How many times have I asked myself this question? Why me?
When we're out shopping and my son starts to tantrum, and head butt me and yell
inappropriate language at everyone around us, I ask myself this question.
When we're out with friends and my son's behaviour is aggressive and antisocial,
and I'm on the receiving end of 'advice', disapproving comments, and feeling
other people's uncomfortable tension in the air, I ask myself this question.
When I have to refuse an invitation to a social gathering because I'm unsure of
how he will cope or react, or when I avoid leaving the house because his
behaviour is so unpredictable and it leaves me feeling completely exhausted, I
ask myself this question.
When his little sister shields her face and body as he runs past her, in fear of
being hurt by a bump or a push because he is oblivious to those around him, I
ask myself this question.
When I feel totally alone and unable to take any more physical or abusive
attacks from him, I ask myself this question.
I know the answer - even at my lowest point, but I have to remind myself often.
Why me? Because I love him.
Why me? Because I will never give up on him.
Why me? Because deep down I know that I am capable of taking on this very
special task, and that is to support him and encourage him, and love him through
life. Not every parent could do this job, of that I am sure. I know my job is to
believe in him and to help him reach his full potential.
The future often scares me. I wonder at what it holds for us as a family, and
for him as a person.
But when I ask the question, Why me? I just know that it couldn't be anyone
else.
To Assist My Children In Keeping Their Power And Self Dignity In Tact -
http://kerricasp.key.to/
When you hear that your child has been diagnosed with autism, the worst thoughts
come to your mind. You can feel scared, lonely and overwhelmed. All of these
feelings are natural when dealing with a new situation, but it doesn't have to
be terrifying. There are many organizations and people to help along the way.
During the process of coping with the diagnosis of autism, you may go through a
mixture of feelings. Here is what to expect and the stages of dealing with the
diagnosis.
Stage 1 - Denial: This is common and usually happens immediately after you hear
the diagnosis. You could think not my child or the doctors have to be wrong.
There is nothing wrong with getting a second opinion but if a second opinion
confirms what has been told, don't keep dragging your child from doctor to
doctor hoping for something different. It's important to move past this stage of
the process because denying the existence of autism isn't going to help anyone,
especially the child. The quicker parents accept the diagnosis of autism, the
quicker treatment can begin.
Stage 2 - Anger: Getting angry is a natural human emotion. There are different
ways to go through this anger. You can get mad at yourself, thinking you did
something wrong. You can get angry at God, questioning why your child has
autism. You may even get mad at other parents with healthy children, wondering
why they don't have to deal with autism. The key when dealing with anger is
speaking to someone about it. Speak to someone you trust. Your doctor might be
able to refer you to a counselor who can help with these issues.
Stage 3 - Grief: Grief is a very strong emotion, but a natural one in dealing
with bad news. Feeling sad is not a bad thing though, so you should never feel
guilty about feeling heartbroken. However, don't let this emotion overwhelm you
because you might transfer this onto your child who might blame themselves,
thinking they did something wrong. Working past grief is important, but it's
also a natural process. If you notice you are sitting in stage three too long or
people around you think you have been grieving too long, seek the help of a
counselor.
Stage 4 - Acceptance: It may have taken some time to get to this stage, but this
is the end result in coping with the diagnosis of autism. At this point, you can
finally move on with your children and get the best care. Your child is
different and this isn't a bad thing, nor should you ever feel that way. Once
you finally accept an autism diagnosis, you and your child can move on to have a
happy life. Having autism doesn't change that.
Autism can be difficult to manage, especially depending on the severity of the
case. There are services to help you, so you never have to feel overwhelmed. If
you ever spend too long in any one of the first three stages, seek counseling
because those specialized in these kind of cases will be able to help you move
on. Not only is it important for parents to accept their child has autism for
their own sake, but for the child's as well. The only way to really help your
child is by accepting the course of their life.
Critical Information To Maximize the Potential of Someone With Autism -
http://www.autismgd.tk/
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In my opinion, I believe that Autism is caused by a series of genetic errors,
exposure to toxic metals, particularly mercury from dental fillings and common
vaccinations, poor cerebral blood flow and then the growth of candida and
viruses in the body. These factors combine to create the "Autistic Child." These
are the "Steps to Autism".
Both from my own observations and the study of thousands of lab tests of
children with Autism and ADD I confidently make these statements of fact. In
addition, independent researches have made these same observations independent
of my opinions.
In 1984 I 1st began to consult the parents of children with learning
disabilities and behavioral issues who had no obvious pathology, retardations or
birth defects. Within the year of studying the hair mineral tests of at lease
12-15 children, I begin to observe that almost all the children had elevated
levels of several different toxic metals. After developing vitamin- mineral
detox programs for these children and implementing then over the period of 6-8
months not only did the test show a great improvement, but the behavioral issues
dramatically improved as well. This was my 1st actual experience with the
relationship between toxic metals and these unexplained behavioral problems in
children that were just be labeled "Autism" and "Attention Deficit Disorder."
As time has progressed, I observed that Autistic and ADD children will typically
test positive for Candida Albicans overgrowth and other types of intestinal
imbalances. It is has been found that Candida and other intestinal organisms can
release neurological toxins that can effect memory and moods. I feel that this
is a component of Autism and adds to the cognitive issues that Autistic children
demonstrate. In the mid to late the "boom" in the diagnosis of Autism may be
directly coincidental to the increased use of Mercury containing vaccinations.
"Thymerisol", is the mercury containing preservative found in vaccinations that
have been found responsible for a large amount of mercury burden found in
children. Dr. Rashid Buttar has done considerable mercury detoxification of
children with Autism. Dr.Buttar treated his own son for mercury related Autism
and has effectively cured him. He brought his son with him when he spoke before
the United States Congress on the relationship between mercury and Autism. His
son testified in front of congress and became youngest person ever to do so. Dr.
Buttar explains his position on his website as such;
WHAT CAUSES AUTISM?
It is generally accepted that autism is caused by abnormalities in brain
structure or function. Researchers are investigating a number of theories,
including a possible link between heredity, genetics, and medical problems.
Although there appears to be a pattern of autism or related disabilities in many
families, researchers have not yet identified a single "trigger" that causes
autism to develop.
Highly controversial is a potential relationship between autism and the mercury
in thimerosal, a preservative used until recently in many childhood vaccines.
Some argue that in children whose systems cannot expel the toxic metal, brain
damage results. A 2001 investigation by the Institute of Medicine concluded that
the "evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship...between MMR vaccines
and autistic spectrum disorders (ASD)." The committee acknowledged, however,
that it could not rule out the possibility that the MMR vaccine could contribute
to ASD in a small number of children. More research is warranted
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF AUTISM?
Autism is a spectrum disorder, the symptoms of which can appear in a wide
variety of combinations from mild to severe. Individuals with autism may have
trouble initiating and/or maintaining a conversation, talking "at" others in a
sort of monologue. Autistic children also may have sensory integration problems,
with their senses over- or under-active. Aggressive and/or self-injurious
behavior may be evident in some cases.
According to the CDC, categories of problems that may appear in an individual
with autism or another ASD include:
Social skills:
Individuals with ASDs may not interact with others normally, make eye contact,
or express empathy. Children may resist being held or cuddled and may not notice
when others try to engage them in conversation.
Speech, language, and communication:
About 40% of children with ASDs do not talk at all, and others have echolalia,
meaning they repeat what was said to them. Gestures such as waving goodbye may
be misunderstood, pronouns may be confused, and they may talk too loudly or
softly without knowing it. Those with ASDs may have trouble listening, instead
delivering a "speech" about a favorite topic.
Repeated behaviors and routines:
ASD individuals resist change and cling to routine so they know what to expect.
Some may repeat actions over and over again.
Development:
Children with ASDs develop at different rates in different areas of growth. For
example, they might have large delays in language, social, and cognitive skills,
while their motor skills may be similar to other children their age. They may
excel at solving puzzles but may be unable to make friends or easily carry on a
conversation.
According to the Autism Society of America (www.autism-society.org), autistic
persons may exhibit some of the following characteristics:
Insists on sameness; resists change. Has difficulty expressing needs; uses
gestures or pointing instead of words. Repeats words or phrases in place of
normal, responsive language. Laughs, cries, shows distress for reasons not
apparent to others. Prefers to be alone; aloof manner. Has tantrums. Displays
difficulty in mixing with others. May not want to cuddle or be cuddled. Engages
in little or no eye contact. Is unresponsive to normal teaching methods.
Sustains odd play. Spins objects. Displays inappropriate attachment to objects.
Is over- or under-sensitive to pain. Has no real fears of danger. Displays
noticeable physical over-activity or extreme under-activity. Has uneven
gross/fine motor skills. Is unresponsive to verbal cues; acts as if deaf,
although hearing tests are normal.
HOW IS AUTISM DIAGNOSED?
Because there are no medical tests for diagnosing autism, a diagnosis must be
based on observation of an individual's communication, behavioral, and
developmental characteristics over a period of time. Autistic behaviors may or
may not be apparent in infancy, but usually are evident in children 24 months to
6 years old. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(NICHD) lists these five behaviors that may suggest further evaluation:
Does not babble or coo by 12 months. Does not gesture (point, wave, grasp) by 12
months. Does not say single words by 16 months. Does not say two-word phrases on
his or her own by 24 months. Has any loss of language or social skills at any
age. Several screening instruments have been developed that also may help
diagnose autism, including the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), the
Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT), the Autism Screening Questionnaire, and
the Screening Test for Autism in Two-Year-Olds.
The Steps Explained
The child is born with Genetic errors. Autism begins with a set of genetic
errors which result in an inability to excrete toxic metals from the body.
Normally the body will excrete toxic through pathways in the body the involve
sulfur compounds and different nutrients. However the genetic errors commonly
found in Autistic children interfere with the ability to release toxic metals.
These children have been called "Non-execrators". While there are several
genetic errors cataloged in Autistic children, the 2 most common that I have
seen are designated "EPHX", "MTHFR" and MTRR. The Gene errors, MTHFR and MTRR
are ones that interfere with the body's use of B vitamins in the sulfur
detoxification pathways. "EPHX", is a specific gene error that causes the
inability to excrete toxic metals and chemicals.
The child is vaccinated with mercury containing substances and acquires silver
amalgam dental fillings. The mercury that he has now been exposed to begins to
cause neurological damage. It also aggravates poor cerebral blood flow. Autistic
children may also be born with genetic errors that affect that "vascular
integrity". Examples are "MTRR" and "MTHRF". These gene errors not only hinder
detoxification of mercury but they also cause a predisposition to vascular
weakness. Poor blood flow to the brain and nerve tissues cause cognitive
disorders and make it more difficult if not impossible to "heal"
The child receives antibiotics and develops candida albican and a general state
of "Dysbiosis"." Dysbiosis" is a state of imbalance between helpful friendly
micro-organisms and harmful ones in the intestines. Candida is known to cause
neurological and cognitive problems. It also can damage the gut lining can
"leaky gut syndrome". This "leaky guts syndrome", allows incompletely digested
proteins and chemical residues from food, drink and the environment in general,
to enter the blood stream and cause allergies and chemical sensitivities. This
worsens the cognitive problems, causes inflammatory responses which the vascular
problems and compounds all the previous issues we have discussed. Unfortunately
as a result of all the problems above, the child will develop host of vitamin
and mineral deficiencies which complicate things. In addition when the child is
given vitamins and mineral they can often cause a worsening of symptoms due to
allergic reactions to them and the interactions between the toxic metals and the
nutrients. The Confusion
When you treat a child with Autism, they may intermittently worsen! When you
remove toxic metals from the body the person feels temporarily poisoned. When
you kill candida the dead debris from the candida cause an allergic reaction
referred to a "Herxhimer reaction", which makes the person feel ill. Parents
treating the child for the true underlying causes of Autism often must endure
periods of the Child's symptoms appearing worse as a result of the
detoxification.
The Long Range Treatment Plan
Candida and Leaky gut conditions should be treated first. This is because
Candida interferes with the absorption of vitamins and nutrition needed to heal
the body. Candida can also spread and multiply as mercury and other toxic metals
are detoxified and pulled through the intestinal tract. Toxic metals lower the
intestinal immune response and are absorbed by candida cells that then create
more toxic forms of the metals. Toxic metals cam also leak back into the blood
stream when one has 'leaky gut syndrome".
Treating vascular deficiencies with nitric oxide enhances agents such as
"Nitrobid" can speed the removal of candida by increase the oxygen potential of
the tissue. Candida hates oxygen. Nitric oxide enhancing agents can also
immediately give symptomatic improvement in cognitive symptoms.
Detoxify the mercury and other heavy metals! This may take up to several years
to remove. Particularly in the child who is the "non-excretor". This is the
child with the genetic errors spoke of earlier. There are several treatment
options available. A successful plan involves a chelator such as Dmsa or Dmps
and a synergistic list of vitamins, minerals and amino acids that assist in the
removal of the metals. It is very important that the patients take substances
which absorb the toxic metals in the intestinal tract to prevent reabsorption.
The child must be put on a maintance of nutrients to deter any the genetic
errors that they are predisposed to from occurring. Many of the current labs
that perform DNA testing will recommend nutritional supplements to help avert
any illness or tendency for the genetic errors to manifest. This is very
important as the Autistic child, as his genes are not going to change. While the
conditions that lead to Autism can be reversed, the genetics of their bodies
will not change. They will always be predisposed to these conditions because of
their genetics.
Autism Causes, Symptoms and Treatments:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/autismnvc/
Manding: Applied Verbal Behaviour (AVB) Approach
Manding is "Requesting"
Communication, on the other hand, requires less ability. Communication
is defined as any set of interactions ( eg. Self-injurious behaviors,
body language, crying) that transits information. It this case the
individual just needs to want to convey information.
Language is composed of several complex elements but has basically been
defined as "the use of arbitrary symbols, with accepted referents,
that can be arranged in different sequences to convey different
meanings". (Lefrancois, 1995)
Language has forms and function. Communicative forms refer to the types
of behaviors used to communicate (e.g. gestures, pointing, head
movements, aggression, whining, and speech). There are many
communicative functions common to individuals with mild to moderate to
severe disabilities. They include Requesting ( manding), Protesting,
responding to social initiatives, Initiating and maintaining social
interactions, Seeking comfort, Expressing interest in the environment,
Communicating experiences not shared and Play acting or pretending. One
such form is Manding.
Manding and a Manding session: A mand is a request. It can be for an
object, attention, a break or information etc. Therefore manding is
requesting. Manding session: Any time or any amount of day can be
dedicated to having a child ask for desired items/activities. During the
manding session:
§ All requests should be granted and no other demands should be
placed on the student, with the exception of general quiet sitting and
some eye contacts.
§ The student is expected to use the best quality mands he/she is
capable of making ( point, word, sentence etc).
Importance of manding: It is very hard for individuals to communicate
their wants and needs known. Manding can prove an effective tool as:
§ Manding can help child communicate their wants and needs. This way
can help reduce their level of frustrations and therefore help
behaviours.
§ Manding has also been used as an effective tool to increase the
expressive language for many children with special needs. This way they
can prompted to be more independent in their communication.
Mands types: A mand can take the form of a
§ Gesture ( point, grab)
§ A sound (grunt, syllable)
§ A word (Cookie)
§ A sentence ( I want cookie)
§ More complex language expression (Mom, can you get me a cookie
please?)
Manding session at home: Parents can have a manding session at home with
their child. They do not have to be trained as professionals to assist
in the development of their kid's language.
§ First, gather some items (foods, toys etc) that your child might
enjoy. It helps to have activities with parts of puzzles missing or
foods/drinks in containers with spoon or straws missing. Child will mand
for the missing parts or will ask for help. This way creating
opportunities to communicate the needs and wants.
§ Second, choose the time when your child is not already involved in
a preferred activity and you can give your undivided attention to have a
successful manding session.
§ Third, choose a place in which there are seats (floor is fine) for
both you and your child. Also, you will need to have control over the
items (your child can't get to them without asking you for them).
§ Fourth, invite your child to do something fun, have them sit and
attend briefly and begin to show them the fun things you have for them
until they ask for something.
§ Finally, the session can be as frequently as every day or just
once per week. Frequency can also be decided based on the needs and
wants of the child and time prefer ability on parent's side.
________________________________________________________________________\
__________________________
Global Naturopath
"A place where Parents and Professionals work together"
www.GlobalNaturopath.com
www.GNHealthFoods.com
Email: info@...
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Choice Making
Increase on-task engagement
v Why are choices important?
Choices can increase the independence, motivation and on-task behavior
while decreasing the challenging behaviors and rigidity pattern seen for
children with behavioral problems.
v What kind of choices are there?
You can offer choices for example:
§ Between activities (coloring or reading) or
§ Within activities ( red crayon or blue crayon)
Choices can also be incorporated during the daily activity schedule or
also during the work situations. They can be choices of
§ Whom to work/play with
§ Where to work/play with
§ When to work/play
§ Whether to do an activity or not
v How can one give choices?
The best way to offer is through the "forces choice method".
This means asking a question that offers two specific options. For
example, If you have a child who does not have consistent demands and
hard for you to manage a behavior. You can use a Forced choice method
"Do you want to watch a movie or read a book"? vs asking
"What do you want"?
This provides the opportunity to the child to pick the activity and
still parents got to pick them which they had available at the time.
v When one should give choices?
Anytime, mealtime, chore or daily schedule, leisure time, in community,
or during the therapy sessions are some great times to offer choices.
The choice making can be incorporated at anytime for any activity you
are having a struggle.
v Some examples of choice making (Strategies for parents for mealtime)
§ Do you want to have potatoes or carrots with your bread (within
activity)?
§ Do you want juice to drink or nothing to drink (within activity, a
choice of refuse)?
§ Do you want mom to put dinner on your plate or do you want to do
yourself (who)?
§ Do you want to sit on the end or on the side of the table (where)?
§ Do you want to eat now or in 1 minute (when)?
v Researches behind the choice-making strategies ( ABA Perspective)
Study: This investigation was conducted in an effort to systematically
extend the emerging data base having to do with choice-making
opportunities and the behavior of students with disabilities. In
particular, the current analyses examined the effects of choice-making
on the problem behavior and task engagement of three high school
students with intellectual disabilities as the students performed
domestic and vocational activities.
Findings of the study: Multiple baseline and reversal designs
demonstrated that the choice conditions reduced problem behaviors and
increased task engagement for all participants. Data having to do with
student affect and task productivity were less consistent. The findings
on the relationship between choice making and problem behavior replicate
and extend a growing literature on the desirable effects of
choice-making for individuals with disabilities. The results are
discussed in terms of recent developments in behavioral support, as well
as the need for ongoing conceptual and applied research.
References
1) Pinellas County Schools, St. Petersburg, FL
(2) Division of Applied Research and Educational Support, Department of
Child and Family Studies, Florida Mental Health Institute, University of
South Florida, Tampa, FL
(3) Department of Child & Family Studies, Florida Mental Health
Institute, University of South Florida, 13301 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard,
33612 Tampa, FL
________________________________________________________________________\
_______________________________________
Global Naturopath "A place where Parents and Professionals work
together"
www.globalnaturopath.com <http://www.globalnaturopath.com/>
www.gnhealthfoods.com <http://www.gnhealthfoods.com/>
Email: globalnaturopathy@... <mailto:globalnaturopathy@...>
Ph: (732) 873-1040
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Most people are not aware of the term phospholipid, but those who
have autistic children may become familiar with the term very soon.
There have been some recent studies that suggest autistic children
are lacking in some of the essential fatty acids that are vital for
proper brain processing and fundamental in development. The
researchers found that by taking measurement of the plasma
phospholipid levels in the cell membranes of red blood cells,
deficiencies can be found in children with developmental delays. They
think that phospholipid deficiencies in autism and related problems
may be intertwined.
In order for the brain to operate as intended, these phospholipids
are essential components of the blood cells and must work correctly.
They are often described as a grease-like substance that facilitates
the movement of essential fats in and out of the red blood cells.
When there is a problem or an imbalance, things can go wrong in the
brain.
It is estimated that about twenty percent of the brain is made up of
fatty acids, which in turn means that they are important for proper
workings within the brain. There is some suggestion that autism may
be triggered or effected by the imbalance, and this can also account
for many other neurological disorders in some people. Deficiencies in
phospholipids are also said to be found in those with attention
deficit disorder and other related condition like dyslexia and
dyspraxia. It is well known that the body can not produce these fatty
acids, so they must come from the foods that we eat....
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/autismnvc
I am a teacher and recently, I assisted to one of these workshops meant
to improve the quality of your teaching methods. I also am the mother
of two young autistic children. My oldest is a 5 years old boy, which
is considered to be non-verbal as he may not have used more than six
words in his life. "Mama" was said for the first time about a year ago
when he was 41/2 years old. I can't describe to you how precious this
magic moment was. I still enjoy it every time he pronounces it.
Sometimes, teachers need to be taught a few things!
During this workshop, we were studying the multiple ways that a person
learns new information. Some are visual and learn using diagrams,
drawings, pictures, etc. Others are using manipulative to understand
new concepts. There are eight types of learning styles. One of them is
called: "verbal". This type of processing is done orally and using
written material such as books, essays, etc. One of the statements that
was made was that: "The more people express themselves orally, the more
easily they will be able to express themselves and show their knowledge
through their writing skills."...
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/autismnvc