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 April, 2013

The Advantage of Some Autistic Traits

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

Here is one bright side of autism. Anecdote A student has difficulty spacing her words and numbers when writing. I keep telling her that her sentences and paragraphs looks like one single word of a string of letters. She also does the same with number. Her handwriting becomes almost illegible when all the letters and

Specific Autism Symptoms Impact The Age at Diagnosis

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

The reason of defining autism by a “spectrum” is based on the fact that the condition can be manifested through diverse signs or behaviors and hundreds of combinations of these signs. We always say that there is no two autistic kids alike. We also say that if you have seen one autistic child you have

Autistic Kids Can Imitate but Skip The “Silly”

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

One of the common traits of autism is the inability or having difficulty imitating people. Training children with autism to imitate or copy is very important from an early age. Many children with autism can learn this skill. Learning to imitate improves social skills and enhances communication and human interaction. But How do they imitate?

Risk of Autism in Subsequent Siblings

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

Beginning April, Dr. Landa at The Kennedy Krieger Institute is offering a FREE developmental assessments for infants between ages 5 to 10 months who have an older sibling with autism and live within the Mid-Atalntic five-state region (Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Verginia) or District of Colombia. The risk or likelihood of having a subsequent

Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Psychiatric Disorders Are A Continuum

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

‘A paper published this month (April 2013) in the medical journal Lancet Neurology suggests that a broad spectrum of developmental and psychiatric disorders, ranging from autism and intellectual disability to schizophrenia, should be conceptualized as different manifestations (presentations or signs) of a common underlying factor “developmental brain dysfunction” rather than completely independent conditions with distinct

No Connection Between Autism and Vaccines

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

Vaccines has been an important topic of research and discussions for so many years. Some parents have a deep belief that the tripple vaccine was the cause of their child’s condition of autism. In a recent research the connection between autism and vaccines failed. It recommeds to keep the vaccines schedule. Read the full article

Human-Animal Bond Enhances Social Interaction

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

A research done at habricentral.org has shown that kids with autism showed an increased social interaction in the presence of pets. They smiled, laughed, looked at human faces, and became more talkative in the presence of pets compared to toys. They also did less crying, whining, frowning, and became less self-focused in the presence of

“Everyday Life with Autism” Is Now on Sale $4.99

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

Today is the International Autism Awareness Day. I would like to seize the opportunity and share in raising awareness about autism. My book is now sold on iTunes, Kindle-Amazon, and Nook for $4.99 only. If you are interested in a hard copy its is also available for $14.99 instead of $19.99 from my webstore or

Awareness Day

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

Autsim Speaks published a great article to summerize the most important things about autism we didn’t know a year ago. Read the article here: www.autismspeaks.org/science/science-news/ten-important-things-we-know-about-autism-today-–-we-didn’t-know-year-ago As an educator working with kids with autism I feel obligated to tell the parents the following: 1- I have seen kids making a great progress over the years, and

A Poem for Autism Friends

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

Autistic or Artistic? Autistic?… Oh, you mean artistic, I know you are born holistic. Sometimes you turn ballistic, But your big heart is always humanistic. Honesty is your characteristic, And your nature is so authentic. I like you when you become adventuristic, It reminds me the impressionistics. Autistic?… Oh you meant artistic. by nadia shanab