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 ‘techniques’

12th Annual Morgan Autism Conference 2013

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

Morgan Autism Center Announces 12th Annual Autism Conference: “Transitions: Bridges to Success” Saturday, September 28, 2013 7:00 am – 5:00 pm Mayer Theatre, Santa Clara University 500 El Camino Real Santa Clara, CA … SCHEDULED SPEAKERS: Jed Baker Director of The Social Skills Training Project Jill Escher, Parent & Autism Activist What Causes Autism? How

A New More Accurate Way to Diagnose and Treat Autism

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

The way ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders) has always been diagnosed, is based on the professionals’ (pediatrians, psychologists, psychiatirics, specialized therapists…) social interaction with the child. Then, the professional’s opinion supported by parents observations are usually the traditional way to give a child a diagnosis. This novel technology can provide a more accurate, objective, and early

A Hope for Non-Verbal Children

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

According to “Autistica”, 24% of autistic children are non-verbal or minimally verbal. Researchers at the University of Bermingham, UK, supported by “Autistica” found that: 1- The learning of a language is tightly related to motor behaviors (like knocking a toy), and the imitation of facial experssions or gestures. The imitation of gestures and facial expressions

Playing the Child’s Favorite Game Reduces Severity of Condition

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

Children with autism don’t respond to the games, like peek-a-boo, the way neurotypically developed kids do. They avoid the interaction with people or tune them out altogether. Remember that the poor social skills are one of the autism’s main traits. Researchers found that parents should rather play with their kids the games they like. In

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

Tips to Maximize Learning Time

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

Dear Parents, This message is not aiming to burden you further with more efforts or worries. It is rather a call for co-operation with school to get the best out of the time your child spends in school. Here are some simple tips that can save you and the educators a huge amount of time

Kids with Autism Can Learn to Detect Lies and Respond to Bullies

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

A new research study found that children with autism can be trained to aquire the social cognitive skills that would help them detect when people are lying to them. Spectrum children can also be trained to respond to bullies and protect their posessions. Parents’ concerns formed an important input for researcher to complete this study.

Brain Activities Change As Individuals with Autism Age

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

A study titled: “Developmental Meta-Analysis of the Funcitonal Neural Correlates of Autism Spectrum Disorders,” found that the brain activity changes as individuals with autism age. They found that the change in brain activities keeps developing over time. This is the first study to show that. “If the shift in the parts of the brain that

Tips to Help Teens with Sensory Issues

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

It is much easier to deal with sensory issues in younger children with ASD wether at home or in classrooms. Wearing headphones and typical weighted vest is much less tolerated in junior high or high school. How can you help your teenager with ASD? Tips 1- To relieve stress, replace the figity objects with stress

Teaching Perspective-Taking and Executive Function Skills

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

The Autism Research Group (ARG) in San Diego, California, is hosting an intense one-day workshop about “Effective Autism Behavior Intervention Techniques”. The workshop will be held in San Diego on April 29, 2013 at the Catamaran Resort and Spa from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Center focuses on ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) which is