Autism is a developmental disorder that can effect anyone.  Despite the disability involved when one has autism, teaching autistic children is still possible.

One of the most debilitating characteristics of autism is the learning disabilities that come with it. When it comes to teaching children with autism, hard is really an understatement. The whole effort to teach children who have this disorder is definitely going to involve not just a mountain but mountain ranges to conquer.

When determining the teaching strategies to use, a teacher can take note of the different symptoms of autism that can impede the natural learning process. Ample knowledge of such symptoms can make the strategy and teaching process effective. There is no assurance that it is going to be easy though.

Here are some of the factors that need attention and thorough consideration to success in the aim of teaching children with autism.

1. Teaching environment. Because of autism, children find it hard to concentrate especially in the presence of loud noises and colors. They get easily distracted by such elements. Therefore, it is a must that the classroom or wherever the teaching process takes place should be kept at its plainest form. It should also be quiet and peaceful enough in order to help keep the children feel the same.

2. Routine activities. Children with autism cannot handle surprises. The daily activities should follow a certain routine. The kids have a good idea of what is going to happen next. This is the only way for them to concentrate and learn.

3. Limited options. When making the children choose something, it is important to keep everything simple. They should not be subjected to a number of choices. It is very easy for them to get all confused over many selections. In the end, they learn nothing and might even feel bad about the whole process. Letting the child pick one over the other is the best way to do it.

4. Simple communication. Using simple words is the best way to get the points across and completely understood by these young autistic kids. More so, one should maintain a lower voice since loud ones tend to agitate these children.

Autism in itself is a hard thing to deal with. However, it should not be something that limits what a child can do. Although their learning abilities might be limited, children with autism still have the capacity to learn. After all, autism is not equal to being stupid. In fact, many autistic children are very proficient and talented in certain areas. All it takes is a greater amount of effort and patience from the teachers.

Retrieved from "http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative … 08788.html"
(ArticlesBase SC #1808788)

I hope you won't mind me posting this here even though I've only joined the forum today.

I have an adopted son of 20 with autism. He is called Steven. I was ill after Christmas and arranged for him to go to his regular respite unit for three days. I was told the following day that he had been moved to a "Positive Behaviour Unit" and was pesuaded to let him stay there for two weeks "to get myself back on my feet". A Week later, I was told he was being kept there for an indefinate period to work on his challenging behaviour. He hasnt been allowed to return home since.

He is in a terrible double bind. In the four months prior to him going away, we had 14 incidents of "challenging behaviour" at home. If you understand about autism and what an "autistic meltdown" is like, then the figure of 14 isn't too bad. In the seven months Steven has been at the "Positive Behaviour Unit", they have recorded 306 "incidents". Lots of experts in the autism field have contacted me to confirm that greater levels of aggression = greater levels of anxiety but social services are refusing to acknowledge this. Earlier this year, Steven was left unsupervised in the care home (and there were only 2 other residents), left the house and met a vicar whose glasses he removed. As a consequence of this, the local authority served Steven with a Deprivation of Liberty order.

On that afternoon, Steven was left unsupervised and left the premises on his own. I've never been able to find out exactly how long he was on his own. To this day, the Authority havent acknowledged they failed in their duty of care that afternoon. I'm not into blame at all but it seems that to cover up their own failure, Steven is to some extent, carrying the can. The vicars glasses incident happened on 16th April. On 17th April, I met with the manager to discuss and agree the next phase of Steven's transition home programme. On 19th April, Steven was served an emergency Deprivation of Liberty Order, which is still in place. The order wasnt mentioned during the meeting on 17th April and on the 18th April, Steven went swimming without incident and came for a home visit without incident. I've never received an answer as to why the order was served, and why was it served at that particular time.

The latest bombshell is that they want to move Steven to an out of borough specialist unit to work on his "extreme challenging behaviour". This will cause untold damage as he will lose his normal support workers, his friends and all the places he goes to that are so important in helping him feel secure.

There is a money angle to this case. It is becoming increasingly clear to me and Steven's supporters that the Local Authority are trying to shift the cost of Steven's support package on to the PCT and the only way they can do that is by exagerating the challenging behaviour because that will score him more points and move him into PCT funding category.

I could write reams on this story but really came here to ask if you would be willing to a) find out more about this case and b) if you agree, sign the petition to allow Steven to return home.

You can find the petition http://www.Petitiononline.com/Steven/petition.html

There is a Facebook group - Get Steven Home which you can find at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=134345726596848 and gives lots more information, including links to newspaper and radio articles.

Thanks for reading this and if you feel you can, please pass this on to family and friends. Steven just wants to be home with his family and friends who he has lived with quite happily and successfully for the last 15 years.

We are students of Management Communication at the University of Waikato, New Zealand asking to survey you for our assignment regarding families of children with autism. We will be very grateful for your answers to the following questions and appreciate your sincere responses.

We are seeking the following respondents:
- Parents of children with autism
- Siblings who have a brother or sister with autism
- Educators who have had experiences with autistic children
- Professionals who offer services or support for children who have autistic siblings

We would be very grateful if you could take a few minutes to fill out the very short questionnaires on http://sibsupport.yolasite.com  to help us in our research

Please be aware that anything you tell us will remain entirely confidential and be used only for our assignment research purposes. Your name will not be mentioned in any report. You have the right to refuse to answer a question or to withdraw from the survey at any time.

If you have any questions pertaining to the research please do not hesitate to contact our research conveyor:

Margalit Toledano
Email:toledano@waikato.ac.nz                                                                                                   
Phone: 0800 9245286 (0800waikato) ext 6112 (International code +64 if calling outside of New Zealand)

Thanks.

Cody Brennan, Jenna Newell, Juanita White, Karauna Bhana & Scott Townsend
Management Communication Students
University of Waikato
New Zealand

I am Maisy and, along with my 8 year old daughter Daisy (not to mention the long-suffering OH!), we hope to create a happy and fun environment where parents of Autistic Spectrum children can sit down and have a chat or a moan or just a very loud shout about anything they want!

Daisy has been diagnosed with Autism, PDA and suffers with sensory issues, separation anxiety and has other under-lying conditions which are, as yet, undiagnosed.

As the site is brand-spanking squeaky-clean new I am looking forward to it growing very organically. I know what I want to see here, but it isn't just about me....it's all about us! So, if you've got this far, then maybe you can contact us with any ideas and suggestions to help make this site the site you call on first! Failing that, just leave a "hello"...but don't forget to come back!

WEEKEND RESPITE

Did you know that you could have home care in your home from as little as €9.99?

The Care People provide a weekend respite service for those who need a break.

We can look after your loved ones for the weekend while you get a well earned break

Trusted and experiences home carers are available to look after your loved one and attend all their primary needs.

Call us on 01 8085670or info@thecarepeople.ie  or visit www.thecarepeople.ie and one of our managers will contact you for a free consultation
Pls visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_i0ZOyX8Bc to watch this Special Cheers Therapy for Special Needs Children
To watch video on Alzheimer's Disease Symptoms and Stages visit  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18gH1FXUSR8  ------A MUST WATCH

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Care People: Providing care in the home
An alternative to the nursing home option
And much more cost effective
Visit our web site for more details

NIGHT TIME ASSISTANCE

What is home care? Home care is the provision of care assistants to care for your loved one in the comfort of their own home.

The care people provide a night service for those who require Nighttime Assistance.

We have available care assistants and nurses who can facilitate your needs.

Need to travel and feel you won’t be able to get home to look after your loved one?

The Care People can fill that gap and keep your mind at ease by providing a home carer to attend to your dear ones needs till you return.

For more information call us on 01 8085670or info@thecarepeople.ie  and one of our managers will contact you for a free consultation

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Care People: Providing care in the home

Visit our web site for more details

Nanny Service

The Care People provide a team of professional and experienced Nannies.

All nannies are Garda vetted and have references for your tranquillity

Do not miss that event because you cannot find a trusted Nanny.
Let us provide this service for you.

Nannies are available 24 hours a day – 365 days a year – night and day

For more information call us on 01 8085670or info@thecarepeople.ie  and one of our managers will contact you for a free consultation

The Care People: Providing care in the home
An alternative to the nursing home option
And much more cost effective
Visit our web site for more details

Home Care versus nursing home care

Imagine how your loved one feels when you have to leave them in a strange environment? How do you feel when you come away from a visit?Although nursing homes are an option when one needs to take care of a dear one there are other options.

Home care: home care is a community based care/nursing service. All the care that you need for your loved ones can be provided in your home or even better in their own home.

Home care can range from a full 24 hour care service to an hourly service. From weekend provision to night service.

And guess what? It might be much more cost effective.

For more information call us on 01 8085670or info@thecarepeople.ie  and one of our managers will contact you for a free consultation

I don't recall how old he was when he said his first word, his speech has always been an issue. I continued to assume that all of these milestones being somewhat delayed was due to his illnesses as a baby, and his dr was not concerned saying that he was still within normal limits of reaching these milestones, although on the lower end. At 18 mos of age he had no vocabulary at all...he didn't even say mama or dada or baba. When I asked the dr about this (numerous times I asked for a referal and was refused) he blamed it on the fact that we live in a bi-lingual household (my kids' dad is Mexican, I am American and both English and Spanish are spoken evenly in my home.) I had the school evaluate him and he qualified for speech services there when he was almost 3 based on a Speech and Language Delay. A few months later I took him (without dr referal) to an SLP who diagnosed him instantly with moderate CAS. Approximitely 6 mos later the school did some more evaluations and he was enrolled full time due to the speech as well as Social Emotional. In February 2009 I took him to a nuerologist to have him evaluated for Sensory that is when he was diagnosed with SPD and she mentioned Autism but due to his age and the fact he did not fill all of the requirements for a specific ASD he was given the dx of ASD (otherwise known as PDD-NOS.)

To say he is strong willed or stubborn is a HUGE understatement!!! He definitely has the desire to be a good kid but it seems impossible for him to do so. He is a SWEETHEART and everyone who really knows him is absolutely in love with him, there is just "something about him" that sets him apart from everyone else. Whether intentional or not he is very funny and extremely animated (a quality that never made sense with the ASD dx) he also hasn't had much difficulty with eye contact. He has on occasion been known to line toys, books, shoes or whatever in rows and spin objects but it was always sporatic in nature. To describe him and his symptoms is nearly impossible unless I am telling you what is happening "at the moment!!!" I have OFTEN said that he is NEVER on an even level, there is no "in between" it's all or nothing with him...EVERYTHING MUST be done on his terms! Temper tantrums, fits or whatever you want to call them are HORRIBLE. He will throw a huge fit and "hide" behind his arms or whatever simply because I tell him I love him, but then a few moments later (once HE makes the decision) he will run over and hug me tightly and kiss all over me telling me how MUCH he loves me and "HE is MY bestest Mommy!!!" (I added that in quotations due to the way he says this, he does understand what words to use but often times uses them in different context that makes no sense.)

These are just a few (extreme few) examples of what we live with! I am having an extremely difficult time finding information about PDA in the US, everything I have read comes from the UK. I would really like to have him evaluated for PDA. ANY help you can give me would be EXTREMELY appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings lol!

My nephew is 3 years old and shows the following signs:
. He flaps his hands when he is excited, especially when watching T.V
. He walks on his, particularly when he is excited but it is not uncommon for him to do this when just walking
. Obsessive
. Tantrums
. Fussy Eating
. Refusing to be potty trained, he wont sit on it, he wont even go to the toilet when wearing a nappy
. He is often in his own world when walking around in big circles on his toes in the living room

My sister dosent seem to notice any of these signs but the rest of my family all notice, we are not sure how to put it to her, she is pregnant with a second child right now and is overly emotional.

If any more information is needed then please do not hesitate to ask

Thank you

By Michele Solis

Kaya Kesim is a little shy when meeting a stranger, retreating behind the legs of his mother, Katie Kesim. But no amount of gentle greeting, coaxing, or even clowning will elicit a reply from this brown-eyed 4-year-old, because Kaya doesn't talk.

"After he turned one, he stopped talking altogether," says Kesim. Soon after, he was diagnosed with autism.

But Kaya can communicate. He uses a speech-generating device, or "SGD," which at first glance looks like an Etch-a-Sketch, its gray touch screen framed by red plastic. He carries his SGD around and uses it to request snacks, sing songs, and play.

"It has saved us a lot of temper tantrums," says Kesim. "He used to beat his head on the wall repeatedly out of a lot of frustration."

Life without communication is unimaginable for most of us. SGDs offer a means of communication to those with neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (think Stephen Hawking), stroke, and autism, which is a developmental disorder marked by social and communication difficulties. In giving Kaya a voice, his mother says, the device has not only decreased his meltdowns, but it has increased his social inclusion at school and his language comprehension.

Yet even as autism awareness in particular grows, some Washington health insurance companies have refused to cover SGD costs, calling the devices "investigational," which implies that they haven't been shown to work for autism. This riles parents and professionals alike.

Marci Revelli, a speech language pathologist who works with many different patients at Children's Hospital in Seattle, says that these policies unfairly discriminate against those with autism. "Why are we just picking on this population?" she asks.

Autism Today is proud to be the first comprehensive online directory (established in 1998) of programs and services offering easy to locate professionals, schools, camps, recreational programs, and much more in one convenient place. Press here to access the online directory.

I would like to spread the news of this very important campaign and petition to stop benefit cuts and medical assessments on our children and adults with Autism in the UK. 

We can only accept your signature if you are a UK resident.

Please ACT NOW to help our autism community by signing the petition and letting your friends, family and networks know so they can sign too!

Here is the link to read about the campaign and sign your support.  Thank you!

http://actnow01.web.officelive.com/default.aspx

Often during pediatric checkups when asked to fill out the checklist of possible autism markers, we'd check one or two and after a short discussion witht he pediatrician, who would note that our son has good eye contact, would say it was probably nothing.  We had him tested by the school district in January to see if there were learning deficits and he checked within normal parameters there and so part of me is wondering if it's all in my head, but I keep coming back to something just isn't quite right. 

I'll try to list all the oddities I can think of here:

He's always seems to lag behind in language, and just when we start getting really worried, he catches up in sudden jumps.  Even now and especially when he was younger, getting him to respond to his name has been an issue.  Sometimes it seems like we could yell it right next to him and he wouldn't flinch. 

He often seems to be in his own little world and disconncted from reality.  It's as if he has some picture of how he thinks the world is in his head and when he is confronted with a conflicting reality, will sometimes meltdown--lots of odd examples of this, but a recent one is he can be eating a cookie and I guess he just isn't paying attention to the fact that he's eating it and then suddenly becomes concerned when he realizes it's gone(because, of course, he's eaten it.)  He's been very much into pretend play from an early age and will pretend to be a cat or whatever else with his older sister.  He also spends a lot of time playing with toy tractors and cars(which I'm sure is quite normal, but I would go so far as to say he's pretty obsessive about it).  He has a special patch of dirt outside that he'll spend hours at just driving them around.  The cars and tractors talk to each other and make noises and this is easily one of his favorite activities.

Trying to have a coherent conversation with him is the most difficult thing.  His responses vary from ignoring you, making wierd sounds and flopping around, talking about something else or saying something nonsensical, or (most often) enthusiastically agreeing with you.  He gets in modes where you can ask him anything and he'll look you right in the eye with a very excited expression on his face and nod and say "yeah." You can ask him a whole string of bizarre things and he'll do this.  "Charlie, did you go to the moon today?" "Yeah!"  "Did you eat intestines for breakfast?" "Yeah!" He always looks right at us and answers so convincingly.  It's very difficult to get him to respond to questions in a sensical way.  The best bet is to engage him in conversation pertaining to his interests.  Currently he is most obsessed with lawn mowers and the process of mowing lawns and you can get him to say quite a bit about that.  But ask him something as simple as "what did you do this morning?" and you're not likely to get much. 

He also seems to have some sensory issues.  He does a lot of rocking while sitting on the couch, or bouncing on his knees on his bed and often resorts to this behavior when upset--sometimes he'll chant something while doing this or make a whole series of odd facial expressions.  Recently seems to be doing it less, though he's picked up a new habit of walking around with his fingers shoved in his mouth instead.  Sometimes he'll walk in circles for awhile.  Anytime he's somewhere where there are lines painted on the ground, he compulsively follows them.

When he gets excited he'll hop in place and sometimes seems so overwhelmed he shakes.  For the longest time I've been trying to get him to draw--he just scribbles vigorously--and finally the other day I guided him through putting an actual picture down on paper(not that you can tell what it is, but hey, at least it was deliberate marks), but the process was so overwhelming for him that he would have to squeal very loudly with excitement and stand in his chair after each deliberate mark and near the end he was clearly fighting the urge to just scribble wildly or pound the marker into the table.  He doesn't yet have a hand preference and does not know how to hold a marker correctly either, but I'm not sure that in and of itself at this age is unusual.

He likes to play with other kids but often withdraws from them at some point into his own little world doing his own little tasks.  When he is interacting, he does so enthusiastically, though most of his interaction seems to be him either mimicing the other childrens behavior or repeating what they are saying or simply being very agreeable and saying "yeah!" to everything they say. 

We definitly have the sense that he is somehow disconnected.  That the real Charlie lies beneath somewhere.  Yet at the same time, he is very affectionate and can be very social.  Overall, though, he's not too much of a tantrum thrower.  He's actually not a terribly difficult child, though it can be tough to get him to do something(he seems to have trouble getting distracted mid process).  He'll have tantrums, but I've never felt like they were excessive.  Our biggest concerns are his odd disconnect and how difficult it seems to be to have meaningful communication with him--where you don't feel like you are talking to the recorded message/autopilot version of him. 

So, that was long and I thank anyone who takes the time to read and respond.  I realize some of his weirdness might just be his age, though my daughter was very different at this age and was quite a bit ahead of where he seems to be.  I'm just wondering if this sounds like PDA or not and if anyone has any suggestions as to what we might do.

Different kids need different kinds of help, but learning how to communicate is always an important first step. Spoken language can be hard for kids with autism to learn. Most understand words better by seeing them, so therapists teach them how to communicate by pointing or using pictures or sign language. That makes learning other things easier, and eventually, many kids with autism learn to talk.

Therapists also help kids learn social skills, such as how to greet people, wait for a turn, and follow directions. Some kids need special help with living skills (like brushing teeth or making a bed). Others have trouble sitting still or controlling their tempers and need therapy to help them control their behavior. Some kids take medications to help their moods and behavior, but there's no medicine that will make a kid's autism go away.

Students with mild autism sometimes can go to regular school. But most kids with autism need calmer, more orderly surroundings. They also need teachers trained to understand the problems they have with communicating and learning. They may learn at home or in special classes at public or private schools.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_ZDdyMDCa8

As time permits I hope to add more.

Neville