“Scientists from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health have discovered a link between autism and gastrointestinal issues. A new study found children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were two-and-a-half times more likely to experience persistent gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms as infants and toddlers than children without autism.” Source The symptoms may vary from chronic diarrhea,

“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

The following tips can be applied in classrooms as well as at home. Be positive in scanning the environment for possible behavioral precipitants. Reduce or eleminate stressors, to the extent possible. Read the student’s cue and signals and react before inapporopriate behavior occurs. “Plug in” activities designed to reduce stress and anxiety before behavioral disruptions

TOBY playpad: TOBY Playpad is a unique, therapist-and-parent designed Early Intervention application for children with Autism. TOBY’s iPad tasks co-ordinate with off-iPad tasks to help your child learn skills in the real world. TOBY stands for Therapy Outcomes By You, because it aims to empower parents to commence early intervention to maximize your child’s development.

It is an ongoing debate whether iPads and touch devices in general are benefitial or harmful for kids with autism. From my own experience working with children on the autism spectrum, whether with poor verbal skills or high-functioning, they all love the iPad. It is a magical device that we in schools now use it

Although some children with autism exhibit poor attention skills, a research suggests that autism cannot be blamed for. The main three autism traits are: Poor social skills Poor communication skills Limited areas of interest The cause of holding these signs accountable for autism has not been found yet. The study suggests to take the following

An article published today, June 5, 2013, about a new research done at Kennedy Krieger Institute suggests that one third of the children diagnosed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) between 4 and 8 years of age, also showed clinically clear symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The study published in Autism: The International Journal and

It is a dilemma for most parents whether they should give their child diagnosed with ADHD medicine or not. Ritalin is one of the most administrated drug to treat ADHD. Is it true that ADHD is a disease in the first place? Most importantly, how does a drug affect your child development in the short

A paper in the Pertanika Journal reports the positive effect of music therapy on behavior in children with autism, and in particular on the inattentive behavior. The paper reports that a weekly one-hour music therapy can have a positive effect on the behavior of children with autism. It was also mentioned that: “music and movement

A study found that boys are three times more likely to be diagnosed than girls. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/21/adhd-diagnosis-kids-hyperactivity