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Archive for the ‘autism’ Category

Video: A Mother Trusted Her Intuition to Achieve What Professionals Failed to Attain

By Nadia Shanab | autism

Watch this video of a mother Christine Barnett and her son with autism, Jacob, who lost his speech at the age of two. She helped her son not only recover his speech, but uncovered the genius hidden within him. ww3.tvo.org/video/195481/tapping-potential Tip Work and build on what your child can do best, and stop dwelling on

How to Deal with your Child’s Opsessive Interests

By Nadia Shanab | autism

What should you do if your child is obsessed with a single subject and keeps talking about it all the time? Don’t try to stop her/him from talking about his special interest as a matter of principle. However, you can teach your child some rules to hold a conversation. Tell your child that if she/he

Low Level of Serotonin and Vitamin D Linked to Autism

By Nadia Shanab | autism

Source: Children’s Hospital& Research Center Oakland. “Researchers show that seotonin, oxytocin, and vasopressin, three brain hormones that affect social behavior related to autism, are all activated by vitamin D hormone. Supplementation with vitamin D and tryptophan would be a practical and affordable solution to help prevent autism and possibly ameliorate some symptoms of the disorder.”

What Causes Autism? From Morgan Autism Center Conference

By Nadia Shanab | autism

This is a summary of one of the sessions that I have attended at the Morgan Autism Center last September. The speaker, Jill Escher, narrates her own story of struggle and discoveries. She has 2 kids with “idiopathisc autism”. It is a very informative and eye-opening story that all parents should read. What causes autism

How to Answer The Question: “Am I A Special Ed?”

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips

Anecdote I was shadowing a student with autism from a Special Day Class (SDC) in a mainstream class for Math subject. The student looked around scanning the faces of all the students surrounding her. With confused and lost eyes the student looked at me and asked: “Am I a special ed student?” She was loud enough

Asperger’s Dropped From Revised Diagnosis Manual (NPR)

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

The American Psychiatric Association voted this weekend to remove the diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome from the so-called bible of psychiatry, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders. People with Asperger’s will now more likely be diagnosed as having autism spectrum disorder. The APA says the change will lead to more accurate diagnoses for people with

The IEP Meeting Is Not A Fight

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

There is no doubt about it that parents are the best child’s advocates. The IEP (Individualized Education Program) team also has for mission to help the child get the best learning opportunities. The team can see the bigger picture, while the parents are focused on one single idea. The team is bound by a limited

Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) Will Be Replaced by Social Communication Disorder(SCD)

By tamer | autism, general advice, parenting

In the proposed Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) scheduled for publication in May 2013 (American Psychatric Association), Autism Spectrum Disorder has 2 core symptoms: social communication issues and fixated interests/repetitive behavior. This would make ASD an umbrella term that covers several different type of symptoms. Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) will be removed and

“Bandit” A Robot to Jump-Start Socialization

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

This is a great idea that can help take spectrum children out of their isolation and train them to decode human facial experession and social cues. Bandit, the robot, can be used as a transition for autistic children to interact and better understand the off-spectrum individuals. This is a very interesting article. Read more here:

Important Safety Survey about Individuals with Autism

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

According to the US News half of the children with autism wander off. Check out this link and watch the video. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/10/08/nearly-half-of-children-with-autism-wander-from-safety-survey