bracelet. We can list multiple conditions/allergies on one bracelet. However, space is limited and the number of conditions/allergies we can list depends on the size of the bracelet. Typically, we can fit three allergies and two phone numbers on the toddler size and four allergies with two phone numbers on the child and adult size bracelets. Please contact us before ordering if you have any questions. Please be aware, we will not put a child's name on the bracelet for safety reasons. Please Note: The white coating on the bracelets' edges will wear over time, giving the bracelet it's finished look and making the color of the bracelet more apparent.

Order at: http://www.etsy.com/listing/54124819/charming-allergy-alert-bracelet-with

Asperger's theory does about-face

2011-09-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

by Maia Szalavitz

A groundbreaking study suggests people with autism-spectrum disorders such as Asperger's do not lack empathy – rather, they feel others' emotions too intensely to cope.

People with Asperger's syndrome, a high functioning form of autism, are often stereotyped as distant loners or robotic geeks. But what if what looks like coldness to the outside world is a response to being overwhelmed by emotion – an excess of empathy, not a lack of it?

This idea resonates with many people suffering from autism-spectrum disorders and their families. It also jibes with the "intense world" theory, a new way of thinking about the nature of autism.

As posited by Henry and Kamila Markram of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, the theory suggests that the fundamental problem in autism-spectrum disorders is not a social deficiency but, rather, a hypersensitivity to experience, which includes an overwhelming fear response.

"I can walk into a room and feel what everyone is feeling," Kamila Markram says. "The problem is that it all comes in faster than I can process it. There are those who say autistic people don't feel enough. We're saying exactly the opposite: They feel too much."
Virtually all people with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, report various types of over-sensitivity and intense fear. The Markrams argue that social difficulties of those with autism spectrum disorders stem from trying to cope with a world where someone has turned the volume on all the senses and feelings up past 10.

If hearing your parents' voices while sitting in your crib felt like listening to Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music on acid, you, too, might prefer to curl in a corner and rock.

But, of course, this sort of withdrawal and self-soothing behaviour – repetitive movements; echoing words or actions; failing to make eye contact – interferes with social development. Without the experience other kids get through ordinary social interactions, children on the spectrum never learn to understand subtle signals.

Phil Schwarz, a software developer, is vice-president of the Asperger's Association of New England and has a child with the condition. He notes that autism is not a unitary condition – "if you've seen one Aspie, you've seen one Aspie," he says, using the colloquial term.

But, he adds, "I think most people with ASD feel emotional empathy and care about the welfare of others very deeply."

So, why do so many people see a lack of empathy as a defining characteristic of autism spectrum disorder?

The problem starts with the complexity of empathy itself. One aspect is simply the ability to see the world from the perspective of another. Another is more emotional – the ability to imagine what the other is feeling and care about their pain as a result.

Autistic children tend to develop the first part of empathy – which is called "theory of mind" – later than other kids. This was established in a classic experiment. Children are asked to watch two puppets, Sally and Anne. Sally takes a marble and places it in a basket, then leaves the stage. While she's gone, Anne takes the marble out and puts it in a box. The children are then asked: Where will Sally look first for her marble when she returns?

Most 4-year-olds know Sally didn't see Anne move the marble, so they get it right. By 10 or 11, children with developmental disabilities who have verbal IQs equivalent to 3-year-olds also get it right. But 80 per cent of autistic children age 10 to 11 guess that Sally will look in the box, because they know that's where the marble is and they don't realize other people don't share all of their knowledge.

Of course, if you don't realize others are seeing and feeling different things, you might well act less caring toward them.

It takes autistic children far longer than children without autism to realize other people have different experiences and perspectives – and the timing of this development varies greatly. But that doesn't mean, once people with autism spectrum disorder do become aware of other people's experience, that they don't care or want to connect.

Schwarz, of the New England Asperger's association, says all the autistic adults he knows over the age of 18 have a better sense of what others know than the Sally/Anne test suggests.
When it comes to not understanding the inner state of minds too different from our own, most people also do a lousy job, Schwarz says. "But the non-autistic majority gets a free pass because, if they assume that the other person's mind works like their own, they have a much better chance of being right."

Thus, when, for example, a child with Asperger's talks incessantly about his intense interests, he isn't deliberately dominating the conversation so much as simply failing to consider that there may be a difference between his interests and those of his peers.

In terms of the caring aspect of empathy, a lively discussion that would seem to support the Markrams' theory appeared on the website for people with autism spectrum disorder called WrongPlanet.net, after a mother wrote to ask whether her empathetic but socially immature daughter could possibly have Asperger's.

"If anything, I struggle with having too much empathy," one person says. "If someone else is upset, I am upset. There were times during school when other people were misbehaving and, if the teacher scolded them, I felt like they were scolding me."

Said another, "I am clueless when it comes to reading subtle cues but I am very empathic. I can walk into a room and feel what everyone is feeling and I think this is actually quite common in AS/autism. The problem is that it all comes in faster than I can process it."

Studies have found that when people are overwhelmed by empathetic feelings, they tend to pull back. When someone else's pain affects you deeply, it can be hard to reach out rather than turn away.

For people with autism spectrum disorder, these empathetic feelings might be so intense that they withdraw in a way that appears cold or uncaring.

"These children are really not unemotional. They do want to interact – it's just difficult for them," Markram says. "It's quite sad, because these are quite capable people. But the world is just too intense, so they have to withdraw."

Maia Szalavitz writes about the intersection of mind, brain and society for publications like Time online, The New York Times, Elle and MSN Health. She is co-author, most recently of Lost Boy, the memoir of Brent Jeffs, a young man raised in Mormon fundamentalist polygamy. She is also senior fellow at the media watchdog organization stats.org.

Why Buy an Ipad 2 if I have Dyslexia?

2011-09-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

#1. Great Text-to-Speech: We found the Triple-Click Voiceover function the easiest to use. It allows you to switch text-to-speech on and off, and you can use it for IBooks, email, websites, and magazine apps like Flipboard. You cannot use it for Kindle, Stanza, or other ebooks, at least not yet.

#2. Great Speech-to-Text: Free apps are available for Speech-To-Text so you can dictate notes, tell the computer to search the web, with presets for Google, Wikipedia, Youtube, and Twitter.

#3. Great Apps for Kids, Magazines, and EBooks: Great learning apps for early readers, early writers, spelling and math practice, and magazines and various formats of digital books. We're still choosing our favorite dyslexia kids apps, but already we can see that the iPad's combination of game play, customizable format (font size, color, visual crowding), and kinesthetic movement makes for an ideal learning tool. Because it's so easy to combine sight and sound for text, it means that dyslexics of all ages can 'read' up to the level of their verbal ability.

#4. Laptop Substitute: Lighter than a laptop, and cheaper than most laptops, but can do a lot of work of a laptop. Apps give the Ipad tremendous versatility. If you're worried about the lack of a keyboard, check out the Ipad Airbender Keyboard from Amazon.The wireless keyboard is in a open-up case that holds the Ipad. Very handy. If you don't like to draw with your finger, buy a cheap stylus.

What Are the Top Ipad Apps for Dyslexia? This list may change over time, but here are 5 great apps for starters -

#1. VoiceOver / Ibooks / Web: FREE Not exactly an app, but function you should turn on with Triple-Click (Settings > General > Accessibility> Triple-click Home (bottom)> VoiceOver - Toggle VoiceOver). To set speed, click the VoiceOver tab on the Accessibility page. The speaking rate varies from slow (turtle) to fast (rabbit). Activate Voiceover when reading an iBook or webpage by triple clicking the home button. You can select a line or paragraph or if you want it to read the whole page, sweep 3 fingers down).

There are many app sources for books - including iBooks and Stanza. VoiceOver doesn't work with the free Kindle app, though!

#2. Dragon Go! - FREE This is a new app that allows you to speak what you're searching for on the web - so Google, Wikipedia, Youtube are defaults. You can also search for maps (using the location function), Twitter, and more.

#3. Dragon Dictate - FREE Handy for taking down memos and short notes, it still can make errors with background noise or mumbled words - but all-in-all pretty good! If Dragon Dictate is too inaccurate for your speech, you can add in a Voice Memos app which will just record your note as audio.

#4.Note-Taking Apps - Soundnote ($4.99) and PaperDesk ($2.99) Soundnote basically turns your iPad into a Livescribe pen. It's great for notetaking because the audio is time-locked to your typing and drawing. If you want to use your iPad as a laptop, you might want to buy a keyboard and stylus, unless you prefer to write with your finger. PaperDesk has more options than Soundnote - like inserting photos, importing pdfs, organizing pages into notebooks, option to export to a whiteboard, but its interface can be more complicated. Our son tried both and ended up preferring PaperDesk.

#5. Flipboard Magazine Social Media - FREE We really like Flipboard's social media-magazine app which takes RSS feeds, news sites, social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, and converts them into a visually attractive and easier-to-read magazine format. Because reading lines are shorter and text is support well with visuals, we found it much easier to skim and read. VoiceOver does work with Flipboard artilces.

Other handy Business / Student Apps: DropBox (FREE - 2GB) (which allows you to share easily share files between your iPad and computer or laptop), Instapaper ($4.99 (save to read later- has font size and style options), Good Reader ($4.99) (draw on pdf files), and Paperhelper ($0.99) (allows students to type on your iPad while looking at a page). Audible (FREE) is a good app if you belong to Audible.com for their recorded books. Also there's Time Timer ($1.99, visual timer), Idea Sketch (FREE, mind mapping app), and My Homework (FREE, homework organizer).

Promising, but needs work apps -OverDrive Media (FREE- good for library ebooks, not yet integrated well for audiobooks) and Learning Ally ($19.99) can't download books directly from your iPad.

Source:
http://dyslexicadvantage.com/profiles/blogs/ipad-apps-dyslexia?utm_source=getresponse&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dyslexicadvantagenewsletter&utm_content=Dyslexic+Advantage+Newsletter+September+2011

25 Incredible Technologies for the Learning Challenged

2011-08-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

Learning disabilities manifest themselves in countless ways, varying in severity from the very mild to the debilitating and those that impact different elements of education. Yet they almost universally end up equally stereotyped, misunderstood and sometimes even unfairly stigmatized. The rigid traditional classroom structure rarely provides the learning disabled with the resources necessary to meet their reading, writing, math, social and mobility skills or sense impairment. Because of this, many learning disabled students feel marginalized by their peers and instructors alike, oftentimes hindered more by imposed isolation than the conditions themselves. But as technology marches on, so too doopportunities for academic success.

To learn about some of the amazing products out there please go to:
http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2011/08/17/25-incredible-technologies-for-the-learning-disabled/

Study Helps Pinpoint Math Disability

2011-08-17T07:42:00.000-07:00

By Sarah D. Sparks

Burgeoning research into students’ difficulties with mathematics is starting to tease out cognitive differences between students who sometimes struggle with math and those who have dyscalculia, a severe, persistent learning disability in math.

A new, decade-long longitudinal study by researchers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, published Friday in the journal Child Development, finds that 9th-graders considered dyscalculic—those who performed in the bottom 10 percent of math ability on multiple tests—had substantially lower ability to grasp and compare basic number quantities than average students or even other struggling math students.

“Formal math requires some effort, and it requires effort to different degrees for different children,” said Michèle M. M. Mazzocco, the director of the Math Skills Development Project at Kennedy Krieger. “Just because someone is having difficulty with math doesn’t necessarily mean they have a math learning disability. This study points to a core marker” of true dyscalculia.

The study, she said, may help researchers and educators understand the underlying causes of persistent math problems and identify the students who need the most intensive instructional support.

Math-learning disability affects about 5 percent to 8 percent of school-age children nationwide, about as many people nationwide as are affected by dyslexia. Yet experts say research on the reading problem has for decades dwarfed studies of math difficulties by 20 to one.

“Historically, there just hasn’t been as much focus in society on math difficulties as in reading,” Ms. Mazzocco said. “It’s exciting that it’s shifting a bit.”

The focus on global competitiveness in math and science fields may be playing a role in new interest in dyscalculia. A May report in the journal Science noted that if the United States brought all students up to at least the basic mathematics level in the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, it could lead to a .74 percent increase in the nation’s total growth in Gross Domestic Product. For comparison, America’s GDP grew 1.8 percent in the first quarter of 2011, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

“We know that basic numeracy skills are a greater predictor of later success in life than basic literacy skills,” said Daniel Ansari, one of the pioneers in the neuroscience of dyscalculia, speaking at a research forum on the disability held in Chicago last month, who is unconnected to the Kennedy Krieger study.

Difficulty or Dyscalculia?

The Kennedy Krieger study is the latest in a series of experiments on math ability and difficulties among a group of students in Baltimore public schools.

As part of that research, Ms. Mazzocco, who is also a psychiatry and behavioral sciences and education professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, started tracking 249 kindergarteners in Baltimore public schools in 1997. Colleagues Lisa Feigenson and Justin P. Halberda, both associate professors of psychological and brain sciences at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, joined her in the most recent part of the project.

They followed the students’ math performance through 9th grade, including their progress on regular math achievement tests using the Test of Early Mathematics Ability and the Woodcock-Johnson Revised Calculation test. From grades 6 to 9, the researchers also tested specific math-related abilities, including timed computation and decomposition, or the ability to tell which numbers in a group add up to a target number. The researchers also assessed the students’ general cognitive skills, including working memory, visual perception and symbol decoding—the last of which is considered a key problem for students with dyslexia.

When the students reached 9th grade, the team conducted two experiments to gauge their mastery of a foundation of mathematical thinking known as the “approximate number system.” That refers to a person’s ability to understand a number’s magnitude, to see a group of books, or dots on a screen, and estimate how many are there, or tell that one group has more than another group. The brain uses the same system whether comparing the numbers “7” and “12” or groups of seven and 12 symbols.

“Right away, early in the school-age years, it was apparent anecdotally that some of the children had real difficulty with that [estimation] number sense—but not all of them,” Ms. Mazzocco said.

Yet it took until the students entered 9th grade for the research team to find tools sensitive enough to measure their individual differences in estimating numbers.

The new experiments use a representative selection of 76 students in the study, including average math students; high-performers in the top 10 percent; those with “math difficulty,” performing in the bottom 10 percent to 25 percent; and the bottom 10 percent, identified as having dyscalculia.

In the first test, students first saw pictures of groups of nine, 12, or 15 yellow dots, flashed too quickly to count, and were asked to estimate the number in the group. Next, students saw intermixed blue and yellow dots flashed, and were asked to judge which color had more dots. Combined, these experiments tested both how well students could judge and compare the magnitude of numbers, as well as how easily they could translate the quantity to the name for a number.

Ms. Mazzocco found students with dyscalculia were significantly worse at estimating than other students.

“For [9th grade] children with math learning disability, there is precision at the level we would expect to see in a toddler or preschooler,” she said.

By contrast, there was no significant difference between students who performed in the low 10 to 25 percent of math ability and average-performing students, suggesting a difference in underlying causes of math problems for the lowest-performing students.

This study, while including a relatively small sample of students, backs up findings from emerging cognitive science and neuroscience in the field.

In the last decade, brain-imaging studies of students performing similar number-magnitude tasks began to connect this estimation ability to specific pathways in the brain between the frontal lobe, which is associated with higher thought, and a sliver within the parietal lobe, at the top rear of the brain, that is associated with basic number processing.

Adults and children estimating the number of items in a set or comparing one number to another showed increased brain activity in that area of the parietal lobe.

Mr. Ansari, the principal investigator for the Numerical Cognition Laboratory at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada, found that people identified with dyscalculia showed much lower brain activation in the parietal lobe when identifying the magnitude of numbers, suggesting a deficiency in this basic processing.

Mr. Ansari even found that those with high anxiety about math as adults also had problems estimating number magnitude, which he said could point to an underlying reason for their fear. (" 'Math Anxiety' Explored in Studies," May 18, 2011.)

“It’s about building blocks; if you lack that foundation, over time you will not be able to build these numerical calculations,” Mr. Ansari said.

Ms. Mazzocco said the research team is continuing its study of the larger group of students, who have since aged out of high school, to gauge the effects of math ability on their long-term academic success. She said she also plans to connect with Mr. Ansari’s Numerical Cognition Laboratory to conduct brain imaging of students in the group to discover whether biological differences will back up the cognitive differences her team has found.

Source: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/06/17/36math.h30.html?tkn=VOUFpeJm3%2FLB09EhP8so5rlqXmyPBHgODzAG&cmp=clp-sb-cec

Families That Think - Creating the Proper Family Environment So Our Kids Can Think for Themselves

2011-08-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

Dr. Elisa Medhus
Do we want our kids to use their noggins wisely and independently, or do we want them to be little ventriloquist dummies parroting the thoughts of the pop culture and their peers? Not really a hard choice, is it? But where do we start? Creating the proper family environment so that our children are comfortable with who they are is the foundation we must first lay down if we're to raise self-directed kids. After all, if they aren't at ease with their own sense of self, how can they trust their own choices? Instead, they'll rely on outside factors to guide them-outside influences that may be corrupt and destructive. Let's take a look at how we have all been inclined to shape the family milieu in a way that fosters external over self-direction as well as some ways we can correct these nasty habits.

Three parenting behaviors promote external direction in our children: modeling externally directed behavior in our own lives, being conditional with our children, and not having faith in our children.Modeling externally directed behavior in our own lives.

The way we react to external influences is important because we help design the first blueprint for our children's sense of self through the behavior we model. How we act, feel, and think is crucial, because our children see us as a reflection of the outside world-as a glimpse into what they'll be like when they grow up. That's pretty scary stuff! And since most of us are externally directed to some degree, we want to be accepted by others too. If we're not careful, though, the behavior we model will reflect an over-reliance on external influences.

Things we must avoid include:
Trying to have "the right image"
Placing conditions on the approval we receive
Having expectations of reciprocity and entitlement
Mishandling our feelings

This last one requires more explanation than the first three. What does this really have to do with encouraging external direction in children?
Suppressing negative feelings send children the message that "feelings are very bad and should be buried." Children are then reluctant to use their own feelings as internal cues to guide them in constructive ways.

Misdirecting feelings by taking them out on someone else sends children the message that other people's feelings are their responsibility and perhaps even their fault. Our children then learn to use other's feelings as something that steers their thoughts and actions.
Clinging to negative feelings teaches our children that really bad emotions have no solution. They're just something they need to put up with.

Being conditional with our childrenThe second parenting faux pas is our behaving conditionally with our children. Nothing is more powerful in convincing them to look outward rather than inward for answers.

Some specific examples:
Using qualifying statements that suggest our love comes with strings attached, like "I love you, but," "I love you if," and "I love you, when."

Showing them love only when they're perfect which sends them the message that they deserve love only when they meet our expectations of perfection!

Leading our children to believe that we love them for who we expect them to become rather than who they are now.

Not having faith in our childrenAnother common message that pervades many family environments is that we have little or no faith in our children to make the right choices. This lack of faith in them always encourages our children to place more trust in external signals than internal ones.

Copyright © Dr. Elisa Medhus, mother of five and author of the provocative new book Raising Children Who Think for Themselves, has thirteen years of experience dealing with the biggest problems families face. Her new book gives parents concrete, common-sense tools for getting through to their kids, with seven effective strategies for raising independently-minded children.

Transition Tips for Students with Autism

2011-08-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

Getting Ready for School

Adapted from: P. Kluth (2010). “You’re Going to Love This Kid!”: Teaching Students with Autism in the Inclusive Classroom (Rev. ed.). Baltimore: Brookes.

For many learners with autism, transitions are the toughest part of schooling. Moving from classroom to classroom or teacher to teacher can be stressful enough, but moving from building to building is almost always a process filled with anxiety and trepidation. These four strategies are designed to prepare the learner with autism for a new school or a new schooling experience and can be used days or months before the student arrives as well as throughout the school year.

School Preview

Many students with autism will profit from seeing, experiencing, and learning about the school before they show up on the first day. This is an effective strategy for students who are changing schools or for those who will be going to a certain classroom for the first time. A student can pre-view the school using many different tools. Some learners might appreciate a videotape of the school and its rooms, complete with short interviews with his new teachers. Other students like to tour the school themselves and meet teachers face to face before school officially starts. Still others may want to hear siblings, parents, or friends tell them about the school. Students may also be interested in reviewing brochures of the school, newsletters from the previous year, and/or the school’s website (if one exists).

Surveys

Before the year begins or during the first few days of school, many teachers ask students and their families to complete a survey. The purpose of this tool is to help the teacher become more personally acquainted with students and to make an immediate connection with families. Some teachers may choose to administer different surveys to students and parents while other teachers may design a survey that families and students complete together. While a survey would undoubtedly help a teacher learn more about his student with autism, many teachers choose to use surveys with every student in the class.

When considering using a survey, teachers will want to focus on learning styles, interests, needs, strengths or even on student ideas for the classroom. Although questions will vary by age group, possible questions include:
How do you learn best?
What hobbies do you have?
What scares or upsets you?
What kind of expertise do you have (e.g., skateboarding, karate, collecting bugs, drawing)?
What do you need to be comfortable in my classroom?
What do you want to learn this year?
What is your least favorite part of the school day?
What is your favorite part of the school day?

If one or more students cannot write, the teacher, parent or support person can allow learners to submit visual surveys. Students might draw pictures, create a collage, or submit photographs or a video in response to the survey questions.

Routines and Schedules

Some students will profit from the development and implementation of written schedules, picture calendars, or the use of a daily planner. As one of my former students explained to me: “School is very stimulating and a lot of noises and disorganization for me. So I need to get used to new places and have a schedule”. Teachers should talk often to students about how time will be used in the classroom. They should also try to give students with autism as much warning as possible when they are going to alter the class schedule or when a substitute will be teaching the class.

All students in a given classroom may benefit from knowing more about the schedule. Having information about what content will be taught and what activities will take place in any given day or week can help any student become a better planner and time manager. Teachers can make going over the daily schedule a regular part of the daily routine in any classroom; even taking a few seconds to review this information can make a difference in the learning of some students.

Personal Portfolio

Students who have unique needs and abilities may want to introduce themselves to a teacher through the use of a portfolio. Portfolios may include photographs, artwork, writing or schoolwork samples, lists of favorite things, or even video or audiotapes.

A portfolio can be an especially helpful tool for students who do not speak or use a reliable communication system. I worked with one young man, J.D., to assemble a portfolio he would use as he transitioned from high school to the work place. This young man did not speak and those who met him for the first time often struggled to connect with him. When his teachers first accompanied him to his new school, J.D.’s peers began asking them questions about him: Did he understand them? Did he have any interests?

The teachers decided that J.D. needed a way to represent himself so that they didn’t need to serve as his voice and liaison. In order to facilitate this process the teachers worked with J.D. to create a portfolio that he could use to introduce himself to new people and to interact with those he already knew. J.D.’s portfolio included:
Four pages of photographs (J.D. with family and friends; snapshots of him playing soccer at a community park; J.D. working with peers on a biology experiment, vacation photos from the Rock and Roll Museum in Ohio)
A short “resume” outlining some of the classes he took in middle school
A list of his favorite movies and compact discs
A “Learning About Autism” pamphlet J.D. got at a conference
A glossy picture of the Green Bay Packers, J.D.’s favorite football team

Portfolios can be in paper, audio, or video form, formal or informal, a few pages or dozens of pages, include only current information and artifacts or serve as a cumulative record of the student’s life.

This article is from the website of Dr. Paula Kluth. It, along with many others on inclusive schooling, differentiated instruction, and literacy can be found at www.PaulaKluth.com. Visit now to read her Tip of the Day, read dozens of free articles, and learn more about supporting diverse learners in K-12 classrooms

Movements That Heal

2011-08-01T10:35:00.000-07:00

Movements that Heal, by Harald Blomberg MD and Moira Dempsey, looks at the reasons why the Rhythmic Movement Training and Primitive Reflex Integration program is effective and highlights this with case studies and testimonials.

The book has 19 chapters and discusses how RMT can help with challenges such as ADD/ADHD, Autism, Psychosis, Dyslexia and others. As well, the book discusses the developmental and environmental reasons behind many learning, sensory, emotional and behavioral challenges.

Click on the link here to order the book or kindle download direct from Amazon. http://rmtsupport.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b3d74f135947720acc8829dc7&id=5c1991831c&e=c44ed66013

The Vision Connection

2011-07-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

Many parents and teachers struggle looking for answers for children on the autism spectrum. Because children with autism have a wide array of symptoms, the vision system is often overlooked. As a result, caretakers are surprised to find out that vision is much more than sight.

Vision problems are typically syndromes affecting how we think, speak, listen, and move. The Mislabeled Child by B. Eide MD, MA, and F. Eide, MD, discusses the need to include the vision system when getting to the source of learning challenges. They note, “Visual problems are very hard to diagnose in children. One reason is that children with visual problems seldom complain of—or even recognize—their difficulties. That’s because they don’t know what it’s like to see any other way. Often the children we see recognize their problem only after it’s been corrected.” (2006)

It is often obvious when someone has crooked teeth and requires braces. Poor eye contact, on the other hand, is frequently misdiagnosed as an emotional problem, and its root cause may not be addressed.

In Seeing Through New Eyes, author Melvin Kaplan writes, “…vision involves the brain as well as the eyes, and many disabled children suffer from neurological problems that prevent them from correctly perceiving what the eyes see. These perceptual deficits can translate into impaired social skills, poor language skills, motor problems, and a host of other severe symptoms—even in children with 20/20 eyesight.” (2006) To read the rest of this article online click here.

Autism Spectrum Realities

2011-07-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

This new book addresses autism spectrum realities with practical strategies from those who are experienced with the many challenges of autism: persons on the autism spectrum, their parents and support providers.

This includes challenges in the areas of social, behavior, sensory, motor, communication, education and medicine. Presented in both narrative and poetry format, this book provides the reader with a grasp of the world of autism as well as management strategies for persons on the autism spectrum, their parents, educators, therapists, doctors and support providers. The glossary and references are useful tools for any educator dealing with autistic children in the classroom.

To order, click here.

GFCFSF Recipes on FaceBook

2011-07-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

Did you know there is a FaceBook page for recipes for GFCFSF!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Talk-About-Curing-Autism/112714484666?sk=notes

Computer-Aided Instruction Helps Children with Autism

2011-07-26T13:28:00.000-07:00

Computer-Aided Instruction Helps Children with Autism Learn Academic Skills

Rebecca (Becky) Byers, a 20-year special education teacher and autism specialist in Carroll County, Md., and Kathryn (Kate) Reinke, a kindergarten teacher at Carney Elementary School in Baltimore, Md., both teach academic and behavioral skills to children with autism using technology. Read more…

3D Sound Literacy - A New Tool for Dyslexia!

2011-07-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

I just read about this new tool for working with people who have dyslexia. Understanding that individuals with dyslxia tendencies need to first learn things in a 3D format this looks like an amazing tool!

SoundLiteracy is an instructional tool and resource for teaching phonemic awareness, phonological processing, the alphabetic principle, and morphemic awareness. It is the first in a unique line of apps that will encourage teachers and students to work together in an intesnive work study program. With an abundance of 'sound knowledge', SoundLiteracy provides a platform for teaching students to hear, see, and analyze words in ways they have never thought of before.

Unlike individualized computer software instruction, SoundLiteracy is intended to facilitate interaction between a teacher and student(s). An instructor is needed to demonstrate concepts and skills as well as guide practice sessions with student(s). SoundLiteracy can be used in conjunction with any curriculum that emphasizes phonemic awareness, phonological processing, and systematic phonetic instruction.

For more information go to: http://3dliteracy.com/index.php/sound-literacy/about

The Gluten Free Consumer - A New Magazine

2011-07-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

Chaton Fife’s company called Allergy Menu Specialists, located in Salt Lake City recently created a new monthly magazine called “The Gluten Free Consumer.”

The idea of this magazine is to save individuals time and money that are looking for gluten free products. Gluten free products can cost 3 to 4 times more than a regular item. Chaton Fife has been diagnosed as a Celiac for six years. She created her company and magazine out of frustrations dealing with her disease.

The concept of the magazine is simple. First manufactures of gluten free products send samples to Chaton’s team. They thoroughly vet the product. And if it passes the “Family Test” then a review is publish. The “family test” is this if they would be willing to serve it to their own families.

Free Autism Society Resource for Teachers

2011-07-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

Free Autism Society Resource for Teachers

Building Our Future: Educating Students on the Spectrum is a 12-page publication that provides information about working with students on the autism spectrum. Educators and school administrators provide the best educational services and supports when they become familiar with the learning styles of students with ASD and with the various educational approaches designed to meet their unique needs. Click here to access this free resource. You must log in to access the page.

Gluten Then and Now: 1 in 30 are estimated to have gluten intolerance in the United States.

2011-07-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

Over the past decade, the frequency of conversations about gluten intolerance (GI) and celiac disease (CD) in the United States has gone from almost unheard of to commonplace. Chances are your local supermarket sells dozens of items labeled "gluten free" where none existed five years ago. Restaurants and school lunch programs frequently offer gluten-free alternatives. What happened?

Before I dive into that discussion, I want to clarify some terms to minimize confusion. "Gluten" is the general term for a mixture of tiny protein fragments (called polypeptides), which are found in cereal grains such as wheat, rye, barley, spelt, faro, and kamut. Gluten is classified in two groups: prolamines and glutelins. The most troublesome component of gluten is the prolamine gliadin. Gliadin is the cause of the painful inflammation in gluten intolerance and instigates the immune response and intestinal damage found in celiac disease. Although both conditions have similar symptoms (pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea), or sometimes no gastrointestinal symptoms at all, celiac disease is an autoimmune reaction to gluten that can cause severe degradation of the small intestine; whereas, gluten intolerance/sensitivity is an inability to digest gliadin with no damage to the intestines.

The medical community's use of improved diagnostic tools (saliva, blood, and stool tests; and bowel biopsies) as well as self-diagnosis by aware individuals has certainly contributed to the swelling ranks of people afflicted with these maladies; however, that's not the whole story. A combination of hybridized grains, America's growing appetite for snacks and fast food, and the genetics of gluten intolerance and celiac disease have brought discussions of these once uncommon conditions front and center.

New evidence indicates that the hybrid versions of grains we eat today contain significantly more gluten than traditional varieties of the same grains. Experts such as Dr. Alessio Fasano, medical director of the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, believe this recent increase in the amount of gluten in our diet has given rise to the number of people suffering from gluten intolerance and celiac disease.

According to Fasano, "The prevalence of celiac disease in this country is soaring partly because changes in agricultural practices have increased gluten levels in crops." He further states, "We are in the midst of an epidemic."

For example, the ancient wheat that Moses ate was probably very different from our wheat today. Moses lived about 3,500 years ago, when wheat, spelt, and barley were all popular grains. Modern wheat varieties, however, have been bred to grow faster, produce bigger yields, harvest more efficiently, and bake better bread. The downside to today's hybridized cereal grains is that they contain more gluten.

Celiac disease was once considered a rare malady and was estimated to have afflicted approximately 1 in 2,000 people in the United States. According to research done by the Mayo Clinic, CD is four times more common today that it was five decades ago. This increase is due to increased awareness and diagnostics, and the estimate today is that 1 out of every 133 people in the United States has celiac disease. To read more facts and figures please read The University of Chicago Celiac Disease center at http://www.uchospitals.edu/pdf/uch_...

Here are estimates for other parts of the world:

· 3 in 100: United Kingdom

· 1 in 370: Italy

· 1 in 122: Northern Ireland

· 1 in 99: Finland

· 1 in 133: United States

· Once thought rare for African-, Hispanic- and Asian-Americans, current estimates in these populations: 1 in 236

· 1 in 30 are estimated to have gluten intolerance in the United States.

More than 6,000 years before Moses was born, an agricultural revolution took place in the Middle East that allowed humans to embrace farming (sowing and harvesting wild seeds), herding, and other forms of agriculture and move away from our hunter-fisher-gatherer ancestors. This was the first major introduction of gluten into the human diet.

According to Dr. Loren Cordain, PhD, author of The Paleo Diet, "The foods that agriculture brought us -- cereals, dairy products, fatty meats, salted foods, and refined sugars and oils- proved disastrous for our Paleolithic bodies.... studies of the bones and teeth early farmers revealed that they had more infectious diseases, more childhood mortality, shorter life spans, more osteoporosis, rickets, and other bone mineral density disorders than their ancestors thanks to the cereal-based diet. They were plagued with vitamin and mineral deficiencies and developed cavities in their teeth."

In other words, people traded their health for sustainable food sources and a less nomadic way of life.

Two hundred years ago, the global diet received another big injection of gluten with the birth of the Industrial Revolution and steam-powered mills that were able to produce refined-grain flours that had significantly longer shelf lives, making flour (aka: gluten) more accessible and available to an almost global market. "We were able to mill and process grains for consumption and eat them in larger quantities than we had ever done in the past," writes Cordain.

Jack Challem, "The Nutrition Reporter," offers a different long view of human consumption of gluten: "Look at in another way, 100,000 generations of people were hunter-gatherers, 500 generations have depended on agriculture, and only 10 generations have lived since the start of the industrial age, and only two generations have grown up with highly processed fast foods. This short period of time in the course of man's existence that grains have been around has proven that many of us are not physiologically able to tolerate gluten."

Historical evidence of people having trouble digesting gluten was first documented in the 2nd century A.D. when the Greek physician Aretaeus of Cappadocia, diagnosed patients with celiac disease. The symptoms included "wasting and characteristic stools." Since Aretaeus' time, the disease has gone by a variety of names, including "non-tropical sprue," "celiac sprue," "non-celiac gluten intolerance," "gluten intolerance enteropathy," and "gluten sensitive enteropathy."

Fast forward to 1950, when the Dutch pediatrician Willem-Karel Dicke proposed wheat gluten was the cause of the disease. His theory was based on observations that celiac children improved during World War II when wheat was scarce in Holland.

As Challem points out, today, thanks in large part to the fast food and snack food industries, gluten is in just about every kind of food imaginable.

So Why Can't Everyone Handle Gluten?

People who that carry any of the genes for CD and GI (expressed or not) are more susceptible to developing either condition. You can carry two dominate genes for celiac disease and perhaps end up developing CD or you can carry one dominant gene and one recessive gene and develop only GI. Your genes determine the body's immune response in the presence of gluten, and many different health problems may result from that response. Some people may have their brain affected and develop cognitive problems such as depression or impaired brain function, while others suffer pancreatic problems and develop diabetes. Research still needs to be done to answer the question as to why these maladies affect different parts of the body in different people.When populations that are genetically predisposed to CD and GI are exposed to cereal grains with higher gluten content, there's little wonder why more people are having these genes "turned on" and develop gluten insensitivity on a much larger scale -- especially now that the flour made from these grains are part of the "hidden ingredients" in foods from ice cream to lunch meats.

OK, Now What?

So, gluten has changed, and we have changed, and it appears not for the better. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, identifying and eliminating the foods and ingredients from your life that do not work for your body is the only answer. There is no magic pill to take to make it all go away.

If you, or someone you know, is experiencing major health issues that aren't getting better, enlisting a knowledgeable physician who understands the complexities of CD and GI testing is an excellent idea; however, on average, it takes the medical community 10 years to diagnose people who are suffering with severe health problems from undiagnosed CD and GI.

The Bottom Line

Gluten intolerance is not a fad diet. I have seen countless cases display miraculous improvements in long standing ailments -- simply by adapting this lifestyle. Even if you have a test for CD and it comes back negative and medical community clears you to continue eating gluten, but you feel better without it,listen to your body. You know yourself far better than anyone else and you deserve good health. If you have doubts about your diet, try going gluten-free for two weeks and see how you feel. Those with more advanced illnesses (autoimmune diseases and such) will usually not experience changes until they have been gluten-free for six months to a year.

Learn more: ttp://www.naturalnews.com/032823_gluten_intolerance_celiac_disease.html#ixzz1RkwD9mIr

Six Tips for Traveling with a Child Who Has Autism

2011-07-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

Vacationing with Autism
Travel Tips
Fear of an Unknown Destination
Theme Parks
Traveling by Plane
Hotels
Safety
Boredom

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,1893554,00.html#ixzz1SOqxVoXt

Movements That Heal by Dr. Harald Blomberg M.D.

2011-07-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

A new book will be available in about three weeks on Amazon called Movements That Heal. This book, written by a psychiatrist in Sweden, opens up the world of Rhythmic Movement Training and Primitive Reflex Integration to the reader.

The book offers a scientific explanation for the remarkable effectiveness of RMT. Covering the structure and function of the brain and nervous system Dr. Blomberg demonstrates the connection to the primitive reflexes and what can happen when the reflexes are integrated.

With 19 chapters the book covers a large amount of information including motor development, ADD/ADHD, Autism, Psychosis, Dyslexia, and Phonological & Writing Challenges.

We have found that by using components of this program while working with students we have had profound improvements in several areas of functioning. We feel this book is something parents with children who are struggling should include in their reading list.

Why Mr. Rogers Got It Right

2011-07-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

Do you remember Mr. Rogers?

He hosted a children’s TV show for lots and lots of years. In fact, depending on your age, either you grew up with him or your children did. Here’s an interesting perspective about why he was so popular with young children. It’s all about what the research says.

We are talkers We talk. And we talk a lot. It’s generally our preferred form of communication. It’s not your fault. And it’s not my fault either. We are wired that way.

But sometimes we wonder why our students don’t respond
Every adult who is honest can describe times when the children that they work with or live with don’t respond well. The question is why. And another puzzling question. Why do they respond to some people better than others?

I’m realisticThere can be a lot of answers to those questions. But there is one factor that is worthy of consideration. Speed. How fast do you talk? What about other people in that student’s life? Speed is a factor that we don’t often consider.

Here’s what the research saysDr. Raymond Hull from Wichita State University has timed elementary school classroom teachers and found that many of them deliver information at a rate of about 150 to 160 words per minute. That sounds OK until you learn one more piece of information.

Students can’t listen that fastHull says child's central nervous system simply cannot process the acoustic linguistic code at that speed. It's just not designed to do that. Children from preschool age up to about third grade have an optimum processing range of about 120 words-per-minute. By the time they're in high school, students effectively process speech at around 145 words per minute.

Interesting?And one more factor. Hull is talking about “typically developing” students, not those with special learning challenges. So here’s my question. How fast do our students with autism or Asperger’s or ADHD or other learning challenges listen?

One more reason to use visualsSometimes people question the need to use visual strategies. Perhaps this is another reason visual tools help our students be more successful. Those visual tools get student attention. They help “fill in” what the student misses from hearing.
So what about Mr. Rogers? He was a “slow talker.” He was noted for that. On his TV show he talked about 120 words per minute. No wonder so many children loved to watch him!

There was a lady in my workshopI was speaking at a conference where a lady raised her hand with a distressed look on her face. Her complaint was that when you use visual strategies, it slows things down so you can’t go as fast. I smiled and told her, “THAT’S EXACTLY THE POINT!” Using visual tools actually slows down the communication process. That’s a good thing.
P.S. I wonder if some of those people who the students respond to better are actually “slower” talkers than others.

P.P.S. Want to do a little more research about “fast talking?” Check these out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkmLsyxjxTQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeK5ZjtpO-M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEiFl8O5lV4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZb6iBmHqkY

Hull, R.H. (2008, November). How to talk to children. Technical session presented at the annual meeting of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Chicago, IL.

Source: http://www.usevisualstrategies.com/AutismNewsletters.aspx

Chlorine and Autism – What parents need to know

2011-07-10T18:04:00.000-07:00

Since it’s that time again where schools are letting out, the temperature is rising and swimming pools look more and more inviting by the day – I figured I would post all of the information I have saved regarding our ASD kids and chlorine.

Stan Kurtz: A review of medical literature about chlorinated pool water.

Here are some things that you can do to lessen the effects of the chlorine (in no particular order):

· Bathing/Showering before and after swimming

· Epsom Salt Baths

· Epsom Salt Lotion – I also hear it’s pretty easy and cheap to make your own

· Kirkman’s Magnesium Sulfate Cream

· OurKids Magnesium Sulfate Cream

· Some have reported they fill a spray bottle with water and some epsom salts and then spray down their kids before/after swimming

· Supplement with Taurine

· Increasting Magnesium Supplement

· Gloves in a Bottle Shielding Lotion

· Increasing probiotics & digestive enzymes – chlorine can cause you to lose good gut flora and digestive enzymes, especially if water is swallowed, so you need to replenish the probiotics and add some digestive enzymes at mealtimes

· Swimming Pool chlorine can increase yeast overgrowth, so if you see yeasty behaviours return, this could be why.

· If you have a high-copper kid, you may want to keep your eye on your child’s copper levels since many algaesides contain copper.

If you have a pool in your backyard and are looking for alternates to chlorine, here are some links. (I am just providing the links, I have no information or experience with any of these.)
· http://www.ecosmarte.com/

· Baquacil – I did look into this last year — although some have reported it is impossible to maintain after the 1st/2nd years and can be very expensive to maintain

· http://www.naturalpoolcleaner.com/

· Leslie’s Pool Supply has a product called Fresh N Clear that is hydrogen peroxide based

· Treat your pool at night so that most has circulated and disapated by the morning

· http://www.chlorfree.net/

· Chlorine Free Pools and Spas· Purification Systems by Carefree Clearwater

Source: http://recoveringnicholas.com/2009/06/04/chlorine-and-autism-what-parents-need-to-know/

No-gluten zone

2011-06-29T09:47:00.000-07:00

Rebecca U. Cho, Staff Writer

When Rancho Cucamonga resident Laura Ramirez fed her young son foods containing wheat, his skin would break out.

After consulting experts, she realized the 1-year-old was reacting to gluten, a common protein in foods processed from grains such as wheat and barley.

The discovery brought Ramirez last week to stellaLucy, a gluten-free market that has been open in Claremont for about a year and a half.

"I love it - it feels safe," Ramirez said as she pushed her son in a stroller around the neat shelves of gluten- free food items, her two daughters in tow.

Launched first in San Clemente, stellaLucy is tapping into a growing segment of American consumers - those seeking gluten-free foods due to lifestyle or health reasons.
Store shelves are stacked with cereals, pancake mixes, flour, cookies, soy sauce, soups - all foods that usually contain gluten in mainstream markets.

About 250,000 Americans have been diagnosed with celiac disease, a glucose-intolerant autoimmune condition that damages the small intestine. And about 6 percent of the U.S. population, or 18 million people, are sensitive to gluten, the Center for Celiac Research estimates.
Food retailers such as Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have stepped up their gluten-free offerings as awareness grows about the condition. Kellogg's launched this month a gluten-free Rice Krispies cereal.
Josie Rietkerk, stellaLucy's CEO, opened her first store in San Clemente

in September 2008. She opened the Claremont shop the next year in October.
Rietkerk, who named her stores after her grandchildren, came up with the idea after her husband was diagnosed with celiac disease. Looking for gluten-free foods became a pain.
"Shopping for that merchandise, you have to go from store to store to store and you have to read all the labels," Rietkerk said. "It's quite time consuming. Then you might drive across town and they're out of what you're looking for."

Claremont store cashier Christen Bridgewater said many stellaLucy customers are parents with children suffering from celiac disease. Others are those who discovered in their adult life that longtime symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhea are due to a sensitivity to gluten.
She and other employees are gluten-sensitive as well, she said.

"We know the trial a person goes through in changing their diet and lifestyle," Bridgewater said. "I can empathize."

Many parents of children with autism and attention- deficit hyperactivity disorder also visit stellaLucy. A diet free from gluten and casein, a protein found in milk, is part of some treatments for autism and ADHD.

A play room with miniature carts and a toy cashier machine and bar code scanner caters to the market's young customers.

Restaurants and other eateries are also increasingly carrying gluten-free items. Some Crust Bakery came to stellaLucy for a gluten-free vanilla cake mix for one of its customers, Bridgewater said.

She enjoys hearing from the customers that the market's foods items are improving their lives, she said.

"A lot of times they've seen their symptoms improve drastically right away," Bridgewater said

Twenty Acre Wood in Truckee: A residential ‘retreat' for youth with Asperger's and non-verbal learning disorder

2011-06-27T11:47:00.001-07:00

TAHOE/TRUCKEE, Calif. — High in the mountains above Truckee is a cabin surrounded by pines and a sky that seems to go on forever, the home of the Asperger's Retreat. It is called a “retreat” because it's a warm, welcoming place. But “to retreat” also means to back away from a situation that isn't working. Often life for young people isn't working easily. Like an incubator, Retreat warms the whole environment so youths want to hear about and try the skills that lead to success.

Young people aged 13-23 are surrounded by trained young role models, who challenge and support them with every step. Participants learn at Retreat, you don't have to run from people, but rely on them. Like a big summer family, Retreat offers special time for swimming, hikes, boating, supported backpacking, relaxing time and fun. Meg Fields, a psychiatric nurse with a degree in clinical psychology, her husband Michael, a mountain loving emergency room nurse and Kathy Allen, MA, an early pioneer in spectrum disorders treatment, share the leadership.

Date for 2011 are July 10-16.

Contact Meg Fields, Psy. D. at 925-262-3135 925-262-3135 or visit www.aspergersretreat.com.

Approximately 1 out of 8 children in the United States have a brain development disorder. Some estimate 1 out of 6.

2011-06-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

When we talk about a child’s developmental delay, we often think of challenges such as Autism but this delay can often go on unnoticed for so many children. Often symptoms such as tics, fidgeting, poor digestion, poor bladder tone, poor stool control, floating stool, poor coordination or sensitivity to environmental stimulants, can be signs of developmental delay with your child.

If you want to create a significant impact on your child’s life, it is a must to understand the neurochemistry of your child’s development…so here we go.

To read the rest of the article go to: http://www.askdepkewellness.com/2011/06/save-your-kidssave-their-lives-part-1.html?spref=fb

Good Medicine or a Risky Experiment?

2011-06-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

In recent years, there's been a dramatic increase in children being diagnosed with serious psychiatric disorders and prescribed medications—like Ritalin® and Adderall®—that are just beginning to be tested for children.

The drugs can cause serious side effects, and virtually nothing is known about their long-term impact. "It's really to some extent an experiment, trying medications in these children of this age," child psychiatrist Dr. Patrick Bacon tells FRONTLINE. "It's a gamble. And I tell parents there's no way to know what's going to work." Watch: PBS's The Medicated Child (56:10).

Source: www.LearningRx.com newsletter

When Should You Tell a Child They Have Asperger's?

2011-06-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

By John Robison
Author, 'Be Different' and 'Look Me in the Eye'

Parents often ask me when they should talk to their kids about Asperger's or autism. I don't think there is a hard and fast answer, but in my opinion, the time to discuss brain differences is when the teen years are close. Before then, most kids won't be able to grasp the idea of why and how their brain is different from other people's. Any attempt to "label" them runs the risk of being counterproductive and damaging to their vulnerable self-esteem.

So what should a parent say to a young child with Asperger's? And how can they guide their child through the difficult early years in a way that most helps them grow into a happy, productive adult? Here are a few tips derived from my own life as a free-range Aspergian and my experience raising my son Cubby, who's now a fine young adult Aspergian himself.

1) In the early years, the most important task is developing communication skills.

In today's interconnected world, the ability to communicate effectively is the most important skill you can give a child, after he masters the basics of hygiene and behavior. Study after study has shown that kids with autism who receive intensive therapy -- 20 to 40 hours per week -- have far better outcomes as adults as compared to kids who are left to develop on their own. There are many cases of five-year-olds who could barely hold a conversation developing fully normal speech as adults, thanks to early intervention. There seems to be a critical window of time prior to age 10 during which kids can pick up these vital skills far more easily. If the window of opportunity is missed, the result may be lifelong communication impairment and significant disability. Some kids with autism prefer to relate through speech, while others choose written communication. Ideally, you'll help your child build his strength in both areas.

2) Find your child's unique strengths, and build them up.

Young children are diagnosed with autism or Asperger's when they can't accomplish or perform a task as well as their peers can and an adult takes notice. The child may not be able to make friends, or she may fail at school or something else. Besides a diagnosis, these failures lead to weak self-esteem, frustration and alienation. How can you combat those emotions in a child?

In my opinion, the surest antidote to failure is success. If you can help your child find what she is really good at, you will have given her a wonderful gift that will last a lifetime.

To do that, kids should be exposed to the maximum range of experiences. For example, I was technology-minded, and my parents took me to museums, bought me books on science and helped me experiment with chemistry sets, radio kits, home-built cars and all sorts of scientific toys until I found my strengths -- electronics and mechanics. My skills in those areas led me, as an adult, to my work, to my hobbies and even to my friends.

There's no way to know what your kid may like unless he sees it. It's sort of like offering strange but tasty foods: you can ask all day and get a no, or try it and get a yes and a smile. Once you find their gift, encourage it however you can and give it room to flourish. You'll be amazed with the results.

3) Teach your child the art of peaceful coexistence.

Parents talk an awful lot about helping their kids make friends, something all of us aspire to do. However, there is a social skill that's even more important, and it's actually easier to learn: how to not make enemies.

In my book "Be Different," I describe several strategies that will help an Aspergian achieve this all-important goal. For example, kids must learn to listen first, and then respond to what other people are saying and doing. They can't barge in and try to take over the group, as much as they may want to. Kids need to learn to look and act like the group they want to be part of. That may mean dressing a certain way, or even sitting in a particular place in class. When you learn to blend in, people like you better, and life goes a lot smoother.

Young people with autism have no instinctive understanding of social rules. They must be taught, explicitly, how to behave in common situations. I write about using Emily Post as a guide, but for young children, more basic instruction is needed. In particular, adults should recognize that people with autism have fundamental difficulties seeing the other person's point of view, which makes manners especially difficult to grasp.

All my life, Asperger's has made it tough for me to understand other people. That left me isolated and alone for much of my youth. Fortunately, that situation did not last forever, because "difficult" is not the same as "impossible." Once I knew what was different about me, I charted a course of self-improvement and change, the results of which are simply astonishing. From that perspective of adult success, I wrote "Be Different" to help today's young people benefit from the lessons I've learned. With that insight I hope they go on to even greater success than me.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-robison/when-should-you-tell-a-ch_b_849864.html

CDC: Autism, ADHD Rates on the Rise

2011-05-31T21:58:00.000-07:00

Please go to this link to read the article: http://news.health.com/2011/05/23/cdc-autism-adhd-rates/

Preterm Infants Prone to Autism Misdiagnosis

2011-05-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

By Traci PedersenAssociate News EditorReviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on May 3, 2011

Children who test positive in an autism screening at 18 months of age — but who were also born very prematurely — may not actually have the disorder.

Instead they may do poorly on the autism test due to unrelated delays in cognition or language, new research has found.

Researchers, led by pediatrician Bonnie E. Stephens, MD, FAAP, and assistant professor of pediatrics at Brown University’s Alpert School of Medicine, hypothesized that many formerly preterm infants who screen positive for ASD at 18 months do not have ASD but are having failing scores due to a cognitive or language delay, a common occurrence in 18-month-olds who had been born very prematurely.

For the study, researchers sought to determine the rate of false-positive screens for ASD taken at 18 and 30 months of age and to determine the connection between a positive screen and cognitive and language delay.

A total of 152 babies were screened for ASD at 18 months (age corrected for prematurity), and 116 babies were screened at 30 months corrected age. Children who had been born before 28 weeks’ gestation were measured in three ways, one of which was designed specifically for use in high-risk populations, including preterm infants.

Eighteen percent screened positive for ASD at 18 months, and 10 percent screened positive at 30 months. A very small percentage — 3 percent — screened positive on all three tests at either point in time, and all of the babies who screened positive for ASD on all three screening tests at 30 months were later diagnosed with ASD.

In addition, a positive screen at 18 or 30 months was associated with cognitive and language delay.

“While these findings have important implications, further work is needed,” Dr. Stephens said. “To determine which of these infants actually have ASD, a study that includes a formal diagnostic assessment on all children with a failed screen is needed.”

Stephens and her colleagues are hoping to get funding to support a multicenter study that would include more than 500 preterm children. “This will allow us to determine the true rate of ASD in this population, the rate of false-positive screens at 18 and 30 months, the optimal time to screen, and the optimal ASD screening tool for the extremely preterm population.

Approximately one in 110 U.S. children has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a group of complex developmental brain disorders that affect behavior, social skills and communication. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that pediatricians screen all children for ASD at 18-24 months of age, and those who fail the screening test should be referred for a formal assessment.

The study was presented on May 1 at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics

New study examines effectiveness of traditional & non-traditional seizure treatments for ASD

2011-05-25T06:36:00.000-07:00

A study published in this month's BMC Pediatrics provides insight into which traditional and non-traditional medical treatments are potentially most beneficial for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and seizures.

Richard E. Frye, MD, PhD from the University of Texas in Houston and James B. Adams, PhD from the Arizona State University in Tempe surveyed 733 parents of children with autism spectrum disorder and seizures, epilepsy, and/or sub-clinical seizure-like brain activity in order to rate the effectiveness of 25 traditional and 20 non-traditional medical treatments for seizures. The survey also assessed the effect of those treatments on other symptoms (sleep, communication, behavior, attention and mood), and side effects.

Overall, anti-epileptic drugs were reported by parents to improve seizures but worsen other symptoms, while non-antiepileptic drugs were perceived to improve other symptoms without improving seizures to the same extent as the anti-epileptic drugs. Four anti-epileptic drugs, valproic acid, lamotrigine, levetiracetam, and ethosuximide, were reported to improve seizures the most, and, in general, they showed little positive or negative effect on other symptoms. Certain traditional non-anti-epileptic drug treatments, particularly the ketogenic diet, were perceived to improve both seizures and other symptoms.

Dr. Frye concludes, "The information gained from this study will help physicians more effectively manage children with autism spectrum disorder and seizures." Dr. Adams states: "This study suggests that several non-traditional treatments, such as special diets (ketogenic, Atkins, and gluten-free, casein-free), are worth further investigation as adjunct treatments for treating seizures."

Roughly 25 to 35 percent of individuals with autism eventually develop seizures - and many of the remainder have sub-clinical seizure-like brain activity; however, little is known about which treatments are effective for the ASD population.

Learn More - Read the complete study in BMC Pediatrics

Source: Autism Research Institute

How do I help my Aspie son prepare for a career?

2011-05-16T11:01:00.000-07:00

Rachel McCumber

“I think that I want to be a chef,” Daniel announced on the way home from a visit with family one morning.

My first reaction to Daniel’s announcement was a visualization of Daniel in the high pressure environment of a commercial kitchen. The barking orders, the time constraints, the need to get the dishes right, hot and presented on time seemed to be a perfect match for Daniel. Well, for Daniel’s weaknesses that is. Daniel doesn’t handle pressure well. He doesn’t respond positively to blunt, curt orders. He doesn’t communicate in short clear cut phrases. When pushed to increase his speed, he breaks down completely.

Then Daniel launched into an explanation of all the things that, in his mind, made up a chef’s responsibilities. Somehow, making food wasn’t among any of them. Instead, making the kitchen health-code compliant and designing the building of the restaurant was at the heart of his description.

I am glad I have learned to wait and listen. I didn’t always do so. There would have been a time when I would have immediately, reactively crushed his aspirations with an explanation of how poorly matched he would be to that career. Waiting allows me to better understand where his true interest lie.

So, how do I guide my child toward career success as an adult? Do I encourage dreams of careers that I know are going to poorly match his skills set? Or am I forced to crush his aspirations? There has to be another option.

I think this question is valid with any child, it is just more sharply defined when I consider Daniel. Regardless of what careers interest Daniel has today or will have in the future, the harsh reality for many special needs adults is a difficult and treacherous employment landscape. Even for the high functioning on the spectrum, unemployment is above the national average.

At this point, the choice of career is not pressing. However, I think with all our kids, the emphasis should not be “what do you want to be.” It is fun to day-dream about being a doctor, a lawyer, an Indian chief but when we dream like that, we project ourselves into the lives of a person we have seen in that career. We tend to only see the things we like, the money, the prestige, the lifestyle, etc. We do not look objectively at the skills required for the job. Instead the question should be, what skill do you enjoy using? Now, how can you sharpen and hone that skill and use it to provide a life that fits your dreams?

Instead of being the crushing voice of reason, or the enabling teller of fairy-tales, I can be the mom, learning to observe the strengths and skills of my child. I can point out the skills involved in enjoyable pastimes. Most importantly – like all parenting, this isn’t a one-time discussion but rather an ongoing conversation.

Rachel McCumber @ www.aspergersmom.wordpress.com
Read more: http://www.autismsupportnetwork.com/news/how-do-i-help-my-aspie-son-prepare-career-autism-293202231#ixzz1LyRCDgHd

How Room Moms Can Help Manage Food Allergies

2011-05-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

By Jennifer Roeder of FAAN

Food allergies are often misinterpreted as a stomachache, or even a runny nose and itchy eyes. In fact, they are potentially life-threatening, and there is no cure. It is estimated that about 3 million children in the U.S. have food allergies. The only way to prevent a reaction is to strictly avoid the foods to which they are allergic.

The school setting can present a unique challenge when managing food allergies, since food is sometimes found outside of the lunchroom, such as when used in arts and craft projects, in science projects, or as incentives. That is why students with food allergies need everyone’s help – including yours!

FAAN™ (The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network) is the world leader in food allergy information, programs, and resources regarding food allergy. This year, we are celebrating our 20th anniversary. FAAN was started by Anne Muñoz-Furlong, a mother whose daughter was diagnosed with milk and egg allergy as infant. Frustrated at the lack of information about food allergy available at that time, Anne founded FAAN as a way of providing education and support to other parents who needed help managing food allergy. Today, FAAN has many resources to help manage food allergies, including in the school setting, whether its parents, teachers, school administrators, or school nurses looking for information.

For this post, we went straight to the source and asked moms in the food allergy community for tips on how room moms can help with food allergy management in the classroom. Here is what the moms had to say:

1. Work with the teacher to identify any students in the classroom who have food allergies. Understand the ingredients they must avoid, the symptoms of an allergic reaction, and learn what to do in the event of an allergic emergency. Consider sending notes home with the students who have food allergies, to let their parents/guardians know that you are working in partnership to keep their children safe.

2. Celebrate special events and birthdays with non-food treats such as games or a special storytime. One room mom shared that “the kids do not seem to miss the food when they are having fun with games and other activities.”

3. When food must be used for an activity or provided to students, work with the parents of the children with food allergies to arrange for safe alternatives to be available so that no student is excluded.

4. Work with the teacher to determine who will provide snacks and what snacks are safe. Often the moms of kids with food allergies are willing to provide safe snacks/treats for the entire class. In fact, some classes collect money to put in a fund for the food allergy moms to use to provide the goodies.

The most important thing is to work together with the school staff, the student, and the student’s parents to ensure all students are included in all activities!

Food Allergy Awareness Week is a perfect time to review what your child’s class is doing to help kids with food allergies. Check out all of the resources FAAN has put together and share some with your child’s teacher. Please also visit us on facebook, and follow us on Twitter.

Together, we can make a difference!

Kids with Food Allergies? 10 Tips for Getting your Kids Off to School Safely

2011-05-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

By Lynda Mitchell of the Kids with Food Allergies Foundation

My son is in college now, but I can still remember vividly how worried I was about sending him off to first grade –and into the care of adults who were unfamiliar with his food allergies and how to manage them in the classroom.

Two important things I’ve learned along the way is that advance planning and a positive relationship are keys to success in sending your child off to school–-or to college, or to any new situation, for that matter! It is also the best way for you to give those whom you entrust your child’s care the tools they need to manage food allergies, which in turn, will give you the peace of mind to know that you’ve done everything you can to set him up for a successful in experiencing this new milestone in his life.

The following are my tips for success in entering elementary school I hope will be of help to you.

Do your homework.

Find out if you are in a state that has food allergy management guidelines. If so, your child’s school will have food allergy management policy in place and you won’t need to start from scratch. Also review the recommended responsibilities for families, students, school staff to get a sense of what are key items that need to be addressed in the school setting. Also read up on new guidance for parents.

Start early.

Don’t wait until the beginning of the school year to start planning. Send a letter to the school principal requesting a meeting with you and your child the year before your child will be entering elementary school.

Meet the school nurse.

Schedule an introductory meeting with the school nurse well in advance of the beginning of the school year. Find out what services are available and how the health room operates during a typical school day.

Get a doctor’s letter.

Work with your child’s pediatrician or allergist to get a letter that outlines precautions and the treatment recommendations your child will need for his health and safety.*

Develop a coordinated care plan in advance of the first day of school.

Work with your school nurse and other designated staff using the information in your child’s doctor’s letter to create a school food allergy management and treatment plan customized for your child’s needs. *

Meet the teacher.

Schedule a time to meet the teacher to discuss any classroom accommodations that will be included in your child’s school plan, such as hand-washing, food in the classroom, a special treat box for your child or other issues.*

Prepare your child.

Start working with your child, in an age-appropriate way, to teach him what he is responsible for, such as avoiding allergens, not sharing food and speaking up if he starts to have an allergic reaction at school.

Make your health room checklist for the first day of school.

Fill out all forms in a timely manner, including ones that designate emergency contacts other than you. As soon as school opens on the first day, turn in your child’s physician orders for medication administration, a food allergy action plan, and a fresh supply of any medicines your child may need during the school day. If possible, make sure the medications don’t expire during the school year so you won’t have to deal with replacing them.

Make your classroom checklist for the first day of school.

Make a list of all the items you will need to drop off for your child beyond the usual school supplies (i.e., hand wipes, a special treat box, etc.)

Form an ongoing partnership.

Check in with the teacher and school nurse to make sure the plan is working and your child is adjusting accordingly. Learn to choose your battles wisely and collaborate with your child's school. A positive approach will help you obtain positive outcomes when issues of divisiveness surface.

Despite the understandable worry you will have, do keep in mind that, most children with food allergies attend school safely every day. Plan ahead; be proactive; offer solutions; stay matter of fact, calm and clearly communicate when things do or don’t go right. School planning is a process, and you will continue to modify and make adjustments as the year goes on.
*If your child’s school has a pre-existing school food allergy management policy, use that to guide how you address these issues.

Autism Now, PBS Newsw Hour Series

2011-04-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

Missed an Episode of Autism Now, the PBS News

Hour Series on Autism? Catch Up Online Autism Now, the six-part series about autism airing on PBS NewsHour, runs from April 15 to 26.

Read more…

Taking Your Child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder to the Dentist

2011-04-07T09:20:00.000-07:00

Taking your son/daughter on the autism spectrum to the dentist poses many challenges. This article hopes to make you aware of some of these challenges prior to your first visit, as well as provide some useful ways to deal with them. Included in this article are three main areas that are most often in need of attention:preparation, sensory issues and communication. Read more: http://www.autismsupportnetwork.com/news/taking-your-sondaughter-autism-spectrum-disorder-dentist-22783922#ixzz1I0Ra6WE0

40 Amazing iPad Apps for the Learning Disabled

2011-04-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

The iPad is a device that many lust after as a shiny new toy, but many people with disabilities can benefit from what it has to offer as a functional tool. Students with learning disabilities can enhance and develop their communication skills, learn how to adapt to situations, and develop social skills. Check out this collection of iPad apps that can make a difference in the life of a learning disabled child. 1. Crazy Face Lite: Crazy Face Lite encourages shy students to speak more often, and is great with students who have trouble speaking. 2. Autism Timer: This app offers a digital timer for students with autism. 3. Behavior Assessment Pro: BAP identifies factors related to problem behaviors for autistic kids. 4. Awareness!: Awareness allows students to listen to their surroundings while also playing games, watching a video, and more. 5. Everyday Skills: Use this app to find self-directed learning for students with autism and learning disabilities. 6. Proloquo2Go: Proloquo2Go offers picture-based communication for children with communication disorders. 7. ArtikPix: Children with speech issues can use ArtikPix to practice sounds and words at home. 8. Aurify: Aurify is a challenging and rewarding audio game for students, especially those with learning disabilities. 9. iEarnedThat: This tool can help parents track and reward good behavior. 10. Model Me Going Places: This visual teaching tool can help your child navigate challenging locations with appropriate behavior. 11. iWriteWords: Encourage fine motor skills using IWriteWords for practicing writing letters, numbers, and words. 12. MyTalkTools Mobile: MyTalkTools Mobile offers augmentative and alternative communication for learning disabled students. 13. First Then Visual Schedule: Provide positive behavior support using the First Then Visual Schedule app for the iPad. 14. Idea Sketch: Draw mind maps, flow charts, and more with Idea Sketch. 15. Off We Go!: Off We Go! can help children with special needs become more comfortable in new situations. 16. AutismXpress: Autism Xpress makes it easy for people with autism to recognize and express their emotions. 17. StoryBuilder: StoryBuilder can improve auditory processing for children with autism or sensory processing disorders. 18. iMindMap Mobile Pro: Let creative thoughts flow using iMindMap Mobile Pro. 19. Grace: Grace can help autistic and special needs children build sentences to communicate effectively. 20. Which Does Not Belong: This app will help your learner discriminate which items don’t belong in a group and encourage vocal imitation. 21. My Choice Board: Kids with autism, communication delays, or learning differences can express their needs and wants through this choice board. 22. iThoughts: iThoughts will enable students to see the big picture and concentrate on multiple thoughts at once. 23. LivingSafely: LivingSafely can help students with autism and developmental disabilities practice self-directed learning. 24. iCommunicate: Children with autism and visual challenges can use this app with pictures, storyboards, routines, and more. 25. Toy Story 3 Read Along: Toy Story’s app is a great early literacy tool for early language learners. 26. ACT Spell: ACT Spell offers games for training motor/visual/executive functions. 27. Stories2LEarn: Promote social skills and literacy by creating personalized stories on Stories2Learn. 28. iConverse: iConverse works as a picture exchange communication system for autistic individuals and those with communicative disabilities. 29. MyTalk Mobile: Those with communication difficulties can express themselves through MyTalk. 30. MindNode: MindNode makes creating mind maps easy. 31. Storyrobe: Storyrobe offers a simple and easy way to produce digital stories. 32. Flashcards for iPad: This app can be used effectively for special needs learners. 33. Glow Draw!: Glow Draw! is a fun drawing app for students with visual development problems. 34. What Rhymes?: Encourage reading comprehension with this reading comprehension tool for visual and auditory learners. 35. MyHomework: MyHomework can help students with trouble concentrating keep track of their next task. 36. Bigger Words: Bigger Words can help kids read easier. 37. iSpectrum: iSpectrum offers an assistant for color blindness. 38. Dragon Dictation: Dragon Dictation is great for students who have reading disabilities or are unable to write. 39. Talkulator: Talkulator can help students with visual problems count and do arithmetic. 40. Read2Me: Read2Me will import a text file and read it aloud to weaker readers.

Disney World Can Accommodate Food Allergies

2011-04-06T09:17:00.000-07:00

The happiest place on Earth, Disney World, is now a little bit safer for children who have food allergies. Disney recently won an award for it's commitment to making things easier for families of children who have food allergies or an intolerance to certain foods. They have a process for guests to follow to request food that will fit around one's allergies We went there a few years ago and they were extreamly attentive to our child's gluten issues. I was amazed at how knowledgable the chefs were! To read the entire article go to: http://special-needs.families.com/blog/disney-world-can-accommodate-food-allergies

Diet research on GFCF alone showed 65% of ASD children improved, but research on GFCFSF (including soy) showed 91% improved.

2011-04-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

Source: http://www.tacanow.org/family-resources/what-is-soy/

Yellowpages for Kids Services

2011-04-04T09:12:00.000-07:00

Find educational consultants, psychologists, educational diagnosticians, health care providers, academic therapists, tutors, speech language therapists, occupational therapists, coaches, advocates, and attorneys for children with disabilities on the Yellow Pages for Kids for your state. You will also find special education schools, learning centers, treatment programs, parent groups, respite care, community centers, grassroots organizations, and government programs for children with disabilities. http://www.yellowpagesforkids.com/help/add.htm

Kate Winslet To Pen Autism Book

2011-04-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Diament Actress Kate Winslet is writing a book to promote autism awareness that will feature a series of celebrity self-portraits. The book called “The Golden Hat” will tell the story of how Winslet came to know Margret Dagmar Ericsdottir and her son Keli, who has autism and is nonverbal. In 2009, Winslet narrated the film “A Mother’s Courage: Talking Back To Autism” about the Ericsdottirs’ journey to teach Keli to communicate. The book is inspired by a poem Keli wrote, also called “The Golden Hat,” in which a magical hat allows a boy with autism to communicate. In addition to Winslet’s story, the book will include Keli’s writings and a series of more than two dozen celebrity self-portraits Winslet solicited. Ben Stiller, Christina Aguilera, Demi Moore, Ellen Page, Maria Sharapova, Jude Law, Naomi Watts, Meryl Streep and Ricky Gervais are among those participating. Each celebrity will be pictured donning a “magical” hat for the book. They will also share a personal statement about what their first words would be if they were “unlocked” after living for years unable to communicate, as Keli did. The book will be published in November by Simon & Schuster. Source: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2011/03/24/kate-winslet-autism-book/12673/

Meltdowns Happen

2011-04-01T14:36:00.000-07:00

You know the saying… “Sh*t happens”? Well, I can tell you that meltdowns happen! And they can be loads ‘o fun -like poking yourself in the eye with a sharp stick kind of fun. I had the distinct pleasure of working through a meltdown recently with Grumpy Badger. To read the entire post please to go: http://www.spdbloggernetwork.com/2011/03/26/meltdowns-happen/ This is a new SPD blogger network!

Parents of autistic kids should prep for potential interaction between police officers and their special needs child

2011-03-31T14:32:00.000-07:00

If a law officer arrives on the scene to encounter a child who is not making eye contact, is not responding to verbal commands but turns and walks away, the officer’s first thought might be that he is dealing with someone on drugs, Andersen said. “They will think drugs before they think they are dealing with a kid with autism.”

During the Family Links conference Saturday at Murray High School, Probation and Parole agent Kyle Andersen offered parents tips and insights to help them prepare for possible contact with law enforcement.

To read the entire article along with tips please go to: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/money/51507996-79/information-parents-conference-andersen.html.csp

Can commercial food colorings make children hyper?

2011-03-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

By Lyndsey Layton The Washington Post Push a cart down a supermarket aisle, and you'll pass a kaleidoscope of color. The use of artificial dyes by food makers is up by half since 1990, and it's not limited to candy. The list of foods made pretty by chemicals now includes pickles, bagels and port wine cheese balls. "Americans are really turned on by a bright-red strawberry juice, and they think it's natural," said Kantha Shelke, co-president of the food research firm Corvus Blue. Food makers have used dyes since ancient times to make food more appealing, but the practice has so invaded the modern psyche that artificial dyes are being used even on some pet foods. Federal regulators are re-examining artificial ingredients they have long deemed to be safe, prompted by studies suggesting that color additives might be linked to hyperactivity in children and other health effects. On Wednesday, an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will begin a two-day meeting to discuss the science behind artificial dyes and whether the government ought to restrict their use. "There are sometimes nine different dyes in a food product," said Laura Anderko, of Georgetown University Medical Center, who serves on the Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee for the Environmental Protection Agency. "Moms and dads will say, 'Here's a Fruit Roll-Up; that must be healthy.' But it's filled with dyes. And emerging science suggests it's a harm to children." To read the entire article please go to: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2014609466_dyes27.html

Sensory Processing Disorder Checklist: Signs And Symptoms Of Dysfunction

2011-03-29T14:24:00.000-07:00

The purpose of this sensory processing disorder checklist is to help parents and professionals who interact with children become educated about particular signs of sensory processing dysfunction.

To read the entire article and checklist go to: http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/sensory-processing-disorder-checklist.html

Feds Broaden Workplace Protections To Include ‘Invisible Disabilities’

2011-03-28T23:50:00.000-07:00

New rules expanding what qualifies as a disability for the purpose of job discrimination protections are set to be published Friday in the Federal Register.

While people with disabilities have long been protected in the workplace under the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, what qualified as a disability was often open to interpretation and ended up somewhat constrained by the courts. As a result, in 2008, Congress passed the ADA Amendments Act, which was designed to ensure a broader definition of disability.

Now, in final rules being published this week, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, is instituting new regulations to guarantee that a wider group of people are protected on the job.

Specifically, the rules will change how the definition of disability — considered a “physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities” — is interpreted.

Under the new regulations an impairment can qualify as a disability even if it occurs periodically, like epilepsy, and even if it does not prevent a person from conducting a major life activity such as self-care, walking or communicating.

“With the release of the EEOC’s regulations, employers across the country will have a clear set of guidelines and rules of the road to ensure equality for Americans with disabilities,” Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, wrote on the White House website about the changes. “This will help ensure civil rights protection for people with ‘invisible disabilities.’”

Though the regulations will not be published until Friday, they are considered applicable to claims dating back to Jan. 1, 2009 alleging that a company denied reasonable accommodations or otherwise discriminated on the basis of disability. The new rules apply to companies with 15 or more employees.

Source: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2011/03/24/feds-workplace-protections/12666/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=March+25%2C+2011%3A+News+from+Disability+Scoop&utm_source=YMLP&utm_term

The Inflation of Praise

2011-03-24T21:21:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl I went to a private elementary school. Each year the entire school participated in an art contest. For a few weeks before the 'art show' each class would spend time each day creating an original painting to be displayed and judged. Only three winners would be named per classroom. Obviously, most children did not receive a ribbon but it was stressed that it was equally important to participate and try your best.

In first grade I pained a large flower on 24" x 12" paper which was framed with a paper frame and displayed at the art show in my classroom with the rest of the paintings. Parents and students would walk through each of the six classrooms and vote for one painting in each room. This was a big evening event with refreshments and everyone's family showed up. The next day there would be three paintings in each classroom which would have ribbons affixed to them; first, second and third place.

My flower painting was very simple as a first grader would have painted. The day after the voting when everyone in my class entered our room to see who had received a ribbon I found that I had not received a ribbon. My teacher had made a point of telling me how beautiful she thought my painting was and that it should have won. Now, more than 40 years later, I realize she probably told most of the children that but for this six year old her comment meant the world.

I was so convinced that my painting indeed should have won that in second grade I again painted that same, simple flower. Again, I did not win a ribbon. In third grade I gave it another try and this time painted three of those simple flowers. My first grade teacher's encouraging words had been carried in my heart for several years. You know the saying, three times a charm? Well, not for me. I didn't win a ribbon in third grade either.

When it came to fourth grade I had decided to give up on the flower idea and I painted a tree on a hill side. I didn't think I could possibly win a ribbon at this point, after all the flower painting which 'should have won' in first grade hadn't proved successful for three year in a row!

When we entered our classroom the next day after voting in fourth grade there was my painting of a tree... with a third place ribbon! Receiving that ribbon was very important to me and I was very proud. Those ribbons were not easy to get. That painting with it's ribbon hung in my parents bedroom until sometime in my late teen years. The impact of receiving that ribbon and trying so hard over and over has remained with me. That day I truely felt proud of what I had done, that it was good enough to be noticed and given a ribbon!

This bring me to the topic of this post.

Praise

When I recieved that ribbon I received praise. Not everyone in my class or school received a ribbon, only a few did. Those ribbons were a big deal and you knew it as a child. There was value.

When my child was very young I noticed a trend beginning with parents. Children who participated in sports teams or contests of all sorts were all receiving a trophy, ribbon, or award. I do like to recognize when a child has worked hard or accomplished something, but every child was receiving the same award regardless as to effort or talent.

What I've seen over the years with my own child as well as others I've worked with is that when these awards are given out because everyone should be given one they lose their value. My son mentioned to me a few years later after receiving a trophy for being on a T-ball team that it wasn't a 'real' trophy. In fact, he didn't want to keep it and asked if it would be ok if he just threw it away. He didn't have to work hard for it. All he had to do was show up and be there. It had no value for him.

There is a generation of these children who received all sorts of awards, trophies, and recognition for just showing up and some have begun to enter the workforce. Working with and training at companies these employees who grew up constanly receiving recognition for doing what was normally expected now expect constant recognition and pats on the back at work for doing their job. Employers are beginning to have to change how they manage their employees and provide incentives, awards, and other recognition to all of these employees for no other reason than to keep them happy.

Please don't misunderstand me. Recognition and doing nice things for people is a good thing. I think the problem comes when we constantly reward someone for just showing up to work and doing their basic job. Rewards should be for doing something above and beyond.

Another trend among this group is that they will only stay at a job for a few years before becoming dissatisfied and look elsewhere. I know that it is now common for people to have mutliple careers and jobs within a life time, but this group is jumping jobs at a much quicker rate. It doesn't take much time for dissatisfaction to set in.

Just as many great people like King Solomon have learned, getting more stuff, more recognition, is not what actually brings joy into a person's life. It's what a person does with their life, how they affect others that brings lasting joy. Doing a great job at work can bring that happiness as well as bring self worth and a sense of pride.

Some of the children we work with at our clinic come in with low self esteem. Actually, alot of them do.

Some have been constantly told by their parents how pretty or handsome they are, how smart and talented they are, yet they struggle in school, have trouble making friends, and have diffiuclty being successful. Too much praise, unmerited praise, starts to undermine a person. For some of the children they begin to see the person that is giving them so much pumped up praise as not being sincere. There is little value in the praise because the child does not believe it and does not see any evidence that the praise is truthful. Children stop believing the person who is contastly pouring praise over them because they know it isn't as wonderful and the person is saying.

A short while ago we were working with a young man who had given up. He had tried for several years to be good, smart, and talented as hisparents had wanted but no matter how hard he tried it just never seemed to be enough. He had some invisible learning disabilities which can't be seen with the eyes, but they were there. These invisible learning challenges prevented him from being successful in the way his parents wanted him to be.

One day working with him, I had commented that I thought he was talented. He responded by telling me his mother told him this all the time. It was obvious that he heard this often but he didn't believe it. It is common for a child who does not feel smart to also not feel like they are pretty or handsome. The feeling of failure permeates many if not all areas of their lives.

After he commented his mother told him he was talented all the time I asked him if he believed he was talented. His answer was a resounding no.

Over time as his skills improved and the learning challenges became less of a challenge he stopped refutting compliments and instead would accept them and give one back. You can not ony hear it in his comments but you can see it in how he holds himself up, sits up, and his big eager smile. By overcoming some of the challenges he orignially had he is able to be successful and in turn has a much better view of himself.

Children know when someone is rightfully praising them and when someone is praising them just to praise in an attempt to pump them up. Each child has acts and qualities that do deserve to be complimented, but it's important to be honest and truthful and give praise when it is earned/deserved.

South Sound Autism Partnership Survey

2011-03-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

Dear Member of the ASD Community,

As you are likely aware, the number of individuals being diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has increased dramatically over the past several years. Therefore, in order to meet the needs of individuals with ASD and their families located within the South Puget Sound, a coalition of service providers, advocates, and community members has been formed.

The name of the group is the South Sound Autism Partnership and it has the following mission:

1. To increase the awareness of resources and accessibility and services that are currently available to individuals with ASD and their families.

2. To increase the effectiveness of service delivery through improving the communication between service providers, educational systems, and people being served.

3. To increase awareness for the ASD community regarding the most effective treatment options available, including a risk/benefit analysis of all treatment options.

4. To increase awareness and education about ASD’s to the community at-large to help with earlier detection and transition into treatment.

With these goals in mind, the South Sound Autism Partnership is asking you to complete a short survey to help us determine:

1. What issues are most important to you or your family member with ASD at this time?

2. What are the greatest barriers to you or your family member receiving appropriate services?

3. What activities could the Partnership do that would provide the most benefit to the South Sound ASD community?

The survey should take approximately 15 – 20 minutes to complete. We thank you for taking an interest in improving the lives of people with ASD in the South Puget Sound area.

Please go to: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WD8P6FS

Researchers Identify Key Differences Between Celiac Disease & Gluten Sensitivity

2011-03-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

Gluten causes strange and uncomfortable symptoms, but you don’t have celiac disease or any other major illness? You’re not imagining things. New research from the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine have proven that gluten sensitivity is different from celiac disease at the molecular level and in the immune system’s response. The scientists have shown that gluten sensitivity and celiac disease are part of a spectrum of gluten-related disorders.

The research was conducted in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the Department of Experimental Medicine of the University of Naples in Italy, and the Institute of Food Sciences in Avellino, Italy.

“We found differences in levels of intestinal permeability and expression of genes regulating the immune response in the gut mucosa,” says lead investigator Alessio Fasano, M.D., professor of pediatrics, medicine and physiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and director of the Center for Celiac Research. The research documents the genes and the pathways — a sequence of reactions in the small intestine — possibly associated with gluten sensitivity. “Identifying and isolating specific ‘biomarkers’ in the immune response of people with gluten sensitivity could lead to diagnostic tools for the condition,” says Dr. Fasano, who also directs the University of Maryland School of Medicine Mucosal Biology Research Center.

“Unlike celiac disease, gluten sensitivity is not associated with these serious conditions. Common symptoms of gluten sensitivity include abdominal pain similar to irritable bowel syndrome, fatigue, headaches, ‘foggy mind’ or tingling of the extremities. There is also evidence that a subgroup of schizophrenic patients and autistic children might be affected by gluten sensitivity. “
Gluten sensitivity affects approximately six percent of the U.S. population, or 18 million people, according to the Center. Although the symptoms can vary widely between the two groups, this group can reacts with some similar symptoms as people with celiac disease, “but gluten-sensitive individuals typically test negative for celiac disease in diagnostic blood tests and show no signs of the damage to the small intestine that defines celiac disease.”

Dr. Fasano and the researchers at the Center for Celiac Research hope that this research will lead to better diagnostic tools for those with gluten sensitivity and other gluten disorders.

See the complete Center for Celiac Research article here

Find the study here

Source: http://glutenfreeville.com/research/researchers-identify-key-differences-between-celiac-disease-gluten-sensitivity

Tactics and Strategy When Writing a Letter to Your Child's School

2011-03-22T22:31:00.000-07:00

Tactics & Strategy: The "Letter to a Stranger" by Janie Bowman and Pete Wright

What is a "Letter to a Stranger"? When you write letters to a school, these letters will be read by strangers.

Many important decisions about your child's education are made by strangers. What impression will your letter make on a stranger? Will the stranger see you as an angry, negative complainer? Or will the Stranger see you as a rational, thoughtful parent who is expressing valid concerns?

To read the entire article please go to: http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/Letter_to_Stranger.html

Researchers Identify Key Differences Between Celiac Disease & Gluten Sensitivity

2011-03-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

Special Summer Camps for Dietary Restrictions and More!

2011-03-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

I want to share with you about camps that are designed to allow children who cannot eat gluten/wheat.

If you have a child who has dietary restrictions then you know that going somewhere over night can be difficult for your child. The adults in charge needs to be educated as to 'how' to feed your child safely.

Summer camps just aren't possible for some children with dietary restrictions for diabetes because of the difficulty trying to make sure they have safe food available to the.

Across the nation summer camps have been popping up in the last few years that are able to deal with children with dietary restrictions.

Our child attended a camp last year that was able to handle his dietary restructions and it was definitly a once in a life time experience!

Many of these camps also offer scholarships for those who might otherwise not have afforded the camp experience.

In most cases, you'll need to sign up with the camp and with the organization sponsoring the gluten-free sessions.

Here is just a sample of camps available across the country. To do your own search use a search engine or contact a support group organization. They also have ADHD camps and many others to address different special needs.

Camp Sponsor: The Georgia Celiac Foundation
Location: Camp Twin Lakes in Rutledge, Georgia Dates: May 30 to June 4, 2010 Camp Wee-Kan-Eat-It Family Weekend is for any family (adults and children) with a family member with celiac disease. Details: Camp is held at Camp Twin Lakes, a state-of-the-art, fully accessible facility located on 500 acres. In 2008, camp cost about $350 per family. Scholarships are likely to be available. Other allergies can be accommodated.

Camp Sponsor: Georgia R.O.C.K.
Location: Camp Will-A-Way at Fort Yargo State Park in Winder, Georgia Dates: May 30 to June 4, 2010; Family Camp: Sept. 10 to 12, 2010 Details: Georgia R.O.C.K. (Raising Our Celiac Kids) is sponsoring Camp Weekaneatit at for kids and teenagers with celiac disease, at Camp Will-A-Way. The fully-accessible camp at Will-A-Way features 16 camper cabins, which each sleep 14. The camp is complete with a dining hall, medical lodge, swimming pool and numerous exciting activity areas.Campers at Will-A-Way enjoy activities such as arts & crafts, swimming, ropes course, archery, sports, boating, fishing, nature, and more!

Camp Sponsor: Camp Westminster
Location: Camp Westminster on Higgins Lake in Roscommon, Michigan Dates: Children ages 7 to 14, June 20 to 26, 2010; Families, July 4 to 8, 2010 Details: This week promises all the fun of Camp Westminster, with food accurately and sensitively prepared by experienced cooks, for a traditional week of camp for children and youth with sensitivities to foods containing gluten and casein. New this year: a gluten-free menu will be available, with pre-registration, during any week of camp in 2010. If you have food related camp questions, please contact Deanna at dkseng99(at)voyager.net or Pam Jann at pamelajann(at)hotmail.com.

Camp Sponsor: Camp Fire USA in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Location: Camp Waluhili on scenic Fort Gibson Lake, 45 minutes from TulsaDates: June 20 to 26, 2010 Details:Camp Waluhili lets gluten-free campers (and their siblings) have a traditional co-ed summer camp experience where kids can enjoy all the camp activities without concern for the gluten content of the food provided. Camp's 219 acres of rolling hills, lush forest and ample shoreline offer a wide variety of areas for creative programs and activities. Features include swimming pool, low-element challenge course, rappelling cliff, miles of hiking trails, shooting and archery ranges, and much more. Resident camp programs are open to boys and girls entering grades 3 to 12.

Camp Sponsor: The Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG)
Location 1: Camp Kanata, Wake Forest, North Carolina Dates: June 27 to July 3, 2010 Location 2: Camp Sealth, Vashon Island, Washington Dates: July 9 to 24 (6 days); July 26 to 29 (4 days); or July 19 to 29 (11 days), 2010Details: GIG Kids Camps are mainstream, integrated camps, where kids must be aware of what foods are safe and not safe, ask questions and talk to others about their eating restrictions. Camp counselors are trained by GIG Staff. Gluten-free substitutions are available for meals and all activities. GIG dietitians are on site.

Camp Sponsor: Dallas R.O.C.K. (Raising Our Celiac Kids)
Location: Camp Gilmont in Gilmer, Texas Dates: July 11 to 16, 2010 For children ages 7 to 15 Details: The Great Gluten Escape at Camp Gilmont gives campers the opportunity to participate in all camp activities without concern for the gluten content of the food provided. The camp prides itself on letting kids escape from the daily peer pressure of the "I can't have that" syndrome. This camp also welcomes siblings between the ages of 7 to 15 who do not have celiac disease, dermatitis herpetiformis, or gluten intolerance (although all food will be gluten free).

Camp Sponsor: Celiac Disease Foundation
Location: Camp Arroyo, Livermore, California Dates: July 25 to 30, 2010 For campers ages 9 to 17. Details: Camp Arroyo, an old-fashioned summer camp for kids, offers a gluten-free week at no charge except for a $25 registration fee per camper. The camp encourages adults to volunteer as camp counselors, promising an amazing gluten-free camp experience for them, too.

Camp Sponsor: Celiac Sprue Association
Location: Camp Aldersgate, North Scituate, Rhode Island Dates: August 8 to 13, 2010 For children and youth with celiac disease ages 7 to 16. Details: Celebrating its 11th anniversary in 2010, Camp Celiac is one of the largest gluten-free camps in the United States, with children coming from across the United States and abroad. The camp is closed to all other groups during the gluten-free sessions, to allow for a gluten-free dining hall and atmosphere. Camp Celiac provides a full-time, registered nurse licensed in the state of Rhode Island to handle all medical needs including medications. Scholarships are available.
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Camp Sponsor: Michigan Capital Celiacs/DH
Location: Camp Manitou-Lin on the shores of Ol' Lake Barlow in Middleville, Michigan Dates: 2010 Dates TBA For children ages 7 to 14 Details: Camp fee is $450 for the week (a $75 deposit is required to hold a spot). Camp Manitou-Lin, on 160 acres, is a branch of the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids. Seventeen heated and carpeted cabins with bathrooms and showers will house campers, 10 to a cabin. For information, write to eclansingmi@yahoo.com or glutenfreemichigankidscamp@yahoo.com.

Gluten Free camp at Manitou-Lin in Middleville Michigan
August 15 (Sunday) - 20 (Friday)
$450 is the fee for 2010.
$75 non-refundable deposit is required to hold a spot.
For information e-mail
glutenfreemichigankidscamp@yahoo.com or see the below links.

•Cel-Kids (Michigan kids with celiac)
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/cel-kids
•GLUTEN FREE CAMP ROCKS at Camp Manitou-Lin!!
www.campmanitou-lin.org

Gluten Free Summer Camp in Oklahoma
Camp Fire USA in Tulsa, Oklahoma is running a summer resident camp June 20-26 for kids with celiac disease/gluten intolerance and their siblings. Information is available on the website, www.tulsacampfire.org or by calling 918-592-2267
http://www.tulsacampfire.org/images/tulsacampfire/ResidentCampPDF/Website%203%203%20Gluten%20Free%20Camp.pdf

Gluten free
The Great Gluten Escape
The Great Gluten Escape Camp is a week-long resident camp just for kids with Celiac Disease and their siblings. Campers will play games, craft, canoe, swim, enjoy campfires and eat gluten free food--even gluten-free s'mores!

Two Bars Seven Ranch
Near Tie Siding, Wyoming , on both sides of the Colorado and Wyoming borders.
Two Bars Seven offers many week-long sessions through the summer. The ranch offers three celiac sessions for children and adults as well as two sessions only for children, which they can easily accommodate to children with celiac disease.

Gluten-Free Fun Camp
ROCK - Twin Cities Chapter
Located at Camp Courage in Maple Lake, Minnesota
R.O.C.K.’s Gluten-Free Fun Camp takes place each summer in partnership with Camp Courage. The purpose of the camp is to provide children ages 8-17 with celiac disease a "normal" camp experience complete with all gluten-free food. Gluten-Free Fun Camp also provides an opportunity for the campers to connect with other kids who have celiac disease. About 40 kids from many different states come each year to experience Gluten-Free Fun Camp.
Contact Katie Radeke at ktannradeke@hotmail.com or check their website at www.twincitiesrock.org

Experts: Lack of 'tummy time' causes developmental delays in children

2011-03-17T22:44:00.000-07:00

This is a great article on the benefits and necessity of allowing young children to be left on the floor. A couple of generations ago when there wasn't all the baby gear available, young children spent most of their time on the floor where they could actively integrate their primitive reflexes.

We constantly see children with learning challenges that also have un-integrated primitive reflexes. Sometimes these are caused by not allowing a child to be on the floor where they can repetitively move and develop muscle tone and well as motor skills necessary for learning, living and working.

Medical professionals call it a national epidemic: normal children who are delayed in accomplishing basic skills like holding a pencil or catching a ball. At least one expert calls them "bucket babies." They're kids who spend too much time in containers like car seats and not enough time on their tummies. It causes problems in children from infancy through adulthood.

To read the entire article please go to: http://www.ky3.com/news/contactky3/ky3-lack-of-tummy-time-blamed-for-developmental-delays-02232011,0,3781056.story

Tips for Picky Eaters

2011-03-16T22:31:00.000-07:00

Tips for Picky Eaters
Adapted from Raising a Sensory Smart Child, by Lindsey Biel, OTR/L and Nancy Peske

http://www.sensorysmarts.com/march_tips.html

Computer Program Helps Autistic Children Detect Emotions

2011-03-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

Maria Hopkins, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) College of Arts and Sciences and Fred Biasini, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology reported the results of an interactive program they developed called FaceSay that helps autistic children interpret emotion in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders that was reviewed at the HealthCanal.com website on February 25, 2011.

Children with autism spectrum disorders (autism and Aspergers’s Syndrome and other forms of autism spectrum disorder) do nor perceive and respond to emotion because they fail to look people they are communicating with in the face, especially the eye area.

Dr. Hopkins and Dr. Biasini developed an interactive computer program that trained autistic children to look at the eyes and faces of the people they were communicating with so they better understood the emotional content and context displayed by the other person. This was accomplished through a six week training regimen of two twenty minute sessions with the FaceSay program the researchers developed. The Face Say program teaches the children to concentrate on the upper face, eyes, and facial expressions by using avatars as a training tool to develop memories of emotion and facial expression.

Children with Asperger’s Syndrome made significant improvement in the ability to read facial expressions using FaceSay and children with autism improved but not as much. Both autistic children and children with Asperger’s Syndrome showed significant improvement in their ability to recognize emotion and remember emotion.

The research was carried out at Mitchell’s Place, a Birmingham center that specializes in services for children, adolescents and families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

Continue reading on Examiner.com: UAB computer program helps autistic children detect emotion - Birmingham science news Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/science-news-in-birmingham/uab-computer-program-helps-autistic-children-detect-emotion#ixzz1FQ9IyBxO

What happens when neuroscience meets Dr. Seuss?

2011-03-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

Hosted by Henry Winkler, who has had his own struggles with reading, Reading and the Brain explores how brain scientists are working to solve the puzzle of why some children struggle to read and others don't. Startling new research shows the answer may lie in how a child's brain is wired from birth.

This program is the eighth episode of Launching Young Readers, WETA's award–winning series of innovative half-hour programs about how children learn to read, why so many struggle, and what we can do to help.

Public School Students and Privacy

2011-03-12T10:55:00.000-08:00

If you are having trouble getting permission to observe a classroom before your child is placed in the program or having trouble getting permission to be allowed to observe a class your child is in this article might be just what you are looking for!

Privacy and Education
No Child Left Behind

http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/priv.confid.observe.htm

IRS Tax Tips for Parents of Children with Disabilities 2011

2011-03-11T10:45:00.000-08:00

Taxpayers with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities may qualify for a number of IRS tax credits and benefits. Listed below are seven tax credits and other benefits which are available if you or someone else listed on your federal tax return is disabled.

For the details please go to: http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/tax.credits.2011.htm

Newark Airport Program Helps Autistic Children Cope with Air Travel

2011-03-10T19:45:00.000-08:00

The captain hadn’t even turned off the fasten your seat belt light and Matthew Bahani was already having a rough time.

Matthew, a 9-year-old with autism, was growing increasingly anxious even as his parents hugged and kissed him.

"Thank you, thank you," he said over and over to his mother and father as tears ran down his cheeks, as if he were grateful for their acceptance and affection. But it was only a random phrase he had somehow latched onto, his parents said, one that held little meaning beyond its use as a mantra to comfort himself.

"He gets nervous and he can’t control himself. He gets loud, he makes noise. It isn’t easy," said his father, Sam Bahani, 48, a contractor in New City, N.Y. "You can’t imagine what he goes through. He can’t express himself."

The Bahanis were among five families who participated in a program at Newark Liberty International Airport today intended to help familiarize autistic children with air travel — a confusing, complex process that, with uniformed screening agents and lines of sober-faced passengers, can be intimidating even for adults without special circumstances.

The "Autism Explores" program — which takes participants through all aspects of the flying experience without leaving the ground — is also intended to help parents, who often find themselves in the position of dealing with a difficult child, as well as with consternation from other adults who may have no idea of the child’s particular difficulty.

"When you’re in a public situation and that happens, people are not always kind," said Matthew’s mother, Jennifer Bahani, 42, who avoids even the mall with Matthew. "It can be isolating."

Another parent in the program, Diana Wittles of Hoboken, said it does get better. Her 5-year-old son, Brian, is already a veteran of 20 flights, most of them to Disney World. Brian, who said he liked "everything" about flying, listened to music through headphones and munched chocolate chip cookies handed out by a flight attendant.

"Brian used to be the poster child for the kid you did not want to be sitting next to on a plane," his mother said.

The Autism Explores program was developed at the Kevy K. Kaiserman Center for Developmental Medicine and Genetics at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. It was launched last month at the Philadelphia International Airport and the goal is to offer it nationwide. U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) invited the program to Newark Liberty.

One in 94 children in New Jersey is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, ranging from mild social impairments to serious communication and learning deficiencies. The national rate is 1 in 110, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The program also familiarizes airport personnel with common idiosyncrasies of autistic children. Several Transportation Security Administration officers and Continental flight attendants were onboard during today’s pretend flight, a day after groups of TSA officers and customer service representatives from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, heard a presentation in an airport conference room.

Flight attendants and TSA agents are trained to meet the needs of fliers with disabilities, but not autism in particular.

"It’s been very helpful," said Justin Bourgue, 33, of Lake Hiawatha, a TSA behavior detection officer, "We don’t want to misinterpret behavior."

Each aspect of the program, from check-in to baggage claim, replicated the flying experience, except for the actual flying. While the pilot and other flight crew made the customary announcements about flying conditions or the weather on the ground, the plane never actually pulled back from the gate.

"It’s a beautiful day for flying. Sit back and enjoy the flight," announced the pilot, Geoff Bender, a real Continental skipper whose 13-year-old daughter, Teresa, is autistic.

Bender echoed a point by program director Wendy Ross that normalizing activities like flying for children with autism is important in assuring they will lead as full and independent a life as possible.

"I wonder what’s going to happen to my daughter when I’m not here," Bender said

Source: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/02/nj_autistic_children_brave_con.html

Autoimmune Neuropsychiatic Disorders and Strep (PANDAS)

2011-03-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Strep (PANDAS)* A subtype of OCD

Brief description

For approximately 25% of children who have OCD, the sudden onset of the OCD is exacerbated or trigged by strep throat, in which the body's own immune cells attack a part of the brain, the basal ganglia, rather than the strep. This does not occur in all children, but only those who have a genetic predisposition to OCD or tics. The difficulty in diagnosing may occur because the OCD can develop shortly after the strep infection but many times months after, and the strep infection could have been so minor that it was not treated. It is most common in children who have not yet reached puberty, though it is not limited to this age group.

Red flagsThe biggest difference between regular OCD and PANDAS OCD is the sudden onset. OCD usually develops slowly over weeks, months or even years; however, PANDAS OCD seems to come out of the blue with parents saying one day their child woke up a different kid.

There are also other symptoms that help differentiate the 2 types of OCD. PANDAS OCD is also characterized by:

Choreiform movements: involuntary or irregular writhing movements of the legs, arm or face

Presence of tics and/or hyperactivity

Irritability, temper tantrums, or mood lability

Nighttime difficulties

Severe nightmares and new bedtime rituals or fears

Separation anxiety

Age regression: going back to younger developmental stage

New handwriting problems, loss of math skills, sensory sensitivities

For more on what to do go to: http://www.worrywisekids.org/anxiety/pandas.html

Autism and IEPs: When Knowledge is Power

2011-03-08T09:21:00.000-08:00

by C.A. Curie

It’s that time of year again when parents will meet with their school districts and write their Individualized Education Programs or IEPs. These are mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and outline the individual educational needs for each child with special needs. My close friend, who has her Masters in Education once told me, “if every parent knew their IDEA laws, the school systems would go broke.”

Parents and caregivers of a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) need to be educated as an advocate in many areas of their child’s life. Picking up, reading and understanding the IDEA fundamentals from a recent copy of “Wrightslaw: Special Education Law,” will give invaluable insight for parents. There’s no excuse for being unprepared for these meetings, which will ultimately play a large role in determining a child’s functionality and success.

I recently read about a mother whose argument with her school district was related to her son’s handwriting. Her struggles to have her child use assistive technology had merit.

A recent Japanese study involving middle and high school aged children showed that children with autism, along with Tourette’s Syndrome, ADD and other co-morbid diagnoses, had substantially lower grades when forced to handwrite their assignments. The implementation of computer keyboards and typing devices raised their grades from C and D averages to A’s and B’s.

Furthermore, studies showed that by allowing these students to complete homework assignments at school and not at home, grades also increased as a result.

Parents and caregivers who come prepared to IEP meetings are a far stronger force than most realize. By law, they can never be excluded from these important decision-making meetings. Parents have the right to be heard and research before meetings take place will prove to be invaluable.

Knowing when a transfer to another school or district is allowed is extremely important. Each state has its own interpretations of how and when they are willing to transfer or contract out for appropriate services. Knowing these rules will keep parents from spinning their wheels and show school administrative teams that they are well-informed and know their child’s educational rights.

My oldest son has a 504 plan, which is not as powerful as an IEP, but certainly provides for appropriate accommodations. His 504 plan includes having no homework, the use of a keyboard instead of handwriting, allowing for quiet time and allowing for frequent healthy snacks. These stipulations can all be a mandatory part of a child’s program, but will rarely be offered. I even learned to bring in a supportive advocate at times when I knew it would be a struggle.

If the system does not provide, they must accommodate. Test scores and a specific diagnosis are the baselines for constructing a plan that will be therapeutic, stimulating and educational for a child’s special needs. The IEPs and 504 plans also offer greater protection than those of typical students.

Leverage lies within the laws and a child with special needs is entitled to as much as double and triple the tax monies as the funding for a typical child. This should put parents in a position of empowerment, not groveling.

I moved all the way across the country to New York where my son’s IEP would finally be written to accommodate his special needs. He was then able to take advantage of New York’s five-day-a-week speech program with a speech therapist who was fully acquainted with current autism research and therapies, along with every other imaginable accommodating resource. My son went from mumbling and speechless to fully conversational in two-months.

He also began playing board games, making eye contact, singing, dancing and most of all, was happy — all within only two months. I was completely in awe of the provisions given to my son by the state of New York. I was also in disgust of the state where I came from.

If I had to pay out of pocket in my former state for the services he was receiving in the curricular year, it would have cost me in excess of a half-a-million dollars. Very few families have this type of money, which is why so many get deprived of services in non-friendly states. By the time my son has finished his two years of Early Intervention before starting Kindergarten in NYS, he will have received well over a million dollars worth of therapy. I did not have to beg or borrow, these services were given to my son on a silver platter.

Had we not moved, my son would not have received appropriate therapy and would have cost taxpayers anywhere between 3.7 and 77 million dollars in his lifetime, depending on the eventual long-term services he would have required such as assisted living, medical, educational, personal and other therapeutic needs.

If I wasn’t educated about the laws, I wouldn’t have known what he could and should be getting. It’s despicable and injurious that so many states allow for this. A fellow parent of a child with ASD in the state where I lived has successfully sued the school systems at least four times. Despite this fact, the schools have not changed and are still non-accommodating.

Clearly, knowledge and leaving the door open to move are essential. Keep in mind, because of the imbalance of services across the country, the state a child lives in will determine the rest of his or her life. In many cases, even just a move to another county will make the difference. In other cases, like mine, moving over 3,000 miles away did the trick. If you don’t know what your child needs and what you can and cannot ask for, in most cases they won’t tell you either.

Therefore, you need to be prepared and educated.

Many head-start programs are beginning to accommodate the early intervention needs of a child with ASD. Each program is unique, and each teaches a child with ASD in different ways.

Be prepared. A child’s autism diagnosis changes lives forever and getting accommodating therapies from school systems will typically ensure that a child realizes his or her high functioning potential, which will prevent them from falling between the cracks.

Knowledge of the IEP process and IDEA laws will enable parents and caregivers to be an excellent advocate and resource for their child’s growth, future, functionality and ultimate success.

Source: http://www.autismkey.com/autism-and-ieps-when-knowledge-is-power/

Poor Diets May Lower Children's IQ

2011-03-07T17:30:00.000-08:00

New research shows that there is more at stake than just health and normal weight when kids are raised on junk food. They are also facing the potential of lower IQs. The brain is developing at its fastest rate during the first three years of life, and most diets are heavy in processed foods instead of nutritionally dense foods that boost mental performances during growth. According to the research, these problems persist even if the diets improve later on.

To read the rest please to go: http://healthfreedoms.org/2011/03/02/poor-diets-may-lower-childrens-iq/

Studies Point to New Way to Identify ADHD

2011-03-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

By Sarah D. Sparks

A pair of studies of the brain activity and hand movements of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder may point to more accurate ways to measure the cause and severity of their problems.

The research, conducted at the Kennedy Krieger Institute In Baltimore and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and published in the current issue of Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found that children with ADHD show lower ability to control voluntary and involuntary muscle movements than children without ADHD.

The findings provide more evidence for the neurological cause of the disorder, and may also provide the first objective way to predict the severity of a child's symptoms, which could lead to more accurate identification and treatment for ADHD, the most commonly diagnosed child behavioral disorder. Children with ADHD show developmental delays in balance, motor control and behavior, and frequently show difficulty concentrating, sitting still in class and otherwise behaving in age-appropriate ways.

"The problem right now is ADHD is something diagnosed based on symptoms ... but it's not something that's diagnosed physiologically," said research team leader Dr. Stewart Mostofsky, a pediatric neurologist and the director of the Laboratory for Neurocognitive and Imaging Research at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Most current assessments for ADHD rely on qualitative measures, such as behavior checklists filled out by parents or teachers. "It's subjective. In most medical diagnosis, ideally you are able to measure physiologically."

In the first study, the researchers asked 50 right-handed children between the ages of 8 and 14—half of whom were diagnosed with ADHD—to perform a finger-tapping sequence in which they touched each finger to the thumb in order, alternating hands across 10 repetitions of the exercise. During the exercise, researchers tracked muscle movements on the child's opposite hand.

The researchers were looking for "overflow" movements, unintended and unneeded movements that accompany voluntary movements. Among these is the "mirror overflow," a strong tendency for a person to move bilaterally. It's a natural developmental stage, Dr. Mostofsky said, and it's "why young children have difficulty patting their head and rubbing their stomach at the same time."

Typical children start to grow out of this mirroring in their tween years, but as the researchers found, children with ADHD still show twice as many mirroring movements. In boys with ADHD, mirror movements were four times as high as typically developing children, which Dr. Mostofsky said could point to faster motor-skill development in girls.

In a second, related study, researchers used transcranial magnetic stimulation to deliver electromagnetic pulses to the motor cortices of 49 right-handed children with and 49 without ADHD, all in the same age range as the first group. "If I was to stimulate motor cortex with a [strong] pulse, you will get a twitch in the hand," Dr. Mostofsky explained, but a weaker pulse would activate the brain's response to inhibit involuntary movements. So, the researchers paired a weak pulse with a stronger one a few moments later, and measured the inhibition of actual muscle activity in the child's hand. Then, they compared this to the activity caused simply by a single strong pulse. The difference between the two measures is the "short-interval cortical inhibition," or SICI, and it measures how well the child can stop unintended movements.

As it turns out, children with ADHD had 40 percent lower mean SICI measures than their peers, and the lower their neurological inhibition, the more severe their behavioral symptoms.

"That decrease [in SICI] was fairly robustly predictive" of ADHD, Dr. Mostofsky said. "It suggests the problems children with ADHD have with controlling their actions, their behavior and concentration show up even at the level of basic motor control.... We now have some kind of quantifiable measure of this disinhibition."

The link between physical and mental control makes sense, he said. "It's thought that ... children with ADHD have difficulty inhibiting themselves from paying attention to more interesting things in their environment," he said. "When you have to pay attention, your ability to control attention is very closely related to your ability to control your actions. We move toward things we're interested in engaging in, even moving our eyes toward something we are interested in."

The SICI measure, he said, may eventually help researchers determine ways to identify children with ADHD early and measure whether different interventions are more effective for different groups of children with ADHD.

Source: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2011/02/studies_point_to_new_way_to_id.html

Diet and ADHD Symptoms

2011-03-04T22:43:00.000-08:00

The February 5, 2011 issue of The Lancet reports that researchers in the Netherlands and Belgium were able to significantly reduce ADHD symptoms through restrictive dietary measures.

This theory has long been advocated by such notable groups as The Feingold Association (http://www.feingold.org/). However, their studies have been limited to smaller groups and anecdotal evidence. While their findings have been compelling, medical doctors and adversarial attacks by the processed food industry quashed overall acceptance of dietary restriction. The NIMH give only limited credence to the theory.

Feingold and other advocates of the restrictive diet have suggested that the introduction of food additives can affect the human immune system sometimes causing reactions like hyperactivity, inattention, and even eczema, asthma and gastrointestinal problems. In light of research about food colorings and hyperactivity, the British have taken steps to eliminate certain preservatives and food dyes from their food supply.

The study published in the Lancet was funded by Foundation of Child and Behaviour, Foundation Nuts Ohra, Foundation for Children’s Welfare Stamps Netherlands, and the KF Hein Foundation. The researchers placed 100 children from Belgium and the Netherlands into two groups: one that received the restrictive diet and the other that only received advice on healthy eating habits. The group that received only advice on healthy eating was the control group. All of the children had been diagnosed with ADHD and were between the ages of 4 and 8.

The children were placed on the restrictive diet for a period of five weeks. They were allowed to eat only rice, meat, vegetables, pears and water. Later, the children were allowed to additionally consume potatoes, fruits and wheat. The researchers assessed ADHD symptoms during this period.

Over the course of the next four weeks, researchers reintroduced processed foods into the restricted diet group. The researchers selected foods that were previously considered to negatively affect body or immune responses.

Nine children withdrew from the restrictive diet group. Attrition in all studies is common. Of the forty-one children who completed the restrictive diet program, 78 percent had a reduction in their ADHD symptoms, compared with no improvement in the controls. Assessment was performed using an ADHD symptom scale that ranges from 0 to 72 points. Higher scores in the scale indicate more severe symptoms. The average reduction was 24 points, a significant reduction.

Thirty children who demonstrated decreased ADHD symptoms resulting from the restrictive diet were selected for reintroduction of foods outside the restrictive diet. This was deemed the ‘challenge test.’ Nineteen of the thirty children had a relapse in symptoms on the challenge test. Sensitivity to foods thought to produce high immune response didn’t seem to produce any greater negative effects than foods thought to produce lower immune response.

Limitations of the study include restriction to ADHD; it cannot be discerned whether it would apply to ADD. Secondly, not all children responded to the restrictive diet. Of those who did respond, responses to foods seemed to be equal no matter what processed food was introduced back into the diet. Additionally, under this research design, it was not possible to have a blind control; parents knew what group their child was in. If they also knew the expected outcome of the study, it might have influenced the outcome.

On the practical side, the restrictive diet is very difficult to follow consistently. However, if your child seems to respond well when you remove certain processed foods, this research seems to support your observation although the certainty about diet and ADHD symptoms has not been clearly established by this study.

Source: http://playattention.com/attention-deficit/articles/diet-and-adhd-symptoms/

Non-Verbal Autistic Behavior Tips

2011-03-02T21:12:00.000-08:00

"My non-verbal son has suddenly started taking an interest in cars, but is throwing them rather than playing with them."

Here are three play ideas which involve using cars. All these can be expanded depending on the child's motivation with the game.

Get a large bucket. In an animated and fun way, move the cars in the air and then land them in the bucket. When your child is motivated and engaged with the game, model the word "move" or "go" and continually say it as you are moving the cars towards the bucket. Only focus on one word within the game until your child can say it with some clarity.
If your child is not sensitive to touch, move the cars gently along their body. You could also use two cars and race them up your child's legs and arms. When your child is motivated and engaged with the game, model the word "move" "go," or "up." Once they have clarity on either of those words, you can extend it to "move car," "go car," or "up car."
Line two cars on the floor and you and your child give them a hard push. (If you have carpet on the floor, place the cars on something slippery). Have something they can crash into at the other end. Building blocks are great for crashing into. When your child is really motivated, model the word "go," "move," or "push."

- Jane Stooks is a Play Therapist and parent to a child with autism

Source: Autism File Newsletter

Job Outlook for Special Ed Teachers

2011-03-01T21:07:00.000-08:00

Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition

"Job Outlook: Special Education Teacher -Employment is expected to increase faster than the average for all occupations. Job prospects should be excellent because many districts report problems finding adequate numbers of licensed special education teachers.

Employment change. The number of special education teachers is expected to increase by 17 percent from 2008 to 2018, which is faster than the average for all occupations. Although student enrollments in general are expected to grow more slowly than in the past, continued increases in the number of special education students needing services will generate a greater need for special education teachers".

Washington State Coffee House Forza Offering Gluten-Free Products

2011-03-01T06:12:00.000-08:00

Washington state coffee house chain Forza Coffee has teamed with Granny Lala's Baking Company of Tacoma, Wash., to offer gluten-free, allergy-friendly, vegan baked goods.
Forza, which has more than 23 locations in the Pacific Northwest and Colorado, initially will offer the gluten-free bakery items at nine Washington state locations. Products will include carrot cake, mini muffins, double chocolate brownies, cookies, and chocolate quinoa cake with chocolate ganache.

The baked goods, which also are free of dairy, egg, nut, soy and corn, will be individually packaged to avoid cross-contamination at the Forza locations.

In addition, Granny Lala will be hosting nutrition seminars at some Forza locations to help participants learn about food intolerances, dietary restrictions and recipe substitutions.

The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free

2011-02-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

By Amanda Glensky

Thirty million Americans are gluten-intolerant or have gluten sensitivity and must eliminate wheat flour from their diets. The food industry has bullishly taken notice. The number of gluten-free baking products on grocery shelves has increased sevenfold in recent years, and includes cake mixes from Betty Crocker, King Arthur, Whole Foods and others.

The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free includes recipes that transform gluten-free cake mixes into those classic American cakes and sweets that were until now impossible to enjoy on a gluten-free diet. Author Anne Byrn doctors mixes with easy additions like almond extract, fresh berries, cocoa powder, grated coconut, cinnamon, orange zest and more. Recipes include devil’s food cake with vanilla butter cream frosting, almond cream-cheese pound cake, magic brownie bars, caramel-melted ice-cream cake, and even a gluten-free wedding cake.

For more information or to order, visit Amazon.

Source: http://www.autism-society.org/news/in-the-news/the-cake-mix-doctor-bakes.html

California Reports Tripling of Autism K-12

2011-02-25T11:33:00.000-08:00

Special education students with autism in California have more than tripled in number since 2002, even as overall special education enrollment has remained relatively flat, according to an analysis of state education data released yesterday.

More than 680,000 students – 11 percent of all California public school students – are enrolled in special education. The number of students diagnosed with autism climbed from 17,508 in 2002 to 59,690 in 2010, the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health found.

Students with autism represented 8.8 percent of all special education enrollment last year, up from 2.6 percent in 2002. Other health impairments – defined by the state as "limited strength, vitality or alertness, due to chronic or acute health problems," such as a heart condition, asthma, epilepsy or leukemia – are also on the rise, comprising 7.9 percent of disabilities among special education students.

To read the entire article please go to: http://www.ageofautism.com/2011/02/california-reports-tripling-of-autism-k-12.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ageofautism+%28AGE+OF+AUTISM%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail

Is The Increase in Autism Due to Better Diagnosis?

2011-02-24T11:11:00.000-08:00

California has answered the myth of "better diagnosis" through the UC Davis MIND Institute study. The study findings are in this article titled.

"UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute study shows California's autism increase not due to better counting, diagnosis"

Here's the link - http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/welcome/features/20090218_autism_environment/index.html

How to Detect Developmental Delay and What to Do Next

2011-02-23T21:02:00.000-08:00

By Amanda Glensky

Practical interventions for home and school

If a child is not meeting expected milestones, it can be a source of great anxiety for parents and teachers. This forthright guide offers practical advice on how to recognize the signs of developmental delay, address difficulties effectively and help the child to flourish.

Author Mary Mountstephen presents a practical approach to dealing with developmental delay, equipping readers with the knowledge, understanding and tools to tackle problems successfully. By clearly explaining how children develop, drawing on the expertise of a number of specialists in the field and detailing straightforward interventions, the author enables parents and teachers to identify a wide range of problems and empowers them with the information they need to take action.

Click here to buy this book on Amazon.

Source: http://www.autism-society.org/news/in-the-news/how-to-detect-developmental.html

What Do I Do if the Doctor Diagnoses My Child with Autism?

2011-02-22T18:07:00.000-08:00

If your child is diagnosed with autism, do not wait.

This is where TACA will guide you.

Go to the TACA website and start here:

TACA’s newly diagnosed guide

Connect with your local TACA chapter

Join the TACA-USA YahooGroup

Apply for a free 1:1 TACA Mentor parent to guide you.

If under age 3, contact your local Early Intervention office

If over age 3, contact your local school district’s special education office - either call your local elementary school and ask them for the contact information for the district special education office or Google search for your city and state and “special education”.

Read Autism Journey Blueprints so you can SEE you’re your path for the next 3 years will look like.

Go to a TACA meeting and get your FREE Autism Journey Guide. (If there is not a meeting close by, buy one for $15 from our website store).

Check the TACA website to inquire when the next Autism Journey Seminar will occur. This is also available on DVD for $15.

Don’t give up hope. Read these stories of hope and recovery.

TACA has witnessed many children greatly improve with early intervention services and biomedical treatments unique to each child’s needs. With the proper assessment, early intervention and treatments there is great hope for children affected by autism. The earlier children receive the diagnosis, start early intervention services and receive medical treatments the better the outcome.

Contact TACA if you have any questions or need additional assistance.

http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/resources/i-think-my-child-may-have-autism.htm

I Think My Child May Have Autism

2011-02-21T18:09:00.000-08:00

by Holly Bortfeld

Autism Awareness has come a long way. Now, many more people know at least some basic signs or symptoms of autism. With 1 in every 58 boys now being diagnosed with autism, almost everyone knows someone with a child with autism. The only good news about this is that when a parent sees their child doing something that isn’t in the baby book schedule, they may not wait 2 years before someone tells them that something may be wrong and the parent can go and check it out since they know the “autism” name.

When Something Isn’t Right

As a parent, especially a new parent, you probably don’t know every detail of development, which is why there are developmental specialists. We hear most parents of children with autism tell us that their regular pediatrician shrugged off their concerns as “boys are just slower than girls”, or “let’s just wait a year and see if he comes around”. Do not accept these comments as answers to your concerns, because if there is something wrong, the time you lose you can never get back and early intervention is essential.

What is What?

How do you know if your child’s development is really delayed or if their development is typical? Start by putting it in writing:

1. First, To help you assess your child’s development, print out the Developmental Milestones appropriate for your child’s age range. Next to each milestone, mark when, or if, your child actually met that milestone. Take this paper to your physician to show that it’s not just a “feeling” but you can SHOW how delayed, if any, your child is and in what areas.
2.
a. CDC’s Act Early
b. March of Dimes
c. Speech and Language Milestones
3. Second, print out the diagnostic criteria for autism and check off the things your child does.
4. Third, print out the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) and complete it.
So, you’ve done all the above paperwork and you think your child may have autism. What do you do next?

Finding a Diagnostician

Getting a good diagnostician is very important. Not all evaluators are good, and a bad diagnostician can cost your child years of lost services so getting it right the first time is important. Getting a parent recommendation is the most valuable tool in finding someone to evaluate your child.

How to find a pediatric developmental specialist to diagnose your child:

· Your local TACA chapter or our TACA-USA national Yahoo! group for a parent recommendation.
· TACA’s provider database.
· Your insurance company’s list of providers (call the number on the back of your insurance card or check the insurance company’s website).
· Early Intervention system in your state.
· Regional Center (in California).
· Google search for “developmental pediatrician and your city & state”.
· Medicaid or other state health insurance like Healthy Kids (call the number on the back of your insurance card)
· Referral from your regular pediatrician

Won’t Someone Just Tell Me If There is a Problem?

The chances of a medical professional seeking your child out is not high and if your child does have autism, you do not want to wait until your child is in school at age 5 or 6 to get help.

Do not wait for professionals to help guide you. Parents need to drive the proper assessment of their child. Once assessments are completed, early intervention is key. If your child is under the age of 3, contact Early Intervention in your area ASAP. "Wait and see" is never a good choice for children with developmental delays.

Can’t I Just Let the School Diagnose My Child?

No. You want a recommended medical diagnosis independent of the school that isn’t based on educational criteria or available school programs. Whether or not you give the medical diagnosis to the school is purely your choice.

***Please note: autism can only be diagnosed by qualified medical professional or licensed psychologist. School district “school psychologists” are very rarely licensed psychologists, thus they are not qualified to diagnosis autism. District evaluations are intended to determine the likelihood that a child has an autism spectrum disorder and/or the child’s IEP eligibility category. There is no such thing as an “educational diagnosis” of autism. The IEP team should rely on reports medical doctors and/or licensed psychologists to confirm a child’s autism diagnosis.

How Young is Too Young?

It’s very rare for a child under the age of 18 months to get a diagnosis of autism since they wouldn’t have missed many developmental milestones yet or be that delayed since they are still too young.

What’s the Difference Between Getting a Diagnosis of “Autism” versus “PDD-NOS”?

Services. Pervasive Development Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) or Aspergers will disqualify your child in many states from getting services or support. If your child has an autism spectrum disorder, push the doctor to diagnose your child with Autism.

For the past 10 years, TACA has witnessed many children receive these two diagnosis and then not receive any help for their affected child. Most of these children truly met the criteria of autism. A proper diagnosis as the first step for families to receive help and have better outcomes for their children.

What to Do While You are Waiting for Your Appointment

Many recommended specialists have wait lists. Sometimes the waiting can be many months long. Even after making an appointment, call every week to see if there is an earlier appointment with other diagnosticians and take an earlier appointment if possible. Remember to ask to be put on a cancellation list so you can get in sooner if there is a cancellation. It is better to keep looking for other diagnosticians that you can get into sooner, rather than waiting 6 months since time is crucial at this stage for a child. Call all of the developmental pediatricians in an area as far as you can travel to get in sooner if need be. If you do need to wait, make sure you get a copy of your child’s developmental file and scan it to your computer so you can print out whatever you need for the various specialists you may need to see. Specialists appreciate prepared and motivated parents. Often specialists will help the motivated and prepared families who follow up, call and send in paperwork well before their scheduled appointment.

What Does an Evaluation Appointment Look Like?

An evaluation appointment will vary depending on the type of diagnostician you choose.

When performed by a multidisciplinary team, your child will be evaluated by a psychologist or psychiatrist, and therapists such as speech, occupational/sensory and physical therapy who will each run a battery of tests on your child. This type of evaluation is generally done at a children’s hospital or specialty autism center. This appointment may take a few hours or may be done in several appointments.

A developmental pediatrician will generally ask the parent many questions about the child’s development and current behavior. This type of doctor is generally the best for evaluations because they are specially trained for evaluating delays in children. It is important to accurately answer the questions about your child and portray the issues. Do not be embarrassed to accurately describe concerns and issues. It is important to not “sugar coat” and down play any delays. Minimizing or downplaying answers will not help your child in the long run.

Evaluations should include the doctor asking many questions about your pregnancy, the birth and development of your child as well as family background. The doctor should also get down on the floor and interact with your child to conduct a complete evaluation.

What to bring with you – a copy of:

· Your child’s developmental file from your regular pediatrician
· Any baby book with other information and developmental milestones noted
· Your list of developmental milestones and diagnostic criteria marked with your child’s information
· Your ATEC scoring sheet
· Your insurance information

Note: Always remember to give specialists a copy of your paperwork. Keep the original paperwork in your files. You will almost always know the diagnosis determined by the doctor before leaving an appointment but it can take 1-4 weeks before they mail you a written report.

Make sure to ask the doctor for both the full report and a short (one paragraph) letter that simply states your child’s name and diagnosis as you will need to show proof of diagnosis at many places (like Disney World) but you don’t want to provide an entire developmental report. Asking for that now eliminates the extra charge that may be assessed if you decide you need it later. The short letter can also help expedite the next steps for early intervention.

Does Insurance Cover Evaluations?

Almost always, but you must make sure your visit is NOT coded for autism (ICD9 code 299.00) but rather what it was, a developmental evaluation. Many insurance companies will deny payment, even if preauthorization was given, once autism is written on the paper.

Source: http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/resources/i-think-my-child-may-have-autism.htm

Cognitive Neuroscientists Use Sound Training To Help Dyslexic Children Read

2011-02-18T23:43:00.000-08:00

Cognitive neuroscientists monitoring brain activity with fMRI found that children with dyslexia are often unable to process the fast-changing sounds used in spoken language. Sound training dedicated to teaching children to better process these sounds improves their ability to manipulate words and their phonetic components, which translates into better reading.

Dyslexia can be a frustrating condition, making it difficult for children to read. Many think it is a visual issue, but a new study using a computer game reveals the problem may not only be with sight, but also sound.

Jake Lo Giudice is dyslexic and some words can be tough to identify. "I felt like I was different," Jake recalls. I felt like I was outside of the group." Jake's mother Karen uses clay models to help her son visualize non-sight words. "It's because they are picture thinkers and those words do not have a picture," Karen explained. But researchers believe the problem could also be with how the brain "hears" sounds. "We believe that these children -- from being toddlers or even earlier as infants -- have problems with processing these changes in sounds," Nadine Gaab, Ph.D., an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Children's Hospital in Boston, Mass., told Ivanhoe.

Cognitive neuroscientists believe dyslexic children's brains have problems interpreting fast-changing syllables like "ba" and "da" because their brains are wired differently. This makes reading more of a challenge. Dr. Gaab is using "sound training" through computer exercises to monitor how dyslexics process fast and slow-changing sounds. While children play the game, Dr. Gaab monitors their brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). But after eight weeks of intensive training, a dyslexic child's fMRI image shows more activity. "The brain is very plastic and so the brain learns and reconnected and built a new network," Dr. Gaab explained.

That possible reconnection could hold the key to helping dyslexics read. Researchers hope as children are diagnosed with dyslexia earlier, they can start sound training sooner and possibly reduce the severity of their condition.

show background -->LANGUAGE PROCESSING IS THE KEY: It is worth noting that dyslexia is not clinically identified by seeing letters backward or out of order. When dyslexics hear speech, they are not necessarily able to hear the sound accurately. Recent research showed that the brains of children with dyslexia are not able to process fast-changing sounds. Based on data obtained via fMRI, the findings suggest new ways to treat dyslexia and may help doctors to diagnose the disability earlier in life, before reading begins. This causes problems later when kids attempt to sound out words while reading.

THE EXPERIMENT: Researchers agree that dyslexics have problems manipulating words and sounds – that the primary problem is processing the sounds that make up words. Using a computer program that plays fast-changing and slow-changing sounds, Dr. Gaab used fMRI to monitor how children's brains respond to the sounds. Children with dyslexia use the same brain areas to process both fast and slow changing sounds, as opposed to other readers, who use a certain array of 11 areas more extensively when processing fast-changing sounds.

WHAT IS fMRI? Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field rather than X-rays to take clear and detailed pictures of internal organs and tissues. fMRI uses this technology to identify regions of the brain where blood vessels are expanding, chemical changes are taking place, or extra oxygen is being delivered. These are indications that a particular part of the brain is processing information and giving commands to the body. As a patient performs a particular task, the metabolism will increase in the brain area responsible for that task, changing the signal in the image. Analyzing the images to understand how responses are similar or different for different tasks allows scientists to better understand the patient as an individual, and also to learn more about the human brain in general.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2008/0505-learn_to_read_through_sound.htm

Brain Scans Show Children With ADHD Have Faulty Off-Switch for Mind-Wandering

2011-02-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

ScienceDaily (Jan. 10, 2011) — Brain scans of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have shown for the first time why people affected by the condition sometimes have such difficulty in concentrating. The study, funded by the Wellcome Trust, may explain why parents often say that their child can maintain concentration when they are doing something that interests them, but struggles with boring tasks.

Using a 'Whac-a-Mole' style game, researchers from the Motivation, Inhibition and Development in ADHD Study (MIDAS) group at the University of Nottingham found evidence that children with ADHD require either much greater incentives -- or their usual stimulant medication -- to focus on a task. When the incentive was low, the children with ADHD failed to "switch off" brain regions involved in mind-wandering. When the incentive was high, however, or they were taking their medication, their brain activity was indistinguishable from a typically-developing non-ADHD child.

ADHD is the most common mental health disorder in childhood, affecting around one in 50 children in the UK. Children with ADHD are excessively restless, impulsive and distractible, and experience difficulties at home and in school. Although no cure exists for the condition, symptoms can be reduced by medication and/or behavioural therapy. The drug methylphenidate (more often known by the brand name Ritalin) is commonly used to treat the condition.

Previous studies have shown that children with ADHD have difficulty in 'switching-off' the default mode network (DMN) in their brains. This network is usually active when we are doing nothing, giving rise to spontaneous thoughts or 'daydreams', but is suppressed when we are focused on the task before us. In children with ADHD, however, it is thought that the DMN may be insufficiently suppressed on 'boring' tasks that require focused attention.

The MIDAS group researchers compared brain scans of eighteen children with ADHD, aged between nine and fifteen years old, against scans of a similar group of children without the condition as both groups took part in a task designed to test how well they were able to control their behaviour. The children with ADHD were tested when they were taking their methylphenidate and when they were off their medication. The findings are published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Whilst lying in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, which can be used to measure activity in the brain, the children played a computer game in which green aliens were randomly interspersed with less frequent black aliens, each appearing for a short interval. Their task was to 'catch' as many green aliens as possible, while avoiding catching black aliens. For each slow or missed response, they would lose one point; they would gain one point for each timely response.

To study the effect of incentives, the reward for avoiding catching the black alien was then increased to five points, with a five-point penalty incurred for catching the wrong alien.

By studying the brain scans, the researchers were able to show that typically developing children switched off their DMN network whenever they saw an item requiring their attention. However, unless the incentive was high, or they had taken their medication, the children with ADHD would fail to switch off the DMN and would perform poorly. This effect of incentives was not seen in children without ADHD -- activity in their DMN was switched off by items requiring their attention regardless of the incentive on offer.

Professor Chris Hollis, who led the study, says: "The results are exciting because for the first time we are beginning to understand how in children with ADHD incentives and stimulant medication work in a similar way to alter patterns of brain activity and enable them to concentrate and focus better. It also explains why in children with ADHD their performance is often so variable and inconsistent, depending as it does on their interest in a particular task."

Dr Martin Batty, co-author of the study, adds: "Using brain imaging, we have been able to see inside the children's heads and observe what it is about ADHD that is stopping them concentrating. Most people are able to control their 'daydreaming' state and focus on the task at hand. This is not the case with children with ADHD. If a task is not sufficiently interesting, they cannot switch off their background brain activity and they are easily distracted. Making a task more interesting -- or providing methylphenidate -- turns down the volume and allows them to concentrate."

Dr Elizabeth Liddle, first author of the study, says that these findings help explain one of the interesting characteristics of ADHD -- that children with the condition appear able to control themselves much better when motivated to do so.

"The common complaint about children with ADHD is that 'he can concentrate and control himself fine when he wants to', so some people just think the child is being naughty when he misbehaves," says Dr Liddle. "We have shown that this may be a very real difficulty for them. The off-switch for their 'internal world' seems to need a greater incentive to function properly and allow them to attend to their task."

Source: Wellcome Trust (2011, January 10). Brain scans show children with ADHD have faulty off-switch for mind-wandering. ScienceDaily

10 Tips for Good Advocates

2011-02-16T10:17:00.000-08:00

by Pat Howey, Advocate

1. Good advocates facilitate the IEP process.

Advocates must set an example for the entire IEP Team. They must be a role model of behavior for the parent. Challenging school experts, demeaning school staff, or being inconsiderate or impolite, will not advance the child’s cause. Your goal is to get better school services for the child. Good advocates ask questions and make valuable suggestions to advocate for a child. It is okay to disagree. It is not okay to put down or verbally attack someone.

2. Good advocates know the child and understand the disability.

Do your homework before you attempt to advocate for the child. Research the child’s disability. Be ready with ideas about instructional methods that are research-based and peer-reviewed. Meet the child and the family in the home environment. Put off making recommendations until you fully understand how the child’s disability affects his or her life and education.

3. Good advocates try to reduce existing barriers between the parent and the school.

Your goal is to bring the school and the parent closer to agreement. Good advocates explain to parents that negotiation is part of the IEP Team process – and a part of life! Pouring gasoline on a fire ensures that everyone gets burned and does not improve the child’s lot.

4. Good advocates are willing to admit mistakes and to apologize.

No one is perfect. We all make mistakes. Good advocates are not afraid to say they are sorry when they make a mistake. They may even write a note to everyone involved, apologizing and asking for forgiveness.

5. Good advocates hone their listening skills to a fine edge.

You must learn to listen to everything that others say. Sometimes, what others do not say is most important. If you are not listening, you may not hear what others say and what they do not say. Good advocates repeat and paraphrase what they have heard to avoid misunderstandings. They ask others to verify that they understood correctly. Good advocates ask follow-up questions. They do not interrupt even when they are faced with rudeness and discourtesy.

6. Good advocates learn the art of negotiation.

Remember the old saying, “You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar?” Learning to negotiate is not a sign of weakness or that the parent’s position is not valid. Negotiation is an art that good advocates polish to a fine finish. Successful negotiations allow everyone to come out of the IEP Team Meeting feeling like winners. Brice Palmer, noted advocate from Vermont, says it best: “Good advocates learn to develop a language of persuasion rather than a language of positional combat."

7. Good advocates understand special and general education law and the interrelationship between these and other laws.

The law is not a static entity. It changes every day through court decisions and other types of clarifications. Good advocates review special education law often. They know that answers to frequently asked special education questions may be found in other unrelated laws. For example, Department of Agriculture regulations address special dietary requirements for children. A State’s Department of Health regulations may address classroom size, lighting, and window light. General education law may provide insight into class size and case load issues. The U.S. Justice Department provides guidance on bullying and harassment. Good advocates understand that school policies often omit the special needs of students with disabilities. School emergency plans may not address the needs of children in wheelchairs or children who are deaf or blind. Good advocates learn to research many different laws.

8. Good advocates know that understanding the law is different from quoting the law.

Good advocates know the law but they understand that it is often ineffective and counterproductive to quote it. Pete Wright once said, “[A] parent should never quote law, even if they are an atty, it simply polarizes relationships, instead seek "help" in better understanding something best left to rocket scientists and lawyers. -- Pete Wright Deltaville, VA USA - Tuesday, March 02, 1999 at 20:55:35 (EST).

9. Good advocates understand the importance of ethical behavior in their practice.

There is no Code of Ethics or Professional Responsibility for special education advocates. Advocates have nothing to look to for guidance and there is no governing body to oversee their practice. There are no penalties for advocates who act unprofessionally or unethically. This does not suggest that advocates should disregard ethics and engage in irresponsible behavior. Good advocates understand that the professional respect of the IEP Team is a key to successfully assisting parents achieve an appropriate education for their child.

10. Good advocates treat others the way they would like to be treated.

No one likes surprises. Members of IEP Teams do not respect or trust advocates who drop bombshells. Taking the team by surprise is likely to backfire, especially if the team “captain” is a gatekeeper or is determined to be the one who runs the show. Making the IEP Team Meeting a war of wits does not benefit the child nor does it facilitate the process for the parents.

Source: http://www.wrightslaw.com/howey/10tips.advocates.htm

New Documentary on Autism by Model Me Kids

2011-02-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

Autism pioneer Jane Salzano founded CSAAC (Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children) in 1979 after the diagnosis of her eldest son. CSAAC, a private, non-profit agency, provides services across the lifespan to those with autism. In this documentary, Jane talks about the inspiration for her efforts in spearheading the establishment of CSAAC, as well as its ongoing legacy in helping those with autism.

The video is free and may be viewed on the Model Me Kids website at:
http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=89aweicab&et=1104264276405&s=10095&e=001NwxQi-TSlZw9DbO3Lyf2d3lkM8m5HQ4tnsUauXCkUfmAERIPjZ7PkWHTWUke6iJx9I0dhJqzF6BbphReeziq1J2Ukt_fN0Jjjwsh8pCj48cYkGEaZ0-hEfL8Ed-r10HoKLIVKh4r9EM=
Run Time: Approx. 6 min.

Model Me Kids®, LLC
http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=89aweicab&et=1104264276405&s=10095&e=001NwxQi-TSlZw1s7WGABPCBhu0BC_uvsHMLcrxzoNS1hrlYfInCDvF5dxTouZdyUF7RFpLjonjF7J-pMRkG_H-Oy9hA16IDwp-kslQXYClLY_PY9a11lV8TQ==

Cerebral Palsy and Rhythmic Movement Training

2011-02-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

Cerebral Palsy sometimes thought of as a group of disorders that can involve brain and nervous system functions such as learning, seeing, hearing, movement, and thinking. There are several different forms of cerebral palsy. Those include hypotonic, ataxic, spastic, dyskinetic, and mixed. Cerebral palsy is caused by injuries or abnormalities of the brain. Most of these problems occur as the baby grows in the womb, but they can happen at any time during the first 2 years of life, while the baby’s brain is still developing.

Symptoms vary, they can be more pronounced in either the arms or legs, or involve both; they may only involve one side of the body or both; they may be very mild or very severe.

Symptoms are usually appear by the age of 2 yrs. old but may show up as early as 3 months. Parents may notice a delay in reaching, crawling, walking, or rolling.

As I stated before there are several different types and some people have a mix of symptoms.

Spastic Cerebral Palsy

It is the most common type and symptoms include:

· Muscles that are very tight
· Joints are tight and do not open up all the way
· Symptoms may affect one arm or leg, one side of the body, both arms, or both legs
· Abnormal walk: knees crossed or touching, legs make “scissor” movements, walk on the toes, arms tucked in toward the sides

Symptoms of others types include:

· Tremors
· Floppy Muscles
· Unsteady walk
· Loss of coordination
· Abnormal movements such as twisting, jerky, or writhing of the hands, arms, legs, or feet while awake and tend to get worse during stress

Other Symptoms:

· Increased drooling
· Slower than normal growth
· Irregular breathing
· Urinary incontinence

Eating and Digestive Symptoms:

· Difficulty sucking or feeding in infants, or chewing and swallowing in older children and adults
· Problems swallowing (at all ages)
· Vomiting or constipation
· Other brain and nervous system symptoms:
· Decreased intelligence or learning disabilities are common, but intelligence can be normal
· Speech problems
· Hearing or vision problems
· Seizures
· Pain, especially in adults (can be difficult to manage)

There is no cure for cerebral palsy. The goal of treatment is to help the person be as independent as possible. Putting the child in regular schools is recommended, unless physical disabilities or mental development makes this impossible. Special education or schooling may help.

In some people with cerebral palsy, parts of the brain are injured due to low levels of oxygen in the area. We do not know why this occurs.

Premature infants have a slightly higher risk of developing cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy may also occur during early infancy because of several conditions, including:

· Bleeding in the brain
· Brain infections (encephalitis, meningitis, herpes simplex infections)
· Head injury
· Infections in the mother during pregnancy (rubella)
· Severe jaundice
·
In some cases, the cause of cerebral palsy is never determined.

Rhythmic Movement Training (RMT) is a training that helps those with cerebral palsy manage it. RMT allows natural development of the cerebellum, The Basal Ganglia and the RAS, The Limbic system, The Neocortex, and The Prefrontal Cortex.

Who can use RMT?

· Schools
· Parents
· Educational Psychologists
· Child Development Centers
· Therapists
· Mental Health Practitioners
· Social and Care Workers
· Physiotherapists
·
The Primitive reflexes develop the motor movement beginning in utero and during the first few months after the birth. The Primitive reflexes and the essential vestibular system are the first to develop and need to integrate sufficiently before the Postural reflexes can do their job efficiently. An un-integrated Fear Paralysis reflex and/or the Moro reflex ( known as the “survival” reflexes) can have severe effects on learning abilities, phobias, behavior, health and many life skills. Symptoms can be seen in children and adults. Using RMT can make profound and positive changes.

The Postural reflexes develop muscle tone and are lifelong in supporting our general upright posture and balance with gravity. Some neck and back problems, such as, Scoliosis, upper back, lumbar, hip and walking problems etc, could be due to un-integrated postural reflexes. Improving the reflexes can improve muscle tone and difficulties will clear naturally.

If the reflexes have not been able to integrate efficiently, for which there are various reasons, the visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile, vestibular and motor senses will not develop properly. If any of the primitive and postural reflexes are un-integrated, this can affect further developmental stages of perception, language, speech, conceptualization and academia. Any un-integrated sense can affect the true potential and performance in an individual and maybe carried into adulthood and the workplace

Source: http://brainfitnessstrategies.com/blog/

Juggling Good for the Brain, Study Shows

2011-02-11T17:49:00.000-08:00

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- It's a great party trick and useful for circus performers but scientists said this week that learning to juggle can cause changes in areas of the adult brain.
Mastering the skill increases the amount of grey matter in areas of the brain that process and store visual information, proving what was not thought possible -- that new stimuli can alter the brain's structure.

A comparison of brain-imaging scans of non-jugglers and other volunteers before they learned to juggle and three months later, revealed an increase in grey matter in certain areas of the newly trained jugglers' brains.

"Our results challenge our view of the human central nervous system. Human brains probably must be viewed as dynamic, changing with development and normal learning," said Arne May, of the University of Regensburg in Germany, who headed the research team.

Grey matter refers to parts of the brain and spinal cord that are comprised of the tightly packed nuclei of nerve cells. In the brain it is mainly found in the outer layers of the cerebrum which is responsible for advanced mental functions.

In a report in the science journal Nature, May and his colleagues said brain scans done three months after the new jugglers had stopped juggling showed the increase in grey matter had been reduced.

"I believe the challenge we face is...to be able to adapt and modulate this knowledge into disease management," May added in an e-mail interview.

Self-Regulation Through Sensory Training

2011-02-10T15:51:00.000-08:00

by Edward Hallowell, M.D.

The more we learn about the brain, the more we appreciate the regulating value of exercise, and by “exercise” I mean more than a good game of tennis or a jog around the block. As my readers know, for years I have advocated what might be called “neuro-exercise” – specific sensory activities which build and strengthen neural pathways in the brain. We are all aware now of the notion that our brains are plastic and can change, but less known are two key points: 1- lasting neurological change only happens in response to specific, repeated stimulation, and 2- these kinds of neuro-exercises can really help regulate children and adults with attention deficits.

A program based on this concept, Integrated Listening Systems, or iLs, is being used at Hallowell Centers and other clinics and schools around the country with notable results. The iLs approach is to combine auditory, visual and balance exercises into a neat package (an iPod loaded with processed music, special headphones, balance board and visual tools are included – see www.integratedlistening.com). By training these specific sensory channels, we are giving a workout to the pathways used to process and store information. Those same pathways play a big role in helping us organize and regulate ourselves.

I recommend parents, teachers and clinicians look into how they might add iLs’ neuro-exercise approach to the other methods they are using to help focus and regulation. Not only does iLs tackle regulation and processing in a unique way, it’s fun and shows results in a relatively short period of time!

Edward Hallowell, M.D., is a practicing psychiatrist, Harvard faculty and author of numerous books on ADHD including Driven to Distraction. See an interview with Dr. Hallowell regarding iLs and regulation on the iLs web site. www.integratedlistening.com

NEW ZEALAND SOUND THERAPY TREATMENT STUDY SHOWING EXCITING RESULTS

2011-02-07T16:03:00.000-08:00

A ground breaking, educational research study being carried out by Rosemary Murphy, Director of The Developmental Learning Centre has yielded its first results. The study’s aim was to explore the effectiveness of sound therapy on children with learning difficulties. In particular Mrs Murphy was interested in exploring the effect of sound therapy on literacy as the most significant learning category.

Ms Murphy began the study last year with the support and cooperation of Greenpark School, Tauranga. 24 children were selected by teachers because of their learning difficulties, which included persistent difficulties in reading, writing and spelling, as well as some behavioural issues related to poor listening such as restlessness, distractibility, dreaminess, forgetting instructions, frequently requiring repetition, poor short term memory and difficulty keeping up in class.

The first 12 children were placed in the sound therapy programme, listening to specially filtered high quality classical music for ½ hour per day over a period of 2 terms (20 weeks). It included a movement programme which was performed during the first part of each listening therapy session. This results in several other senses being used at the same time as listening, such as vision, balance, proprioception and touch, These activities have been shown to increase the effectiveness of the sound therapy.

A further 12 similar children, matched for difficulty, age and gender were also selected and these were used as a control group. These children did not receive any sound therapy but continued in all of the usual support programmes offered to them by the school. All 24 children were tested prior to beginning the study for reading and spelling ages, and a number of auditory processing skills such as auditory memory, discrimination between similar sounding words and the ability to hear correctly what a speaker is saying when there is background noise in the classroom. A listening behaviours checklist was filled out by the teachers for each child before the study began and then again afterwards.

The results so far have been very exciting. In reading ability age the sound therapy group increased their reading age by an average of 25 months, while the control group increased by only 6 months(the length of time of the programme) – over four times the improvement of the control group. Spelling levels in the sound therapy group increased by an average of 11 months while the control group improved by an average of only 7 months.

The ability to hear accurately what a speaker is saying when there is background noise ( Auditory Figure Ground) showed an average improvement of 18 percentile points in the sound therapy group , compared to a 7 percentile improvement in the control group. Listening difficultly symptom scores as observed by the teachers before and after the 6 month period also show significant improvement in the sound therapy group in all areas assessed including improved motor skills, balance and coordination, receptive language and listening behaviours, social and emotional behaviours and academic and cognitive performance.

The 12 children who were in the control group have not missed out on the therapy. They are now receiving it over the first two terms of this school year.

Because of these exciting results Mrs Murphy is keen to widen the scope of the study to include a much larger group of similar students from other schools. A number of rolling studies set up in schools could provide much more data. The larger numbers will make the final results much more significant and more acceptable in the academic and educational communities in Australia and New Zealand.

Though research has been conducted overseas, sound therapy research has never been done in NZ or Australia. Rosemary believes that the results will have a far reaching effect on the academic performances of hundreds of NZ children.

The final results of this study are to be presented to the Ministry of Education, which is currently entering into public consultation on their stated policy to introduce and achieve formalised standards of learning across all age groups in NZ schools.

There are currently large numbers of children in NZ who are underachieving in this area, and despite many excellent remedial interventions available ( such as SPELD, Reading Recovery, Rainbow Reading, Simplistikit etc) many of these children do not achieve to the level of their full potential. Many are in fact leaving high school with only very minimal levels of literacy.

One of the reasons for this failure to achieve is, Mrs Murphy believes, an underlying epidemic of undiagnosed and untreated auditory processing (listening) difficulties.

Sound therapy has been available in Europe and the United States for over 20 years. Studies of the effectiveness of sound therapy are in fact few in other parts of the world and New Zealand has the opportunity to pave the way for an intervention which may well have the capacity to change the lives of thousands of children worldwide.

Ms Murphy has been working with children with learning difficulties over a period of 25 years during her career as a teacher, and most recently out of the Developmental Learning Centre - her specialised clinic in Tauranga.

At the Developmental Learning Centre she and staff have assessed and treated hundreds of children over the past 4 years. “Almost every child who is brought to see us for assessment has an auditory or listening difficulty as part of their “picture”. I have yet to see a child with ADHD who does not have poor auditory processing.

Children with Aspergers frequently arrive with symptoms and test results consistent with an auditory processing disorder together with other underlying immaturities in their “learning equipment”.Auditory processing is not a hearing loss or deafness which must be diagnosed and treated by an audiologist. Rather auditory processing involves what our brains do with what we hear.

The Developmental Learning Centre runs sound therapy training courses for health and education professionals. The hope is that SENCO’s and teacher aids from many schools can be trained so that Sound therapy systems can be set up in schools throughout NZ.

Source: http://www.developlearning.co.nz/sound-therapy-treatment-study-showing-exciting-results

Gluten-Free (Safe) Candy and Treats

2011-02-06T20:27:00.000-08:00

Below is an exerpt from http://celiacfamily.com/gluten-free-valentine-candy/

3 Musketeers cherry with dark chocolate mini’s
Andes creme de menthe Valentine Sweet Heart Assortment
Albert’s Luv Pops, Sweet Swirl Suckers, and Heart Blossoms
Animal Planet fruit-flavored lollipops (Jan. 2010)
Baby Ruth
Betty Crocker Valentine Fruit by the Foot – “Gluten Free” (Jan. 2010)
Bottle Caps (Wonka)
Butterfinger hearts – contains peanuts. “Made on equipment that also processes nuts.”
Cella’s Cherries, milk chocolate covered cherries
Charms Blow Pops and Valentine Pops
Charms Zip-a-dee mini pops
DeMets Turtles – “Contains pecan, milk and soy ingredients. Made on equipment that also processes other nuts and peanuts.”
Disney Lollipop Rings -Flix Candy (Jan. 2010)
Disney lollipops packaged with Valentine cards (including Tinkerbell, Cars, and Toy Story characters) The ones I found this year did not have any warning of gluten. Last year’s packages had the following statement: “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, milk, wheat and egg products.”
Dots (including Valentine Dots)
Dove Heart Promises, including milk chocolate, dark chocolate, dark chocolate and cherry swirl, and caramel candy
Dum-Dums lollipops “Gluten Free”
Everlasting Gobstopper Heartbreakers (Wonka)
Florida’s Natural Au’some Sour String, Nuggets, and Stiks
Fun Dips (Wonka)
Galerie Candy Jewelry Making Kit (Jan. 2010)
Galerie Diamond Ring with candy treats (Jan. 2010)
Galerie Marshmallow Cupcake lollipops
Ghirardelli chocolate squares, including milk chocolate, dark chocolate, caramel and dark chocolate with raspberry
Hershey Bliss chocolates including dark chocolate, milk chocolate, milk chocolate with meltaway centers, and milk chocolate with raspberry meltaway centers “Manufactured on the same equipment that processes peanuts and tree nuts.”
Hershey Kisses (includes milk chocolate, filled with caramel, cherry cordial creme, with almonds, Hugs, Hugs raspberry, and Valentine Card Kits) – These appear to be gluten-free, and my family has never noticed a reaction to eating them. However, I have gotten emails and comments from several people who say they have had reactions from eating them.
Hot Tamales – “Gluten Free”
Hershey’s Pot of Gold, including Premium Chocolates, Pecan Caramel Clusters, and Truffles
Hubba Bubba Max bubble gum, and bubble tape (Jan. 2010)
iCarly Valentine Candy Card Kit (cards and lollipops)
Jelly Belly conversation beans
Jolly Rancher candy (including heart-shaped lollipops)
Juicee Gummee Baby Bears (Feb. 2009)
Junior Mints Heart-Shaped
Laffy Taffy, small and long sticks (Wonka)
Life Savers hard candy and lollipops, including Candy and Card Valentine Pack
Life Savers gummy candy (including Gummies, Big Ring Gummies, Candy and Card Valentine Pack)
The Madelaine Chocolate Company milk chocolate hearts
Market Pantry’s Valentine Fruit Snacks (distributed by Target)
Marvel lollipops (as found Feb. 2009)
M&Ms – fun size and mini’s packages, including milk chocolate, dark chocolate, peanuts and peanut butter. (Do not eat the M&M Pretzel variety.)
Palmer foil-wrapped chocolate hearts
Peeps marshmallow shapes, hearts and I?U, including Vanilla Crème, Raspberry, Dark or Milk Chocolate Covered, and Sugar-Free – “Gluten Free”
PEZ
Pixy Stix (Wonka)
Pop Rocks popping candy (Jan. 2010)
Reese’s peanut butter cups, snack-size treats, miniatures, and peanut butter hearts (but not the individually, foil-wrapped small hearts)
Reese’s Pieces
Skittles, including Candy ‘n Stickers Valentine Exchange Packs – “Gluten Free”
Smarties Valentine Love Hearts candy rolls “Contains none of the following: gluten (from wheat, barley, oats and rye), milk, egg, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts or soybeans.”
Snickers fun-size and mini’s
Starburst, including Fave Reds and Gummibursts – “Gluten-Free”
Sunny Seed Drops candy chocolate covered sunflower seeds – “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts/nuts.”
Surf Sweets Gummy candy – “Gluten Free”
Sweetheart Conversation Hearts including chocolate flavored hearts, large hearts, Dazzled Tarts, Twilight Saga New Moon Forbidden Fruits heart packages, and heart bracelet packages (Necco) [The large packages I found looked fine. However, I found some small boxes of these that had cross-contamination warnings.]
Toblerone
Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops (including snack bars, and vanilla and cherry fruit rolls)
Warheads Extreme Sour candy
York Peppermint Pattie Hearts

For more information resources and recipes from celiac family please go to: http://celiacfamily.com/

Music on the brain

2011-02-05T15:57:00.000-08:00

The emotions wrapped up in the works of the Romantic composers may have a neurological explanation, as a recent meeting explored. Philip Ball tuned in.

It's not hard to understand why Robert Schumann was selected as the focus of a meeting called The Musical Brain: Arts, Science and the Mind, which took place last weekend in London. Not only is this year the two-hundredth anniversary of the German composer's birth, but his particular 'musical brain' gives neuroscientists plenty to think about.

For one thing, Schumann suffered from a neurological condition called focal dystonia — a loss of muscle control that ended his hopes of becoming a concert pianist. He also seems to have struggled with severe bipolar disorder, which apparently dictated the rhythm of his creativity and left him confined to an asylum for the last two years of his life.

Focal dystonia is sometimes called 'musician's cramp', but it is not a primarily muscular problem: it begins in the brain1. As neuroscientist Jessica Grahn of the University of Cambridge, UK, explains, it stems from the fact that intense musical practice can overinflate the mental representation of the relevant part of the body (usually the fingers, although it can affect lip control in brass players). Once the neural representations of the fingers overlap, they can no longer be controlled independently.

This typically manifests itself as a painful stiffening or curling-up of some fingers. The American pianist Leon Fleisher began to lose the use of his right hand in this way in 1963, and only recently returned to regular concert performance. Although dystonia is a consequence of over-practice (or, as Fleisher says, inappropriate practice techniques), it may also have a genetic element — it is, for example, more common among men. But it is precisely because the disorder is a neural rather than a muscular problem that dystonia is so hard to treat, and there is still no genuine cure.

Schumann succumbed to this condition in his right middle finger at the age of 212. He used a home-made contraption to stretch the finger, but it may have done more harm than good. He even composed an extremely difficult piece, his Toccata Opus 7, that avoids the use of that middle finger entirely (hear it here). "I was hoping to convince someone to play it at the meeting," says Grahn, "but it's a bear, so no luck."

For Schumann, matters only grew worse. Towards the end of his life, he heard voices and was tormented by visions of angels and demons. In 1854, he attempted to drown himself in the Rhine, only to be rescued by boatmen, after which he voluntarily entered an asylum.

Although Schumann's spells of wild creativity and sleeplessness interspersed with periods of lethargy look like a classic case of bipolar disorder, not everyone agrees: some say his mental disturbance could have been caused by syphilis3 or by the mercury medication used to treat it. In any event, Schumann is by no means unique among composers in having wrestled with mental illness: Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Leonard Bernstein are among others who seem to have done so.

Audible emotions

Whether or not music was therapeutic to these composers, it is clearly effective in treating both psychological and physiological disorders of the mind. It is thought that this is due, in part, to the way that music accesses the emotions. Psychologist Katie Overy at the University of Edinburgh, UK, says that her interest in musical therapy "forced me to get interested in the emotional aspects, because they are so powerful".

Although she acknowledges that musical expression is multi-faceted, she argues that current neurological studies suggest that the activation of mirror neurons — 'empathy circuits' that fire both when we watch another person perform an action and when we perform it ourselves — offer a clue about how music works4.

It may be, she says, that when we hear music, we can 'read' it as we would read indicators of emotional state in another person's vocal or physical gestures. 'Happy' music is typically up-tempo and high-pitched, whereas 'calm' or 'sad' music tends to be soft, slow and low-pitched5, because of the way these acoustic qualities mimic the actions and voices of people in those emotional states. This observation seems to hold true across cultures, as Stefan Koelsch of Sussex University, UK, another speaker at the meeting, and his co-workers have shown recently6.

"Music has the capacity to tap into these qualities and expand on them," says Overy. During her talk, pianist Ian Brown illustrated how, for example, musical expressivity can involve mimicry of singing with legato (smoothly connected notes) and speech-like phrasing. The composer and performer can then add to this effect by deploying culturally specific structures (such as major or minor keys — see 'Does a minor key give everyone the blues?') or unexpected rhythms and harmonies: Koelsch has shown that musical 'surprises' can elicit the same neurological signals as do other types of surprise7.

In this respect, then, support may be emerging for the suggestion of philosopher Susanne Langer that music mimics the dynamics of emotion itself. Or, as psychologist Carroll Pratt put it in 1931, that 'music sounds the way emotions feel'.

· References
1. Altenmüller, E. & Jabusch, H.-C. J. Hand Therapy 22, 144-155 (2009).
2. Altenmüller, E. in Neurological Disorders in Famous Artists (eds Bogousslavsky, J. & Boller, F.) 179–188 (Karger, 2005).
3. Worthen, J. Robert Schumann: Life and Death of a Musician (Yale Univ. Press, 2007).
4. Molnar-Szakacs, I. & Overy, K. Soc. Cogn. Affect. Neurosci. 1, 235-241 (2006).
5. Balkwill, L. L. & Thompson, W. F. [journal]Music Percept./journal] 17, 43-64 (1999).
6. Fritz, T. et al. Curr. Biol. 19, 573-576 (2009).
7. Koelsch, S. , Fritz, T. & Schlaug, G. NeuroReport 19, 1815-1819 (2008).

Source: http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101005/full/news.2010.510.html?s=news_rss

What Weak Readers Need to Diminish Early Reading Failure

2011-02-04T12:30:00.000-08:00

Too many children are leaving elementary school with reading skills inadequate for the next level of instruction. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NCES, 2003), 37 percent of fourth-graders have "below basic" reading skills. Once this was inevitable, but no more. We now have the knowledge and the tools to bring this percentage down to a single digit.

To accomplish this, we must change the way we teach reading in three ways. First, we must ensure that core classroom instruction in kindergarten through grade three is skillfully delivered with a balanced emphasis on word-level skills (phonemic awareness, decoding, etc.) and reading comprehension (including the intensive build-up of content knowledge). Second, we must have procedures in place to accurately identify children who fall behind in early reading growth, even when they are provided strong classroom instruction. Third, we must provide these children who are behind with reading instruction that is more intensive, more explicit, and more supportive than can be provided by one teacher with a class of 20 or 30 children—and we should provide that extra support early, preferably in kindergarten and first grade.

A. Strong Core Classroom Instruction

Six years ago, in a major national consensus report, the National Research Council (Snow et al., 1998) concluded that the most efficient way to prevent reading difficulties from developing was to ensure that every child received appropriate high-quality reading instruction in grades K–3. That report and the more recent report of the National Reading Panel (2000) identified the critical components of early reading instruction as including explicit teaching to build: phonemic awareness and phonemic decoding skills, fluency in word recognition and text processing, reading comprehension strategies, oral language vocabulary, spelling, and writing skills. Instruction that includes these elements and is delivered in a consistent and skillful way is consistently more effective than instruction that does not contain these components.

Since the speed and ease with which students attain these different skills will vary, good classroom instruction needs to make regular use of small instructional groups composed of children with comparable skill levels and needs. Many children enter school with excellent phonological processing skills and a strong beginning understanding of the alphabetic principle. These children can discover, during interactions with print, most of the knowledge that must be acquired to become a skilled reader.

One frequent argument against increasing the amount and explicitness of phonics instruction in early elementary school classrooms is that not all children need the same level of instruction in this area. This is true. But, by making use of small groups within the classroom, weak readers can receive the explicit phonics instruction they need, while other readers can focus on other elements of language arts. Keep in mind, however, that research suggests that initial explicit instruction in phonics is useful for all children (Snow, Burns, and Griffin, 1998; Foorman, Francis, Fletcher, Schatschneider, and Mehta, 1998).

For children who enter first grade with less than average ability or reading readiness, explicit instruction in, and practice with, phonemic awareness and decoding skills are particularly important. Both Foorman et al. (1998) and Juel and Minden-Cupp (2000) found that explicit instruction and opportunities for extended practice with phonemically decodable texts were particularly beneficial for children at risk for reading failure. In the former study, the most phonemically explicit instruction produced the strongest reading growth for all children, but the effects were particularly striking for children whose phonological skills were weakest when they entered first grade.

Phonemic awareness tasks require children to identify or manipulate the phonemes in words that are presented orally. For example, a simple task in this domain would ask children to say which of three words (bat, car, fork) begins with the same sound as bike. A more difficult task might ask the child to pronounce the first sound in the work bike, and a still more difficult task might ask the child to say what word was left when the word card was pronounced without saying the /d/ sound. Both conscious awareness of the phonemes in words and the ability to accurately identify them within words are necessary in learning to phonemically decode words in print (Ehri, 2002; Ehri, et al., 2001; Wagner et al., 1997). Children who are delayed in the development of phonemic awareness have a very difficult time making sense out of "phonics" instruction, and they certainly have little chance to notice the phonemic patterns in written words on their own. A simple way to say this is that for individual children, phonemic awareness is what makes phonics instruction meaningful. If a child has little awareness that even simple words like cat and car are composed of small "chunks" that are combined in different ways to make words, our alphabetic way of writing makes no sense.

B. Screening to Identify Children at Risk of Reading Failure

In recent years, a "technology" of early screening has developed that allows teachers, with a very brief assessment, to identify which children in their classes are at risk of failing to develop their early reading skills on time. In the beginning, the assessment covers such early reading skills as letter-name knowledge, phonemic awareness, letter-sound knowledge, and vocabulary. After reading instruction begins in first grade, the best way to identify children who are falling behind in the ability to read words accurately and fluently is to measure that skill directly. Therefore, by the end of first grade, the assessments should also be measuring oral reading fluency.

In second and third grade, the development of word-level reading ability should continue to be monitored using direct assessments to identify children who are falling behind their peers. At this point, group- or individually-administered measures of reading comprehension may prove useful in identifying children who can continue to profit from more intensive work to build vocabulary and reading comprehension strategies.

These screening assessments are administered individually and should not be confused with group-administered standardized tests, to which they bear no likeness. Screening assessments are typically very brief, often just 5–10 minutes per child and, with proper training, can be administered by the teacher, aides, or specialists in reading or special education, with one or more adults screening the children while the teacher or others conduct the class. These screening and progress-monitoring measures are usually administered several times a year, beginning in kindergarten and going through third grade. Because they identify who needs special help, these screens enable teachers and schools to target extra resources to the small group of children that needs the most help. They can also aid teachers in forming small instructional groups of children with similar skill development needs. For a fuller discussion of these assessments, see "Early Screening Is at the Heart of Prevention." For an account of how one school made use of such assessments to provide appropriate, effective instruction to its weakest readers, see "Practicing Prevention."

C. Appropriate—and Extra—Instruction that Matches At-Risk Students' Needs

Kindergarten through third-grade classrooms typically include children with widely different preparation and talent for learning to read. For example, Hart and Risley (1995) documented enormous differences in opportunities to acquire oral language vocabulary at home among toddlers from different socioeconomic strata. We also know that there are very significant differences among entering school children in their knowledge about letters, print conventions, and phonological sensitivity (Whitehurst and Lonigan, 1998). For schools and teachers, one of the biggest challenges is to provide, within the regular classroom, a range of instructional opportunities in reading that matches this huge diversity in children's talent and preparation for learning to read. As noted, this inevitably requires that a great deal of reading instruction be provided in small groups comprised of children working to develop similar skills. For those children at risk of reading failure, the instruction must be more explicit, more intensive, and more supportive than instruction typically is.

Instruction for at-risk children must be more explicit than for other children.

Children who enter first grade with weaknesses in their knowledge about letters, letter-sound correspondences, and phonological awareness require explicit and systematic instruction to help them acquire the knowledge and strategies necessary for decoding print. As Gaskins, Ehri, Cress, O'Hara, and Donnelly (1997) pointed out, "first-graders who are at risk for failure in learning to read do not discover what teachers leave unsaid about the complexities of word learning. As a result, it is important to teach them procedures for learning words" (p. 325).

Explicit instruction is instruction that does not leave anything to chance and does not make assumptions about skills and knowledge that children will acquire on their own. For example, explicit instruction requires teachers to directly make connections between the letters in print and the sounds in words, and it requires that these relationships be taught in a comprehensive fashion. Evidence for this is found in a recent study of preventive instruction given to a group of highly at-risk children during kindergarten, first grade, and second grade (Torgesen, Wagner, Rashotte, Rose, et al., 1999). Of three interventions that were tested on children with phonological weaknesses, the most phonemically explicit one produced the strongest growth in word-reading ability. In fact, of the three interventions tested, only the most explicit intervention produced a reliable increase in the growth of word-reading ability over children who were not provided any special interventions. Other studies (Brown and Felton, 1990; Hatcher, Hulme, and Ellis, 1994; Iversen and Tunmer, 1993) combine with this one to suggest that schools must be prepared to provide very explicit and systematic instruction in beginning word-reading skills to some of their students if they expect virtually all children to acquire word-reading skills at grade level by third grade.

Further, explicit instruction also requires that the meanings of words be directly taught and be explicitly practiced so that they are accessible when children are reading text (Beck, McKeown, and Kucan, 2002). Finally, it requires not only direct practice to build fluency (Mercer, Campbell, Miller, Mercer, and Lane, 2000), but also careful, sequential instruction and practice in the use of comprehension strategies to help construct meaning (Mastropieri and Scruggs, 1997).

Intervention researchers currently have a good understanding of the kinds of knowledge and skills that must be taught and they know that such instruction must be explicit and systematic. However, the exact mix of instructional activities that is most effective almost certainly varies depending on the individual needs of each struggling reader. Furthermore, the range of instructional methods that can be used to effectively teach specific skills to struggling readers may also be quite broad. For example, in one remedial study (Torgesen, Alexander et al., 2001), my colleagues and I found that two methods that both taught phonics explicitly, but that used quite different methods and distributed instructional activities quite differently, produced essentially the same long-term outcomes on reading growth for a sample of children with severe reading disabilities. Richard Olson and his colleagues at the University of Colorado (Olson, Wise, Johnson, and Ring, 1997; Wise, Ring, and Olson, 1999) also demonstrated that a variety of explicit instructional methods are equally effective in accelerating reading growth for children with reading disabilities in second through fifth grades.

Instruction for at-risk children must be more intensive than for other children. If at-risk children do not receive more teaching/learning opportunities per day than other children, it is highly likely that their reading skills will develop too slowly and thus they will be pulled into the downward spiral outlined in the beginning of this article. Some children are at risk because they learn more slowly than other children; they will thus require more repetition in order to solidly establish critical word-reading and comprehension skills. Other children are at risk because of a lack of instructional opportunities before they started school. Such children may learn at average rates, but they have much more to learn than children who come to school with typical levels of preparation (Hart and Risley, 1995) and thus must be given more learning opportunities in order to catch up to their peers.

There are essentially two ways to increase intensity of reading instruction in elementary school: either instructional time can be increased or instruction can be provided individually or in small groups. While increasing whole-class instructional time in reading helps many children with mild risk status, the most practical method for increasing instructional intensity for smaller numbers of highly at-risk students is to provide small-group instruction. There can be no question that children with reading difficulties, or children at risk for these difficulties, will learn more rapidly under conditions of greater instructional intensity than they learn in typical classroom settings. Meta-analyses consistently show positive effects of reducing instructional group size (Elbaum, Vaughn, Hughes, and Moody, 1999). Further, the intensive small group work must be frequent; in the studies my colleagues and I have reviewed, success has been produced when groups met 20 to 45 minutes per day, 4 to 5 days per week.

There are a number of practical and feasible ways to provide small group instruction to at-risk students during the school day. The most common way is for the classroom teacher to devote part of the daily reading period to work with small groups of children with similar instructional needs. While the teacher is providing intensive and focused instruction to one group of four or five children, the other children are working independently on academically engaging literacy activities. The biggest challenge for teachers in this arrangement is the development of productive activities for independent practice and management of student behavior during independent center activities. Another option is to use special education or reading resource teachers to provide intervention instruction during the small group time of the reading period. The regular classroom teacher might work with one group, the resource teacher another, while two more groups were engaged in independent literacy activities. Well-trained and supervised paraprofessionals may also be used effectively to help guide small group instructional and practice sessions (Grek, Mathes, and Torgesen, 2003).

Peer tutoring is another effective strategy for increasing instructional intensity. For example, Doug and Lynn Fuchs and others (1997) reported success in using peer assisted learning strategies to improve reading skills in mid-elementary school, and Mathes and colleagues (Mathes, Torgesen, and Allor, 2001) have reported similar success with students in early elementary school.

Instruction for at-risk children must be more supportive than for other children. The needs of at-risk children for more positive emotional support in the form of encouragement, feedback, and positive reinforcement are widely understood. However, their potential need for more cognitive support, in the form of carefully "scaffolded" instruction, is less widely appreciated. Instruction for at-risk children should involve two types of scaffolding. One type of scaffolding involves careful sequencing so that skills build very gradually: The child is always systematically taught and given opportunities to practice the skills required for any task he/she is asked to do (Swanson, 1999). This type of scaffolding is typically provided in well-designed, systematic instructional programs for students with learning disabilities. Another type of scaffolding involves teacher-student dialogue that directly shows the child what kind of processing or thinking needs to be done in order to complete the task successfully. This type of scaffolding in instruction usually involves four elements: (1) the student is presented with a task such as reading or spelling a word (i.e., tries to spell the word "flat"); (2) the student makes a response that is incorrect in some way, or indicates that he/she doesn't know how to proceed (i.e., spells it "fat"); (3) the teacher asks a question that focuses the child's attention on a first step in the solution process, or that draws attention to a required piece of information ("If you read that word, what does it say?" Child responds, "fat." "So, what do you need to add to make it say flat?" No answer. "When you say flat, what do you hear coming right after the beginning sound /f/?"); and (4) another response from the child ("I hear the /l/ sound."). This kind of interaction between teacher and child continues until the child had been led to successfully accomplish the task. The point of this type of instructional interaction is that the child is led to discover the information or strategies that are critical to accomplishing the task, rather than simply being told what to do. As Juel (1996) showed, the ability to offer scaffolded support while children are acquiring reading skills may have increasing importance as the severity of the child's disability increases.

Source: http://www.aft.org/newspubs/periodicals/ae/fall2004/torgesen.cfm

The Evidence That Early Intervention Prevents Reading Failure

2011-02-03T12:26:00.000-08:00

Children who are destined to be poor readers in fourth grade almost invariably have difficulties in kindergarten and first grade with critical phonological skills: their knowledge of letter names, their phonemic awareness (ability to hear, distinguish, and blend individual sounds), their ability to match sound to print, and their other skills in using the alphabetic principle are weak. These weak phonological skills, in turn, mean it is difficult for these children to identify (decode) unknown words, and their efforts to do so produce many errors. Naturally, these children find it difficult, even unpleasant, to read independently.

Their problems then spiral. Their ability to become fluent readers is compromised because the development of fluent word reading depends heavily on learning to identify large numbers of words by sight (Schwanenflugel, Hamilton, Kuhn, Wisenbaker, and Stahl, 2004; Torgesen, Rashotte, and Alexander, 2001). Because words do not become sight words until they are read accurately a number of times, both inaccurate reading and diminished reading practice cause slow growth of fluent word-identification skills. Furthermore, the strongest current theories of reading growth link together phonemic and sight word-reading skills by showing how good phonemic decoding skills are necessary in the formation of accurate memory for the spelling patterns that are the basis of sight word recognition (Ehri, 1998).

The terrible spiral then spins even more strongly. We know, for example, that delayed development of reading skills affects vocabulary growth (Cunningham and Stanovich, 1998), alters children's attitudes and motivation to read (Oka and Paris, 1986), and leads to missed opportunities to develop comprehension strategies (Brown, Palincsar, and Purcell, 1986). If children fall seriously behind in the growth of critical early reading skills, they have fewer opportunities to practice reading. Recent evidence (Torgesen, Rashotte, and Alexander, 2001) suggests that these lost practice opportunities make it extremely difficult for children who remain poor readers during the first three years of elementary school to ever acquire average levels of reading fluency. All of this explains the very sobering fact obtained from several longitudinal studies: Children who are poor readers at the end of first grade almost never acquire average-level reading skills by the end of elementary school (Francis, Shaywitz, Stuebing, Shaywitz, and Fletcher, 1996; Juel, 1988; Shaywitz et al., 1999; Torgesen and Burgess, 1998). (See the sidebar "Waiting Rarely Works")

That's the bad news. The good news is we now have tools to reliably identify the children who are likely destined for this early reading failure. (See "Early Screening Is at the Heart of Prevention"). Most importantly, given the results of a number of intervention studies, we can say with confidence that if we intervene early, intensively, and appropriately, we can provide these children with the early reading skills that can prevent almost all of them from ever entering the nasty downward spiral just described.

In this article, I want to lay out two sets of findings: (1) what we know about the kind of instruction that weak readers need in kindergarten through second grade to prevent them from ever entering the downward spiral, and (2) what we know about the effectiveness of interventions that make use of this knowledge.

Before setting forth the case for early intervention, an important point needs to be clarified. Most children who enter school at risk for reading difficulties fall into one of two broad groups. Children in the first group enter school with adequate oral language ability but have weaknesses in the phonological domain. Their primary problem in learning to read involves learning to read words accurately and fluently (Torgesen, 1999). In contrast, the second group of children, coming largely from families of lower socioeconomic or minority status, enters school with significant weaknesses in a much broader range of prereading skills (Whitehurst and Lonigan, 1998; Hart and Risley, 1995; Hecht, Burgess, Torgesen, Wagner, and Rashotte, 2000). Not only are their phonological skills and print-related knowledge weak, they have weaker vocabularies, less experience with complicated syntax, and less general background knowledge—all of which are vital for strong reading comprehension at third grade and beyond. Children with these general oral language weaknesses on top of phonological weaknesses require a broader range of instructional support and interventions than those who come to school with impairments only in phonological ability. However, both groups require special support in the growth of early word-reading skills if they are to make adequate progress in learning to read; and, with that support, both can achieve word-reading skills within the average range.*

It is these early word-reading skills—and specifically how to help our weakest readers attain them—that are the focus of this article. Why make word-reading skills the focus when the ultimate goal is reading for comprehension and enjoyment? For several reasons: First, new discoveries about reading have produced a consensus belief that strong word-reading skills are central to fluent, accurate reading (Rayner, Foorman, Perfetti, Pesetsky, and Seidenberg 2001). Second, there is very strong evidence, as common sense would suggest, of both an empirical (Good, Simmons, and Kame'enui, 2001) and theoretical (Chall, 1996; Rayner, et al, 2001) nature that accurate and fluent word-reading skills are important for good reading comprehension. Third, we know how to prevent the emergence of early word-reading difficulties. Thus, if our end goal is strong comprehension, one important goal of early intervention should be to prevent the emergence of early word-reading difficulties. While strong word-reading skills don't fully equip students for advanced comprehension of texts beyond a third-grade level, they are absolutely necessary for it. (For a lengthy discussion of how to build the broader language skills and knowledge that are vital to later reading comprehension, see the Spring 2003 issue of American Educator.

To read more about What Weak Readers Need to Diminish Early Reading Failure come back tomorrow for our entry.

How Effective Is Early Intervention in Preventing Early Reading Failure?

2011-02-02T12:21:00.000-08:00

The obvious questions are: Will all these changes, as sketched above, be worth it? Is instruction that makes use of the ideas above actually effective in preventing reading difficulties in most children?

In order to answer questions about effectiveness, we must first decide what outcome measure should be used to measure success, and what level of performance constitutes success for a preventive intervention. As a nation, we have (through many state laws and the No Child Left Behind Act) identified the end of third grade as the point at which all students should be reading adequately. Although we do not have a universal performance standard in place at this point, states have typically adopted group administered measures of reading comprehension as the most efficient and thorough way to assess whether students have met their standards for reading proficiency.

To read the entire article please go to: http://www.aft.org/newspubs/periodicals/ae/fall2004/torgesen.cfm

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NCES, 2003), 37 percent of fourth-graders have "below basic" reading skills.

2011-02-01T12:18:00.000-08:00