World Autism Day 2011: A Response To Needs of Children With Autism Expected To Increase

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World Autism Day 2011: An International Day for Awareness of Autism and the Needs of Adults and Children With Autism In Our Global Community

World Autism Day is a loud message from the parents, and professionals concerned about the medical, educational, social, and community based needs of the world-wide population of millions of children and adults living with Autism. When the day recedes the media will shift its focus but many of us will persist reminding and educating as we are able so that awareness of Autism will continue to remain in the limelight.

Did you know that there is an estimated 1 in 110 children with autism in the U.S.? This is the estimate recently released by the Center for Disease Control. This data is based on studies conducted and information gathered from 14 sites in the U.S. during 2002.

The Autism Society of America has projected that there will be approximately 4 million people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (here, we will use the word "condition" for now) living in the United States over the next 10 years.




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Resources and Clinical Guidance For Children With Autism

Creative approaches for a growing need to support family and individuals coping with autism

There is a growing concern regarding how the countless children with autism spectrum conditions will receive resources and services in the next decade.

The purpose of this lens is to provide resources and professional and clinically informed guidance and suggestions to families, friends, and other colleagues about my personal expertise regarding children with autism and autism spectrum conditions. I have gleaned a wealth of insights and eclectica in my own practice with children and their families that I believe can be helpful in the day-to-day lives of so many.

This initial lens will eventually be broken up into related lenses on various aspects and levels of interest concerning Autism. Future lenses associated with this lens will focus on aspects of socialization, communication, education, parent and sibling support, community present and future, health and medical, and a variety of other topics.


My long range plan is to create a space where family, friends, professionals, community planners, local, state, and federal representatives, corporations, and the general public can begin a dialogue to create friendly, supportive communities and services for these children as they mature and enter mainstream society. Moreover, I envision this space to be most open to those with autism who could contribute the most in providing the insights, recommendations, and guidance for this envisioned community to emerge as one that truly does serve the population with autism in the manner which those who have autism spectrum conditions would prefer to be assisted.

Does My Child Have Autism?


With the daily media bombardment of sound bites about Autism, many parents, especially new parents are constantly asking me, "Does My Child Have Autism?"While my professional scope of practice does not allow for me to provide a medical diagnosis such as Autism, I am able to direct parents to professionals who can.

Diagnosis aside, as a Speech-Language Practitioner I have encountered and provided therapy services for many children who have been diagnosed with Autism and countless others who I have referred for further diagnostic evaluation. There are patterns and traits that can strongly suggest that a child has Autism.

While my clinical orientation is more focused on communication and language acquisition, I as well as many Speech-Language Pathologists are often the first clinicians to identify a child suspected of having Autism. In general, this is because children with a delay in speech and/or language are often first referred for a speech and language evaluation.


An estimated 700 searches are made everyday for the signs and symptoms of Autism. Parents, family, and friends are searching for clear, concise, clinically informed, and user friendly (i.e., in layman's terms) basic information about Autism. For the reader who is just beginning their education about Autism or who is concerned about a child they know, I would highly recommend the following books:

Does My Child Have Autism?

Could It Be Autism?


For those who have a child who has just received a diagnosis of Autism, I would recommend the following book list:


The Autism Answer Book

Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Complete Guide to Understanding Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, and Other ASDs

Essential Guide To Autism (Instant Downloadable eBook)

The OASIS Guide to Asperger Syndrome: Advice, Support, Insight, and Inspiration

What Is Autism?

An Introduction To Autism

The following video addresses some basic and immediate concerns for those who have not yet encountered autism.

The clinicians discuss briefly what autism is, what it means to be autistic, what autism spectrum disorder means, the challenges of diagnosis and treatment for each child with autism. There is also a general discussion about parental reactions and how families adapt to their child's condition over time.
ASD (Autism) 101
by Sayheycincy | video info

30 ratings | 16,088 views
curated content from YouTube

Graphic Increases of Children With Autism

Children With Autism- The Signs

Many Children With Autism Show These Behaviors

Here are some great examples of how children with autism interact with their environment and with family. Watch their expressions and the very subtle ways they are communicating with their movements, their bodies, their eyes, their facial expressions. These children are very much aware and telling us volumes-- we need to pay attention to their cues.

 




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The Face of Autism

The Face of Autism 0 points

Autism - Newly Diagnosed/ Shock and Grief Part 2 of 2

Autism - Newly Diagn... 0 points

The Grip of Autism

The Grip of Autism 0 points

The Progression For Many Children With Autism

Paying attention to the signs and early detection go hand in hand

Although this child seems to be smiling and using eye contact there are many tell-tale signs that he is responding to sensory and social stimulation in atypical ways for his age. The progression of these videos is a great example of what can be observed in many children with autism over several months.

For More Video Content about Autism Go To My Video Showcase: Autism Life

Phoenix before Autism

Phoenix before Autis... 0 points

Phoenix two months after autism diagnosis

Phoenix two months a... 0 points

Phoenix four months after Autism diagnosis

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Top Reading List For Parents

A Highly Recommended List

Building Social Relationships: A Systematic Approach to Teaching Social Interaction Skills to Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Social Difficulties by Scott, Ph.d. Bellini

Building Social Relationships: A Systematic Approach to Teaching Social Interaction Skills to Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Social Difficulties by Scott, Ph.d. Bellini

Parents and professionals often ask how to teach s more...0 points

The Best of Autism Asperger's Digest Magazine, Volume 1: Outstanding Selections from Over Four Years of Issues!

The Best of Autism Asperger's Digest Magazine, Volume 1: Outstanding Selections from Over Four Years of Issues!

Nowhere else is so much applicable information on more...0 points

Just Take a Bite by Lori Ernsperger

Just Take a Bite by Lori Ernsperger

"Just Take a Bite" takes more...0 points

1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders by Veronica Zysk

1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders by Veronica Zysk

In a snappy, can-do format, 1001 Great Ideas for Teaching more...0 points

Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew by Ellen Notbohm

Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew by Ellen Notbohm

Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew more...0 points

Playing, Laughing and Learning with Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Practical Resource of Play Ideas for Parents and Carers by Julia Moor

Playing, Laughing and Learning with Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Practical Resource of Play Ideas for Parents and Carers by Julia Moor

Parents of young children on the autism spectrum a more...0 points

In - House Speech-Language Specialist

A caring clinician

Hi, my name is Cris Delgado. I wanted to introduce myself to each reader and greet each one with a heartfelt, and warm welcome to a topic that is often difficult for parents and families to think about or discuss.

For 30+ years I have worked with people with severe communication challenges. Over the past 15 years I have been more focused on helping children with communication challenges--specifically children with Autism, Down's Syndrome, or other language and developmental delays and disorders.

In addition, to my clinical experience, I have a brother who was born with a developmental disability. Much of my interest in the field is driven by my personal experiences related to my brother's lifelong challenges.

I have been certified for 22 years to practice Speech-Language Pathology by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). I am currently in private practice, working daily with children and families who are in need of support and training to address their communication challenges related to autism.

The main reason I started this lens was to provide a resource center on the internet where others could communicate with a specialist in the field. This is a place for parents, grandparents, other family and friends, teachers, clinicians, community planners, --anyone really--to gain clinically informed and practical knowledge, information, support, guidance, insights, and more about effectively communicating with children with Autism.

It was also created to provide a platform for people with autism to share their own informed knowledge and information to support others. My end goal is to create a space where everyone can freely share and exchange a variety of ideas and thoughts about autism that can be used to establish a healthy dialog between those who experience Autism firsthand and the rest of the global community.

My vision for this lens (and subsequently an entire website dedicated to this goal)is to create a place on the internet that gives a human, practical, autism friendly atmosphere. My expectation is that it will be a leader site in innovation and inspiration for anyone trying to better accommodate a compassionate and accessible world for people with Autism.

Cris Delgado Speech Language Therapist and Autism Consultant

Downloadable Ebooks About Children With Autism




Click Here To Get Your Downloadable Essential Guide To Autism

Here is just some of what you'll learn:

The history of autism - including when it was first discovered, initial treatments, myths surrounding the disorder and more .

13 common ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) misconceptions and the real truth for each - this information will greatly help put your mind at ease about this dreaded disorder.

The three main signs of autism - and how to quickly and easily recognize each.

The three broad categories of autism - and how to immediately tell in which category someone with autism belongs.

The 5 most recent, most accepted theories about the cause of ASDs - this information may surprise you.

13 questions all concerned parents should ask themselves if they think their child may have autism - your responses to these questions will ensure you know what step to take next .

28 additional signs of autism - you'll know exactly what behaviors to look for when assessing your child or loved one.

Common treatments for autism - and how to know if a treatment is right for your child or loved one .

18 questions you should always ask before submitting your child or loved one for a particular treatment - this information will help ensure your child receives the treatment that's right for him or her .

The six most common autism treatments used today - plus, whether or not it is good to combine treatments.

The positives and negatives of using Applied Behavioral Analysis to treat autism - and how to tell if your child is right for an ABA program.

How to choose an ABA provider - including four things that you should always look for before deciding upon a provider.

The five steps involved in a successful floor time program - if a program doesn't include all five of these steps then it is definitely not right for you child.

The effectiveness of the most common alternative autism treatments - plus, 14 things that you should always look for before selecting an alternative treatment program.

How to use the diet to help control autism naturally - proponents of dietary management of autism agree that many symptoms will decrease in severity.

Another complete guide available:

Autism, Aspergers, ASD- Help and Advice For Parents
Click Here to Purchase A Downloadable Copy!

This package has 4 books called "Rules of The Game" plus 3 Bonus Workbooks. Author is Academically Qualified with 13+ years experience as Both a Mother and a Consultant to Parents.

Great Books For Teachers

You're Going to Love This Kid!: Teaching Students With Autism in the Inclusive Classroom by Paula Kluth

You're Going to Love This Kid!: Teaching Students With Autism in the Inclusive Classroom by Paula Kluth

Guide to understanding students with autism and in more...0 points

Online Resources For People with Autism

Recommended for Older Individuals with Autism/Asperger's and Parents with Children Who Have ASD

Sites For Individuals With Asperger's, and Autism and For Parents
WrongPlanet.net
A web community designed for individuals (and parents of those) with Asperger's Syndrome, Autism, ADHD, and other PDDs.


Podcasts
AutismPodcast.org


Articles
I Am The Happy Mother of An Autistic Child


Open Grazr

Children With Autism Lens Recommends

Health-Reports
I have read and carefully reviewed a lot of sites about autism. I have found that this site seems to present good alternative health information and approaches to helping improve the pervasive symptoms that often go undetected in children with autism. Click on the title of this paragraph to go to the site.


These flashcards were created by a father (Jeffrey Sprecher) who has a child with Autism. The flashcards are an affordable way to enhance visual learning and are also very useful in helping your child to better understand what you may want to communicate to him or her. You will find videos and other great products at: Special-Kids.com




Here's another great product from Jeffrey Sprecher at: Special-Kids.com
These step-by-step skill modeling posters are brilliant! They can be used to help your child be able to complete a self grooming sequence (e.g., taking a bath/shower)using visual cues. Not every child can complete a long sequence of steps so this may be helpful for helping him or her remember or understand key steps to completing a task or to be able to understand what is going to happen next during an often challenging grooming task.




The Time Out Bear! Here's a great idea for helping with time out issues. The bear can be purchased at: InstantHelpBooks.com





The Miracle Belt is a new product but the concept has been around for a while. This weighted belt has been found to help children with Autism to overcome balance and sensory integration challenges.

This belt may be more desirable for a child with really high sensitivity than the weighted vest that many children will not tolerate. There is a product demo available and the belt can be purchased at: MiracleBelt.com



Autism and the God Connection





The Soul of Autism: Looking Beyond Labels to Unveil Spiritual Secrets of the Heart Savants

Common Signs and Symptoms of Children With Autism

Early Behavior Patterns in Toddlers and Young Children

Aspects of AutismSome parents have reported that they began to notice unusual patterns of behavior in their child as early as a week or two after birth. These are generally, parents who have had one or more other children. Many grandparents or daycare providers are often the primary source of encouragement for the parent to seek help from their pediatrician.

Most parents, especially first time parents may not recognize signs and symptoms until well into the 2nd year. These children are often referred for early intervention evaluation and services by the family's pediatrician.

Unfortunately, while many children are identified by 18 months to 24 months, there are countless children who are not identified until after their third birthday. There are a number of reasons for this with the primary ones being:

* lack of parental awareness of developmental skills for the child's age
* parental resistance to the acknowledgment or denial of the child's challenges
* low prevalence of community information available to parents
* lack of physician awareness in current trends in early identification and services available (many pediatricians continue to advise the parent to wait and see how the child develops or informs the parent that the child will catch up or outgrow the problems).

For most regions of the country, there are active campaigns and projects to address and resolve many of these challenging issues. However, those children who do not currently receive evaluation prior to their third birthday may often not be identified or referred for evaluation until, perhaps 5-6 years of age.

When a child has not been referred prior to their third birthday it is often a much greater challenge to receive the necessary services and interventions for the child. Also, by the time the child has reached 3, 4, or 5 years without intervention there are a number of very difficult challenges to resolve for the child and the family.

The following are some examples of challenges that arise without early detection:



* Children with Autism often develop very rigid patterns and sets of rules or expectations/perceptions that cause many disruptions in family dynamics and routines.
* Children with Autism develop a significantly greater number of sensitivities, phobias, and fears as a result of sensory issues that are not addressed. These unresolved issues cause high internal anxiety levels.
* High anxiety levels in a child with Autism causes the child to function throughout the day in a "fight or flight" mode, causing further trauma and a desire to withdraw from people and situations that most children enjoy.
* This anxiety state is often the predominant underlying factor that prevents a child with Autism from learning in typical, natural incidents and situations that most children experience and use to acquire knowledge.
* High levels of anxiety and stress damage and destroy brain cells, thus contributing to even greater severity of challenges.

Autism Characteristics

Some of the common and classic traits seen in children with autism

Complex Communication Challenges



In this segment there is an excellent example of the communication challenges for children with autism on video. This is a video about a little boy who likes transformer toys- a lot!

But also notice the out of sync aspects going on between the parent's communication style compared with that of the child. Notice the early non-verbal cues Adam is giving about his frustration--it comes very early on before he even starts to rub his eyes and hide his face. Watch the body language before the first question.


This mom has a good sense of how to gently facilitate his resistance to verbally communicating. Notice how she asks his brother questions when he is beginning to get more frustrated with her questions.

Also note, how later on after he says he doesn't want to say goodbye to the camera, that he expresses a question about his curiosity of how his mom made the film. Then he gets really frustrated and cries, "no, I don't want it ON!"

He isn't saying he wants his mother to turn off the film, here he is upset because he is having difficulty clearly expressing his true desire to see what she has recorded. He is so frustrated with her questions though, that he blurts out a statement but the word he wants to say comes out as "on" vs "off".

This video is rich with the child's cues to what troubles him in verbal communication. He has challenges with coping with multiple strings of words (they are likely distracting to him). He has resistance to his mom's communication with him (perhaps, due to a history of episodes when he has felt frustrated and agitated in the past with the challenges of verbally communicating--especially answering questions, or he may be expressing a bit of shyness, or both).

He also seems to have an aversive reaction to his mother's vocal tone/quality (he may be resistant to the tone of question in her voice, or he may just get easily agitated whenever words are used or directed towards him by anyone with a soft vocal tone--kind of like nails on a chalkboard). This is very common.

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Tricks and Strategies To Better Understand

What we can learn about communication between typical communicators and people with autism

These patterns are often even more subtle than in this example with Adam and his mom. Many parents and therapists miss the cues (it is to be expected because there are more to miss than with an adept child).

His subtle onset of agitation, the aspects of communicating styles, vocal tone, timing and type of verbal interactions (e.g., questions vs statements, telling vs listening, turn-taking vs performance) are all very overwhelming for most typical communicators who may interact with a child with autism. Most typical communicators aren't even aware of when they have broken communication link with the child.

Click Here To Order This PosterAutism Awareness

Many people who communicate with children with Adam's level of language skill misperceive the child as being difficult, lazy, shy, and able to "communicate when he wants to". These would all be inaccurate and incomplete assumptions.
Adam is likely experiencing all of these. However, the underlying challenge of his own sense of the purpose of communication, his agitation with voice sound or demand on his system to decode and process what is said, his difficulty in formulating responses at the level of frequency his mom is requiring are almost unsurmountable for him.

Yet, because of his level of curiosity, his language level, his mother's adaptive skills he is willing to persist to get his point across. Many children with autism are unable to break through all of these factors. It is a major reason why you may often encounter a child acting out unexpectedly, or non-responsive verbally and or socially.(see the video below for an example of this)

Communication style and timing are key factors in how successful a child with autism is able to be in his or her own communication function. Being able to quickly read cues and to quickly interpret the cues accurately based on context, what has just occurred, and what one knows about the child-- these are all factors that must be accounted for during any interaction with a child with autism. We (i.e., parents, teachers, and therapists) all have a lot to learn in how to communicate effectively with children who have autism



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Occupational Therapy for Children with Autism

what naturalistic sensory integration therapy looks like for kids under 3

Occupational Therapy (OT) is often left out of the therapy equation. Many physicians and service agencies will refer to a Speech- Language Interventionist for children under 3 but do not refer for OT.

While I frequently have doctors, parents, or grandparents ask me why Speech Therapy is necessary for children below 3, many more aren't even aware of how essential OT is for this age group, especially when the child has autism.

The majority of children with autism (and many other children who are "late talkers") experience a variety of sensory or sensitivity issues that affect their ability to: focus, pay attention, sit still, cope with changes in their routines, tolerate clothing and/or diapers, pick up on language, organize information, make associations, listen, perform simple sequences, and much more.

An OT with a thorough understanding of sensory processing disorder in children under 3 affects the way children develop is an invaluable member of any team working with a child who has autism. It is essential that the OT understands how the vestibular part of the brain (that part that regulates all aspects of language development, learning, organizing and coping with external stimulation, and physical coordination areas included) and the quality of its function affect the child's ability to develop and apply knowledge in useful ways.

Click on the image of the head to watch a brief animated presentation on the parts of the brain we are talking about.


Then return to watch the video below.

 




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Therapy Sights and Sounds
by milestherapy | video info

1 rating | 453 views
curated content from YouTube

More Helpful Resources

A Brilliant Example of What Children With Autism May Be Experiencing

A Must See!

With this brilliantly created video it is easier to understand the effects of audio and visual stimulation in these kids. Note how there are so many things to distract, how the auditory aspects seem to drag or echo.

These are the suspected perceptions that I and many of my colleagues believe play such a significant role in how children with autism and sensory processing disorder experience the world. It may also lend to improved insight into why these children don't seem to learn the way other children do.

Now, this does not have to be viewed as horrific. Understanding it can help those without autism look at their own world and the world of people with autism in more creative ways that may help to provide shared contexts for anyone who wants to have better interactions and communication with people who experience their environment in this way.

 




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Throu the eyes of Autism
by fracturedpersona | video info

150 ratings | 107,819 views
curated content from YouTube

Children With Autism Shop

Great Ideas For Play and Learning

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Our Children With Autism Are Awesome!

Great Gift Ideas That Make a Statement About Autism

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Terrific Idea Store

Fabulous Shopping For Children With Autism

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Autism Forum

Group Discussion Is Welcome



Don't see what you're looking for? Drop a comment or a question below.

Open discussion on any topic related to autism is welcome. Your personal views will be respected.

Questions are also welcome. I will answer those to the best of my ability and find answers when I don't have an immediate one.

Check back here often, as I will be adding more to this lens regularly.

Lensmaster

Phillyfreeze69 wrote...

The resources featured in this lens is extensive and very useful. I will definitely bookmark for future reference. For the past 16 years I have been employed at a Pediatric medical facility for medically fragile and technology dependent children from infancy to teenage years and this information will allow me to better understand the autistic children that I come in contact with on a daily basis.

ReplyPosted January 13, 2011

Lensmaster

Nourishing_hope wrote...

This is a wonderful lens! You share a lot of very helpful information here. I'd love it if you'd stop by my lens and say hello when you get the chance.

ReplyPosted March 13, 2009

Lensmaster

annalaurabrown wrote...

As an adult with PDD I found this lens to be very informative and helpful. Well Done.

ReplyPosted March 10, 2009

Lensmaster

nightstar wrote...

I have have been recently diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and I have just started a lens on my experiences since the diagnosis. I am pretty sure I am not the only adult who has problems getting services. Maybe other people have more experiences to contribute to my lens. I would love to recieve comments on other peoples experiences with Autism and Asperger's syndrome.

ReplyPosted October 13, 2008

Lensmaster

debnet wrote...

Great Lens Cris! So much information. I'll be following up some of the links & info you've provided & will be sharing with my colleagues in the UK. I've lensrolled to my Selective Mutism Lens ;)

ReplyPosted July 06, 2008

 
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Image and Photo Source Credits

Collage of faces
Southwest Autism Network is a program sponsored by the Center for Development and Disability at the University of New Mexico Health sciences Center.
Kids in Teal Shirts
Photo from an LA Times article reviewing a musical about Autism
Boy in Blue with Wide Open Mouth
From a featured story about children with Autism from MSNBC
Autie Community
A great website for Auties in the UK
Kid's Drawing of a House
From Children, Youth and Women's Health Service (CYWHS) promoting the health, well-being and development of children, young people and families across South Australia by providing:

* support to parents in areas of parenting
* health services for infants, children and young people
* support for families and children with additional needs
* up-to-date health information for parents, children and young people.
Toddler in the Red Swing
A very informative website (Discover-health.info) for children with Autism
Children With Autism Graphs
a site with detailed statistical information

Children with Autism Show Symptoms Early

A Physician's Advice

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