Healing Thresholds Autism Therapy Topic Feed

Sensory Integration Therapy Assisted by Swinging

scottie — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Teaser:

Thomas Kass developed Take a Swing to help his son with autism.

Body:

Thomas Kass developed Take a Swing to help his son with autism. John Kass had sensory integration issues that continued to worsen as he got older. By the time he was 10, his aggressive behaviors were getting in the way of his academics and socialization skills. The family discovered that John liked to swing at the park, that he became calm and happy. Thomas decided to create a swing that could used indoors or outside, depending on the weather, would fit a growing child, and would be portable enough to take to therapy. RehabMart has recently added Take a Swing to their product line.

Original Article:

Swings for Sensory Integration Designed by Take a Swing

Man Who Suffered Head Trauma Turns His Struggles to Helping Children with Autism

scottie — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:50:03 +0000

Teaser:

Greg Marischen, who suffered a severe head injury, returned from his therapy determined to use the same therapy methods for children with autism.

Body:

Greg Marischen, who suffered a severe head injury, returned from his therapy determined to use the same therapy methods for children with autism. Robert Melillo, a NY doctor improved on those cognitive and physical therapies to create Hemispheric Integration Therapy (HIT), which lead to the growth of Brain Balance Achievement Centers. Marishen now directs a center in Ohio that helps not only his two sons, but other kids with developmental delays. “The program is all about the plasticity of the brain. After aggressive therapy focused on the weak areas of the brain, it has the ability to rewire itself and make those connections,” said Marischen.

Original Article:

Kettering Native Helping Kids wIth Cognitive Health

Aggression and Tantrums in Children with Autism: A Review of Behavioral Treatments and Maintaining Variables

scottie — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:43:36 +0000

Title	Aggression and Tantrums in Children with Autism: A Review of Behavioral Treatments and Maintaining Variables
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Matson J
Journal Title	Journal of Mental Health Research
Year of Publication	2009
Volume	2
Pages	169-187
URL for Abstract	http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a912752214
Teaser	A problem-solving approach that is combined with applied behavior analysis (ABA) may be helpful for children with autism who have tantrums and aggression.
Full Text	A problem-solving approach that is combined with applied behavior analysis (ABA) may be helpful for children with autism who have tantrums and aggression. This article reviews research-based treatments for tantrums, and describes the strengths and problems of each intervention approach. The most common treatment approach for problem behavior is ABA therapy that is skill building in nature. It appears that the use of functional assessment makes it more likely that the ABA therapy will work. Many of the treatment studies also taught the child how to communicate. The author notes that brain (antipsychotic) drugs are being used more and more often for younger and younger children.

Assessment and Treatment of Excessive Straightening and Destructive Behavior in an Adolescent Diagnosed with Autism

scottie — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Title	Assessment and Treatment of Excessive Straightening and Destructive Behavior in an Adolescent Diagnosed with Autism
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Kuhn DE, Hardesty SL, Sweeney NM
Journal Title	Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
Year of Publication	2009
Volume	42
Issue	2
Pages	355-360
URL for Abstract	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19949524
Teaser	Applied behavior analysis (ABA) may be helpful when teaching a child with autism to stop excessive straightening.
Full Text	Applied behavior analysis (ABA) may be helpful when teaching a child with autism to stop throwing things in the trash can. Some children with autism spend a great deal of time straightening items and this may get in the way of living a normal life. Stopping or blocking the child from straightening has been shown to help stop the straightening behavior. Sometimes, though, stopping the child from straightening can make him angry and bring out aggressive behavior. This case study describes the use of ABA to help a 16-year-old boy with autism who spent a great deal of time placing items in a straight line and throwing them away. The treatment was able to help stop him from throwing things away, at least in front of staff and parents.

Functional Analysis and Treatment of Inappropriate Vocalizations Using a Speech-Generating Device for a Child with Autism

scottie — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Title	Functional Analysis and Treatment of Inappropriate Vocalizations Using a Speech-Generating Device for a Child with Autism
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Franco JH, Lang RL, O’Reilly MF, Chan JM, Sigafoos J, Rispoli M
Journal Title	Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities
Year of Publication	2009
Volume	24
Issue	3
Pages	146-155
URL for Abstract	http://foa.sagepub.com/cgi/content/short/24/3/146
Teaser	A speech-generating device may improve behaviors in children with autism who cannot speak.
Full Text	A speech-generating device may improve behaviors in children with autism who cannot speak. This case report describes the use of a speech-generating device by a 7-year-old boy with autism. The boy could not speak, but he did make sounds with his voice. Sometimes the sounds were not appropriate. He also had problem behaviors; for example, he would use aggression when he wanted attention or wanted to play with someone. The boy was taught how to use multiple options on the device. He used the device on the playground and during gym. When he used the device, he had problem behaviors 0 to 20% of the total time (for example, while on the playground). Without the device, he had problem behaviors 40 to 80% of the total time.

Medical Marijuana as a Therapy for Autism

scottie — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:22:58 +0000

Teaser:

A mom believes that her son with autism and aggression has improved behavior since beginning medical marijuana therapy.

Body:

A mom believes that her son with autism and aggression has improved behavior since beginning medical marijuana therapy. She tried traditional drug therapy with him, including risperdal, but that seemed to make him heavy, stronger, and still aggressive. The family contacted a medical cannabis doctor who agreed that a "speck" of marijuana given in a piece of fruit might help. His parents report, "It was an amazing experience, I'll never forget it, as we watched what happened, it was like 'He's back!' It was like all this anguish, pent-up rage and aggressiveness went away - it just calmed him down." Another mother with an autistic child who also had eating disorders gives her child a small bit of marijuana-infused oil in tea and cookies. She reported, "For the past year, he'd consistently had 30 to 50 aggressions in a school day, with a one-time high of 300. The charts for June through July, by contrast, showed he was actually having days-sometimes one after another-with zero aggressions." Doctors caution that more research needs to be done on marijuana as treatment for autism and many see drug therapy as a last resort.

Original Article:

original article

Risk Factors for Challenging Behaviors among 157 Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Ireland

scottie — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:58:20 +0000

Title	Risk Factors for Challenging Behaviors among 157 Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Ireland
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Murphy O, Healy O, Leader G
Journal Title	Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Year of Publication	2009
Volume	3
Pages	474-482
URL for Abstract	http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleListURL&_method=list&_ArticleListID=1095543305&_sort=r&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=64cb7cd1c591bf6b35398b9793c1a67b
Teaser	Self-injury behaviors in children with autism may be more intense in children with severe intellectual disability than in other children with autism.
Full Text	Self-injury behaviors in children with autism may be more intense in children with severe intellectual disability than in other children with autism. This study asked whether self injury, aggressive, and stereotypy behaviors were more common in some groups of children with autism than others. The researchers tested age, gender, therapy interventions, and intellectual disabilities. Age and gender were not a factor. Children getting applied behavior analysis therapy (ABA) had aggressive behaviors more often than other children, but the authors think that might be because children with behavioral problems are more likely to get therapy. Children with severe intellectual disabilities had more intense self-injury behaviors than other children with autism.

Effects of Psychosocial Interventions for People with Intellectual Disabilities and Mental Health Problems: A Survey of Systematic Reviews

scottie — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:21:29 +0000

Title	Effects of Psychosocial Interventions for People with Intellectual Disabilities and Mental Health Problems: A Survey of Systematic Reviews
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Gustafsson C, Ojehagen A, Hansson L, Sandlund M, Nystrom M, Glad J, Cruce G, Jonsson AK, Fredriksson M
Journal Title	Research on Social Work Practice
Year of Publication	2009
Volume	19
Pages	281-290
URL for Abstract	http://online.sagepub.com/cgi/searchresults?journal_set=sprsw&andorexactfulltext=and&src=selected&fulltext=Effects+of+Psychosocial+Interventions+for+People+with+Intellectual+Disabilities+and+Mental+Health+Problems%3A+A+Survey+of+Systematic+Reviews&sendit=
Teaser	Behavioral therapies and integrated care may be helpful for adults with autism.
Full Text	Behavioral therapies and integrated care may be helpful for adults with autism. The authors analyzed review articles of psychosocial or behavioral therapies for adults with autism. They found 126 review articles, but only 3 of these articles contained high quality research information, as judged by the authors. The authors said that cognitive-behavioral therapies reduced aggression in these studies, but the effects did not last long. They also said that community support services reduced admissions to state psychiatric hospitals. There were few large studies published, and the authors urged more research of therapies for adults with autism.

Mapping Evidence-Based Treatments for Children and Adolescents: Application of the Distillation and Matching Model to 615 Treatments from 322 Randomized Trials

scottie — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:58:19 +0000

Title	Mapping Evidence-Based Treatments for Children and Adolescents: Application of the Distillation and Matching Model to 615 Treatments from 322 Randomized Trials
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Chorpita BF, Daleiden EL
Journal Title	Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
Year of Publication	2009
Volume	17
Issue	3
Pages	566-579
URL for Abstract	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19485596
Teaser	The most commonly studied mental health therapies for children with autism are those that teach communication and social skills.
Full Text	The most commonly studied mental health therapies for children with autism are those that teach communication and social skills. The authors reviewed all of the randomized studies of mental health treatments for children and adolescents over the last 41 years. The authors did not include drug therapy studies. Seven of the 322 studies focused on autism. Other studies looked at treatments for anxiety, depression, aggression, and other mental health problems (ADHD). The most common practices in the autism studies looked at ways to teach communication and social skills. Researchers tested modeling, goal setting, parent education, and reinforcement. The authors hope that researchers can use this information to figure out what treatments are well-studied, and what treatments might be researched more.

Aripiprazole Monotherapy in Children and Young Adolescents with Pervasive Developmental Disorders

scottie — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:05:48 +0000

Title	Aripiprazole Monotherapy in Children and Young Adolescents with Pervasive Developmental Disorders
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Masi G, Cosenza A, Millepiedi S, Muratori F, Pari C, Salvadori F
Journal Title	CNS Drugs
Year of Publication	2009
Volume	23
Issue	6
Pages	511-521
URL for Abstract	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19480469?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
Full Text	Aripiprazole (Abilify^®) may be helpful for children and adolescents with autism who have severe behavioral problems. This article describes a study of 34 autism patients (4-15 years old) who had severe behavioral problems such as aggression, self injury, and hyperactivity. These patients were treated through a psychiatric hospital (inpatient or outpatient) because of their severe behavioral problems. Patients were treated with 3-13 mg/day of aripiprazole for at least 12 weeks. The authors tested skills and behaviors between 4-12 months after the start of treatment. Of all the patients in the study, 37% were much improved or very much improved, and 29% had no change or got worse. Side effects were agitation (27% of patients) and sleep problems (15% of patients).