Category Archives: Behavioral Modification
Frontal Lobe Could Be The Key To Early Autism Detection
Autism is a very intricate and complicated disorder. There are a lot of unanswered questions, but one thing we do know is that there are many different forms of Autism, and the disorder affects each and every single child differently. Someone once said “If you’ve met one child with Autism, then you’ve met one chid with Autism.” Even though the disorder leaves many things to be learned, researchers are working harder than ever to find out more about Autism and what causes it. For it is only then that we can start tackling even better treatments. Something that researchers and doctors are looking into is to what exact level of a role that the brain plays in Autism, more specifically, the Frontal Lobe.
New Research Links Vitamin D Deficiencies to Autism
Many children who have Autism also are deficient in Vitamin D. However, instead of obtaining supplements, some doctors say that the suggested dosages are too high. Who is right? Who is wrong?
What are Stimming Behaviours?
As it relates to autism, stimming is a repetitive body movement that self- stimulates one or more senses in a regular pattern. Stimming is one of the symptoms listed for autism dianosis although it is also observed in about 10% of young children without autism. Also, many children with autism exhibit no stimming behaviour. Common forms of stimming among autistic individusals include hand flapping, body spinning or rocking, lining up or spinning toys or other objects, repeating sounds, etc.
Stimming can result from a variety of causes. We don’t know for certain why stimming is so common, the most popular theory is that it helps to regulate sensory input. Stimming helps the individual to block out any uncomfortable sensory input such as noise, light, etc. – and allows the person to experience the sensations they crave. Changes in the diet may help to improve stimming in some cases.
Although stimming behaviors in children with autism are very common, the good news is that many of these behaviors can be minimized if the underlying causes are addressed and corrected. As these excessive body motions are reduced, children become more teachable and responsive to their therapies, therefore improving autism dramatically.…
Home-Tips For Maximizing Your Child’s Development
Parents often ask us what they can be doing at home to help their child with autism learn and develop. We’re so glad you asked! The worst thing parents can do is to allow their autistic child to spend all their time alone playing with the same toy and not interacting with anyone else. By having tools to use at home to foster meaningful and consistent interaction families with ASD children can really see an improvement in their quality of life.
How can Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) help patients with Autism?
Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) is an intensive approach to treating autism with up to 40 hours a week of therapy. This treatment breaks down a desired behavior into small steps and rewards the child for each successful behavior.
There is scientific evidence that ABA is an effective treatment for autism. A study at UCLA of 19 young children with autism reported that after two or more years of intensive early behavioral therapy 47 % of children were “indistinguishable from their normally developing peers” and another 42 % had made significant improvements.
ABA teaches social,motor, and verbal behaviors as well as reasoning skills. The goal of ABA is to determine what happens to trigger a behavior, and what happens after that behavior occurs which seems to reinforce the behavior. The idea is to remove these triggers and reinforcers from the child’s environment. New reinforcers are then used to teach the child a different behavior in response to the same trigger.
Overall, practitioners suggest that intensive ABA is appropriate for children with more profound autism. Unfortunately, no good research exists comparing interventions head to head. This means that parents must make a choice based on finances and availability of therapy, what works best for the family as a whole, and intuition. (Do you like the idea of a very structured, very intense program for your child? Do you think your child will do well in this program?) All children respond differently to many different therapies and it is good to know that there are other options available to parents such as DAN! and others.
…
Do You Know the Difference between Autism and Asperger’s Disorder?
There is a lot of confusion when it comes to recognizing the difference between autism and Asperger’s Disorder. As a parent or caregiver, you may be wondering if they are the same or similar conditions. Don’t be ashamed to not understand the difference as many medical professionals have difficulty determining a clear line between the two conditions.
Often, Asperger’s Disorder is described as a less severe version of autism or a high-functioning form of autism. Children with Asperger’s have the desire to fit in and have interaction with others, but lack the social skills to do so easily. They have excellent language skills, but their speech patterns may be unusual and may be hard for them to understand concepts such as humor or irony. They sometimes lack the ability to pick up on social cues that come naturally to others, like how to interpret body language or how to engage in a conversation. Most with Asperger’s possess average or above average intelligence.
Autistic individuals may play in a way that is considered odd and show obsessive attachments to certain objects. They may act as if they are deaf, ignore verbal cues, repeat certain words over and over again, or be entirely non-verbal. There is a tendency to throw tantrums, shake, flap or move their bodies in odd ways and laugh or cry for what seems like no reason. In those who are verbal, a lack of ability to start a conversation is often evident.
The main difference between these two may be that children with autism have language impairment, whereas children with Asperger’s syndrome do not. However, children with Asperger’s syndrome may have difficulty with the attributes of language, such as making eye contact, initiating conversations, or maintaining conversations. Also, these children don’t have deficits in cognitive skills, whereas some …
Recent Comments