[skwag] is an innovative social platform designed specifically for tweens and teens on the autism spectrum. Our goal is to facilitate the opportunity for organic relationships; driven by kids, supported by parents. (What could be better?)
GREAT FALLS- Leighton Larsen of Great Falls struggled to communicate with his parents just six months ago.
"He repeats everything back that you would say. He wouldn't have a conversation with you, he would just repeat. You would say, 'We are going to the store,' and he'd say 'We're going to the store'," his mother Gay recalled.
But after months of a variety of different autism therapies, his family is seeing major improvements.
"Now we say, 'We are going to the store,' and he says, 'Well what store?' Or you know, 'I want to go to Shopko to look at the toys.' So he is actually communicating back and being receptive," Gay said.
The Larsen family uses a combination of speech, occupational, and physical therapy, along with applied behavior analysis (ABA) and the PLAY project, all aimed at helping Leighton function with autism.
"It's not like a diagnosis of any other type of disease when there is an algorithm that says you start with this, then you go there and if that doesn't work you move over to this thing. You kind of have to 'cookie cutter' the therapies based on your child," Gay explained.
Anyway, today I was busily trying to write a paper related to these issues and I got to wondering, just how many different ways are there to get an autism diagnosis?When he was 30 years old, David Finch's wife, Kristen, sat him down and asked him a series of odd questions:
"Do you notice patterns in things all the time?"
"Do people comment on your unusual mannerisms and habits?
"Do you feel tortured by clothes tags, clothes that are too tight or made in the 'wrong material'?"
"Do you sometimes have an urge to jump over things?"
David's answers to all of these questions — and more than 100 others — was an emphatic yes.
Kristen Finch had just given her unsuspecting husband a self-quiz to evaluate for Asperger's syndrome, a condition on the autism spectrum. Her own score was 8 out of a possible 200. David's was 155.
"It was very cathartic. It was this unbelievable moment of self-recognition," David Finch tells NPR's Melissa Block. "It gave me such insight into who I am, how my mind works and why certain things have been such a challenge."
In his new book, The Journal of Best Practices, David Finch describes how he and Kristen worked to overcome his compulsions and sometimes anti-social behavior.
Easter Seals-Goodwill is offering two caregiver support groups in the Missoula area. The groups are open to parents and caregivers who have a child with autism, sensory processing issues, or any other physical or behavioral challenges. Our goal is to provide opportunities for caregivers to meet, learn from and support one another and to participate in discussions or presentations of interest to the group.
Open the attached flyer for more information.
Autism College in partnership with the National Autism Association (NAA) is presenting a free online conference on Autism Safety and Crisis Prevention. Topics to be addressed are sexual abuse risk reduction, bullying prevention, suicide risk, wandering, and preventing the use of restraints and seclusion.
The on-line conference Autism Safety and Crisis Prevention to be held in February, will include presentations by experts in the field of autism and safety issues, and broaches sensitive topics with real life strategies. There will be a question and answer session moderated by Chantal Sicile-Kira following each presentation. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn how to help support the emotional and physical health and safety of your loved one affected by autism. Schedule is as follows:
For those unable to attend live, there will be transcripts available for purchase.
I'm trying to hold him, but he's squirming. The airport lounge is packed with people, and I can feel all eyes on me: the dad who cannot appease his toddler. Brandy sees me struggling, and comes up with a quick fix. She flips over the stroller. She places Jackson next to it. He begins to spin one of the wheels with his hand. He keeps spinning it. Over and over and over. He's completely absorbed. I look at Brandy quizzically. She shrugs.
That snapshot of my oldest son Jackson appeared in a feature story I wrote for Babytalk roughly two years ago: “Solving the Autism Mystery.” (There may be no other story I’m more proud of. You can read it here.)
Jackson was 3 years old at the time, and by all accounts—from mother’s intuition to the experts’ definition—he was on the spectrum. The behavioral psychologists saw what we saw, but were hesistant to make an official diagnosis. The brain is still developing. So much can change in six months. So time passed. 4Ts became 5Ts. Birthday candles were lit, blown out, and saved in the kitchen drawer. By age 6, the appointments with the behavioral psychologist were over. The books came off the nightstand. The tears were redirected to other things like sad movies and kindergarten graduations.
That’s the thing with autism: There is no pathology. It’s not in the blood. It doesn’t appear when you shine a penlight into the pupil. Injuries don’t cause it. Biopsies don’t detect it. Medicine can’t fix it. It’s behavior—averted gaze, preoccupation with patterns and repetition, hyper-sensitivity to certain sounds and textures, etc.—that earns the diagnosis.
Children who develop autism already show signs of different brain responses in their first year of life, scientists said on Thursday in a study that may in the future help doctors diagnose the disorder earlier.
British researchers studied 104 babies at 6 to 10 months and then again at 3-years-old, and found that those who went on to develop autism had unusual patterns of brain activity in response to eye contact with another person.
The findings suggest direct brain measures might help predict the future risk of autism in babies as young as 6 months old, said Mark Johnson of Birkbeck at the University of London, who led the study.
PHILADELPHIA –Results were released yesterday from the Pennsylvania Autism Needs Assessment, which includes feedback from 3,500 Pennsylvania caregivers and adults with autism, making it the largest study of its kind in the nation. Among the findings, the study shows that training in social skills has been identified as the most common unmet need for both children and adults with autism. The study also found that more than two-thirds of adults with autism are unemployed or underemployed.
“The results of the needs assessment provide the most comprehensive and specific information to date about where Pennsylvania has been successful and where we still need work in helping people with autism and their families,” said David Mandell, ScD, associate director, Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research. “My hope is that these results will be an important driver of new policy and innovative practices for years to come.”
| Details |
| Date: | Tue, Jan 31, 2012 |
| Time: | 12:00 PM MST |
| Duration: | 1 hour |
| Meeting Description: |
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AMC Theatres and the Autism Society teamed up to provide equal opportunities to employment for individuals with autism. Join us for this webinar as the Autism Society shares the outcomes of this collaboration, as well as lessons learned. Other topics of discussion will include the efforts of essential local partners, the training process for managers, how hiring practices were improved and how real access to businesses and competitive jobs were provided. |
January 20, 2012
By Autism Society
As the nation’s largest grassroots autism organization, the Autism Society’s foremost concern is that individuals with autism have access to the resources and services they need. As it exists today, the autism spectrum is vast. We are concerned that individuals who could lose the autism diagnosis may not fall under another classification, and would lose access to the appropriate services. With these changes, it is equally important that those who diagnose autism spectrum disorders have the training and information needed to diagnose appropriately.
At this time, it is unknown exactly what impact the DSM-5 revisions will have on individuals living with autism. But, before any final decision is made, the Autism Society feels there needs to be an in-depth assessment on the impact the changes would have on individuals receiving services today and in the future. Of particular concern is the impact changes could have on lower income families, those who could not afford life-changing therapies and other services if not for an autism diagnosis.
As a key aspect of the Autism Society’s strategic plan, the organization is focusing on ensuring all individuals showing the signs of autism are assessed and with an appropriate diagnosis by age 3, which makes way for appropriate early intervention services to begin. Early action drastically change outcomes and improves lives. Our major push in the next several years will be ensuring the information is accessible so that appropriate diagnoses are being made.
As these changes affect the entire autism community, we are reaching out to other autism organizations to approach the American Psychiatric Association with one voice. The Autism Society will continue to share its thoughts and feelings about keeping the community inclusive as more information about the revisions is known. In the meantime, we strongly encourage people to get involved in the discussion.
