Defying Diagnosis and Exceeding Expectations: 11-Year-Old Autistic Boy and Mother Create Family-Friendly Blog and Online Cooking Show (via PR Newswire)
Download image Download image ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Sept. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Get Up and Go! Make It Happen! Check It Out! Do Something Good! These actions are what define www.ChaseNYurFace.com. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire…
Swiss Medica Treats Autism with Stem Cell Therapy (via SBWire)
Autism is a disorder of childhood neural development, which affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells connect and organize. Autism damages the brain fields responsible for memory, concentration, attention, speech etc. Denver…
Regular Doctor’s Visits
When you need medical advice, the best person to consult is a professional in the field. Be sure that your child is going to the doctor on a regular basis, and do not be afraid to call to ask for questions. Making assumptions about your child’s state of health could lead to more stress and aggravation for the both of you.
Verbal Development
So many different factors are signs of autism, but issues with verbal development is definitely a large one. Remember, all children are not going to start speaking at the exact same time. However, if your little one has not uttered at least a few words and you are starting to get worried, it could be a sign of autism, a speech delay or other condition.
Regression Issues
Let’s say that your child started to speak and then he or she suddenly stopped. Whenever a child has this type, or any type, of regression issues, he or she may have autism. In sum, regression basically means that your child has moved backwards. At some point, he or she had a particular skill. However, instead of continuing to build upon that skill, it actually went away in part or entirely. This is often a major indicator of autism.
Lack of Interaction
Consider the ways that autism affects children as they develop, and you’ll start to recognize how these issues are manifested in early symptoms. Perhaps your baby does not seem to respond to touch or does not appear interested in engagement and interaction. Many youngsters with autism struggle with their social skills and interactions, so this can be a major indicator of that.
Sensory Issues
You have probably heard of sensory issues as a major sign of autism before, and you can look for these types of occurrences in your little one. Of course, no one likes a loud noise, but children with autism are often extremely sensitive to these types of occurrences. Sensory issues can manifest themselves in other ways as well; your baby might not like the texture of certain foods or the feel of certain objects.
Trusting What You Know
Above all else, you really need to trust your gut when you feel like something is wrong. No book or guide knows your baby as well as you do, and you can likely tell when something is not quite right. Again, do not be afraid to call your doctor. If early signs of autism or another condition are noticed, early intervention can be an excellent way to help your child cope and acclimate.
Realizing that any of these signs is not an immediate indicator of autism is important. Many other conditions can cause these signs, and some of them are just related to different personalities and speeds of development.
Asperger’s syndrome is categorized as an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Kids with Asperger’s (for short) often have difficulties socially engaging with others and correctly reading non-verbal environmental cues. Some with Asperger’s report unique hobbies or patterns of behavior, such as being interested in an esoteric musical genres or remote galaxies in the universe. If you’re interested in how those born with this condition experience life, read on for some insight into their perception of the world.
Asperger Syndrome: Really Autism?
Neuroscientists have confirmed with brain scans that kids with Asperger’s retain many cognitive and linguistic abilities that kids with traditional autism do not. At times, however, odd prosody or an idiosyncratic use of language can accompany the condition. A less reported finding is that those with Asperger’s will often display physical clumsiness, restricted empathy and difficulty sustaining eye contact.
Roots of Asperger syndrome
Asperger’s was “discovered” by an Austrian pediatrician in the 1940s. Hans Asperger, after whom the condition is named, noted that some children displayed consistent difficulties with deciphering non-verbal cues, like hand gestures or lack of interest in the audience. Hans Asperger also noted that children with this condition were more physically maladroit on the playground and showed an inability to empathize with other children and their problems. That said, Asperger’s Syndrome took another forty years to take hold in the public consciousness and did not become canonized in the DSM until the early 1990s.
Its Etiology
The exact causes of Asperger’s syndrome are currently unknown. Results from extensive brain imaging reveal no single commonality across all sufferers of the condition. That said, Asperger’s is treated by most psychologists as a pervasive developmental disorder. By doing so, psychologists can study and assess a constellation of symptoms and developmental abnormalities in lieu of pinpointing one all-encompassing etiological factor.
For instance, a psychologist would look for poor eye contact, an especially straight posture, problems with emotional reciprocity and out-of-place facial expressions instead of one behavioral giveaway. The “social awkwardness” of those diagnosed has been deemed “active but odd” by many psychologists. This denotes the fact that kids with Asperger syndrome very often want to fit in and feel included, but remain unsure of how to accomplish smooth social interaction. Kids often display trouble modulating the pitch and tone of their speech, and some even display echolalia, or the repetition of another’s speech.
Theory
The prevailing theory explicating Asperger’s among social psychologists is theory of mind (TOM). Theory of mind postulates, in part, that Asperger syndrome sufferers have trouble ascribing mental states to other people. In many respects, theory of mind is the lynchpin that explains an Asperger’s syndrome sufferers’ social difficulties.
Through further understanding the treatment options and mechanisms of this relatively newfound syndrome, psychologists can help kids with Asperger syndrome lead more fulfilling lives. That said, many with Asperger’s don’t feel any “different” from those without the condition, and many of the most intelligent and successful individuals in history likely would have been diagnosed with it. It’s not uncommon to hear someone find out their child or friend has this condition, yet they just assumed this person was “awkward.” So while they may have distinct experiences due to the condition, the way they perceive the world isn’t exactly “different” from how you or I do so.
Joseph Rodriguez writes about child development and psychology. His recent work is about the best online counseling degrees in the US.
From Josh Anderson…
I recently had the opportunity to test and review the Powerocks Magic Cube. They are available in 4 colors and 3 capacities. In this day and age of carrying many devices and not always being near a power source, these devices are great to have available. The one I am testing has worked very well. Please check out other reviews from the aspie tech guy, https://technewszone.com
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Magic cube
Capacitance：5200mah / 7800mah / 10400mah Products description： Package：Apple authorized professional MFI package ( packages has MFI logo ) |
Father's Uplifting Memoir Depicts Journey to Understanding Thoughts of Autistic Son (via SBWire)
Daniel James Wilson’s compelling book tells the self-searching story of the author’s need to understand his own thoughts in order to embody those of his autistic son. Written to help others find themselves and become wholly honest, the book is expected…
Delaware organization matches people with autism and tech jobs (via NewsWorks)
August 28, 2013 By Maiken Scott, @maikenscott One year after coming to Delaware, an international program that aims to find tech jobs for individuals with autism is seeing its first successes. The program is called “Specialisterne,” which means “The…
Autistic Children Can Outgrow Difficulty Understanding Visual Cues And Sounds (via PR Newswire)
Download image Albert Einstein College of Medicine Logo. (PRNewsFoto/Albert Einstein College of Medicine) BRONX, N.Y., Aug. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have shown that…
Las Vegas, NV, July 26, 2013 –(PR.com)– Founder of www.technewszone.com, part of Autism Advocacy and Technology News zone as well as Arts4autism goes on the record to talk about the company’s forthcoming autism documentary. The company is using Kickstarter to gain initial funding to get the documentary started.
David Berkowitz took a few years to get his pet project off the ground. The founder of TechNewsZone.com (www.technewszone.com) had more than a few challenges to overcome: to be specific, he is an high functioning bright autistic adult whose accomplishments brought him within shot of an M.B.A. and he had 8 years Army service with an honorable discharge.
The company is currently in the process of doing a Kickstarter campaign to produce a documentary movie on autism, the people, the programs and the arts to help people with autism in Nevada initially and nationally as time goes on.
https://technewszone.dntly.com/#/
A summary–
Arts4autism’s/Technewszone.com’s goal is to make a documentary about autistic people in Las Vegas, what is being done to help, the programs, people & results, real life.
The aim of the movie is to capture how real autistic people in Las Vegas, NV are dealing with the realty of autism. Mr. Berkowitz and the company as a result has a vested interest in bringing attention to autism. David is a high functioning father of 3 autistic kids and the movie will to tell the story of their lives with autism as well as others in Las Vegas and their experiences with autism. In addition they will illustrate what is being done to help autism in Nevada especially in programs targeted to music, the arts, dance, music therapy and theater related programs. This film is targeted towards those families impacted by autism. David and the company truly have a vested interest in helping bring exposure to autism, autism awareness and the autism programs in Nevada.
David met Temple Grandin twice and she is said to have made the statement that arts saved her life. David was in band for 7 years and it certainly had a positive impact on his life.
In regards to the documentary, it consists of:
1) A overview on some of the autism for profit and nonprofit in the Las Vegas especially the ones that are focused around the arts, music, technology and music therapy as well as respite programs. It will detail what is being done now as what will be done in the next 12 months to improve the lives of people with autism.
2) Interviews with 10+ families that have been affected by autism and their stories especially ones that have experienced beneficial programs involving music and the arts and what can be done to improve them as well as what has been effective.
3) Information on his experience with autism and his family as well as his intentions as far as trying to help people with autism via tech, music and the arts. The movie will elaborate as to their desire and initial plans and long term goals to help autistic people via technology, music and the arts and what it will take to make it happen and the impact on the local autism community as well.
The organization plans to do local interviews with autism programs that are involved with tech music and the arts. They will meet and will talk to families of people with autism, and their friends to determine what has been favorable and what can be improved with current programs. They also plan to meet and talk to the people with autism as to their thoughts and opinions of the benefits that the arts, autism programs and music have added to their lives and quality of life.
This film explores and will show how art, music and technology can help individuals with autism communicate and express themselves. The movie once complete will also illustrate the benefits that the families of the folks with autism have as a form of respite and culture too.
They need people and companies help to illustrate how the arts, music and tech have and can improve the lives of those with autism as well as their families.
The following is what is needed to complete the documentary:
They want to get the message out there to as many people as possible. The intent is to submit the film produce a finished DVD for sale, on the web and maybe a film festival as well.
– The movie needs backers
– It needs exposure
– It needs people to support and guidance during the production of the movie
The project falls under the auspices of Technewzone.com, part of Autism Advocacy and Technology News Zone.
The company has been a news site and autism advocacy news site for nearly 3 years. The organization is hoping to gain exposure, and help the autism community as a result of the documentary.
A.C. Moore Arts & Crafts Raises $120,000+ for Easter Seals' autism programs; More than $570,000 in funds contributed to Easter Seals since 2010 (via PR Newswire)
BERLIN, N.J., July 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Employees and customers of A.C. Moore Arts & Crafts recently raised more than $120,000 to support Easter Seals programs along the East Coast. Since launching the partnership with Easter Seals in 2010, A.C…
