Advocate For Autism

I guess everyone has watched the political goings-on the past few weeks and probably either are very excited or bored with it all.



Well, I am in the excited category, because as I watched Thursday evening to the speech given by Governor Sarah Palin, the candidate for vice president. She covered many subjects that convinced me that she has just the mind set and energy needed to fix our country. Yes, many things in our country are broken and in need of repair. In my opinion, she " hit it out of the park". Many have commented that they have not heard such a dynamic speech in many years.



Putting politics aside for a moment, I want to talk about something she mentioned that is very close to my heart. As you may all know, she has a small baby who is a special needs child. She knew the baby would need a special home and chose to give birth to the child and to raise it with love and care. From all appearances, she and her family certainly are fulfilling that role. Everytime the family was shown on camera, another family member was holding the little boy and loving on him. I don't know many children his age that were held in the arms of their mother on stage looking out on thousands of people wildly cheering her on. It is a scene I shall not soon forget.



Long toward the last of her speech, she mentioned that she has a special needs child and that there are many in the world who are dealing with the challenges in raising these children. I can't quote her verbatim, but she put it like this: Many families experience problems and with the problems comes challenges and joy. She made a commitment to the families of all special needs children that if she were elected, there would be an advocate in the White House for these special children. If she is elected our Vice President, she will fulfill many important duties and make many decisions, but she will never fulfill a more important role during her term. Just the fact that she is there will comfort so many, but I feel she will accomplish much more than that.



Let us hope that Sarah will become an advocate for all families everywhere, but especially for the families with special needs children.



If you have a comment, please share it with us.



Meredith

Austim: A Plea For More Understanding

Today I was looking through some of my old poems and found this treasure. It is a plea for more understanding of the autistic child. If you can read this without shedding a tear, you have more emotional control than I.

I remember reading this poem many times when therapy sessions didn't go well, or things in general just seemed to be overwhelming. It always brought me back to the reason for not giving in to the frustrations. It pointed out the importance of why we were spending the time to make things better. Share this with someone you know today who needs it.

The Misunderstood Child

I am the child that looks healthy and fine

I was born with ten fingers and toes

But something is different, somewhere in my mind

And what it is, nobody knows.

I am the child that struggles in school

Though they say that I'm perfectly smart

They tell me I'm lazy - can learn if I try-

But I don't seem to know where to start.

I am the child that won't wear the clothes

Which hurt me or bother my feet

I dread sudden noises, can't handle most smells

And tastes - there are few foods I'll eat.

I am the child that can't catch the ball

And runs with an awkward gait

I am the one chosen last on the team

And I cringe as I stand there and wait.

I am the child with whom no one will play

The one that gets bullied and teased

I try to fit in and I want to be liked

But nothing I do seems to please.

I am the child that tantrums and freaks

Over things that seem petty and trite

You'll never know how I panic inside

When I'm lost in my anger and fright.

I am the child that fidgets and squirms

Though I'm told to sit still and be good

Do you think that I choose to be out of control?

Don't you know that I would if I could?

I am the child with the broken heart

Though I act like I really don't care

Perhaps there's a reason God made me this way -

Some message He sent me to share.

For I am the child that needs to be loved

And accepted and valued too

I am the child that is misunderstood

I am different - but look just like you.

Kathy Winters, 2003

Until Next Time,

Meredith

The Magic Between Animals And Autistic Children

There is a special magic between autistic children and animals. I have personally witnessed what happens when an autistic child touches or holds an animal for the first time. This experience becomes even more special when the child has a pet of his/her own.

There are many varieties of pets suitable for children, but please consider that it is best to wait until the child is old enough to act responsibly toward the animal of choice. There is no particular age, but eight or nine years old seems to be the time to seriously consider pet ownership. The reasons for this is that very young children want to squeeze too tight when holding small pets and can injure or even kill their cherished companion. Also, it is best to wait until they are able to care for their pet. Assuming responsibility for feeding, watering, bathing the pet and cleaning the cage or bed can be a wonderful experience and teaching process. It is best to speak to the child about his responsibilities toward the care of the animal before it comes to live in the home.

Choosing a suitable pet for your autistic child can be quite a screening process. First, it must be the right size for the environment . Consideration should be given to the temperament of the animal. Sometimes children display rough treatment and a small dog, for instance, might tend to become defensive and bite the child. A pet should be healthy and have the appropriate shots to counter disease. Last, but not least, the child probably has in mind what kind of pet he/she wants. Accommodate them if it is feasible.

Our grandchildren chose to have house rabbits. They were purchased when the animals were very young. One is named Coconut and one is named Ben. Ben's name originally was Lola until it was discovered he was not a female. Rabbits make wonderful pets. They are not noisy, they take very little care, and they are very cuddly and enjoy being carried around and loved. Their sharp teeth can be a problem unless care is given to providing objects they can nibble on. Even then, sometimes they nip at the child. They enjoy hopping around in the backyard, playing and nibbling the grass. The exposure to sun and fresh air helps keep them healthy.

If your circumstances will not allow owning a pet, there are many places to take your children to be around animals.. Zoos provide an atmosphere where children can just observe animals and not touch. There are petting zoos, where the children can go in the pens with animals and pet them, feed them and play with them. Riding academies provide horseback riding. Autistic children do not like for their feet to leave the ground, so this may not be accepted right away. A gradual introduction to these types of animal adventures is a good idea, as many children are hesitant and fearful at first. Several visits may be required before the child warms up to the animals and feels safe around them. Be patient and participate in the experience. Your child will benefit positively from the association with warm and friendly animals. Encourage communication, even if it is not positive, and enjoy the magic.

Until Next Time,

Meredith

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Autistic Journey Down Sensory Lane

Often we seem to get so caught up in the everyday caring for the basic needs of autistic children that we forget they like to just have fun. There are some wonderful activities and games that serve the purpose of providing therapeutic value, improving motor skills, developing sensory stimulation and encouraging social interaction. Playing selective games with autistic children can provide all of these important benefits, and at the same time add a happy outlook toward life. Parents gain a better understanding of their child's needs through these activities. This is not a scientific observation, but a personal insight into my experience in Ryan's world. You see, Ryan has sensory integration dysfunction. I appreciate the value of the places we sought to take him in order to seek stimulation for his sensory system and to encourage the development of social skills. Children with autism can play selective games that can provide all of these important benefits and at the same time add to a happy outlook for child and parent. Ryan's condition includes weak muscles and it gets a bit tricky to stimulate, but not over stimulate his sensory system to the point of being detrimental.

To the autistic child, probably any child, SAND AND WATER are their best friends. Of course, the place that comes to mind right now is the beach. Don't forget the sun screen, a swimsuit, an umbrella, a small shovel, a pail and toys to bury and dig up. It's amazing what can be accomplished with these natural elements. In the back yard, fill a sand box half full of sand and add water until it forms little puddles and let them play in it. Let's talk about playgrounds. Look for a playground with deep sand around each of the swings, slides, merry-go-rounds, and rides. It's fun to burrow in the sand and enjoy the sensation. The therapist pointed out to us that it was good for him to get in the swing and have us twist and then let go. The spinning motion was a wonderful experience for him. The merry-go-round gave him more of the spinning motion, which he needed. Also another benefit of the merry-go-round was the pushing and pulling of a heavy object. The slide gave his skin a good brushing as he slid down it. Of course, he would have to climb back up to the top in order to go down again, which strengthened his muscles. The bouncing and rocking motion on the springy animals added another beneficial reward. The benefits just go on and on and the best part was that he was having fun. Later treats were enjoyed at the picnic table.

A different source for sensory therapy is a discount dollar store. We visited there on a regular basis. It is the type of store that encourages handling, touching and choosing. Sometimes we would spend two hours there. To teach the value of money and the ability to choose, I would give him a dollar. As we shopped, he could put anything that interested him into the basket, but the rule was that he could only purchase one thing with the dollar I gave him. Since everything was a dollar, the only difficult thing was to learn to make choices. He soon began to think not only of himself, but he would think of things his sister would like to have.

Fast food places with playgrounds inside are perfect areas for autistic children to go and play. The first time we took Ryan, he had just begun his year of therapy and was very cautious about going up so high. He did not like for his feet to leave the ground. However, he was brave and observed the other children climbing so he climbed to the very top and froze and would not come down. My husband had to climb through all the maze and bring him down. We thought he would never want to go back, however, we were wrong. The next visit he climbed all the way to the top and finally slid down the tunnel to the floor. He would repeat this many times. It gave him much needed confidence and provided the necessary sensory therapy. Observing the other children in action encouraged him to participate. Another benefit was totally unexpected. Ryan did not like to be touched by others. It was very threatening to him. Soon, during all the activity with all the children he began to get accustomed to being touched and soon began to be more comfortable around others. A word of caution, close supervision is a must here, because some children may play a little rough. We always took time out to eat something and enjoy the social aspect of the trip.

I have not named all of the activities available, but if you know of some different ones, please feel free to leave that information for others. Take time to watch the video. Enjoy!

Until next time,
Meredith

Hope For An Autistic Child

Autistic two-year old child expelled from nursery school! Sound extreme? We were totally unprepared for this. The teacher called us aside one day and asked that we remove the child from nursery school. She explained that he was disturbing the other members of the class and she also had complaints from the other parents. To us it meant that children with problems outside the normal range of behavior were not accepted.


Well, that was the last straw. A call was made to the pediatrician explaining what had happened and an appointment was scheduled with the doctor for an evaluation. The pediatrician had always been of the opinion that the child he had known since birth was within the guidelines of normal. The nursery school experience convinced him to take another look. Fortunately for us, the doctor was experienced with autism, as his daughter has aspergers syndrome. This time he spent an hour alone with the child and came to the conclusion that perhaps he might have aspergers syndrome. We were devastated. The doctor consoled us with the fact that he was high functioning. He followed up by giving us the name and phone number of a child psychologist who was experienced in determining between the different types of autism.


An appointment was made for the initial evaluation. The doctor explained that two sessions would be required; the first with the child and his caregivers, and the last one with the child alone. The cost of the evaluation at the time seemed very expensive, but looking back on it, it was the turning point in all our lives. If you are considering what to do for a child you suspect has autism, I highly recommend that you first turn to your pediatrician and then follow up with a child psychologist who is trained to recognize the specific symptoms of all of the aspects of autism.


The day of the first evaluation arrived. We feared the worst, and hoped for the best. A second visit was scheduled. At the conclusion of this session, she sat down and talked with us and told us that he did not have asperger syndrome, but instead was suffering from sensory integration dysfunction. She wisely recommended that we read a book, The Out of Sync Child. I confess that as I began reading the book, it was difficult to put it down until it was finished. It helped me recognize the symptoms of sensory integration dysfunction, but best of all, it taught me how to begin helping the child cope. More importantly, there was hope for improvement. The psychologist also recommended that we start immediate physical therapy at a children's center. We called and scheduled him for an evaluation. They verified his diagnosis and scheduled him for regular therapy treatments once a week to be adjusted as he progressed. Since the parents both worked, I went with him and was privileged to witness each visit and his response. I must admit that I was not a believer at first. I just couldn't connect physical hterapy and an improvement of his behavioral problems. Well, was I ever wrong! He began to improve with each visit and at the end of a year we were able to discontinue the treatments.


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Until Next Time,


Meredith

The face of autism

AUTISM IN THE FAMILY

Autism can have many ramifications for families. Because sometimes normal children display the same behavior as autistic children, especially in the early years, parents find it difficult to distinguish between what is normal and what is not. Emotionally it helps to explain away the behavior by using such expressions as: "Oh, it's just the terrible twos" or, "He is just going through a phase" or, when he goes to nursery school, he will adjust and mature and will overcome the unacceptable behavior".
One of the most devastating experiences is when no one seems to understand and accept the child for who he is. This can be a detriment both to the parents and to the child. It may lead to anti-social tendencies in order to avoid explaining unusual behavior. Acceptance by others becomes extremely important, especially by family members and close friends. Sadly, sometimes there is a loss of friendships because of the lack of understanding of an autistic child. I have heard criticism voiced by individuals that "bad parenting" is the cause of the child's behavior. How hurtful is that?
I would like to use a personal experience to explain how family members can be affected by autism. In this case, the mother had gone back to work, and I had accepted the responsibility of caring for her children during the day. There were two siblings in the family; a girl six years old and her brother, a toddler. When searching for the cause of the inappropriate behavior, it was easy to blame it on the difference in their ages. They certainly had different interests, and there was a lot of conflict between the two. Toddlers require huge amounts of attention just to get through the day; and, this may at times create a bit of jealousy on the part of the older sibling which adds to the stress of the household. To relieve the tension during the day, my husband would spend one-on-one time with the toddler and I would spend time with the sister. This worked out quite well, as each child received some individual attention and we,then,would spend time with them both participating in the activities.
The toddler required constant supervision, as he was always doing something that was either destructive or dangerous. He could not be left alone to play for fear he would get into trouble. I remember one day that we decided to take a walk, which was a pleasant experience for all of us. He had a bicycle with training wheels and wanted to ride it along as we walked. We went out the side gate, and my husband was trying to keep the dog in the yard and let everyone else out. He helped the child on the bike and instructed him to wait there while he closed the gate. Now, as you may know, autistic children have a delay in registering instructions and then taking action. At times, it seems either they are not hearing you or are not paying attention. Before any of us could make a move to stop him, he went barreling down the hill on the bicycle toward our car parked at the curb and crashed into the side of the car. Fortunately he was not injured; however, he was really frightened and so were we. It made a lasting impression on all of us, especially him, as to this day he does not care much for riding bicycles!
His sister learned very quickly what emotional buttons to push in order to have him become frustrated and start crying. Sometimes it was quite a balancing act to care for both children (somewhat like juggling raw eggs). I looked forward to the time when mom and dad would be home from work to take over. Of course, this put a lot of stress and strain on mom and dad, as autism doesn't go away in the evenings.
The toddler turned two and we began looking forward to the first day of nursery school. We were persuaded that he would enjoy life more around children his age. After all, his sister had gone to this same nursery school and had a positive experience. We felt comfortable enough with the teacher and the surroundings to leave him in her care. Every morning he looked forward to spending four hours at school. He gave no signs to us of not fitting in. Everything seemed fine.

Until Next Time,
Meredith

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LET'S TALK ABOUT AUTISM

Autism is much more common than most people think. Autism is NOT caused by a person's upbringing, their social circumstances and is not the fault of the individual with the condition. It is a developmental disorder that some people are born with--it's not something you can catch or pass along to someone else.

Autism is usually diagnosed at a very young age, when a child is l/2 to 4 years old. It is not treated with surgery or medicine (although some people with autism may take medicine to improve certain symptoms, like aggressive behavior or attention problems).


This tragic disorder called autism causes many parents to spend extra time and energy to raise an autistic child and they should be given kudos for this, not criticism. Autism is a brain disorder that affects a person's ability to communicate, to reason, and to interact with others. Just imagine, if you will, how this would affect your own life!

Boys are four times more likely to have autism than girls, and it is found equally in all walks of life and in all populations around the world. Typically it appears by age 3, though diagnosis and interventions can and should begin earlier.
Not everybody with autism has the exact same symptoms, which makes it even more difficult to detect at an early age. There are no medical tests to determine whether someone has autism, although doctors may run various tests to rule out other causes of symptoms. Because their brains process information differently, teens with autism may not act like other people you know and the severity of the symptoms vary from person to person. Some children have only mild symptoms and grow up to live independently, while others have more severe symptoms and need supported living and working environments throughout their lives. Some children who have just a few of these symptoms may appear to be developing within typical expectations, although somewhat more slowly. One of the many symptoms is sensory integration dysfunction. (This has been the primary symptom my grandson developed and he still experiences mild symptoms.) We had no idea he had no sense of smell until he began walking up to someone and sniffing their clothes and practically frightened them to death as they perceived he was going to bite them. Speech and language problems also can develop.


Learning that a child has autism can be wrenching for parents. Feeling like they've lost the child they once knew, parents often move through the emotional stages of grief, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. It is the acceptance stage that I want to talk about today.

I want you to understand what a child is going through and how important is it that he/she has your love and acceptance. Now, you are thinking that of course we love our child! I want to stress here just how crucial it is for your child to hear the words "I love you, no matter what" several times a day. This soon becomes embedded and he/she is able to move forward, knowing that his/her parents appreciate him/her for who he/she is. Regardless of what else you do as caregivers, LOVE is primary. This quality also is crucial in everyone that works with your child, such as, teachers, doctors, therapists and others who enter his/her environment.

Both parents should be on board 24 hours a day and especially the mother, as most of the care falls on her. Family counseling for the parents and siblings of children with autism often help families to cope with the particular challenges of living with an autistic child.

Because autism is difficult to recognize and diagnose, it's important that families seek an evaluation by a medical professional who is experienced in diagnosing and treating the disorder as soon as possible. It used to be thought that autism is just a fate that you accept. Good news! Researchers are finding a new understanding of autism, which gives all of us hope for the future of these children.

DISCLAIMER: This information is not presented by a medical practitioner and is for informational purposes only.

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Until Next Time,
Meredith

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