Blog Archives

Blog Roll for Parents and Teachers of Special Needs Children

4/30/2016

"I cannot emphasize enough the importance
of a good teacher."
--Temple Grandin, Ph.D.

This week, I received an email from a mother who has a child on the autism spectrum. She complied a list of online resources for both parents and educators of children with special needs. I appreciate her generosity in sharing these sites with me, and with her permission, I am sharing them with you. I hope that these resources are helpful to any parent, caregiver, or professional who works with or raises a child with special needs.

1. Creating the Optimal Living Environment for a Child with ADHD

2. Suggested Classroom Interventions for Children with ADD and Learning Disabilities

3. The Life-Changing Impact of Autism Service Dogs

4. 22 Tips for Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

5. 50 Must-See Blogs for Special Education Teachers

6. The Ultimate Guide to Water Safety for Parents and Caregivers of Children with Autism

7. Teaching Your Child About Peers with Special Needs

8. Teaching College Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

9. Autism and Addiction: Coping With and Treating Your Dual Diagnosis

10. Choosing a College: Planning For Teens with ADHD

11. Overview of College Resources for Students with Disabilities

10 Things You Can Do to Support a Family with Autism, Part 3

4/25/2016

"You have got to keep autistic children engaged with the world. You cannot let them tune out."

--Temple Grandin, Ph.D.

There was a very good article in Psychology Today in 2011 about the ways that you, as a neighbor and friend, can help a family who has a member with autism. The article can be found in its entirety here.

Here are some of the key points from the article:

1. Be there. Make yourself available.
2. Discuss autism.
3. Learn about the individual with autism.
4. The worry about prognosis.
5. Share new information when it is appropriate.
6. Have play dates with friends.
7. Have play dates with neighbors.
8. Offer a helping hand. Babysit or help out in any way that you can.
9. Avoid judging the family with a child or teenager with autism.
10. Protect their confidentiality.

In your lifetime, you will probably know more people and families affected by autism. You can choose to be part of the solution by helping support a friend, family member, or neighbor. Take the time to learn not just about autism, but the individual child. Make the decision to accept children with disabilities and teach your children how they can help children with autism by being a friend too.

10 Tips on How to Communicate with an individual with Autism, Part 2

4/18/2016

"I can remember the frustration of not being able to talk. I knew what I wanted to say, but I could not get the words out, so I would just scream."

--Temple Grandin, Ph.D.

Steve Summers was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (part of the Autism Spectrum) as an adult. He was diagnosed following his 11-year-old son’s diagnosis with Asperger’s. He stated that “I am happy to have my diagnosis. It was like a light being turned on that illuminated my entire life in a new way. Now I understand why I never really ‘fit in.’ It is like having a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders to have my diagnosis.”

Steve Summers wrote a guest post at Autismum and I have re-posted it here in its entirety.

1. Please always keep in mind that communication difficulties are common with autism. We have difficulties in reading social cues and body language. Be patient and understanding.

2. We tend to take things literally and have often trouble reading between the lines. As a result, we may ask a lot of questions to clarify what is meant by something that you say. I have been told that I ask a lot of questions. Don’t be offended by this. It is our way of being sure that we understand what you are telling us. We may repeat back to you in our own words to try and get on the same page as you.

3. If we misunderstand something that you say, please be patient and expand on what you said and explain what you meant. Don’t assume a negative or hostile intent from us if we misunderstand something that you said. Keep in mind that communication can be difficult for us. Things that come naturally to you take extra effort by us.

4. Please don’t get offended by our communication style. We tend to be frank, honest and matter of fact. Some people may interpret this as blunt or rude. We don’t intend to offend you by not sugar coating the things that we say. We don’t intend to be rude. Please don’t get defensive or assume that we are attacking you. Remember that communicating is hard for us. Don’t make negative assumptions. Too often we get corrected or attacked by someone who fails to give us some slack and the benefit of the doubt.

5. Please don’t expect eye contact. We may be able to force eye contact, but it is not comfortable for us. Making eye contact takes a conscious effort. This effort may take away from listening and understanding what you are saying. I tend to look at a person’s mouth more often than their eyes. Other autistic people will rarely look at your face. This is ok.

6. Please keep in mind that we most likely have been rejected, excluded, ridiculed or bullied in the past. If we seem anxious or insecure this may be due to living in a world that misunderstands us and is often hostile to us. We have to work hard to reach out to others. Please work at reaching back to us with understanding and kindness. If we feel that you are ignoring us we will feel bad about that. We may persist in asking for feedback from you. Please be reassuring and clearly express your support for us.

7. Please don’t speak down to us. Treat us as equals. We may sound flat or have an unusual tone to our voice. We may not speak with our voice at all. We may need to type our words. Please be patient with us. It may take us a while to formulate our answers.

8. Please don’t talk too loudly or yell at us. It is very jarring to us. It makes me jump when someone comes up to me and talks too loudly. It is like having someone jump out in the dark yelling “BOO!” at me. It causes an adrenaline dump in my body. I don’t like this.

9. Please do NOT touch us without warning. It will make us jump. We don’t like unexpected touches.

10. Please don’t assume that we lack empathy or emotion. We pick up on negative or judgmental attitudes. We know when people look down on us or are hostile to us. We will shut down if you show us a lack of respect.

10 Tips to Support A Person with Autism, Part 1

4/11/2016

AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS:
10 TIPS TO SUPPORT ME
by Joaquin Fuentes, MD

1. I am not “autistic.” I am first, foremost, and always a person, a student, a child, and I have autism. Do not confuse me with my condition. And, please, do not use the term in a negative or inconsiderate way. I deserve to be respected.

2. I am an individual. Having autism does not make me the same as other people with autism. Make an effort to know me as an individual, to understand my strengths, my weaknesses, and me. Ask me—and my friends and my family, if I cannot reply— about my dreams.

3. I deserve services, just like all children. Services for me begin early. Autism is—or it will be, when recognized—a public health issue in many countries of the world. There are instruments to screen it. They should be applied in the framework of screening for other developmental disabilities. If you start soon, my life will be different! And remember that about one quarter of my siblings will have autism or other problems. Help them; they are an important part of my life.

4. I belong in the health care system, just like all children. Include me in regular health care. The health care system should adapt to me, limiting waiting times and ensuring that I understand what is to be done, by using, for example, easy-to-read materials, pictograms, technologic means, and so forth. Other patients also will benefit.

5. I belong with other children. Do not separate me from them because you want to treat me, educate me, or care for me. I can, and I should, be placed in regular schools and regular community settings, and special support should be provided to me in those places. I have something to teach other children and something to learn from them.

6. I belong with my family. Plan with me for my future and my transitions. I am the one who should decide, and, when my ability to do so is limited, my family and friends will speak for me. No government agency can take the place of my family, and, please, make sure that our society values my family’s generosity when they support me on society’s behalf.

7. I deserve the right to evidence-based services. These may not be convenient or easy, but when I get them, I do better. Do not substitute my educational, health, and social support with medication. I may require medication, and I look forward to new developments in biological treatments, but you must be cautious in their use. Count on me for research ventures; get me involved, with all my rights protected. I also want to help others.

8. I belong in society. Engage me in vocational training. I want to contribute. The services I need during my adult life should be guided by self-determination, relationships, and inclusion in all the activities of my community. Your goal must be to adapt the environment I have to face and modify settings and attitudes. It also will make our society better.

9. I have human rights, and I face discrimination for many reasons. Many of us live in poverty with no community support system. Some of us are immigrants or minorities, including sexual minorities. Keep a gender perspective. Girls and women with autism are often at greater risk of violence, injury, or abuse.

10. I belong in the world. I have a role to play. We, and my legal representatives, want to be involved in policy making, its development, and its evaluation. You need my help to know what should be done. Empower me. Remember my motto: nothing about me, without me.

April is Autism Awareness Month

4/4/2016

"There needs to be a lot more emphasis on what a child can do instead of what they cannot do."

--Temple Grandin, Ph.D.

As many of you know, April is Autism Awareness Month. Here are some general statistics about autism:

The CDC in 2016 estimates that the prevalence of autism in the United States is around 1 in 68 births. Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability.
More than 3.5 million Americans live with an autism spectrum disorder. (Buescher et al., 2014)
Autism services cost U.S. citizens $236-262 billion annually. (Buescher et al., 2014)
A majority of costs in the U.S. are in adult services – $175-196 billion, compared to $61-66 billion for children.
Cost of lifelong care can be reduced by 2/3 with early diagnosis and intervention.
35 percent of young adults (ages 19-23) with autism have not had a job nor received postgraduate education after leaving high school.

This will be a multi-part series to help shed light on autism, as we celebrate people with autism in April and everyday.

Blog Roll for Parents and Teachers of Special Needs Children

10 Things You Can Do to Support a Family with Autism, Part 3

10 Tips on How to Communicate with an individual with Autism, Part 2

10 Tips to Support A Person with Autism, Part 1

April is Autism Awareness Month

Miranda J. Gabriel, Psy.D.

Categories

Archives

59 North Santa Cruz Avenue, Suite R
Los Gatos, CA 95030

510-459-1302

dr.mgabriel@gmail.com

Blog Roll for Parents and Teachers of Special Needs Children

10 Things You Can Do to Support a Family with Autism, Part 3

10 Tips on How to Communicate with an individual with Autism, Part 2

10 Tips to Support A Person with Autism, Part 1

April is Autism Awareness Month

Miranda J. Gabriel, Psy.D.

Categories

Archives

59 North Santa Cruz Avenue, Suite RLos Gatos, CA 95030​​510-459-1302dr.mgabriel@gmail.com

59 North Santa Cruz Avenue, Suite R
Los Gatos, CA 95030

510-459-1302

dr.mgabriel@gmail.com