Category Archives: Autism

500,000 teens with autism will become adults in next 10 years. Where will they work?

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Published By: Houston Chronicle
Written By: Suzanne Garofalo

When Olivia Shanks landed in the hospital, it changed her life.

She didn’t arrive as a patient, though — she came to work. The 21-year-old, who has high-functioning autism, has struggled to get places on time. Some basic workplace tasks stressed her out. Dependence on others dinged her self-confidence.

Her work in Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital’s food-services department came via one of Houston’s nonprofit groups providing job training and support for a population that’s exploding but finds few opportunities to live as fully as possible. Click here to read the rest of the story.

Developmental Disability Facts and Statistics

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Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions that are due to mental or physical impairments before the age of 22. A developmental disability can occur before, during or after birth. Common well-known developmental disabilities include autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and Fragile X syndrome. Here are some facts and statistics on developmental disabilities.

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  • Developmental Disability is a severe, long-term disability that affect cognitive ability, physical functioning or both.
  • 1 in 6 or about 15% of children aged 3 through 17 have one or more developmental disabilities.
  • Between 2014 and 2016 the prevalence of developmental disability among kids ages 3 to 17 increased from 5.76 percent to 6.99 percent.
  • Prevalence of autism increased 289.5%
  • Prevalence of ADHD increased 33.0 %
  • Males have a higher prevalence of ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, stuttering and other developmental disabilities.
  • Children from families with incomes below the federal poverty level had a higher prevalence of developmental disabilities.
  • 10% of Americans have a family member with an intellectual disability.
  • Intellectual disabilities are 25 times more common than blindness.
  • Every year 125,000 children are born with an intellectual disability
  • Approximately 85% of the intellectual disability is in the mild category.
  • About 10% of the intellectual disability is considered moderate
  • About 3-4% of the intellectual disability population is severe.
  • Only 1-2% is classified as profound.

 

Resources

National Institute of Health

25 Resources on 504 Accommodations and Modifications

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Section 504 is a federal law designed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities in programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education (Edefines a physical or mental impairment as any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological; musculoskeletal; special sense organs; respiratory, including speech organs; cardiovascular; reproductive; digestive; genito-urinary; hemic and lymphatic; skin; and endocrine; or any mental or psychological disorder, such as mental retardation, organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities.  

5 important classroom accommodations for children with autism

12 accommodations and modifications for dyslexic children in public school

20 modifications for students with autism

21 school accommodations available for children with special needs

504 accommodation checklist

504 plan: ADHD accommodations to manage ADHD symptoms at school

504 plan templates

A 504 plan for those with dyslexia

A parents guide to section 504

504 Education Plans

504 Plan: What is it?

Accommodations and supports for school-age students with autism

Accommodations for ADHD students K-12 in the classroom

Accommodations for students with learning disabilities

Classroom accommodations for ADHD

Classroom accommodations for dyslexic students

Classroom accommodations for students with epilepsy

Developing 504 Classroom accommodation plans

Dyslexia accommodations: How to know what your child needs

Dyslexia and accommodations- ADA guidelines for school and work

Examples of accommodations and modifications

Modification for students with Down syndrome

Section 504 and Discrimination

Section 504: sample accommodations and modifications

What are school accommodations and modifications for students with Asperger’s?

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.

What are the biggest misconceptions about employing autistic people?

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Published By: Sheffield Hallen University
Written By: Dr. Luke Beardon

Some employers assume that because a person is autistic they will also have some kind of learning disability. This is absolutely not true for the majority. Autistic adults display a range of intellectual abilities – as do the predominant neurotype (PNT) (non-autistic) population – from low IQ to members of Mensa.

Here are five more misconceptions about autistic people in the workplace – and why they’re not true. 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

 

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?