Posts tagged autism in children
Canucks Autism Network
Dec 31st
It was recently our pleasure to speak with Jodi Simkin, Executive Director of the Canucks Autism Network (CAN). Canucks Autism Network’s mission is to provide year round, innovative, high quality sports, recreational, social and vocational programs for individuals and families living with autism, and to build awareness and capacity through community networks across British Columbia. Jodi took on her job in 2008.
But what a track record! In just 2 years, CAN has grown from a relatively small, locally-focused charity, primarily backed with Canucks resources, to a major force in the autism community in western Canada. Since 2008, Jodi has overseen the planning and implementation of a variety of grassroots-driven programs and services that now span the entire province. Exciting examples include Understanding Minds, a high school social network program, and Soup from the Soul, a pre-vocational/vocational training program for young adults. Congratulations Jodi and everyone involved in the Canucks Autism Network. We hope to find ways to collaborate with you. For more information, visit: www.canucksautism.ca
Presence: The Best Holiday Present!
Dec 23rd
I don’t know if you’re like me but the magic of the holiday season seemed to pulling a “disappearing act “ lately. This year I haven’t been feeling the spirit.
It’s a combination of things. I lost my mother Mitzi in August; and my beloved step-dad, Bunny, last year. It also has something to do with the kids. I have six beautiful kids and am so proud of them. But they are all busily growing up, several of them now launched into their adult lives. It’s a bittersweet feeling to watch them take flight – joyously strong, but – sadly for me – quite able to do without me.
Christmas intensifies both the joy of love and family, and the wrench of separation. Miraculous and terrible things happen during this season. Famously, suicide rates spike during the holidays. But between these extremes, I wonder if the process of the holiday – the planes, trains and automobiles, the shopping, the petty fears and anxieties we feel about seeing relatives, friends and loved ones with whom we have unresolved issues – actually disrupts their fundamental power to redeem and refresh us.
Sometimes, the holiday routine just takes over, like an unwelcome guest in our home, disrupting the family bond with those we love.
I’m not the only one at my home feeling this way. Getting ready for the holidays, one of my kids told me NOT to buy her a present this year. She said gifts don’t mean anything to her. I nearly burst into tears! How could they not want a Christmas gift from their mom? Then one of the younger boys perfunctorily gave me a list, as if I were running out to go grocery shopping. Ironically, at first, my boy’s brazenly materialistic attitude – pretty normal for a boy in his early teens – reassured me. “At least one of the kids still needs me!” a little voice said.
Upon reflection, my thoughts and heart settled on one idea. Each of us, if we are lucky, struggles at holiday time between presents and “presence.” Especially if you are in North America, we sometimes get lost in our weird obsession with material expressions of love, and the increasingly more elusive prize of being “present” – mindfully, compassionately, and spiritually giving of ourselves to others, whether they be loved ones or complete strangers.
My conclusion: Whatever object we give each other during the holidays, it will fail as a present if given without our presence. Indeed, the most miraculous thing of all that I see is the love that sometimes flows between utter solitudes – people who have no other reason to give to each other but the impulse of goodwill that flows at holiday time.
Imagine if we were better able, throughout the year, to give our hearts to each other, with no expectation of return. Able to give our most jealously guarded interior gift – the gift of being present to, mindful of and lovingly disposed towards others.
I am not advocating we abandon holiday gift-giving outright. Indeed, taking a moment to reflect on the occasional contest of material vs. intangible giving, made the gift hunt much more fun. Who cares what I buy the kids? It makes me feel good to buy them stuff; and if they are in the spirit, even a lousy gift is fun to receive. So today, I joined countless of other souls at the mall and put my heart and soul into getting things I thought my family would enjoy! I hope if your experiencing anything similar you reach into your own heart and capture the magic of gift giving. It’s a wonderful magic to find it again.
In this spirit, I realized this week I have a gift for all of you, who have enriched my life more than I can say. As many of you know, winter holiday and other parties are a very challenging for people on the autism spectrum, especially little ones. Several years ago, I wrote, How to Plan the Perfect Party, a little book for my little boy and his friends, and their families, so people would understand how to include him in the fun. I hope you will enjoy this book and put it to use to help your child or friend with autism to fully participate in holiday festivities. I hope it will help you create wonderful, unforgettable memories.
Much love and joy and MAGIC for the holiday season.
Lovingly,
Karen Simmons
Founder & CEO Autism Today
Chicken Soup for the Soul, Children with Special Needs
Call For Volunteers – “Autism Through The Lifespan” April 8-9, 2011
Dec 16th
We are looking for a limited number of enthusiastic and energetic volunteers to distribute fliers and posters throughout the entire Vancouver area!
We will be screening the first 50 volunteers that reply. Volunteers can be organizations or individuals who have an interest in advocating for the autism community and its increased awareness in education.
Volunteers will receive free registrations to the conference!
Join us at the Autism Vancouver Biennial Congress 2011 April 8th – 9th 2011!
Autism Through the Lifespan, featuring the Autism Expo & Market, will feature 18 plus of the world’s foremost autism experts speaking on topics covering the full range of everything that you must know about Autism Spectrum Disorders Across the Lifespan.
This theme reflects the reality that autism spectrum disorders present an evolving set of personal, familial, societal, and therapeutic issues as affected individuals pass from infancy, childhood through adolescence, adulthood, and finally old age.
Adopting a life-span perspective is a fundamental requirement for developing a set of comprehensive services to individuals and families who are dealing with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
This 2 day event assembles leading experts on autism spectrum disorders. Speakers include:
– Jerry Newport
– Dr. Stephen Shore
– Keri Bowers
– Bill Davis
– Julie Matthews
– Tasreen Alibhai
– David Kirby
– Dr. Bill Shaw
– Eustacia Cutler (Temple Grandin’s Mom)
Speakers will focus on ways to improve the quality of life for those affected by autism and the families, caregivers, and professionals by conducting presentations in the areas of:
– Behavioral and Biomedical Interventions
– Adjunct Therapies
– Social Skills Training
– Diet and Nutrition
– Family Issues
Please contact Susan Simmons at susan@autismtoday.com for details.
Today’s Insight on Autism: Can Food Sabotage Your Child’s Progress?
Sep 28th
We love reading these articles and sharing them with our readers. There are so many ways people are dealing with sensitivities for those with autism and ADD/ADHD. Thank you so much Dr. Dantini for submitting your article!
Sincerely,
Karen Simmons
Can Food Sabotage Your Child’s Progress?
by Dr. Daniel Dantini, MD
In the mid 1980s, I conducted a study on food sensitivities and their effects on ADD/ADHD symptoms. After testing the patient for delayed food sensitivities, the study consisted of two phases:
The Avoidance Phase, in which the offending foods are avoided for six weeks.
The Challenge Phase, in which the excluded foods are slowly added back into the diet. The reason for the challenge phase is to prove that the foods identified by the test are actually causing specific symptoms.
Included in this particular study, was an autistic child around 2 years old. During the avoidance phase when the harmful foods were removed from this child’s diet, ALL of the autistic symptoms disappeared.
With such dramatic results, the parents withdrew the child from the study before the challenge phase. They not only feared that challenging the foods back into the child’s diet would cause the symptoms to return, but that they would not be able to reverse them again.
This was the first autistic child I had ever encountered. I consulted my dad who had been a General Practitioner for 50 years, and he had never seen a single case. As an otolaryngologist, I didn’t see many cases of autism.
However, just before I moved from Pittsburgh to Florida, I saw the son of a nurse at the hospital who had just been diagnosed with Autism. After I tested him for delayed food sensitivities, I instructed his mother to have him avoid the harmful foods. 16 years later, he and his mother stopped by my office. He had continued the protocol and was preparing for college. As far as I could tell, he was normal. The only unusual remnant of his autism was that he couldn’t lie.
In Florida, I started seeing more and more patients on the Autistic Spectrum. I have been watching results in my own practice and getting feedback from DAN doctors and others who regularly treat Autism. What I have found is that, in delayed food sensitivity, immune complex plays a vital role in the progression of autism. And the younger the child we treat, the better the results.
Certainly there are genetic predispositions that affect the population, but since it was rare before the 1980s, there is obviously something else, which is drastically contributing to, if not causing the huge increase in cases.
Allergic load and an over-stimulated immune system seem to me to be major culprits. Allergic load is the amount of allergens the body can successfully tolerate. When we’re exposed to more than we can handle, the immune system reacts badly. In the case of autism, the brain is affected during its development. By decreasing the allergic load, the immune system is better able to handle any other onslaughts it may encounter. Since food is such a large portion of the potential allergic load, it makes sense to test children early for both immediate AND delayed food sensitivities and eliminate the foods to which they react. This increases the chance that the brain can develop normally.
Temple Grandin on TED; Autism is a Continuum
Jul 16th
Temple Grandin is very specific about how she describes autism, how to foster success in the autistic child, why the world needs people on the autism spectrum.
Autism is a very big continuum, from severe (nonverbal) to brilliant to (scientists). The kids growing up now can be the next great inventors.
There is a fine line between nerd and someone with Asperger’s. Many times, these ‘nerdy’ types or kids that can’t get focused on their assigned lessons in school get pushed aside because teachers just don’t know how to deal with them. They don’t know what to do with them and they don’t have the resources to help them flourish. Temple’s deep concern is expressed “…one of the things that really worries me is where is the younger version of those kids going today? They’re not ending up in Silicon Valley, where they belong!” (Grandin, 2010).
The autistic mind is a ‘specialist’ mind. Some are visual, photo realistic thinkers and are poor at algebra, They see thoughts or words just like “google for pictures”. The autistic brain picks out the details, but the ‘normal’ brain ignores a lot of details. She says if a bridge designer ignores the details, it will crumble and fall!
There are pattern thinkers, who are good at math and often have problems with reading. There are verbal thinkers, which are poor at drawing, but know every fact about everything.
Temple learned very early that she had to sell her work, not herself. Social people sell themselves in a job interview, more so than their work. Temple showed her amazing drawings! She also learned the importance of manners at an early age, through intensive mentoring as a young child.
It’s important to show kids on the spectrum interesting stuff to get them excited about learning whatever their specialty is. A mind can be social or ‘geeky’. The autism mind is less social, to the severity of being non-verbal. To take art, drafting, music out of the schools is a critical mistake, as autistic kids need to have these programs to nurture their ‘fixation’. These kids are really smart, and teachers need to know how to direct these kids.
We need to get these kids ‘turned on’. Take notice on what they fixate. If they can’t get their mind off horses, then center the [math] lesson around horses. Maybe they should skip math altogether, if they aren’t pattern thinkers! Temple cannot emphasize enough the importance of a good mentor for helping a child develop his or her autism special talents
