Autism Blogger

Greetings! I am a graduate student, delving into the world of autism, among other things. A few months ago I stumbled on a lengthy blog-like article by an adult with autism who described how he taught himself to connect with the world. I remember most vividly his description of how his perception of the world around him began to 'pop out' into three dimensional visuals. Unfortunately I haven't been able to recover the web address and I don't know if it was an online article or the start of a book. Does this ring a bell with anybody out there? I would be very appreciative of any direction you can provide. 

 And thanks heaps!

Thehop 

 I think that incapulates how the world should see a person with Autism no matter where they are on the spectrum. The Temple Grandin movie on HBO the other night could have been a 6 part mini series so that we could have seen more of the trial and tribulations that she and her mother went through especially in the 60's and 70's but I give the movie makers an A for what they did it was informational and inspiring....yes I cried.....It may have shown better how our kids think and feel than any other movie out there, I truely believe that my son uses the images and scenes from all of his movies to help him make sense of the "real" world.

From now on when I tell someone that my son is Autistic and they ask "like Rain Man" I will say no "like Temple Grandin".

On Feb. 12, the Autism Society Chapter-Kern Autism Network will hold its 15th Annual Autism Awareness Conference at the Marriott Hotel, 801 Truxtun Ave., in Bakersfield. Featured speakers are Dr. Stephen Shore and Dr. Blythe Corbett.

Diagnosed with “atypical development with strong autistic tendencies,” Shore was viewed as “too sick” to be treated on an outpatient basis and recommended for institutionalization. Though he was nonverbal until the age of four, with much help from his parents, teachers, and others, Shore completed his doctoral dissertation at Boston University, which was focused on matching best practice to the needs of people on the autism spectrum.

Recently, Shore has accepted a professorship at Adelphi University teaching courses in special education and autism.

In addition to working with children and talking about life on the autism spectrum, Shore presents and consults internationally on adult issues pertinent to education, relationships, employment, advocacy, and disclosure as discussed in his books Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Ask and Tell: Self-advocacy and Disclosure for People on the Autism Spectrum, and the critically acclaimed Understanding Autism for Dummies.

President emeritus of the Asperger’s Association of New England, Shore serves on the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, for the Board of Directors for Autism Society of America, Unlocking Autism, MAAP, the College Internship Program, and USAAA.

Click on the newslink to read the full story.

Six-year-old Alexander Mitchell of Dallas has trouble keeping up with other kids.

As a child with Pervasive Developmental Disorder, a condition on the autism spectrum, Alexander struggles to control body movements and use appropriate social interactions.

But he's flourishing in Lynne Silberman's yoga program for special-needs kids, says his mother, Kellie Baker-Mitchell.

 "It has a calming effect," says Baker-Mitchell as Alexander settles happily in class, giggling with his friend Sarah Grace Salaiz, 8, of Dallas, who has Down syndrome. "When he has a meltdown at home, we do the breathing exercises."

Silberman, 25, who has worked with special-needs kids since she was 16, believes that yoga is uniquely suited for connecting with these children. One of just a handful of practitioners in the Dallas-Fort Worth area licensed by the Florida-based group Yoga for the Special Child, she sees it as a way of improving attention span, balance and strength as well as confidence and self-control. An independent instructor, she used to teach at Dallas Services, which continues to offer the program.

All kids need exercise, Silberman notes. But too often, kids with special needs are rejected from organized sports or recess play for not being coordinated, focused or fast enough. In her class, they all feel like winners as they improve their skills.

Click on the newslink to read the full story.

As daylight spread across upper Cleveland County on the morning of June 13, 2009, county Emergency Management Director Dewey Cook was already hard at work.

Equipped with a radio device, he listened for beeps - clues that would help him find a missing woman who had walked off from home.

In Cleveland County, she is one of about 20 Project Lifesaver participants who range from elderly patients with dementia to a child with autism.

Within six minutes, Cook had tracked the 79-year-old woman, an Alzheimer's patient, and found her behind a mobile home about a mile from her house.

Nationwide, the project has conducted more than 2,000 successful searches, with a couple of those coming from Cleveland County.

This summer, Cleveland County's Project Lifesaver received two awards for quickest searches, and that's something Cook is proud of, especially since he took on a key role in both.
"What we do when we get a call is we follow the guidelines," said Cook. "We turn on the receiver, then get in the area.
"I picked up a signal with the all-directional antenna, then switched to the directional one," he said. "It hones you in to where the person is."

Cook is one of a group of officials from law enforcement and emergency management who work with the project.

"We're a team," he said. "When we make a find, it's a team effort."

Project Lifesaver has joined with LoJack, the company that tracks stolen vehicles, to make finding lost clients even easier, said Cleveland County Sheriff's Office Lt. Wayne Thomas.

The transmitters were previously equipped with a radio frequency tracking device, which is now coupled with the satellite capabilities of LoJack, he said.

Click on the newslink to read the full story.

My son is 8 years old and was diagnosed with Aspergers last year. He's always been a handful, but just over the last few weeks we've noticed some changes and are consequently in counceling. He's told me he's had thoughts of suicide in the past, but I don't know how serious those thoughts were. He's very secretive with his feelings and in fact seems to enjoy having "secrets" as he calls them. Often times when he's upset he'll share that he has secrets and wants us to be sure to know that we won't know what those secrets are. Seems to bring him a lot of satisfaction and an odd sort of peace.

 In any case, I have a lot of concerns about his emotional health and well-being. I actually love that he's different. He's highly intelligent and imaginative and brings us a lot of joy with his stories and silly humor, but then there's the other side that is emotional, frustrated, and sometimes angry to the point he hits, kicks, and curses. He's getting bigger all the time and I don't know what I'll do when he one day is as big or bigger than I am. I really don't have a lot of control over him.

 I've started a blog about us... it's really about our relationship, mother and son and what I learn from him as we watch him develop into a young man. You can find us at An Aspie Story

I'd love to have you stop by and share your wisdom with me. I believe we can all learn from one another! I'm very glad to have found this site and look forward to meeting others who've been there/done that!

Maggie

I am a widow and single mother of a mildly to moderately autistic boy.  He will turn 3 years old in two weeks.  He was diagnosed with Autism just before his 2nd Birthday.  When he was diagnosed he couldn't talk or communicate, he wouldn't respond to his name, and there was no eye contact.  He was still drinking from a bottle and still eating baby food.  He has improved a lot in the past year.  His eye contact is really great now, he responds to his name, has learned to communicate some, immitate and initiate words.  He is now trying to tell us what he wants sometimes.  He drinks from a sippy-cup, sometimes from a straw, and sometimes out of a regular cup.  He still eats baby food.  We are still working on trying to get him to eat table food.  Because of his sensitivity to textures and also because change is hard, he will not eat anything he has to chew.   I have learned that parents are the best advocates for their children.  Parents know their children better than anyone.  What works for one child may not work for another child.  Each parent has to figure out what works best for their child, this could be true for normal children as well as autistic children. My son has a speech therapist, occupational therapist, and play therapist.  He has also been in daycare 3 days a week around normal children.  My son has a happy, sweet, loving, and playful nature.  He relates well to me when I play with him.  He likes games, like peek-a-boo. He is becoming good at imaginative and pretend play.  read more »

Hi everyone! Here's a hello and a little about me and Zachary:

When my son Zachary was born, he was the third boy and clearly different. Club foot, colic, esotropia, were the 1st apparent issues. Oh, yea his APGAR score was 2.

Still, I looked at each one of these diagnoses as 'problems to solve' and like most parents began tackling what interventions would best treat Zachary. As we seemed to be making progress with these issues my gut was tearing away at me. It was clear Zachary was not happy. He was in fact acting like his environment was constantly provoking him into hysteria, which he had no ability to control or come down from.

I began experimenting with environmental controls, and finally after months of trial and error I discovered that a low light, 66 degrees, organic cotton diaper and organic cotton blanket swaddled with soft classical music, very low was his happy spot.

We spent a considerable amount of time in this cocoon. I breast fed Zachary here, had his brother come in his room rather than him leave it for interaction. The range of what Zachary could tolerate in this environment improved greatly and for the first time since he was born, he could relax and trust.

I leapt on this foundation of trust. Without language and highly sensitive, I needed Zachary to trust that if he was with me, he was fine. Thank goodness for the mild California climate, it gave me courage to take Zachary out in 'just a onezie’! So we began, venture after venture, within the house, out of the house, in the car, stretching Zachary’s tolerance of his environment. One day when Zachary wasn't doing well at one of his brother's baseball games, a friend asked me why I didn't go home.  read more »

Some of you are probably aware of this, and quit honestly I knew this as well but just wasn't completely prepared for it yesterday.....

Dr. Pepper does not make DVD players work better......but it does make a nasty smell.

You may have heard that they wanted to hold that big terrorism trial in downtown Manhattan, in what would no doubt be a lively courthouse at the southern tip of the island on which I and my family live.

You wouldn’t think that this event – with its attendant NYPD checkpoints, rooftop sniper guards, and overall sense of not telling yourself over and over that a suicide bomber intent on destruction is going to succeed no matter what the police erect – would have much to do with Alex’s junior high school. But like a drop of dishwashing soap dripped into a pan of greasy water, the event has caused the NYC Department of Education to move as many schoolchilden as possible from what could be a new Ground Zero. That in turn has caused new crowding in many schools up the length of Manhattan...

at jeffslife.tripod.com/alextheboy