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...

Posts Tagged ‘asperger’s syndrome’

Air Pollution Increases The Risk of Autism

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

A research from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California was recently published suggesting: “Children with both the risk of autism genotype and exposure to high air polluant levels were at increased risk of autism spectrum disorder compared to those without the risk genotype and lower air pollution exposure.” This study

Why Does My Child Repeat and Echo?

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

Why do children with autism repeat and echo the questions they are asked? We agreed that the wiring of the brain in individuals with autism is different, compared to NTs (Neurotypically developed peers). Consequently, The processing or thinking speed of a child with autism is sometimes different. And while the child is trying to process/think

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

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

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

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

Don’t Worry! You Can Still Enjoy Holidays Gatherings

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

Family gatherings are around the corner! Most people love to celebrate traditions and keep cultures. Soon you’ll receive many invitations to join lunches, dinners, parties with your family and friends. Parents with kids on the autism spectrum, tend to decline these invitations and find an excuse to escape all kinds of gatherings. As much as

Individuals with Autism Think out of The Box

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

It is never enough to emphasize the importance of being specific when interacting with individuals with autism to avoid any confusion. However, I’ve always found everything they say, and which may appear illogical to certain people, to be absolutely rational. Here are some examples: Example 1 We were reading a story and we came across

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