Category Archives: Autism Spectrum Disorder

Increased resources, support needed for individuals with autism as they age: report

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Published By: Global News
Written By: Michelle McQuigge

A think tank formed to understand the challenges faced by autistic seniors says there are few resources in place to address their specific needs.

A new report from the Aging and Autism Think Tank says the vast majority of research and programming geared toward autism focuses on children, leaving adults almost entirely out of the conversation. The study – compiled by academics, clinicians and autistic adults from five different countries and released by Autism Canada – says autistic people lose access to key resources once they age out of childhood and contends the problem intensifies the older they get. Click here to read the rest of the story.

 

Indepedence In The Morning

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Published By: Rainbows Are Too Beautiful

Mornings in our home are a sort of regimented chaos.  Three kids who all require some form of supervision, two schools to get to and all their gear. Although my kids may seem old enough to be doing a lot of the morning routine themselves, they have a few challenges

Anthony is 10 with autism and ADHD and although he goes to a mainstream school, he needs a lot more support than his peers to focus on and do things.  David is seven, and he attends a specialist autism unit.  His communication is extremely limited which can make doing anything challenging. Jane is five years old – she’s just entered Year 1.

In the past year I’ve learned more and more although the responsibility of getting all my kids out of the house and to school lies with me – I don’t have to do everything.  And the best way of doing this is to help each of my kids be more independent in their morning routine, helping each where they need it most.  Doing this means thinking about ways to help them develop their own skills.  Here’s some of the ideas we have used. Click here to read the rest of the story.

Common Signs In Tactile Difficulties

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Tactile difficulties occur when the nervous system dysfunctions and the brain is unable to process information through the senses. Some children and adults with this form of sensory processing disorder will be over sensitive to touch. Between 5 to 13 percent of the population is diagnosed with sensory processing disorder.

Common Signs of Tactile Difficulties
  • Difficulty with having nails cut or teeth brushed
  • Becomes upset when hair is washed
  • Dislikes any clothing with tags including clothes, hats, shoes, and complains about the type of fabric and the style
  • Dislikes getting their hands dirty or messy
  • Overreacts when they are touched by other people
  • Oversensitive to temperature change
  • Over or under reacts to pain
  • Prefers deep pressure touch rather than light touch
  • Avoids messy textures
  • Prefers pants and long sleeves in hot weather
  • Picky eater
  • Eyes may be sensitive to cold wind
  • Avoids walking barefoot
  • Avoids standing close to other people
  • May be anxious when physically close to other people
Strategies for Handling Tactile Defensiveness
  • Use deep pressure
  • use weighted items including blankets, vest and backpacks
  • Seek out an OT
  • Utilize a sensory diet
  • Minimize time expected to stand and wait in line by having the child go first or last in line
  • Allow the child to wear a jacket indoors
  • Encourage the child to brush his or her body with a natural brush during bath time
  • Create activities using play doh or silly putty
References

Autism Parenting Magazine

Kids Companion

Sensory Processing Disorder.com

Chu, Sidney (1999), Tactile Defensiveness: Information for parents and professionals

Epilepsy and Autism: What You Need To Know

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Studies show that epilepsy are more common in individuals with autism than the general population. Studies show that in some cases, 20% of people diagnosed with autism also have an epilepsy disorder. Other studies indicate epilepsy prevalence estimates between 5% to 46%.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts social, speech, behavioral and motor skills. It is a spectrum disorder meaning it varies from person to person. No two people have the same symptoms. It is estimated that 1% of the population is diagnosed with autism.

Epilepsy is a brain disorder which occurs when neurons in the brain experience a brief interruption causing a seizure to occur. Seizures vary from mild to severe and affects over 3 million Americans. There are different types of seizures:

  • Generalized Tonic/Clonic- A seizures where the whole brain is affected.
  • Absence Seizures- Generally start without any warnings. It affects children and last only for a few seconds.
  • Myoclonic Seizures- Are abrupt jerks of the muscle groups which originate from the spine.
  • Partial Seizures- The person may look as though he or she is in a trance.

There are many unanswered questions as to why epilepsy is more common in people with autism. There is some evidence the common underlying cause may be both are related to genetic and environmental causes and are both related to some type of brain disorder. Evidence does shoe however individuals with autism and epilepsy have worse behavioral and social outcomes than individuals diagnosed with autism only including issues with motor and daily living skills.

Signs for parents to look out for
  • May be difficult to determine especially in children diagnosed with severe autism spectrum disorder. Red flags include, staring episodes, stiffening of the body and shaking movements.
  • A medical evaluation will include brain imaging and an electroencephalogram (EEG).
Teaching Strategies

If you are an educator, be aware that after a seizure, the student will become tired. Allow the student an opportunity to rest.

Reference

Epilepsy Foundation

Medical News Today: Epilepsy and autism: Is there a link?

Neurologist Disorder Treatment. Epilepsy in patients with autism: Links, risks and treatment challenges. Frank McBesag- Published online 2017 Dec 18

Synapse- Autistic Spectrum Disorder Factsheet

 

Overlap in traits of autism, attention deficit persists into adulthood

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Published by: Spectrum
Written by: Nicholette Zeliadt

Traits linked to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tend to co-occur even in adulthood, according to one of the first studies of the traits in that age group1.

The results extend support for the idea that autism and ADHD are intrinsically linked — a notion that is largely based on studies of children.

“Not much is known about the transition from later adolescence into adulthood with regard to autism and ADHD,” says lead investigator Ralf Kuja-Halkola, a statistician at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. Click here to read the rest of the story.

Teaching Self-Regulation and Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Many children diagnosed with autism experience high levels of anxiety which leads to difficult coping skills. Self-regulation helps children on the autism spectrum learn how to mange stress and build resilience. It is through self-regulation that students learn ways to function and manage their own stress, the following links provide information on teaching children techniques on self-regulation. These techniques are also useful for children diagnosed with ADHD and anyone with emotional difficulties and impulses.

 

30 games and activities for self-regulation

Calm down kit for older children

Emotional dysregulation and the core features of autism spectrum disorder

Emotional regulations and autism spectrum disorder

How can we help kids with self-regulation?

How to teach self-regulation

Intervention teaches emotional regulation

Lion and lamb self-regulation activity

Self-regulation in the classroom

Self-regulation/Self-Control: Tips and strategies 

Strategies for teaching kids self-regulation

Strategy helps autistic kids rein in emotions

Teaching kids to self-regulate in the classroom

Teaching kids with autism about emotions and self-regulations

Tools for teaching self-regulation and relaxation

15 Visual Schedule Resources

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Imagine during the course of the day you have no idea what is expected of you. Moving from one activity to the next depending on others to inform you of your daily plans. there are many benefits to using visual schedules especially for autistic children and adults. Studies show that many people diagnosed with autism experience high levels of anxiety often caused by unstructured activities.

Visual schedules are a way to communicate an activity through the use of images, symbols, photos, words, numbers and drawings that will help a child or adult follow rules and guidelines and understand what is expected during the course of the day.

Th following are resources containing information on creating visual schedules and free printables:

8 types of visual student schedules

Building a daily schedule

Daily visual schedule for kids free printable

Examples of classroom and individual schedule and activity cards

Free picture schedule

Free visual schedule printables to help kids with daily routines

Free visual school schedules

How to templates- visual schedules

How to use visuals purposefully and effectively

Time to eat visual schedules

Using visual schedules: A guide for parents

Visual schedule for toddlers

Visual schedule resources

Visual supports and autism spectrum disorders

What is visual scheduling?

Why Children With ‘Severe Autism’ Are Overlooked by Science

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Published by: Spectrum
Writtten by: Alisa Opar

 

It should have been a perfect day. Lauren Primmer was hosting an annual party at her home in New Hampshire for families that, like hers, have adopted children from Ethiopia. On the warm, sunny July afternoon, about 40 people gathered for a feast of hot dogs, hamburgers and homemade Ethiopian dishes. The adults sipped drinks and caught up while the children swam in the pool and played basketball. It was entirely pleasant — at least, until the cake was served. When Primmer told her 11-year-old son Asaminew that he couldn’t have a second piece, he threw a tantrum so violent it took three adults to hold him down on the grass.
The Primmers adopted Asaminew from an orphanage in Ethiopia in 2008, when he was 26 months old. They had already adopted another child from the same orphanage in Ethiopia, and they have four older biological children. From the beginning, Primmer says, “He would only go to me, not anyone else.” That tendency, she later learned, may have been a symptom of reactive detachment disorder, a condition seen in some children who didn’t establish healthy emotional attachments with their caregivers as infants.
About a year and a half later, the family adopted three more Ethiopian children — siblings about Asaminew’s age — and he became aggressive. “When they first came, Asaminew was very abusive,” Primmer recalls. “He’d bite and scratch them.” The Primmers had to install gates on all of the children’s bedroom doors for their safety. Soon after he entered preschool, Asaminew began lashing out at his classmates, too. His teachers suggested that he be evaluated for autism. Doctors at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinic in Manchester, New Hampshire, diagnosed him with the condition. In addition to his violent episodes, they took note of his obsession with lining up toy cars and flushing toilets, his habit of taking his clothes off in public and his tendency to not follow rules at home or school. Asaminew is intellectually disabled and speaks in short, simple sentences. Click here to read the rest of the story

8 Proven Stategies To Attract And Retain Job Candidates On The Autism Spectrum

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Published by: ERE Recruiting Intelligence
Written by: Samatha Craft

Here are several strategies for attracting and retaining autistic job candidates, based on my experience working as a job recruiter and community manager for a U.S. technology company that provides employment for individuals on the autism spectrum.

Understand autism from different perspectives

Take time to read up on autism, including cultural and historical context by respected journalist. Examples of two well-received books are: NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity and In a Different Key: The Story of Autism. Consider professional accounts from well-known experts in the autism field, such as psychologist Tony Attwood and job coach Barbara Bissonnette. Click here to read the rest of the story.

Children With Autism and Breaks In Routine

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Published by: Kid Companion
Written by: Lorna dEntremont

A child with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may have greater difficulty in accepting changes of routine. This may be due to their greater need for predictability or difficulty when a pattern of routine is disrupted. Vacations, family visits, or field trips can be over-stimulating and distressing for the child with autism. If this is the case with your child, prepare BEFORE a scheduled change in routine occurs like before school breaks and for summer vacation. Click here for the rest of the story