By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips
You think you know your child well. Absolutely you know her/him well in certain settings. School is a highly structured setting compared to any other setting. School setting puts some pressure on the child because there are a minimum requirements of discipline expected from each student. Ask for an in-class observation as well as play
Tags: asperger's syndrome, autism, communication, discipline, flexibility, IEP, independence, mainstreaming, occupational therapy, one-on-one assistance, organization, parenting, placement, schedule, social interaction, speech, tips
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By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips
Parents of children with autism suffer from people’s looks and comments wherever they go. Be proactive and participate in raising awareness by sharing the video below. Without saying a word, people will change perspective and will become more understanding. The best way to help people comprehend what autism means, is to animate the condition. Soon
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By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips
The proverb says: The dog is man’s best friend. Dogs are loyal and they love their masters unconditionally (I prefer to use the word masters over owners). They communicate without language, and understand the body language. If your child doesn’t talk or has poor verbal skills she/he can still have a social life. A dog
Tags: affections, asperger's syndrome, assistive dogs, autism, communication, early intervention, flexibility, independence, occupational therapy, organization, parenting, research, sensory, sensory integration issues, service dogs, social interaction, social skills, speech, stress releif, tips, verbal skills
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By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips
Mothers of kids with autism suffer from the same disorder which combating soldiers suffer from “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” (PTSD). But mothers of adolescent and adult children with autism in particular suffer the most. It is understandable that living under stress and being hyper vigilant and in a state of emergency for years can take
Tags: asperger's syndrome, autism, coping mechanism, health, oppositional defiant behavior, parenting, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, schedule, social interaction, speech, temper tantrum, tips, visual aids
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By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips
“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,
Tags: ADHD, asperger's syndrome, autism, casein-free, communication, diagnosis, flexibility, food allergies, food intolerance, gastrointestinal disorders, GI, gluten free, health, organic food, parenting, probiotics, research, senses, sensory integration issues, signs of autism, speech, temper tantrum, tips
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By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips
What Is A Temper Tantrum It is a negative attention seeking that the child resorts to, in order to communicate her/his frustration in a socially inappropriate way. Usually the child’s frustration arises when a need or a desire hasn’t been met. Temper tantrum is a form of meltdown among others, like aggression, running off, and
Tags: asperger's syndrome, autism, communication, flexibility, health, organization, parenting, schedule, senses, sensory, social interaction, speech, temper tantrum, tips, visual aids, visual timer
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By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips
There is a way to go into children’s mind and see how they think (especially those with poor verbal skills) and check their understanding of the language. The activity explained below engages several senses along with the thinking process. The kids usually like it because it appears to them as a game. It includes cutting,
Tags: asperger's syndrome, autism, communication, flexibility, language comprehension, occupational therapy, parenting, reading test, sensory, sensory integration issues, social interaction, speech, tips, visual aids
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By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips
The scientific reason behind encouraging early diagnosis of autism, and hence early intervention, is the fact that the brain development in early childhood years is fast and able to acquire new skills. It has been scientifically proven that late diagnosis results in unchanged IQ, however therapy is very important to hone social communication skills. Refer
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By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips
This checklist does not diagnose autism, it rather evaluate the risk for autism. Afterwards if parents are continuously concerned about their child’s behavior, they should seek help for and evaluation with a developmental pediatrician, or a psychiatric, or a psychologist, or a behaviorist. Read below and make sure to scroll all the way down to
Tags: asperger's syndrome, assessment, autism, checklist as screening tool, early intervention, evaluation, health, parenting, screening for autism, signs of autism, social interaction, speech, symptoms of autism, tips
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By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips
There are so many ways to define autism, but a simple one would be : “atypical brain wiring”. For more definitions of autism read chapter one here. From the Harvard Review of Psychiatry: Some studies using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) techniques, started to uncover what might be a cause for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The
Tags: asperger's syndrome, autism, brain connectivity, communication, early intervention, fMRI, gentetics, gentically at risk of autism and brain connectivity, health, MRI, parenting, research, social interaction, speech, symptoms of autism, tips
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