Speech Therapy Center

Further Challenges with ASD: Transitioning to Middle School, A Parent’s Guide

Having children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders can be a challenge at all stages of development. During the child years, both male and females go through hormonal changes. These changes can bring emotional and physical barriers, adding to the already difficult burden of the symptoms related to their disorder; for girls, menstruation and for boys, voice alterations and hair growth. Both genders will also be exposed to social changes and increased academic expectations. It is important for parents to be highly involved in their growth and behavioral, social, and cognitive development in order to make their child years the smoothest transition to adulthood as possible.

Middle school is one of the toughest transitioning events of all. That is why I will try my best to guide you through all of the steps necessary to make your experience a successful and even an enjoyable one!

Parenting your ASD Child through Social and Academic Changes

Social Issues

As a parent, you need to be prepared to deal with the issues of peers.  You need to be a strong model and influence for your child so that he/she can overcome the tribulations of middle school. Their symptomatic differences in behavior are many times the cause teasing, and bullying. As expected a child with ASD will be more negatively affected than other typically developing children, who also get their share of these aversive teenager routines.

The fact that individuals with ASD are not keen on social interaction contributes to their alienation from their peers. Getting them appropriate intervention through pragmatic language therapy can build the bridge between a lack of a social networking to making and keeping friends.

As a parent, you could play a vital role of your child’s progress. Try keeping a log of the child’s limitations so that they can be improved in a therapeutic environment via social scripts and reenacting of scenes.

Problem solving skills are also deficient in these children and are essential to survival in this more grown up world. Language therapy can teach your child to either problem solve a solution and compensate for their difficulty when it comes to social conflicts.

Academic Issues

You must become very involved in your child’s academic progress. Be proactive in his/her studies and speak frequently to his/her teachers as well. Make sure your concerns are addressed and documented at IEP (individual education plan) meetings.

Here are some simple steps to ensure academic success:
1.    Make sure that you know what subjects your child is enrolled in. Take part in choosing the subjects and the academic grade of the classes that your child is in. Don’t let the diagnosis dictate the setting. If your child functions at an age appropriate level, they should be mainstreamed for this subject.
2.    Don’t be afraid to ask for accommodations. Your child may need to special seating or a one-on-one paraprofessional to aid them with taking notes and following through on directions.
3.    Establish a good relationship with the teachers. Ask for their weekly plans and for homebound copy of the class textbook, so that you and their therapy team can be equipped to support them in school. This will ensure success in the classroom.
4.    Do not wait when negative situations arise. Although the educational team meets annually. If your child is failing a subject, encountering social challenges or is confronted with professionals not trained to help them succeed, only your voice can ‘make a difference’, so speak up and do not be shy.

Case Study on Bullying

Here is a sad story of a child with ASD who is confronted with text messaging bullying. The parent discovered a change in their son’s behavior and checked his phone for more information. What they found was bullying messages. A different method would have been to ask him about what kind of topics he was conversing about with his friends. Luckily, she found the problem early enough to correct it and avoid additional unnecessary conflict.

To read the full story on text bullying, please visit: http://adhdguide.blogspot.com/2010/04/texting-adhd-disaster.html#comment-form

Communicating with your Child

Ask your child frequent questions, but do not overwhelm. Let them trust you by trusting them to speak and you will be surprised at how much information they are willing to share.

Please check the following blog on communication styles, in order to help you understand how to better communicate with this now young adult that you are faced with.

Prepping Your Child for Middle School

As your child approaches the “big day” you should think of ways in which you can prepare them for what to expect.  Sit down with you child and talk to them about school, peers, teachers, and their expectations of the day.

Talking to your child about their new gained independence can help give them a positive image of the underlying hardships that are involved in growing up. In middle school you no longer have the same teacher for every subject, you switch professors depending on the class. This can be a scary image to your child. On a positive note, with appropriate practice in social skills, this is the perfect situation for socialization in between classes as you walk through the hallways.

Parents, most importantly you need to teach your child about respect for others and self-respect, along with what to do in certain negative situations. Unfortunately, individuals with ASD and other difficulties are at an increased probability for verbal, emotional, and/or physical abuse them. Offenders see them as easier targets due to their language and social limitations. Make sure you explain to your child the importance of self-respect and if someone inappropriately touches or handles them, they need to tell someone immediately.

Final Thoughts

Good parenting skills such being a good listener and empathy are vital during these years. However, remember that even though you are supportive parents, you are still “the parent”, and the main authority figure. You should be treated with the respect and love you deserve.

We know that it is difficult to raise a child and a strong support system is just as important as an informed parent. If you ever feel overwhelmed, you should contact a close friend, family member or a specialist for comfort and/or support.

Although this transition makes you apprehensive, keep in mind that you son/daughter is flourishing into the beautiful young adult, that you have helped them become. Trust yourself that you have done well parenting and that they can make good decisions and make you proud. We are proud of both of you for what you have accomplished.

Worthwhile Reads on ASD & Childs:

Girls Growing Up on the Autism Spectrum: What Parents and Professionals Should Know About the Pre-child and Childage Years, written by Shana Nichols, Gina Marie Moravcik, and Samaara Pulver Tetenbaum.

This book, talks about all the things girls feel when going through puberty including making and breaking friendships, boyfriends, and family ties. It also provides advice for parents, family, professionals, and teacher on how to help ASD child age girls.

Middle School- The Stuff Nobody Tell You About: A Childage Girl With ASD Shares Her Experiences, written by Haley Moss

Written as a personal account on the experiences she encountered, Haley Moss is an autistic girl who is currently in High School. She wrote this book, in her own words to share with the world her experiences with autism and middle school. She talks about fitting in and how she made friends and did well in school. She not only wrote this book, but also illustrated it.

Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum: A Parent’s Guide to the Cognitive, Social, Physical, and Transition Needs of Childagers with Autism Spectrum Disorders, written by Chantal Sicile-Kira, and foreworded by Temple Grandin

Chantal Sicile-Kira is the author of the award-winning book, Autism Spectrum Disorders. Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum, is a guide for parents on how to help their child deal with the cognitive, emotional, social, and physical needs. She covers an array of topics that will definitely advocate to better parenting and guidance.

Supporting Autism Awareness in a Fashionable Way

Hello Mommies, do we have a treat for you! Oakley is known for its exuberant and lavish sports sunglasses. They’re also known for their iconic polarized lens and durable frames. From goggles to masks to fashionable wear, Oakley has it all. In combination with Talk About Curing Autism (TACA), they have designed a pair of sunglasses to promote Autism awareness!

The TACA Autism Awareness sunglasses are available for both men and women. Oakley will donate $20.00 from each purchase to TACA. The design features Oakley’s signature “Ravishing” style with lightweight O’MATTER frame material and HDO, High Definition Optic Lens; plus, the mascot for Autism, the puzzle pieces. These sunglasses also promote vision wellness, protecting your eyes from harmful UVA, UVB, & UVC rays from the sun. Now, you can have some protective, and cool sunglasses to wear to those fun Autism Speaks and TACA walks for Autism!

The following two websites have more information on the sunglasses.

Be fashionable and promote awareness with these awesome sunglasses!

http://www.oakley.com/women/pd/6452

http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/about_taca/oakley/

Learning Diabilities 101

What You Need to Know About Learning Disabilities
Most people think a learning disability is a problem where a child cannot learn. That is simply not the case; a learning disability should be a called a learning difficulty, because the issue really lies within grasping and storing information. One of the key signs of LD is the child will learn something, at least you think he learned it, and then the next time you inquire about it, he/she has no clue. The biggest problem with LD is the following, if the learning disability is not detected, the issue will worsen over time.
I am writing this article to inform our community on learning disorders. This is a very common issue amongst children and like autism, one that cannot be cured. But, it can be modified and facilitated through an array of intervention methods.

What is a Learning Disability?
There are some key factors you need to know before we continue our discussion on learning disabilities:
1.    A child with LD is NOT dumb- in fact; he/she may be just as smart or even smarter than his/her peers.
2.    A learning disability is a neurological disorder- the brain functions differently than that of other children.
3.    A speech impediment can advocate to a learning disability- get your kids evaluated for speech!
4.    One in seven Americans will be diagnosed with a learning disability
5.    More common than not, an individual with a learning disability will have an issue with a specific task- reading, writing, spelling, and/or math.
6.    With the help of parents, teachers, therapists, and pediatricians, an individual with LD can succeed in school and in a profession.
A learning disability inhibits a child’s performance in their academics. It will impair certain areas of information processing; most commonly: reading, writing, spelling, mathematics, recalling, reasoning, and matching. About 80% of individuals with LD have a problem is reading; making it the most common type of learning disability.
One common misunderstanding is that ADHD and a learning disability are the same thing. This is false; the reason most people are under this misconception is because they inherently take place at the same time. A child with ADHD will most likely have a learning disability; this does not mean all children do.
Although there is no gene that signifies LD as a genetic issue, learning disabilities do occur within families. So if you know of a family member that has LD, be aware that your child may be at risk for it. Get your child evaluated immediately, I cannot stress enough the importance of early detection.

Types of Learning Disabilities
There are different types of learning disorders, with different severity categories. The term learning disability is so broad and causes much confusion. Its name makes you think disability like, unable. But that is not the case at all; they just learn differently than we do.
Let’s talk a little bit about the different disorders:
1.    Dyslexia: we all know this one; it’s the disorder in which the individual supposedly reads backwards. It is a language based disorder because the individual has a hard time comprehending written language. They will struggle with reading comprehension and fluency because of their difficulty decoding the words they are reading.

2.    Dyscalculia: I think I had this as a child since I did so poorly in math! This is the mathematical disability. A child with this will have a hard time solving math problems as well as absorbing mathematical concepts. Adding, especially subtracting, will advocate to a difficult time doing well in math class. Many a times, this will co-occur with dyslexia.

3.    Dysgraphia- this has more to do with a problem with motor skills, an individual with this type of LD will have a hard time writing. These kids are usually the ones whom you ask to write a number “8” and they’ll draw a blob with several circles. They have a difficulty forming shapes and letters, and they have a huge issue with writing it within a confined space. They love to draw and color outside the lines!

4.    Auditory and Visual Processing Disorders- this is a difficulty with sensory perception and understanding. Despite the fact that the child has perfect audition and vision, they still have a hard time absorbing verbal and visual stimulus. They probably feel like the kids in Charlie Brown, when the teacher speaks, all you hear is “wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa.” These kids will most likely have issues with math and reading, because their perception of letters and numbers are most likely very different fro what we process.

5.    Nonverbal Learning Disability- this is a neurophysiological disorder that affects the right brain. It will impair visuo-spatial, intuitive, organizational, and evaluative processing. These individuals will have a difficult time discerning emotions, facial expressions, and gestures; basically anything that is part of nonverbal communication. Their biggest problem is that they will take emotions, expressions and gestures the wrong way and react inappropriately towards them.

How Can You Tell if Your Childs Has a Learning Disability?
Since LD is one of the most difficult difficulties to detect, I thought I should post a list of detection cues.
•    Early signs of LD:
o    Family history of LD
o    Illness or injury to the brain that impairs neurological development
o    Poor prenatal care and nutrition
•    Early childhood Delays:
o    Gross motor movements are delayed- walking, standing,
o    Fine motor movements are delayed- moving fingers or toes
o    Communication skills-delayed ability to produce and understand speech
o    Cognitive skills- trouble solving problems
o    Social/emotional skills- do not interact appropriately with other children.
•    School Age Signs:
o    Child has a difficulty connecting letters to sounds
o    Complains that he/she studies more than peers, and yet does poorly on exams
o    Has poor memory
o    Difficulty with attention and/or behavior
o    Severe problems with math, reading, writing, spelling, and problem solving.
If you have observed any of the following signs, take your child to his/her doctor immediately. Many times your child’s teacher may be the one to inform you she thinks there may be a difficulty. Although you are the expert on your child, teachers can identify an LD more readily. She will see the rate at which the other students are learning and then compare it to what your child is doing. If your child has a learning disabilities make sure you get a referral for a specialist.

The following websites have essential information regarding learning disabilities. Again, if you have noted any behaviors or symptoms of learning disabilities feel free to contact our office. We will be more than happy to help you with any questions or concerns you may have!

•    http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/learningdisabilitybasics/tp/SignsofLD.htm
•    http://www.ldonline.org/ldbasics/whatisld

All Dogs Have ADHD: Book Review

All Dogs Have ADHD, written by Kathy Hoopmann.

Review taken from Amazon.

All Dogs Have ADHD takes an inspiring and affectionate look at Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), using images and ideas from the canine world to explore a variety of traits that will be instantly recognizable to those who are familiar with ADHD. This delightful book combines humor with understanding to reflect the difficulties and joys of raising a child with ADHD and celebrates what it means to be considered ‘different.’ Absorbing and enjoyable, the book takes a refreshing approach to understanding ADHD.

This book is intended for children ages 4-8 and has been rated a 5-star read. It is both inspiring and entertaining, and gives children a different perspective on what ADHD is.  Enjoy!

All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome: Book Review

All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome written by Kathy Hoopmann.

Excerpt taken from Amazon.

All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome takes a playful look at Asperger Syndrome (AS), drawing inspiration from the feline world in a way that will strike a chord with all those who are familiar with AS. Delightful color photographs of cats bring to life familiar characteristics such as sensitive hearing, scampering at the first sign of being stroked and particular eating habits. Touching, humorous and insightful, this book evokes the difficulties and joys of raising a child who is different and leaves the reader with a sense of the dignity, individuality and potential of people with AS. This engaging book is an ideal, gentle introduction to the world of AS.

Written by the same author of All Dogs Have ADHD, it has been rated 4 and ½ star read and it targets the same audience. If you liked All Dogs Have ADHD, you’ll most certainly like this one too! This book compares cats to Asperger Syndrome in a funny, and adorable way intended to get the attention of its audience. Make sure you check it out!

Amigos for Kids: ING Celebrity Domino Night

Amigos for Kids is a non-for profit organization that raises money to help children who have been abused, abandoned, and less fortunate children. Every year they hold a Domino event where everyone who registers can dine, dance, and play dominos with Miami celebrities from local television channels, politics, and community leaders.

This year the event will be held at Jungle Island on July 19th, 2010 starting at 8:00pm. Tickets are $150.00 when bought in advance and $175.00 if bought at the door. So get your tickets early to avoid a higher price!

http://www.amigosforkids.org/amigos.php#buytickets

PECS Workshop

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) Basic Training Workshops are here in Florida!

The PECS Basic Training workshop in Ocala is coming up on July 29-30! This two-day workshop is designed to introduce participants to the Picture Exchange Communication System. The workshop will go through the 6 phases of PECS, with demonstrations, and role-play activities.

To register for this1.3 ASHA CEU course, please visit www.pecs.com or call (888) 732-7462.

For more information on this event, click on the following link:

http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/faq-events/florida_1.html

Detecting Autism: New Findings through Urine Testing

The Imperial College of London and the University of South Australia have recently been doing research studies on Autism. Although their findings are primitive in nature, they may some day be the source of a prominent discovery.

Researchers found that urine samples taken from individuals with autism, differed in bacterial and chemical composition something they cal “distinctive urinary metabolic fingerprint”. This finding alludes to, a simple non-invasive urine examination for autism testing, as a possibility for detection/diagnosing, if indeed it proves to be accurate.

A discovery of this magnitude will bring significant implications for early identification and intervention. Having a test that could objectively determine Autism via testing, rather than subjectively via behavioral observation, would yield more concise results and earlier diagnosing of this condition. And thus, possibilities of improving a child’s prognosis for success in both academic and social life skill development, would be increased. This news is rather exciting to us, and to all who are involved in the Autistic community. Be aware that this is something that has only been hypothesized as of yet.

To read the full article, please click on the link below.

http://scienceblog.com/34718/autism-finding-could-lead-to-simple-urine-test-for-the-condition/

Motivate to Communicate: Book Review

Motivate to Communicate by Simone Griffin and Dianne Sandler

Excerpt taken from Amazon.

Simone Griffin is a speech and language therapist, and has worked with children on the autism spectrum for the past 10 years. Dianne Sandler is currently working as a specialist teacher for inclusion, and has worked with children of all ages with autism and complex needs for 30 years. She has designed a number of toys that are available commercially for children with special needs.

This accessible and practical photocopiable resource is brimming with ideas and guidance for motivating children with autism spectrum disorder or other communication difficulties. The clear and user-friendly format of the book enables quick access to over 300 practical games and activities for using everyday toys and games in a range of settings throughout the day. For example, if your child likes to pop bubbles with their fingers, perhaps they would also enjoy counting bubbles? Or catching bubbles on a wand, stomping bubbles with their feet or even playing bubble volleyball. The many innovative ideas in the book have developed through over 40 years of clinical and educational experience, and are designed to be fun for both the adult and the child. All the resources mentioned in this book are readily available and can be utilized to develop all levels of communication, from reaching to using pictures to communicate, to increasing the length of the child’s verbal communication. “Motivate to Communicate!” is perfect for supporting professionals, parents and care givers to motivate and maintain motivation with this challenging group.

This book has 300 games and activities that will help your child with autism learn and comprehend important concepts that are necessary for school. It has been rated a 5-star read, and it is highly recommended by professionals.

Autism: Disconnection Theory Introduced

Autism is on the rise and it is important that both professionals and parents learn more about possible causal factors and co-occurring issues with this difficult diagnosis that we are faced with. It is only when we learn more that we can better our treatment methodology to increase the therapeutic effects of intervention. Generally, Autism is considered a neurodevelopmental disorder, which is impairment in the development of the brain and/or central nervous system. ASD is known to impair social, communication, and behavioral skills. Symptomatic behaviors include repetitive physical/verbal behaviors and social awkwardness.

Recent publications are gearing their focus to the differences in brain functioning of the typical child and the individual with Autism. On a positive note, some accounts, describe individuals in the spectrum to have typical or enhanced basic attention, sensory perception, simple memory and visuospatial processing. Unfortunately, complex sensory, motor, memory, and language skills are impaired. It has been found that the higher functioning more integrative skills are the ones that are affected in these individuals.

Research has found that there may be more than just a vast disturbance in information processing in the brain. A new theory on Autism points to difficulty in neuronal organization of the brain. Neural organization involves the layers of neurons in the brain and their placement and connections among other neurons. Communication between the neurons is the hypothesized impairment, and thus the term Disconnection Syndrome in recent literature. The disconnection syndrome is attributes the deficit in the connections of the neurons to the disconnections seen in manifested language, social, and learning deficits.

For more information on the disconnection theory read the full article on asha.org.

How the Brain Thinks in Autism: Implications for Language Intervention. ASHA Leader April 27, 2010.

Research Finding

A study of Adults with ASD was proctored using an fMRI of sentence-reading comprehension. An fMRI is what is known as a functional magnetic resonance imaging. It is a brain scan that measures the neural activity in the brain and spinal cord. The participant was asked read an excerpt and then questioned about the content. Participants were found to be using their left-brain for language processing. It was also found that there was more activity being produced in Wernicke’s area than in Broca’s area. Wernicke’s area is located in between the temporal and parietal lobe in the left hemisphere, and is known to be in charge of receptive processing. Broca’s area is located in the frontal lobe and manages expressive functioning. The fMRI study has shown that there is a lack of coordination between Broca and Wernicke’s area and therefore furthers this idea of disconnection syndrome.

Just, M.A., Cherkassky, V.L., Keller, T.A., & Minshew, N.J. (2004). Cortical activation and synchronization during sentence comprehension in high-functioning autism: Evidence of underconnectivity. Brain, 127, 1–11.