Autism with Susan

Kids on the Specturm: Impairment in Social Interaction

2009-06-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

Impairment in Social Interaction

Children on the autism spectrum are each special in their own way. Adults may think these children are purposely misbehaving, but they are not. These children may suffer from social interactions due to not knowing how to socialize with others. Often, these are the children who get in trouble, get blamed, or disciplined for reasons that are part of their disability. It is important to stress that some individuals on the spectrum display maladaptive and disruptive behaviors in social situations due to these being a result of their narrow and overly concrete understanding to social phenomena. Basically, they are not sure of how to act or what is expected of them. Such is the result of the overwhelming puzzlement they experience when required to meet the demands of interpersonal life.

Suggestions
Protect the child by understanding that some behaviors are due to the disability of not knowing how to behave. Gently teach these skills. Understand where these behaviors are coming from.

Lessons don’t need to be long~ a gentle reminder can go a long way farther than a harsh reprimand.

Educate the peers. Encourage classmates to treat all persons including those on the spectrum with compassion.

Provide opportunities for social interaction and facilitation of social relationships in fairly structured and supervised activities.

Provide structure in unstructured times. These kids thrive on structure and when they don’t have it will flounder due to not knowing what to do.

Most kids on the spectrum want friends but simply do not know how to interact. Learning how to interact is a life long skill.

Kids on the spectrum each have a special gift. Finding that gift and appreciating it will aid in helping the child succeed. Building upon strengths can decrease weaknesses.

Taken from Jim Garvey, SCAS Update, Fall, 2008

Myths About Autism

2009-06-16T17:03:00.000-07:00

Individuals with autism never make eye contact; they do not look at you.
• Autism is a mental illness.
• Progress means a person doesn't have autism.
• Individuals with autism don't speak.
• Autism can be outgrown.
• Individuals with autism can't learn.
• Underneath all the difficult behaviors is a normal person.
• Individuals with autism cannot show affection and do not respond to physical affection.
• Individuals with autism do not want friends.
• Individuals with autism do not relate to peers/adults.
• Individuals with autism are very manipulative.
• Individuals with autism could talk if they wanted to.
• Individuals with autism can't smile.
• Individuals with autism don't notice others and don't pick up cues from adults.
• When a person with autism does not respond to a question/direction to which he has shown a previous correct response, he is being stubborn/non-compliant/obnoxious.
http://www.autism.com/autism/myths.htm

Parent Tips

2009-06-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

Parents play a vital role in their child's education. They are equal partners in the team that develops their child's IEP and they care deeply how their sons or daughters learn and grow. In the course of their child's education, parents may interact with a large number of professionals. Being able to work effectively with different professionals, exchanging ideas concerns and openly communicating about what's working and what's not, are all important elements in their child's educational success.

􀂃 Develop positive relationships with the teachers who work with your child.
􀂃 Remember that the people you are working with also care for your child.
􀂃 Be credible and informed to have people listen to and respect what you say.
􀂃 Work as a team.
􀂃 Remember that working with the school can a very emotional, personal process, because this is your child. It's very easy to feel defensive. Try to describe your needs in behavioral terms, not emotional terms.
􀂃 Keep things in perspective: Ask yourself, "Is what my child is doing typical for his age group, or does his behaviors have to do with his disability?" Encourage those who work with your child to do so, too.
􀂃 Know that everything you do is not written in stone.
􀂃 Remember to think of your child first. The disability is just part of who your child is. Remind people of your child's strengths.
􀂃 Encourage a work ethic at home. Put value on those traits that promote success in school: responsibility, consequences for behavior, organization, and punctuality. Jobs at home translate into expectations. A sense of cooperation and self-worth follow.
􀂃 Communication the most important thing to do is to establish open communication. Try to be non-threatening. You can make friends and get what you need.
􀂃 Look at yourself closely to identify habits or attitudes that interfere with effective communication or your being taken seriously.
􀂃 Be sure to communicate any concerns or ideas right away, over the phone or with a note, while the discussion can be relatively casual. By communicating early, you can avoid becoming angry and frustrated; by intervening early, you can avoid a situation growing into a bigger problem or crisis.
􀂃 Inform teachers immediately of any unusual circumstances occurring at home. A stressed child cannot attend to task, often exhibits disruptive behavior, or may simply space out. Teachers may misread the signs. Examples range from divorce to a sick grandmother to a new baby. Each student has a very different response to these life changes.
􀂃 Keep experimenting. You never know what will work.
􀂃 Write letters or make calls to say thank you when things are going well. It's always a good idea to let educators know about successes, especially those that occur outside of school. For really successful occurrences, send a copy of your letter to the principal or supervisor, so he or she, too, will know what a great job your child's teacher is doing.
􀂃 Even if you don't agree with the methods that are being used, if your child is improving, recognize it.
􀂃 Maintain a "we" attitude. Ask how "we" can work together to solve a given problem. .
􀂃 Work on creating a good relationship with all the people who work with your child. Be open to sharing information about your child.
􀂃 Be willing to take part. Volunteer to help out with things. Be as involved as possible.
􀂃 Support the people who work with your child even when things aren't going as well.

Encourage them to keep trying, that tomorrow will be better, and how you appreciate their efforts on your child's behalf.

Reference: http/www

Tips for Teaching High Functioning People with Autism

2009-06-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

By Susan Moreno and Carol O'Neal
People with autism have trouble with organizational skills , regardless of their intelligence and/or age. Even a "straight A" student with autism who has a photographic memory can be incapable of remembering to bring a pencil to class or of remembering a deadline for an assignment. In such cases, aid should be provided in the least restrictive way possible. Strategies could include having the student put a picture of a pencil on the cover of his notebook or maintaining a list of assignments to be completed at home. Always praise the student when he remembers something he has previously forgotten. Never denigrate or "harp" at him when he fails. A lecture on the subject will not only NOT help, it will often make the problem worse. He may begin to believe he can not remember to do or bring these things. These students seem to have either the neatest or the messiest desks or lockers in the school. The one with the messiest desk will need your help in frequent cleanups of the desk or locker so that he can find things. Simply remember that he is probably not making a conscious choice to be messy. He is most likely incapable of this organizational task without specific training. Attempt to train him in organizational skills using small, specific steps.

People with autism have problems with abstract and conceptual thinking. Some may eventually acquire abstract skills, but others never will. When abstract concepts must be used, use visual cues, such as drawings or written words, to augment the abstract idea. Avoid asking vague questions such as, "Why did you do that?" Instead, say, "I did not like it when you slammed your book down when I said it was time for gym. Next times put the book down gently and tell me you are angry. Were you showing me that you did not want to go to gym, or that you did not want to stop reading?" Avoid asking essay-type questions. Be as concrete as possible in all your interactions with these students.

An increase in unusual or difficult behaviors probably indicates an increase in stress. Sometimes stress is caused by feeling a loss of control. Many times the stress will only be alleviated when the student physically removes himself from the stressful event or situation. If this occurs, a program should be set up to assist the student in re-entering and/or staying in the stressful situation. When this occurs, a "safe-place" or "safe-person" may come in handy.
Do not take misbehavior personally. The high-functioning person with autism is not a manipulative, scheming person who is trying to make life difficult. They are seldom, if ever, capable of being manipulative. Usually misbehavior is the result of efforts to survive experiences which may be confusing, disorienting or frightening. People with autism are, by virtue of their disability, egocentric. Most have extreme difficulty reading the reactions of others.

Use and interpret speech literally. Until you know the capabilities of the individual, you should avoid:
o idioms (e.g., save your breath, jump the gun, second thoughts)
o double meanings (most jokes have double meanings)
o sarcasm (e.g., saying, "Great!" after he has just spilled a bottle of ketchup on the table)
o nicknames
o "cute" names (e.g., Pal, Buddy, Wise Guy)

Remember that facial expressions and other social cues may not work. Most individuals with autism have difficulty reading facial expressions and interpreting "body language".
If the student does not seem to be learning a task, break it down into smaller steps or present the task in several ways (e.g., visually, verbally, and physically).

Avoid verbal overload. Be clear. Use shorter sentences if you perceive that the student is not fully understanding you. Although he probably has no hearing problem and may be paying attention, he may have difficulty understanding your main point and identifying important information.

Prepare the student for all environmental and/or changes in routine such as assembly, substitute teacher and rescheduling. Use a written or visual schedule to prepare him for change.
Behavior management works, but if incorrectly used, it can encourage robot-like behavior, provide only a short term behavior change or result in some form of aggression. Use positive and chronologically age-appropriate behavior procedures.

Consistent treatment and expectations from everyone is vital.
Be aware that normal levels of auditory and visual input can be perceived by the student as too much or too little. For example, the hum of florescent lighting is extremely distracting for some people with autism. Consider environmental changes such as removing "visual clutter" from the room or seating changes if the student seems distracted or upset by his classroom environment.
If your high-functioning student with autism uses repetitive verbal arguments and/or repetitive verbal questions you need to interrupt what can become a continuing, repetitive litany. Continually responding in a logical manner or arguing back seldom stops this behavior. The subject of the argument or question is not always the subject which has upset him. More often the individual is communicating a feeling of loss of control or uncertainty about someone or something in the environment.

Try requesting that he write down the question or argumentative statement. Then write down your reply. This usually begins to calm him down and stops the repetitive activity. If that doesn't work, write down his repetitive question or argument and ask him to write down a logical reply (perhaps one he things you would make). This distracts from the escalating verbal aspect of the situation and may give him a more socially acceptable way of expressing frustration or anxiety. Another alternative is role-playing the repetitive argument or question with you taking his part and having him answer you as he thinks you might.

Since these individuals experience various communication difficulties, do not rely on students with autism to relay important messages to their parents about school events, assignments, school rules, etc., unless you try it on an experimental basis with follow-up or unless you are already certain that the student has mastered this skill. Even sending home a note for his parents may not work. The student may not remember to deliver the note or may lose it before reaching home. Phone calls to parents work best until the skill can be developed. Frequent and accurate communication between the teacher and parent (or primary care-giver) is very important.

If your class involves pairing off or choosing partners, either draw numbers or use some other arbitrary means of pairing. Or ask an especially kind student if he or she would agree to choose the individual with autism as a partner before the pairing takes place. The student with autism is most often the individual left with no partner. This is unfortunate since these students could benefit most from having a partner.

Assume nothing when assessing skills. For example, the individual with autism may be a "math whiz" in Algebra, but not able to make simple change at a cash register. Or, he may have an incredible memory about books he has read, speeches he has heard or sports statistics, but still may not be able to remember to bring a pencil to class. Uneven skills development is a hallmark of autism.
BE POSITIVE BE CREATIVE BE FLEXIBLE

Frequently Asked Questions About Autism

2009-06-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

Source: Temple Grandin, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA

How do I know if my child has problems with sensory over sensitivity?
Sounds or visual stimuli that are tolerated by normal children may cause pain, confusion and/or fear in some autistic children. Sensory over sensitivity can vary from very slight to severe. If your child frequently puts his hands over his ears, this is an indicator of sensitivity to noise. Children who flick their fingers in front of their eyes are likely to have visual sensitivity problems. Children who enjoy a trip to a large super-market or a shopping mall usually have relatively mild sensory sensitivities. Autistic children with severe sensory sensitivities will often have tantrums and other bad behavior in a shopping mall due to sensory overload. These children are the ones who will most likely need environmental modifications in the classroom. Older children and adults, who remain nonverbal and have very little language, often have more severe sensitivities than individuals with good language. Children with auditory or visual sensitivity will often have normal hearing and visual acuity tests. The problem is in the brain, whereas the ears and eyes are normal.

What sights and sounds are most likely to cause sensory overload or confusion in the classroom?
Every autistic child or adult is different. A sound or sight, which is painful to one autistic child, may be attractive to another. The flicker of fluorescent lighting can be seen by some children with autism and may be distracting to them. It is mostly likely to cause sensory overload in children who flick their fingers in front of their eyes. Replacing fluorescents with incandescent bulbs will be helpful for some children. Many children with autism are scared of the public address system, the school bells or the fire alarms, because the sound hurts their ears. Screeching electronic feedback from public address systems or the sound of fire alarms are the worst sounds because the onset of the sound canNOT be predicted. Children with milder hearing sensitivity can sometimes learn to tolerate hurtful sounds when they know when they will occur. However, they may NEVER learn to tolerate UNexpected loud noise. Autistic children with severe hearing sensitivity should be removed from the classroom prior to a fire drill. The fear of a hurtful sound may make an autistic child fearful of a certain classroom. He may become afraid to go into the room because he fears that the fire alarm or the public address systems may make a hurtful sound. If possible, the buzzes or bell should be modified to reduce the sound. Sometimes only a slight reduction in sound is required to make a buzzer or bell tolerable. Duct tape can be applied to bells to soften the sounds. If the public address system has frequent feedback problems, it should be disconnected.
Echoes and noise can be reduced by installing carpeting -- carpet remnants can sometimes be obtained from a carpet store at a low cost. Scraping of chair legs on the floor can be muffled by placing cut tennis balls on the chair legs.

Why does my child avoid certain foods or always want to eat the same thing?
Certain foods may be avoided due to sensory over sensitivity. Crunchy foods such as potato chips may be too loud and sound like a raging forest fire to children with over sensitive hearing. Certain odors may be overpowering. When I was a child I gagged when I had to eat slimy foods like jello. However, some limited food preferences may be bad habits and are not due to sensory problems. One has to be a careful observer to figure out which foods cause sensory pain. For example, if a child has extreme sound sensitivity, he should not be required to eat loud, crunchy foods; but he should be encouraged to eat a variety of softer foods. When I was a child my parents made me eat everything except the two things which really made me gag. They were under-cooked slimy egg whites and jello. I was allowed to have a grilled cheese sandwich everyday for lunch, but at dinnertime I was expected to eat everything that was not slimy.
To motivate a child to eat something he does not like, it is recommended to have a food he really likes such as pizza right in front of him along with the food he dislikes. He is then told that he can have the pizza after he tries something he does not like.

How do I toilet train my autistic child?
There are two major causes of toilet training problems in children with autism. They are either afraid of the toilet or they do not know what they are supposed to do. Children with severe hearing sensitivity may be terrified of the toilet flushing. The sound may hurt their ears. Sometimes these children can learn if they use a potty chair which is located away from the frightening toilet. Due to the great variability of sensory problems, some children may like to repeatedly flush the toilet but they are still not trained. The thinking of some autistic children is so concrete that the only way they can learn is to have an adult demonstrate to them how to use the toilet. They have to see someone else do it in order to learn. Some children with very severe sensory processing problems are not able to accurately sense when they need to use the bathroom. If they are calm they may be able to feel the sensation that they need to urinate or defecate, but if they experience sensory overload they cannot feel it. This may explain why a child will sometimes use the toilet correctly, and other times he will not.

Why do some autistic children repeat back what an adult has said or sing TV commercials?
Repeating back what has been said, or being able to sing an entire TV commercial or children's video is called 'echolalia.' Echolalia is actually a good sign because it indicates that the child's brain is processing language even though he may not be understanding the meaning of the words. These children need to learn that words are used for communication. If a child says the word 'apple,' immediately give him an apple. This will enable the child to associate the word 'apple' with getting a real apple. Some autistic children use phrases from TV commercials or children's videos in an appropriate manner in other situations. This is how they learn language. For example, if a child says part of a breakfast cereal slogan at breakfast, give him the cereal.
Autistic children also use echolalia to verify what has been said. Some children have difficulty hearing hard consonant sounds such as "d" in dog or "b" in boy. Repeating the phrase helps them to hear it. Children who pass a pure tone hearing test can still have difficulty hearing complex speech sounds. Children with this difficulty may learn to read and speak by using flash cards that have both a printed word and a picture of an object. By using these cards they learn to associate the spoken word with the printed word and a picture. My speech therapist helped me to learn to hear speech by lengthening hard consonant sounds. She would hold up a ball and say "bbbb all." The hard consonant sound of "b" was lengthened. Some autistic children learn vowel sounds more easily than consonants.

How should educators and parents handle autistic fixations on things such as lawn mowers or trains?
Fixations should be used to motivate schoolwork and education. If a child is fixated on trains, use his interest in trains to motivate reading or learning arithmetic. Have him read about trains or do arithmetic problems with trains. The intense interest in trains can be used to motivate reading. It is a mistake to take fixations away, but the child needs to learn that there are some situations when talking about trains is not appropriate.
The idea is to broaden the fixation into a less fixated educational or social activity. If a child likes to spin a penny then start playing a game with the child where you and the child take turns playing with the penny. This also helps to teach turn taking. A train fixation could be broadened in studying history. A high-functioning child would be motivated to read a book about the history of the railroad. One should build and broaden fixation into useful activities. My career in livestock equipment design started as a fixation on cattle chutes. My high school science teacher encouraged me to study science to learn more about my fixation.
High functioning autistic and Asperger teenagers need mentors to help them develop their talents into a career skill. They need somebody to teach them computer programming or graphic arts. A local computer professional could serve as a mentor or the individual may be able to take a programming class at a community college. Many parents wonder where they can find a mentor for their teenager. Try posting a notice on a bulletin board at a university computer science department or strike up a conversation with the man in the supermarket checkout line who is wearing a badge with the name of a computer company on it.

What is the difference between PDD and autism?
Autism and PDD are behavioral diagnoses. At the present time there are no medical tests for autism. Autism is diagnosed based on the child's behavior. Both children diagnosed with autism and PDD will benefit from education programs designed for autistics. It is essential that children diagnosed as PDD receive the same education as children diagnosed with autism. Both autistic and PDD children should be placed into a good early education program immediately after diagnosis. Children diagnosed with PDD tend to fall into two groups: (1) very mild autistic symptoms, or (2) some autistic symptoms in a child who has other severe neurological problems. Therefore, some children diagnosed as PDD may be almost normal; and others have severe neurological problems such as epilepsy, microencephaly or cerebral palsy. The problem with the autism and PDD diagnoses is that they are NOT precise. They are based only on behavior. In the future, brain scans will be used for precise diagnosis. Today there is no brain scan that can be used for diagnosing PDD nor autism.

Why is Early Intervention important?
Both scientific studies and practical experience have shown that the prognosis is greatly improved if a child is placed into an intense, highly structured educational program by age two or three. Autistic children perform stereotypic behaviors such as rocking or twiddling a penny because engaging in repetitive behaviors shuts off sounds and sights which cause confusion and/or pain. The problems is that if the child is allowed to shut out the world, his brain will not develop. Autistic and PDD children need many hours of structured education to keep their brain engaged with the world. They need to be kept interacting in a meaningful way with an adult or another child. The worst things for a young two to five year old autistic child is to sit alone watching TV or playing video games all day. His brain will be shut off from the world. Autistic children need to be kept engaged; but at the same time, a teacher must be careful to avoid sensory overload. Children with milder sensory problems often respond well to Lovaas-type programs. However, children with more severe sensory processing problems may experience sensory overload. There are two major categories of children. The first type will respond well to a therapist who is gently intrusive and pulls them out of their world. I was this type. My speech therapist was able to "snap me out of it" by grabbing my chin and making me pay attention. The second type of child has more neurological problems, and they may respond poorly to a strict Lovaas program. They will require a gentler approach. Some are 'mono-channel' because they cannot see and hear at the same time. They either have to look at something or they have to listen. Simultaneous looking and listening may result in sensory overload and shutdown. This type of child may respond best when the teacher whispers quietly in a dimly illuminated room.
A good teacher needs to tailor his/her teaching method to the child. To be successful, the teacher has to be gently insistent. A good teacher knows how hard to push. To be successful, the teacher has to intrude into the autistic child's world. With some children the teacher can jerk open their "front door;" and with other children, the teacher has to sneak quietly in their "back door."

Why does my child want to wear the same clothes all the time?
Stiff scratching clothes or wool against my skin is sandpaper ripping off raw nerve endings. I am not able to tolerate scratching clothes. Autistic children will be most comfortable with soft cotton against their skin. New underwear and shirts will be more comfortable if they are washed several times. It is often best to avoid spray starch or fabric softeners that are placed in the dryer. Some children are allergic to them. [Note: Caretakers and teachers should also avoid the use of perfume because some children hate the smell and/or they are allergic to it.]
Even today at the age of 49, I have had to find good clothes and work clothes that feel the same. It takes me up to two weeks to habituate to the feeling of wearing a skirt. If I wear shorts during the summer, it takes at least a week before long pants become fully tolerable. The problem is switching back-and-forth. Switching back-and-forth can be made more tolerable by wearing tights with skirts. The tights make the skirt feel the same as long pants.

http://www.autism.com/autism/myths.htm

A Little Bit About Me

2009-06-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

My husband and I have one son. As a family, we enjoy spending time together. We enjoy camping and hiking, although we don’t go as much as we would like! One of my most favorite things to do is boating. I love riding around in a boat on a beautiful sunny day! I also enjoy the mountains, the coast, and traveling. At home, I like reading, cooking, Ebay-ing, and gardening {but not weeding}.