What are some good activities for adolecents with autism and their siblings?
Filed under: Community Development, Resources For Teachers, Resources for Families
I’ve worked with children with autism of all ages, and especially love programming for social activities for older children and their siblings. There are many activities, indoor and outdoor, that are great for siblings to do together which build social skills, leisure skills, organization and planning skills, and other great life skills…most importantly those activities which are AGE APPROPRIATE are preferred.
As for outdoor activities, bicycling (maybe a tandem bike if low motor skills), scooters, skiing/snowboarding/sledding, obstacle courses, basketball (especially games you can make very visual like HORSE, around-the-world, etc), soccer, and frisbee are fun options.
For indoor activities (especially during those chilly winter months), playing musical instruments (drums, piano, horns, etc.), video games (such as Dance-Dance Revolution, Wii Sports, Wii Carnival, Mario Party and Wii Fit, etc.), listening/dancing to music, art projects, cooking projects, cleaning projects (could tie in with earning money to make purchases…great life skills), dance/holiday party for friends (include the kids in planning and setting up, etc…again, great life skills), and re-decorating/painting projects are always fun.
I always try to make sure, as I’m sure others do too, that the activities are fun and engaging, but also working on some life skills. Additionally, I always make sure that the kids are part of the planning process to ensure that they are engaged in the entire process and equally enthusiastic to do the activity…not just doing what an adult tells them to do…again that goes back to building life skills including organizing and planning their own activities.
Let me know if YOU have any other ideas!
For more activity ideas, check out this discussion forum:
Waiting on a diagnosis of autism?!?
Filed under: Community Development, Resources for Families
In my most recent perusal of blogs and discussion boards I came across a parent who was told she would have to wait 6-9 months to be seen by a doctor to get evaluated for autism. Although this is very common because there are a limited number of neuropsychologist who are able to give an official diagnosis and they are usually booked out for months and sometimes years, this does not mean that one needs to wait that long for services. Most states have programs in their school districts that can identify a child as having a developmental delay so the child can begin receiving services as soon as possible. I would recommend scheduling and appointment with a doctor who specializes in evaluating and diagnosing children with autism, but also contact your local school district as soon as possible to get them evaluated by the school system. By doing this, even without a diagnosis, your child will likely qualify under the category of “developmentally delayed” and begin receiving services based on their areas of need (i.e. speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, pre-academic and/or cognitive). Once your child is diagnosed by a doctor the school district will integrate this information into your child’s evaluation report and program.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has termed this early identification process as Child Find, and these services are available in all states as it is federally mandated by IDEA-Part C (it may be called something else in your state…just contact your local school district). The school districts are obligated to meet with families who are concerned about their child’s development and conduct an evaluation to determine if services are warranted. Please do not take the doctor’s scheduling delay as a delay in your child’s access to services…contact the school district to access services NOW!!!
Here is a description of how the process works. First a meeting is scheduled with the Child Find team and as a team it is decided whether or not to proceed with an evaluation. Once the team has decided to evaluate, they have 35 school days to complete the evaluation and present the report and recommendations at a feedback meeting. If your child is found to be in need of services, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) will be written outlining the child’s needs, their educational goals, and services they will receive. Many times school districts will begin services, if the parent consents, before the IEP is finalized to ensure that the child receives services as soon as possible.
Do not hesitate in contacting the school district to initiate early identification and early intervention services. It is the law and it is your child’s right to receive free and appropriate services.
Stereotyped Motor Movements
Filed under: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Community Development, Individualized Education Plans, Resources For Teachers, Resources for Families
Stereotyped motor movements in people with autism include hand flapping, rapid eye-blinking, spinning, and rocking. It is postulated that the seemingly “odd” behaviors usually occur in response to stress or excitement. The video below is a great example of how we all have stereotyped motor movements in response to stress or excitement…the difference being that many of these seem “normal”. When our bodies produce neurochemicals in response to stressors our bodies react in the form of stereotypical motor movements to help regulate our responses. We tap our pencils, twiddle our thumbs, shake our legs, bite our nails and pace back and forth in an attempt to cope with a chemical overload. This is no different than what happens in people with autism; therefore, I argue that these stereotypical motor movements are not something that we should try to stop because they are normal reactions to normal neurochemicals. I’ve heard the argument that the stereotypical motor movements of people with autism interfere with learning and social interaction so they need to be stopped. My counter-argument is that learning and social interactions can be stressful experiences for people with autism and therefore elicit stress responses in the form of stereotypical motor movements. What we need to do, rather than trying to stop the movements themselves is to work with the child and give them the skills to make learning and social situations less stressful. Stopping the stereotyped movements themselves does nothing for the underlying cause of the reaction.
An Adolescent and Her Family in Need
Filed under: Community Development, Resources for Families
This article from CNN (see the link below) is the introduction to a new series they’ve done on about a 13-year old girl whose family needs help in figuring out how to manage her behavior which consists of uncontrollable screaming and tantrums. The Autism Partnership, a behavior intervention agency located in California, provided this family with a week-long intervention to help the family. The family was connected with Autism Partnership through the girl’s school.
This article brought up a couple key issues for me. First of all, this family is among many others that have spent their lives since the diagnosis of their child struggling to provide their child with the intensive intervention recommended. This, as is pointed out in the article, can be very expensive and beyond the means of most families. Something needs to be done at the local, state, and federal level to ensure that children with autism and their families are able to access the most intensive and effective treatments. The second issue that jumps out at me is the fact that the family was offered limited support from the school to address the girl’s issues at home. This is an issue that I deal with as a teacher. The public school system is not set up to help families at home…family-centered programming and support stops when the child enters kindergarten. This is a sad reality and something that needs to be addressed because it has been shown that consistency across all environments is the most effective in addressing issues with children with autism…if there is limited support for the family by the school which is full of trained professionals, there will not be as much success as possible. It wasn’t until the Autism Partnership got involved that the family was able to get help at home. The final issue is the fact that this girl and her family are suffering because of the intensity of her behavior which has increased as she has gone without treatment and as she has entered puberty. It brings up the point once again that early intervention and education of family members is vital to ensure the progress of the child and solidarity within the family.