Healing Thresholds Autism Therapy Topic Feed

Florida Youngster with Asperger's Syndrome Thrives in Early Intervention Environment

scottie — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:40:15 +0000

Teaser:

Luke's parents noticed a difference in him from their other two children from the beginning; he was recently diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.

Body:

Luke's parents noticed a difference in him from their other two children from the beginning; he was recently diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. They got involved with a state-sponsored early intervention program, Early Steps. Luke receives occupational therapy (OT), which has been key in helping decrease his sensory integration issues. Luke's mom said they are doing floortime at home that helps with social and communication skills. Dana L. Johnson, a pediatric therapist has been working with Luke, and at not-quite-2, Luke is speaking complete sentences and learning to read.

Read original article: Therapy Brings Son Out From His Autistic Shell and into the Arms of His Thankful Parents

Helping Kids with Autism Recognize Emotions

scottie — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:43:55 +0000

Teaser:

A psychology major and her professor at UN Kearney are studying ways to help children with autism to recognize emotions in other people.

Body:

A psychology major and her professor at University of Nebraska Kearney are studying ways to help children with autism and Asperger’s to recognize emotions in other people. Mackenzie Bohl and her professor, Krista Forrest, want to find out if children can recognize emotions more easily in faces they like versus a generic face icon. For example, will a child recognize a happy cartoon character they like or a generic smiley face? Bohl and Forrest discovered that many studies on emotions used nondescript characters, so they decided to compare those results with characters children may be obsessed with. They are currently looking for Nebraska children to participate in their study. They will work one-on-one with each child in their home.

Read original article: People with Autism Struggle to Determine Emotion

Ten Tips for Parenting Kids on the Autism Spectrum

scottie — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:07:22 +0000

Teaser:

This article on parenting tips was written by Dr. Sarita Freedman, a clinical psychologist.

Body:

This article on parenting tips was written by Dr. Sarita Freedman, a clinical psychologist. Freeman suggests ten ideas that might seem obvious, but may get lost in the emotions of parenting a child with autism. Among her suggestions, which she details in the article, are: 1) Take care of your emotional health first; 2) Participate in your child’s activities even if they may feel strange to you; 3) Praise your child’s appropriate behavior; 4) Capitalize on what is unique about your child; and 5) Know when to ask for help.

Read original article: Top 10 Strategies for Success: Emotional Parenting of the Child with Autism/Asperger's or PDD

Siblings with Autism Present Special Challenges

scottie — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:21:37 +0000

Teaser:

This great article is by a mom with a neurotypical son and a son with Cerebral Palsy and Asperger’s.

Body:

This great article is by a mom with a neurotypical son and a son with Cerebral Palsy and Asperger’s. Jody Shaw starts by sharing her older son’s expectations for his relationship with his new brother. When the next three years were spent on therapies and doctor appointments, her older boy began to act out. Shaw explains some techniques she found useful including communication, books or movies on the subject, and community sibling workshops. All of these helped the family learn understanding and coping skills that helped each other.

Read original article: Siblings and Autism: How Are Kids Affected by Special Needs Brothers and Sisters?

App Helps Teens with Asperger’s Understand Social Cues

scottie — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:43:27 +0000

Teaser:

Mark and Kelly Bowers, clinical psychologists who work with teens with Asperger’s, have developed an App to help with social cues.

Body:

Mark and Kelly Bowers, clinical psychologists who work with teens with Asperger’s, have developed an App to help with social cues. Currently available on iPhones and iPads, Sosh is designed to “help tweens, teens, and young adults improve social skills.” The Bowers understand that in many cases youngsters with Asperger’s are smart and technically savvy, but lack the ability to compete socially. Sosh comes with interactive features that include “What Did That Mean?” A teen can look up “Jump in a lake,” and discover that he’s being asked to back off, not literally jump into a body of water. The App focuses on: Relate, Recognize, Regulate, Reason, and Relax. Users can find exercises that help them make eye contact, how close to stand to a person, and at what volume to speak. The Bowers saw a need for social interaction once kids had passed the early intervention stage.

Read original article: App Helps Special Students with Asperger's

AUTISM = California ABA Behavior Analysis + Special Education is the "3 in 1" Autism Therapies Treatment in California & Singapore

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:19:14 +0000

St. Andrew Autism Center is the Help and service provider in Singapore for autism therapies in ABA behavior intervention and special education.

Autism is an EPIDEMIC affecting Singapore children. The "3 in 1" Autism Therapies Treatment of " Autism + ABA + Special Education" is to help children with Autism, ADHD, Attention Deficit Disorder, Asperger Syndrome, Giftedness etc and related disabilities with learning, emotional and developmental needs to develop the communication, academic and social skills necessary so that they can successfully participate in their Singapore MOE schools or pre-schools, and communities.

SeokLay Lau MA in Special Education, California State University Los Angeles, CalABA member.

Seoklay Lau's Public Profile <http://sg.linkedin.com/pub/seoklay-lau/34/621/5b>

Aspiritech Hires People with Asperger’s to Test Software

scottie — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:01:06 +0000

Teaser:

Aspiritech, a company in Illinois, hires people with Asperger’s to test software.

Body:

Aspiritech, a company in Illinois, hires people with Asperger’s to test software. The focus and memory for detail that many people with Asperger’s have are skills that make them great software testers. Aspiritech pays between $12 and $15 an hour and trains the employees as a team so that they can build social skills. Marc Iazar, Aspiritech’s autism specialist explains, “For many of them, software testing is not going to be their lifelong career, but while they’re here they’re going to improve their job skills and they’re going to learn what kind of behavior is expected on the job and they’re going to have more to put on their resumes.” Aspiritech is a non-profit organization whose software testing offerings include compatibility, functional, and regression testing, and testing case and test script development.

Read original article: Asperger Syndrome Helps to Test Software

AUTISM = California ABA Behavior Analysis + Special Education

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:49:28 +0000

AUTISM is an EPIDEMIC affecting Singapore children.

To help Singapore children with Autism, ADHD, Attention Deficit Disorder, Asperger Syndrome, Giftedness etc and related disabilities with learning, emotional and developmental needs to develop the communication, academic and social skills necessary so that they can successfully participate in their MOE schools and pre-schools.

Seoklay Lau MA in Special Education CSULA, CalABA member.

Seoklay's Public Profile <http://sg.linkedin.com/pub/seoklay-lau/34/621/5b>

Networking Group for Teens with Asperger’s

scottie — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:31:08 +0000

Teaser:

Gamer’s Union for Teens with Asperger’s is a group organized by the Rust Library in Leesburg, VA.

Body:

Gamer’s Union for Teens with Asperger’s is a group organized by the Rust Library in Leesburg, VA. Teens meet monthly and socialize while their parents network about their experiences with Asperger’s. The parents share information on doctors, schools, medication, and life skills, while the teens use video games and monitors to work in groups and interact with each other. One mom who had previously home-schooled her boys with Asperger’s said this was a great way to involve youngsters in the community in a place where they could interact with peers.

Read original article: Teens with Asperger's Have Fun While Their Parents Network

Re: NEWS - Improv Workshop Helps Kids with Autism with Their Social Skills

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:17:58 +0000

Thank you so much for mentioning the Shenanigans class that Jstar conducted recently in the Detroit area. To give a little more insight, Jstar owns his own theater and co-produces the Spontaneous Combustion - Motor City improv festival. He was excited to discover an opportunity to also bring Shenanigans to some new faces in Detroit. It sounds like the kiddos had a wonderful time!

My grandson, diagnosed with Asperger's, is the inspiration for Shenanigans, when, several years ago, I struggled to find a way to help his social growth. After much research, I came across improvisational theatre, saw a good fit for the skills I wanted to target, and couldn't find a similar program here in Atlanta or anywhere. So I decided to develop a program and find someone involved in improv theatre who could get excited about my vision and help me move it forward. I found Jstar and brought him on as my charter instructor in 2009, and he has been an enthusiastic champion for Shenanigans ever since.

Shenanigans is an applied improv theatre program targeting those with special needs, especially Asperger's, high-functioning autism, and related conditions. We use the process of learning improvisational theatre games and exercises to work on social skills by unveiling the mysteries of human interaction. The main tenet of improv, "Say Yes, and..." teaches our students better adapting skills when the unexpected pops up, and flexibility to deal with those changes and move forward.

With our growing team of instructors, the Shenanigans program has spread throughout the metro Atlanta area. We are now reaching beyond our home city to bring the Shenanigans-style approach to others who are interested.

I am always eager to talk more about our wonderful program and the benefits our actors receive from their participation.

Sandy Bruce, Founder & Exec Dir, Shenanigans (www.ShenanigansImprov.com - on Facebook: /ShenanigansImprov)