Discussing Autism

Although the findings are not new, the connection may not often be made between Fragile X and Primary Ovarian Insufficiency because Fragile X is very often silent in females.

In 2005, a study revealed that premutation carriers (female carriers) often had symptoms such as premature ovarian failure and tremors/ataxia. They found that premature ovarian failure occurred in up to 20 percent of woman who were carriers of the FMR1 gene (compared to approximately one percent of women in the general population).

The DNA MedEd Cafe is conducting a Special Web Conference February 28th to discuss Premature Ovarian Failure/Primary Ovarian Insufficiency and Molecular Diagnosis.

What is Primary Ovarian Insufficiency? POI was formerly known as Premature Ovarian Failure and is NOT menopause. Women with POI may actually develop symptoms similar to menopause but they can still get pregnant because their ovaries may occasionally work. However, women with POI are at higher risk for being carriers of Fragile X. Some women may still even have regular cycles but may have POI in a milder form.

Women who suspect they may have POI and be carriers of Fragile X should have the FMR1 DNA test. The risk to children includes mild to severe mental retardation and you (the woman) risks developing Fragile X Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome.

Girls with full mutation Fragile X have fewer physical signs of Fragile X than do males (who typically also have more mental retardation and serious learning disabilities). However, some females (about one third) also have learning disabilities like attention difficulties, emotional problems, poor social skills, and problems with math.

Typically developing children learn without the need for intervention and they learn at a natural rate. However, children with autism and special needs don’t acquire skills at the same rate and they don’t always maintain what they learn because of processing disorders or deficiencies in memory.

ABA, Applied Behavior Analysis, is the design, implementation, and evaluation of environmental modifications to produce socially significant improvement in behavior. ABA is based upon the idea that a child’s behavior is determined by past and current events as well as genetic make-up. So, it focuses on explaining events that can be manipulated rather than focusing on the internal make-up that is beyond parental control. (more…)

Having a child will change your life but one day finding out that your child has special needs, or better yet, Autism, can be so life altering that families can either pull together or be ripped apart.

Every family will eventually respond to an autism diagnosis in their own way. Because caring for a child with autism takes time, energy, patience, resources, flexibility, finances, and most importantly, a sense of humor. (more…)

In a proactive move the Lowe’s Companies will no longer be advertising with the CBS program Big Brother. After last week’s devastating broadcast in which Adam Jasinski stated that people with autism are “retards” the company released a statement identifying their advertising guidelines. (more…)

Yes, its been a long time since I posted a freebie. So sorry about that. We have been a little busy around our house. But, I have a fantastic freebie for you today.
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Every parent makes their own choices based upon science, medicine, religion, or even theology or ideology. But, when does the safety of other children come into play?

I talk a lot about how vaccines affect the public, the safety of vaccines, the medical aspects of vaccines, and our family policies.
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Every person who has not had their head stuck in the sand for the last ten years knows that the word Retard is just not cool. But when the word is said in front of millions of viewers a person can be condemned for saying it.

Adam Jasinski, a contestant on Big Brother, CBS’s reality television show that is known for its controversial contestants.
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Galileo Galilei
We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves.

Activities to develop fine motor skills can often be hard to find because toys today are geared towards entertainment. However, when you step back and look at educational products you will find that educational products can be just as entertaining and sometimes even more rewarding than any toy in the house.

AJ loves playing with me in the morning before he goes to school (we switched him to the afternoon after winter break) and we recently put all of his toys away because he was just way too overstimulated. It has worked out to both of our benefits. He not only is more calm but he is also more interactive with me. He is able to chose from his BoardMaker flip pictures from a list of activities that he can do and he loves the “freedom” of having a choice. (more…)

AJ has never been one to pick up a ball for the fun of it…he usually picks up one in anger or disgust and then throws it. But man, does he have an arm. A strong left one and an even stronger right one.

According to eBeanStalk’s Physical Therapist, Deanie Barth, “A child does not simply wake up one day with the ability to accurately catch and throw and kick a ball, it is a learning process just like any other required skill.”
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Since 1986 the number of vaccines the CDC recommends has gone from 10 to 36. But do we, as parents, HAVE to give our children all those vaccines?

New studies show that most children will naturally chelate toxins like mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde, ether, and antifreeze (?) out of their system within weeks (thus the fever and flulike symptoms for a few days…the body working hard to get rid of the toxins?). (more…)

We first started using Picture Cards about two years ago when we purchased PECS to help with scheduling but I have recently found that its not the scheduling that AJ needs the most help in. Instead, we have started using the pictures from BoardMaker to help him with his visual and auditory processing disability.

We have created several sets of ring cards to help him get ready for the day and get ready for bed and he absolutely loves them because it gives him mind order. His morning ring card has the following pictures: Bathroom, bath, brush teeth, underwear, socks, pants, and shirt. He can now get dressed almost entirely by himself without any communication issues or without us having to talk to him at all (which often created frustration).

Grocery PECS, DVD PECS, Toy PECS
Free PECS
School related Pictures

Complete List of Companies that Create Picture Cards

Now that you know a little about Auditory Processing (and I say little because there is to much information out there that I have only scratched the surface) where do you go to get help?

Unfortunately, audiologists can not make a reliable diagnosis of Auditory Processing Disorder, or Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), until a child is seven (and it takes specialized testing) because of the way the neurological system develops. However, visual processing can be diagnosed early and a neurologist can determine if a child will or is having trouble processing auditory information.

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Auditory Processing, like visual processing, can be difficult to diagnose. In fact, auditory processing most often goes hand in hand with visual processing disorder because they are both neurological disorders and the problems actually overlap in the areas of memory, discrimination, attention, and language. Most often, these disorders are treated simultaneously or if a child has one of the disorders but not the other he/she is treated with the same strategies that one might use for both.
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>Early Childhood

Use books, worksheets and other materials with enlarged print.
Read written directions aloud. Varying teaching methods (written and spoken words; images and sounds) can help promote understanding.
Be aware of the weakness but don’t overemphasize it. While helping a child work on the weakness is important; it is just as important to build other skills and function in any setting.
Break assignments and chores into clear, concise steps. Often multiple steps can be difficult to visualize and complete.
Give examples and point out the important details of visual information (the part of a picture that contains information for a particular question).
Provide information about a task before starting to focus attention on the activity.