tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42303124668918079902024-03-08T04:53:59.236-08:00Autism Solutions SourceThis is a place to share good information about autism. I will share what I have learned that works and helps kids with autism. I also want to know the great things that you have learned from your own experience. I will post new information and add articles on a regular basis. The full list is at the end of this page.
Please feel free to suggest or ask about article topics that you do not see on this list.
Follow this page or subscribe to it and then share it with your friends.dobanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17205541076564652652noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230312466891807990.post-19765847136033837002011-01-14T18:34:00.000-08:002011-01-14T18:56:25.915-08:00Getting a Good Autism EvaluationOkay, I try not to use this blog to vent my frustration or opinion. But this is my exception and I hope you will understand. The problem is with autism evaluations. I pride myself on doing thorough evaluations. However, way too often parents bring in reports that are based only on a rating scale. You see rating scales are very subjective and are not designed to be used as an entire evaluation, Other times, I see reports where the physician spent a very brief time with the child in the office. A young child is often not going to show their best skills when they are in a place they have never been with strangers looking at them. A thorough evaluation that will lead to a correct diagnosis will involve observations in real life settings, as well as many other assessment tools. This is simply meant to be informative to parents. <a href="http://www.suite101.com/content/how-is-autism-diagnosed-a268837">How is Autism diagnosed?</a> This article will show what a quality evaluation should include.dobanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17205541076564652652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230312466891807990.post-35573133147296383262010-11-11T18:51:00.000-08:002010-11-11T19:04:18.229-08:00Autism and LearningAutism can definitely impact learning. However, the right accommodations can go a long way toward erasing learning difficulties. <a href="http://www.suite101.com/content/autism-and-learning-differences-a253864">Autism and learning differences</a> require the best <a href="http://www.suite101.com/content/autism-teaching-methods-a253907">teaching methods and strategies. </a>dobanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17205541076564652652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230312466891807990.post-72669423858570913052010-10-02T06:13:00.000-07:002010-10-02T06:29:48.508-07:00Vision and Autism: The Root of Autism Behaviors?Can a vision difference really be at the root of many "autism" type behaviors? The information on vision differences with autism is pretty extensive. Of course, every person is unique and so blanket statements cannot be made. However, the fact is that many children, and even adults, with autism have vision differences, such as moving print or lacking depth perception, among others. The intriguing thing is that professionals are linking those vision differences to many stereotypical behaviors often seen with autism. Just imagine! If some of your child's autism behaviors are really rooted in vision differences, then that implies that vision intervention (not typical correction such as glasses for near or far vision) could possibly help to reduce or eliminate some of those behaviors. We read so much about diet and ABA for those with autism, but what would be more simple than vision intervention. The full article can be read at <a href="http://www.suite101.com/content/autism-and-vision-a291650">Autism and Vision</a>. Find out how vision differences could be impacting your child.dobanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17205541076564652652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230312466891807990.post-23876448935969773552010-08-09T19:40:00.000-07:002010-08-09T19:46:20.407-07:00ADHD and AspergersI see reports all the time that show both diagnosis. I can see that sometimes it could be justified; however, most of the time it is done because the evaluator has just looked at surface behaviors and has not dug beneath the surface to look at the underlying causes for the behaviors or at more subtle behaviors and functioning. "<a href="http://autismaspergerssyndrome.suite101.com/article.cfm/difference-between-aspergers-and-adhd">Difference Between Asperger's and ADHD</a>" will hopefully help parents and evaluators better distinguish between the two disorders.dobanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17205541076564652652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230312466891807990.post-39351130588128460022010-07-25T13:32:00.000-07:002010-07-25T13:45:37.936-07:00How to Teach a Child with AutismOne of my specialties -having been a special education teacher and now consulting with teachers and setting up programs, is teaching children with autism. Children with autism do not have learning inabilities -they just have learning differences. Some are capable of far greater successes than others, but all can learn. part of the problems is that parents do not get a manual for their children and teachers generally only get a brief footnote about autism in their college studies (often less than one class period and possibly only a page in a text). Teaching children with autism to success takes education (tons of workshops and trainings) and experience. I have written a few new articles that lay out the basics of what I have learned that works. They include information on <a href="http://autistic-students.suite101.com/article.cfm/autism-and-learning-differences">learning differences in kids with autism</a>, <a href="http://autistic-students.suite101.com/article.cfm/autism-teaching-methods">methods of teaching children with autism</a>, and <a href="http://autistic-students.suite101.com/article.cfm/how-to-teach-social-skills-to-children-with-autism">teaching social skills to children with autism</a>.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a href="http://autistic-students.suite101.com/article.cfm/autism-and-learning-differences"><br /></a>dobanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17205541076564652652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230312466891807990.post-28066670434400720002010-06-20T06:48:00.000-07:002010-06-20T06:59:19.844-07:00Autism and EmploymentThere do not seem to be any verifiable statistics on employment rates for those with autism; however, estimates range from about 80% to over 90%. That is scary. One thing I have learned working with children with autism is that they have so much to offer, but the social aspect of career planning and job hunting seems to be a glass ceiling that keeps them out of the job market. My new series of articles on <a href="http://doban-autismarticles.blogspot.com/2010/06/autism-and-employment.html">Autism and Employment</a> is based on experience working with children with autism and on the best research and recommendations from experts.dobanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17205541076564652652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230312466891807990.post-56754046645408487582010-06-05T15:17:00.001-07:002010-06-05T15:33:53.881-07:00Summer Activities for Kids With AutismWell, at least summer break from school that is. For parents of children with autism, that means more time at home. If you are looking for activities for your child I would recommend scouts. Of course, for more severe lower functioning children with autism, scouts may not be the answer. However, I know many parents who have their children with autism or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Asperger's</span> involved in scouts and it has been great. The thing about scouts is that it is so structured. Kids go to meetings and there is a social aspect, but there is not as much unstructured social time. The meetings have agendas for building, making, doing, etc. And while it is so structured, and the kids are maybe starting out by working side by side, they begin to form those social relationships with each other because they get to know each other over a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">longer</span> course of time. Slowly forming social interactions in a very structured and highly supervised setting is perfect for most kids with autism spectrum disorders. What has your experience been?dobanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17205541076564652652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230312466891807990.post-37234853783228668012010-05-15T06:01:00.000-07:002010-05-15T06:09:28.028-07:00Anxiety in Children with AutismIf your are the parent of a child with autism, then you know all too well how frustrated they can get. Stress and frustration can occur at unexpected times. So can extreme discomfort or even pain due to common environmental stimuli that you or I might not even notice. That leads to anxiety over situations where kids with autism cannot control their environment to prevent those adverse sources of discomfort. Knowing how to prevent that anxiety or how to stop it when it happens can make a huge difference in a child's life. I do not normally direct one of my posts on here to an article, but...Get the <a href="http://www.xomba.com/anxiety_children_autism">solutions</a>. Let me know what your experience with anxiety has been and what solutions you have found.dobanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17205541076564652652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230312466891807990.post-52075868948477179902010-05-07T19:10:00.000-07:002010-05-07T19:18:15.881-07:00Getting Ready for School Next YearNow is the time to think about school next year. If your child has autism and is just starting school for the first time, now is the time to let the school know about any special needs your child has. That way they can be prepared and your child can receive services they need from day one of school. It is also the time to prepare your child for the first day of school. Take them to the school to see the building. Start talking to them about going to school next year. Children with autism may need some mental preparation and now is the time to start.dobanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17205541076564652652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230312466891807990.post-79841058501471795432010-03-16T14:49:00.000-07:002010-03-16T15:52:43.058-07:00Restraint of children in schoolsThanks to those who are reading this blog and thanks for your comments. There is a lot going on right now that should concern parents of all children. One of those things is restraint in public schools. This past week or so, the US House of Representatives passed a house bill that would govern how restraint is used in public schools. We already have a state law on restraint in Texas and some other states have similar laws. The Texas law allows restraint but only if there is an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">immediate</span> danger of harm, the persons restraining have to be trained in proper techniques that will ensure everyone is safe, and any form of restraint requires same day parent notification and paperwork to the parent and state within 24 hours. However, many states have no law at all. If you are not aware of the dangers of restraint when it is not governed, just do a google search. Kids have been accidentally killed because they were restrained and their air flow was cut off. This is a matter of lives being saves. It would be nice it everyone knew what they were doing and exercised common sense, but that is just not the case. I absolutely do not want to get political, but part of the house voted for this bill and part voted against it. The part that voted against it cited wanting to limit government involvement in education as the excuse. Excuse me??? Since when is government not already involved in education (just think No Child Left Behind, government control of state testing, etc.). I think this is especially important for parents of children with autism, where the child's behaviors and motives might not always be completely understood. The bill did pass and it then went to the senate. The senate could vote on it or they could vote on their own version. However, many in the senate are against regulating restraint. They want to leave it up to the states to do it and they do not want government involvement. The problem is that the states are not doing it and kids continue to be at risk. If you are the parent of a school age child and you have any concern for this issue, please contact your state senator and let them know. They need to hear from parents. Whether it is a state issue or federal government issue probably really does not matter, as long as it is regulated in every state.dobanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17205541076564652652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230312466891807990.post-40711477828589792772010-01-10T16:19:00.000-08:002010-06-08T18:23:10.668-07:00EmploymentEmployment can be challenging for kids with autism, especially right out of high school. Parents may even wonder what is in store for their child regarding employment. First, all public schools, by law, are supposed to help plan for employment starting before the 16th birthday. They are also supposed to help connect you to outside agencies that can help provide employment support. The main thing I want to share, though, is that I was given an article by an Occupational Therapist. The article was sent to her by her organization and it is about Walgreens. According to the article, Walgreens has set up some of its warehouses specifically employ people with autism. Supposedly, one of the upper managers has a child with autism and this is their brainchild. The interview process has even been modified to make getting hired much easier. Employees with autism also get a lot of on the job support. If you or someone you know has a child with autism, contact Walgreens. I have no idea which warehouses are set up like this though.dobanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17205541076564652652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230312466891807990.post-15263692931138068082010-01-02T11:17:00.000-08:002010-06-08T18:23:57.332-07:00Autism Support GroupsI hosted a Autism support Group meeting in mid-December. It is held in the building I work in. Even though, I do not have a child with Autism, it is really my goal to be a of support for families as well as students in our school district. We are located in East Texas. There are no <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">support</span> groups nearby. My initial goal was to get it started and let the parents take it over but they don't seem interested in taking it over. As long as they want to show up, I will continue planning them and hosting them though. It does seem like parents really share information there (names of good doctors, each others phone numbers). At the last meeting, one parent talked about feeling a little bit socially isolated. She said that she had even had to stop going to church because of her son. Another parent told her about the church she goes to and how her son fits in. she invited the other parent to her church with her. The parent voiced excitement about going to church again. I think a lot of it has to do with the congregation and how much they know about autism and how the accept a child with autism. It is good for me to see how those parent connections can make a positive difference in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">someones</span> life.<br /><br />The kids come to the meetings too and we always have someone who knows about autism (a teacher or counselor) there to watch them. I also have plenty of toys and things on hand. I am just sharing because I really want to know what parents need. If you read this, please share. What would you like to get out of a parent support group meeting?dobanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17205541076564652652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230312466891807990.post-45369300942360326992009-08-27T16:36:00.000-07:002010-06-08T18:24:54.685-07:00Adam: A Must See Movie for Asperger'sI saw the movie "Adam." It is in limited release and mostly in small theaters. It is playing at all of the Landmark theaters I think. It was really good. If you have a child or work with children with Asperger's Disorder you should really like it.dobanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17205541076564652652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230312466891807990.post-59598104130523179322009-07-27T16:36:00.000-07:002009-07-29T02:41:28.750-07:00There is a new movie titled "Adam." "Adam" is about a young man with Asperger's disorder. The movie is about his life, including falling in love and fitting in. It is supposed to be pretty much on the mark as far as a good portrayal of a young man living with Asperger's. This is the link to the New York Times review http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/456598/Adam/overview It seems like it would be a really good movie to inspire kids with Asperger's as to the possibilities in life. I hope everyone gets to see it. If you do get to see this please give us some feedback on this page about what you think of it. I plan on seeing it as soon as possible.dobanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17205541076564652652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230312466891807990.post-29284072166369630382009-07-21T15:41:00.000-07:002009-07-29T02:40:34.158-07:00As I write today's post, I am watching a story on CNN. It is about a boy in Florida who was being restrained at school. It appeared that he was restrained after flipping his desk. I am not posting this to lay blame. However, Florida does have laws that say restraint can only be used when the child is in danger or hurting themself or others. Flipping a desk (by itself) is not a danger that would require restraint. I work in Texas and Texas has a similar law. In just a few weeks, our teachers will be returning to school. One of the things I do at the beginning of each school year is meet (along with the Speech Pathologist) with every teacher and aide who has a student with an autism spectrum disorder in their classroom and we train them about autism spectrum disorders. I also (along with the other Licensed Specialist in School Psychology) do restraint training for staff. We use CPI (www.aincici) as our method. The whole point of telling you this is to say that we do actually do the training at the district I work for. I also check in with staff throughout the school year. This does not give any absolute guarantees but it does help protect the kids. When school starts, please check with your teacher and make sure that they have some background and training. If they do not fully understand your child, then request an ARD meeting to ask that training be written into the IEP. Please let me know what your experiences have been and how your district handles training.dobanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17205541076564652652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230312466891807990.post-83991851387920702192009-07-17T17:10:00.000-07:002009-07-17T18:47:51.159-07:00I heard Temple Grandin and Tony Attwood speak today. They were at the autism summit hosted in Dallas by Future Horizons. If you do not know who Temple Grandin is, she is the most famous adult in the world with high functioning autism. She has a Ph.D. in animal science and is a very successful speaker and publisher. She invented the squeeze box. Tony is one of the foremost authorities on Asperger's Disorder. It was great to be able to hear both of them speak on the same day. The conference was videotaped and will be shown on the internet they said. I am not sure exactly when, but I will keep checking on it. I will post a link on this blog so that anyone interested in it can find it. Check back to look for the link.<br /><br />The best part of hearing Temple Grandin speak is that she can really put you inside the mind of someone with autism. She lives it and makes it possible for people like me to feel like we can really understand how person with autism thinks. She talked about how she did not have language as a young child but received a lot of early, intensive intervention. She said her mother expected her to join activities and do everything that was expected. However, she also stressed the need for some private, down time each day for kids to be who they are, autistic. Everyone needs a break to relax and be themselves. She speaks around the country on a regular basis and if you ever get the chance to hear her it is well worth it. Her books are also great.<br /><br />Some of the things that she stressed included how hard it is for people with autism to categorize things and see how they are related, how hard it is to shift attention (like it is required in conversation), sensory issues and medication issues. One of the things she said about medication is that, in her opinion, the doses in the physician's desk reference may be more than is needed for people with autism. She recommended trying 1/4 to 1/2 of the recommended dose first because the full dose can sometimes actually cause problems, like sleep difficulties and so forth. She stressed how her own medication has helped her to be able to even speak to people like this. She also eats a special diet and said that that has helped her.<br /><br />One of the other things she talked about was something that I have seen first hand. I had one student who was very abusive to himself and to others around him. It seemed like the more we took his hand (when he would swing it at us) the more he wanted to hit. We tried everything and nothing worked. Eventually (after the school nurse had sent him home more than once because he was throwing up), they found out that he had an ulcer. He had been in pain. Once the ulcer was treated, his hitting stopped. This may not be the cause for every child, but Temple stressed the importance of making sure that there is no pain with teeth, stomach, etc. Pain can definitely cause aggressive reactions.dobanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17205541076564652652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230312466891807990.post-58394449769018553582009-07-07T13:26:00.000-07:002009-07-15T19:29:13.635-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Articles on autism spectrum disorders:</span><br /><br />Articles on getting services for your child with an autism spectrum disorder:<br /><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_5146168_conduct-evaluation-autism-aspergers-disorder.html">How to Conduct an Evaluation for Autism or Asperger's Disorder</a><br /><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_4908298_services-child-autism-aspergers.html">How to get Free Services for Your Child with Autism or Asperger's</a><br /><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_4724141_public-supposed-do-children-autism.html">How to Know What Public Schools are Supposed to do for Children with Autism</a><br /><br />Understanding the spectrum of disorders:<br /><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_4998677_pddnos.html">How to Know What PDD.NOS is</a><br /><br />Articles on helping your child with autism at home:<br /><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_5153117_child-understand-autism.html">How to Help Your Child Understand Their Autism</a><br /><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_5151508_prepare-life-after-high-school.html">How to Prepare Your Child With Autism for Life After High School</a><br /><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_4917634_change-behavior-kids-autism.html">How to Change Behavior in Kids with Au</a><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_4917634_change-behavior-kids-autism.html">tism</a><br /><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_4917647_teach-child-autism.html">How to Teach a Child with Autism</a><br /><br />Articles on helping the families of kids with autism spectrum disorders:<br /><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_5167889_support-siblings-kids-autism.html">How to Support Siblings of Kids With Autism</a><br /><br />Articles related to school:<br /><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_5151217_respond-teacher-concerns-child-autism.html">How to Respond to Teacher Concerns About Your Child With Autism</a><br /><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_5145730_decide-autism-needs-classroom-aide.html">How to Decide if Your Child with Autism Needs a Classroom Aide</a><br /><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_5145699_kids-autism-do-school-work.html">How to Help Kids with Autism Do School Work</a><br /><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_5145596_kids-autism-go-back-school.html">How to Help Kids With Autism go Back to School</a><br /><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_4917647_teach-child-autism.html">How to Teach a Child with Autism</a><br /> <a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_5168086_teachers-aide-student-autism.html">How to Be a Teacher's Aide for a Student With Autism</a><br /><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_4917634_change-behavior-kids-autism.html">How to Change Behavior in Kids with Autism</a><br /><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_4724141_public-supposed-do-children-autism.html">How to Know What Public Schools are Supposed to do for Children with Autism</a><br /><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_4748957_need-childs-annual-iep-meeting.html">How to Know What I Need to About My Child's Annual IEP Meeting</a><br /><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_5155707_disagree-childs-iep-meeting.html"> </a><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_5155707_prevent-disagreement-childs-iep-meeting.html">How to Prevent Disagreement at Your Child's IEP Meeting</a><br /><br /><br />I post new articles all the time. I also post new information on autism. Feel free to give me any feedback, make comments, ask questions, or just introduce yourself. Also, leave a message and let me know if there is a topic you need information on and you do not see it posted here.dobanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17205541076564652652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230312466891807990.post-76993403685919196862009-07-07T13:14:00.000-07:002010-01-14T04:31:49.647-08:00Welcome to Autism Solutions. We concentrate on solutions for children with autism and their families, including everyday concerns in the home, school, and community. Through good information, based on research, news, and experience, we can all be a source of support. I will share what I have learned through hands-on experience and conferences and I hope that you will comment and share with us. You can find a partial list of my published articles on autism at the bottom of this page. You can also find a full list of my articles at http://doban-autismarticles.blogspot.com/ If you are looking for information and do not find it on this page or in my articles, please let me know.dobanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17205541076564652652noreply@blogger.com0