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 November, 2013

Success Story

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

Yesterday I ran into a former student accompanied by his family, mother, father, and sister in a shopping mall. His mom was the one who gave me a pat on the shoulder coming from behind me. She looked at me with a big smile and sparkling eyes, full of joy and excitement, wondering if I

The Benefits of Playing Music on The Brain

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

Tip Give your child the opportunity to play a musical instrument at an early age. Help your child explore and experience the practice of playing music and look for her favorite instrument. It may take time to land on the perfect instrument that matches your child’s interest and needs. Be patient don’t give up. Why

Anecdote: Memory Problem or Sensory Issue

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

I used to work with a student who was obsessively writing letters, numbers, and symbols in the air using her index. I was so puzzled about this behavior, because it didn’t look appropriate in other poeple’s eyes. My idea was to help her use another medium to write on that looked more appropriate and channel

Beware of 3 Conditions Overlapping with Autism

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

There are three other conditions/diseases that may overlap with autism. Your child has been diagnosed with autism, but beware of other symptoms that may hide under the ASD ambrella. Epilepsy, Tourette Syndrome, and Mitocondrial Disease. The good new is that treatments administered to cure these conditions can also benefit your child with autism. 1-Is your

How to Deal with Oppositional Defiant Behavior

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

If you are expecting your child or students to consistently comply, obey, agree, and follow your directions every time you ask her, you must be dreaming. This is just so unrealistic. Whether your child/student is on the autism spectrum or not, it is unlikly that you’ll to be listened to all the time. Parents and

My New Article in The San Jose Mercury News This Week

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

“There’s no reason to miss out on holiday gatherings” Here are some tips to help parents of special needs kids to enjoy the holiday season and be part of their community and stay connected to their family and friends. Don’t turn down any invitations. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how interesting your experience was. Read the

Eye-Looking as An Early Marker for Autism

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

A study published in the journal Nature, Nov 6, reveals the earliest sign of developing auism ever observed: a steady decline in attention to others’ eyes within the first two to six months of life. Autism is usually diagnosed around the age of 2, when a significant delay in speech and poor social skills are

Hyper Connectivity in The Brain Related to Autism

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

In a new finding from Stanford University, research was done on individuals with high-functioning autism with IQ higher than 70, shows that the connecivity in the brain is high compared to their peers with typically developed brain. This finding is challenging previous belief that: individuals with autism have lower connectivity in brain regions. “Using one

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

8-Year-Old with Nonverbal Autism Delights Mom by Singing Katy Perry’s Roar

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

Miracles happens watch the video. Source: Yahoo News nadia shanab