A Message to Parents

Dear Parents, I am finally back after a long silence for almost two years. It is very hard to disengage myself from thinking and writing about...

Archive for the ‘general advice’ Category

How Brain SPECT Imaging Can Help with Autism Spectrum Disorders

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

Few years ago I read a book entitled: “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life” written by Dr. Daniel Amen. Which was actually of a great help for me and some people that I care about. Then recently I bought his last offering “The Amen Solution” about using the brain heathy way to lose weight. As

Forums

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

A few weeks ago, some readers were asking about some useful forums that discuss problems related to autism and children and adults with autism. I found these two forums very useful. Go check them out. Share your thoughts, find answers to your questions, help other poeple solve their problems. As I mentioned in one article,

A Tip for Easier Transitions

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

Rigidity and intolerance is one of the autism most common traits. Sometimes it is hard for children with autism to switch from one activity to another. Children with autism usually have OCD’s (Obssessive Compulsive Disorders) that are very hard to fight or eleminate. So, while they are so focused and “obsessed” with a task at

Modify Undesired Behavior

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

The tip in this article helps modify the undesired behavior by modifying the child’s emotional state. All you need is a mirror. I rely here on the child’s visual skills. I tried out this technique and it worked out pretty well with a student with autism. Inspired by “The Two-Factor Theory of Emotions” that I

A Simple Tool for Discipline

A Simple Tool for Discipline

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

I simply call this tool “the cards system”. It is a disciplinary tool that can be made at home and it doesn’t cost a penny. I spend maximum 10 minutes to make it. For consistency reasons, it would be great if both, parents and school used the same tool. Parents, who implemented the idea and applied it

Symptoms or Signs of Autism, Simplified

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

In the previous article “Symptoms or Signs of Autism“, I provided some checklists and descriptions for parents who suspect that their children might have ADS (Autism Spectrum Disorder). In this article I’ll try to re-introduce the subject in a simpler way. *Autism cannot be diagnosed or identified medically. *The screening tools are based on the

Symptoms or Signs of Autism

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

Initially, the blog’s main mission was to provide tips to help parents and educators handle some autism-related problems. But some readers are asking for more information about symptoms or signs of autism, so I decided to incorporate this subject in my blog. I am leaning toward using the word “signs” rather than “symptoms”, since autism

The Siblings of An Autistic Child

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

I am going to talk about a very common mistake many parents of children with autism get caught/trapped into. If the siblings of a child with autism happen to be typically developed (neuro-typical), they usually grow up in an atmosphere different than their peers with typically developed siblings. Having a member of the family with autism,

Back-to-School Preparation

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

As a child, I always loved this time of the year. Nevertheless, it always came with some apprehension and some stress. The idea of being in a new class, having new teachers, new classmates, or even going to a new school, was a little bit unsettling. I didn’t know what to expect. In particular, the

Teach Independence

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

The ultimate goal, both, parents and educators are working for, is to render children with autism as independent as possible. We look far ahead, and picture them as adults, living independently, without the need of having us around. The best thing to do is to start the process as early as possible. Early intervention assures