Is There a Cure for Autism?
Some families feel relief after an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. Other families are hesitant to accept the diagnosis. Almost all families feel overwhelmed and ask, “What is the cure for autism?” There is no cure for autism, but there are treatments that can reduce some symptoms. Early intervention is key to making sure your […]
Continue readingCBD Oil for Autism: Benefits and Usage Guide
Have you been following the recent news reporting the benefits of CBD oils for autism? While scientific studies are underway, families report CBD oils can reduce stress for people on the autism spectrum, as well as lessen aggression, self-injurious behaviors, and anxiety surrounding social interactions. Recent reports indicate CBD can aid children with co-occurring seizures. […]
Continue readingAutism Diet and Nutrition: How Does it Affect Autism Health?
Although there is no conclusive evidence that diet can improve symptoms of autism, many parents and caregivers of children with autism are using nutrition to modify and manage some behaviors that come with being on the spectrum. Quick Navigation What is the connection of diet to overall autism health? Can Diet Treat Autism? Autism and […]
Continue readingMedical Cannabis, Autism, and the Transformation of Medicine
In 1987, during my freshman year at Lehigh University, our first English assignment was to write a letter to an elected official advocating for a controversial issue of our choosing. I decided to write my United States congressman to express why I believed marijuana should be legalized. What was supposed to be a three to […]
Continue readingExpert Advice on Caring for Your ASD Child’s Teeth for Life
When it comes to dental hygiene, it can be challenging for children with autism to regularly brush their teeth. They might experience discomfort when cleaning for the first time, making them dislike performing this important task. If you are a parent or a caregiver, you must be creative and consistent in finding ways to establish […]
Continue readingOppositional Defiant Disorder Treatment Plan
What Is Oppositional Defiant Disorder? Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a type of behavior disorder mostly seen in children. Children with ODD have consistent behavior patterns which include being argumentative and defiant towards parents and other figures of authority. According to documentation from the DSM-5, oppositional defiant disorder is “a pattern of angry/irritable mood, argumentative/defiant […]
Continue readingGABA Supplements for Autism
What is GABA? Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. It is responsible for “reducing neuronal excitability throughout the nervous system.” By decreasing activity in the nervous system, GABA aid in reducing fight or flight responses such as fear, anxiety, aggression, stress, and agitation. Research suggests it might also […]
Continue readingAutism Grants for Families
How to apply for autism grants Applying for grants can seem like a daunting process. Don’t let paperwork, reference letters, and the waiting game discourage you from filling out an application. As an increasing volume of research on autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is published, public awareness is rising, and services—including grants—are more readily available than […]
Continue readingThe Thyroid and Autism Connection
Scientists and researchers have noted that autism and thyroid disease are two epidemics on the rise. Dr. Raphael Kellman believes autism and thyroid disease are closely related. His study showed that 75 percent of children with autism have undiagnosed thyroid problems often due to unreliable blood tests. The most common type of thyroid disease seen […]
Continue readingAutism and Depression: Connections Between Autism, Mental Health, Emotions, and Other Co-Relating Conditions
What is depression? Psychiatry.org defines depression as a medical illness that causes “feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed.” People with autism, particularly teens and adults, are prone to depression. At this stage of their lives, autistic teens and adults have more social experiences. As a result, they can go […]
Continue readingHigh Functioning Autism and Other Types of Autism
What is autism? Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a broad term used to describe a grouping of neurodevelopmental disorders. It can often affect a person’s way of interacting with others. People with autism often experience the world differently than their neurotypical peers. While the term autism covers a broad spectrum of symptoms, it is typically […]
Continue readingWhat Are the Possible Causes of Autism?
What causes autism? To this day, scientists and researchers are still investigating the cause of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). After years of studies and examination, it is apparent that a single factor may not cause autism. What is clear is that autism the result of a combination of physical and environmental factors that ultimately affect […]
Continue readingAutism Stimming, Hand flapping and other self stimulatory behaviors
Repetitive self stimulatory behaviours like hand flapping, spinning, shaking are all very mysterious to someone without autism but what does it represent? In this guide we discuss everything you need to know about to stimming and how to manage it. What is the definition of stimming? Autism Stimming or stim is a kind of […]
Continue readingWays ABA Therapy Can Help Improve Skills For Life
Learning that your child has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be very difficult for family members. One of the most important things to remember is that your child is still the same child that he/she was prior to the diagnosis. As you learn about ASD and begin to use resources and find […]
Continue readingAnxiety and Autism: Best Ways to Relieve the Effects of Anxiety
Anxiety and autism disorders Approximately 40 percent of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) also have an anxiety disorder (Steensel, Bögels, & Perrin, 2011). Anxiety can exacerbate symptoms of ASD making communication and social interactions increasingly difficult. Helping a child with autism learn practical skills to manage his/her anxiety can improve quality of life […]
Continue readingAutism Medication Guide: Treating Autism and Its Core Symptoms
While the first clinical account of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was published more than 75 years ago by child psychiatrist Leo Kanner, the precise cause of autism is still not clear to scientists. Billions of dollars have been spent on autism research over the years in an attempt to unravel the mystery that now affects […]
Continue readingFinding the Right Therapy to Help Foster Independence With Special Needs
Functional independence skills are necessary for daily living and establishing quality of life. For ‘neuro-typical’ individuals, we exercise functional independence every day without thinking much about it. We get ourselves up, bathed, dressed, fed and out the door instinctually. For children with autism, however, these functional skills are often not always innate. It’s important to […]
Continue readingNew Treatment May Help ASD Kids Struggling With Weight Gain
As many parents already know, medications for managing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can cause challenging side effects. For the common symptoms of irritability and agitation, only two drugs are FDA approved—risperidone and aripiprazole—and unfortunately both can cause intense food cravings that lead to weight gain. The drugs are effective at reducing tantrums and aggression, so […]
Continue readingThe best toys for autistic kids
What are the best toys for autistic children? Children are so different from one another and so are their needs. Does your child like physical activity? An indoor ball pit or trampoline might help your child with autism expend some energy. What about sensory issues? Many kids benefit from soothing toys such as stress balls […]
Continue readingSensory Integration and Special Needs in the Dental Office
Most people have some degree of aversion to the sensory-rich dental experience. The sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and metallic instruments are literally in our faces. We can’t move or escape, while the dentist contorts our lips, sprays water while our mouths are open, and we try to breathe and communicate. It’s a challenge whether special […]
Continue readingWays Autism Focused Couple Therapy Can Change Your Life
As a practicing clinician specializing in adult diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), I have noticed that as the diagnosis of children impacted on the spectrum has dramatically increased (current statistic from the Centers for Disease Control is 1:55), the first time diagnostic rates for adults on the spectrum also continue to skyrocket, making the […]
Continue readingCalming Self-Injurious Behavior with a Simple Touch
The hardest part of treating people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is observing self-injurious behavior. It is especially difficult for the individual’s family and carers to witness them hurting themselves with such aggression when they do not always understand the reason or cause of the trigger. Therefore, I take my clients’ needs very seriously, and […]
Continue readingAutism and ADHD: Do You Know How to Help with Co-Occurring Conditions?
Among school-age children, an estimated 11 percent are diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). What most parents, teachers, and school counselors may not realize is that children with ADHD may also manifest symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Having two or more co-occurring diseases or disorders is defined as being comorbid or having comorbidities. […]
Continue readingEvidence vs. Speculation: How to Know Which ASD Therapies Work
Do an online search for “autism therapy for children,” and you will get more than 90 million results offering everything from applied behavior analysis (ABA), equine therapy, restricted diets, hyperbaric chambers, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and alternating tactile stimulation, to behavioral therapy, chelation, electroconvulsive therapy and much more. Parents want the best for their children […]
Continue readingDoctor Makes Great Strides with Unique Treatment for Autism
Significant overall improvements often occur in those with autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by medically treating their coexisting inner-ear/cerebellar-determined (dyslexia or learning disabilities (LD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety related) symptoms with inner-ear-improving medications. Despite significant scientific advances, we currently do not know the primary cause(s) and cure of autism. Thus a […]
Continue readingCan DIR Floortime Help Kids With Autism Develop Communication Skills?
Is your child with autism passive or sensory seeking? Are there developmental delays? DIR Floortime therapy, an evidence-based intervention for autism, may strengthen basic communication skills and relationship skills for your child. What is DIR Floortime? Developmental Individual-difference Relationship-based model (DIR) Floortime was developed by the late Dr. Stanley Greenspan to help children with autism […]
Continue readingThe Benefits of Medical Marijuana and CBD Oil for Autism
We recently released a special guide about the use of the use CBD oil for children with autism and you can read more here. Children’s Hospital will study medical marijuana’s effect on children with autism An upcoming study at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia will be the first of its kind in the United States to […]
Continue readingWhy Can’t We Talk About Autism in the Asian-American Community?
Growing up in a fairly strict and conservative first-generation Korean home in the United States, we were taught we shouldn’t discuss any of our issues outside the home. We are a culture that feels we must suffer in silence, for it is disgraceful to be so open about our challenges in public. Unfortunately, this is the mindset of the […]
Continue readingStudy Reveals That Unpruned Extra Synapses May Cause Autism
As part of a special brain-tissue study, a group of researchers from Columbia University Medical Center made an extraordinary discovery when they examined the brain tissues of children with autism. According to researchers, the study revealed that the brains of the children studied had an excess of synapses, the structure that permits a neuron to pass an […]
Continue readingA Mother’s Amazing Quest to Help Her Child with Autism – Autism: A Family Journey
When Cindy and Phil Rasmussen welcomed baby son Steven into the world in 1971, the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder also was in its infancy. In Autism – A Family Journey, published by Kitsap Publishing, author Cindy Rasmussen charts the difficult but inspiring course they have navigated ever since through a maze of […]
Continue readingExperts’ Advice: Fidget Spinners Are Not for ADHD Treatment
In the center of the huge frenzy the miracle gadget fidget spinner stirred, experts recently revealed that the spinner is nothing more than a regular toy. Fidget spinners have been marketed as easy to carry anxiety-busting gadgets that can aid children and adults with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and any type of anxiety disorder. […]
Continue readingAutism Discovery: Some Children with Autism May Benefit from Oxytocin Treatment
A study done by Stanford University of Medicine on the use of oxytocin as treatment for children with autism revealed that children with low baseline oxytocin levels exhibited improved social behaviors. The study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was the first one conducted on how oxytocin baseline levels […]
Continue readingIssue 60 – Sensory Tools For The Future
Buy Single IssueSubscribe today and save 50%Features:6 Expert Ways to Help Your Sensory-Sensitive Child DressA pediatric occupational therapist shares great tips for dressing a child when hypersensitivity to certain fabrics or surfaces is a challenge.Susan Donohoe, OTR/L The Best Academic Choice for Your Child’s NeedsA special guide to the many educational options for young people on […]
Continue readingThe Best Autism Therapies and Solutions
Finding the best method for treating autism is often a challenge for the loved ones of children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Because no two people with ASD are exactly the same, it’s vital to choose a method of treatment and therapy and an intervention plan that is tailored to address specific needs. […]
Continue readingIssue 59 – Top Strategies, Therapies and Treatments for Autism
Buy Single IssueSubscribe today and save 50%Features:How to Take Charge of Your Child’s ASD Treatment NowTop advice on ways parents can collaborate with teachers and service providers to coordinate support in every environment.Cornelia Pelzer Elwood and D. Scott McLeod, PhD Exciting Ways Equine Therapy Can Help a Child You LoveAn exclusive interview with the founder of […]
Continue readingHigh Quality ABA Treatment: What Every Parent Needs to Know
Dr. Stephen Shore once said “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” As many of you know, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reports that there are now 1 in 68 children living with autism in the United States. What this means for each child and his/her family […]
Continue reading5 Top Reasons Qigong May be Right for Your Special Needs Child
By Sazini Nzula, PhD, Certified QST Therapist Parents often struggle with choosing from the myriad of therapies available. I remember the intense feeling of being crushed by too much information coming at me all at once. Those were the early days following my son’s diagnosis with autism. I waded through it all, found what I […]
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