Great strides have been made in the past few years towards embracing the inherent challenges and discoveries made about the different degrees of autism. Targeted diets, advanced educator training, multitudes of periodical resources and specialized mainstream community mentor programs are all available to lend support. However, it is technology in the classroom that has propelled… Continue Reading
Your 2-year-old son has tantrums all the time. Just moving his favorite chair can trigger a meltdown. He grunts and points when he wants something. He rarely looks you in the eye and often doesn’t respond to his name. Family and friends are reassuring. “Kids develop at different paces.” “He’s just quiet.” “My co-worker’s child… Continue Reading
Repetitive behavior? It’s all relative. And new research from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA, illustrates that the repetitive behavior exhibited by parents themselves may hold the secret to determining what might be typical behavior for a developing child and what might be an early indicator of future developmental struggles. David Evans, professor of psychology at… Continue Reading
Proper nutrition paves the way for development, eliminating barriers and promoting growth. By being selective and deliberate in the foods your child eats, you can help improve his/her brain development and behavior. Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) benefit most from organic diets. This type of diet features fewer toxins, making it easier for… Continue Reading
If your child has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), he/she is far more likely to have one or more additional disorders—such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or a mood disorder. Current estimates tell us more than 50 percent of children with ASD have significant anxiety. It’s common for high-functioning children on the spectrum to realize they… Continue Reading
Early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be detected in infants, yet many children with autism do not receive a diagnosis until the ages of two or three. While not every autistic baby is able to be diagnosed as an infant, there are many benefits to receiving a diagnosis before reaching preschool age. According… Continue Reading
Ollie was slow to speak—I believe he was intensely absorbing instead! For the first three years of his life, he appeared to be on total sensory overload. As he grew, it became increasingly clear that he was very bright, but he lacked the ability to read and process faces and body language or to second… Continue Reading
What is low functioning autism? Low functioning autism falls on the more severe end of the autism spectrum. Children diagnosed with this form of autism need more support to complete daily tasks as they struggle to communicate and manage their behaviors. Symptoms are typically identifiable in infancy or early childhood, as those diagnosed will not… Continue Reading
Encopresis is a common struggle for autistic children. The scientific term comes from the Greek en– (“inside”) and kopros (“stool”). In other words, “you have poop stuck inside you.” When simple constipation turns into a hard, dry blockage, soft stool leaks around the block. The child usually can’t control the leakage. Often, the encopresis develops… Continue Reading
You can’t change the radio channel fast enough. You’ve had a bad day, and you can’t make up your mind what you want to want to listen to. You scan the radio channels like you are looking for a needle in a haystack. Then you hear it. That old song that takes you back to… Continue Reading