Fish oil has been shown to be a helpful therapy for schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and many other disorders. Studies have also found that fish oil can help with behavior, reading, and spelling in children with developmental disorders. This current study was designed to see if fish oil capsules (1.5 grams of omega-3 fatty acids per day) could help children with autism. The study had only 13 children who were about 11 years old. All children showed fewer signs of autism when taking fish oil and the only side effects were some mild stomach upset and diarrhea.
Autism Therapy: spelling
definition of spelling: not yet defined.
No Factsheets to Display
- Biol Psychiatry, by Amminger, GP, Berger GE, Schafer MR, Klier C., Friedrich MH, and Feucht M., published in 2007, summarized Apr 23, 2007
- Pediatrics, by Richardson, AJ, and Montgomery P., published in 2005, summarized Nov 14, 2006
This article reports on the results of a well-controlled study showing that supplementation with essential fatty acids (EFAs) improves the reading, spelling, and behavior of children with dyspraxia (developmental coordination disorder or DCD).
Dyspraxia (DCD) is a disorder in which children have difficulty making normal movements. Children with DCD also have difficulty with learning, social interaction, and appropriate behavior. Children with autism are more likely than those in the general population to have DCD. It is already known that deficiencies in EFAs can produce problems in attention and behavior; this article tested whether supplementation with EFAs could improve the symptoms of children with DCD (ages 5-12). Children were randomly divided into two groups: 55 received EFA supplements, and 55 received placebo for three months. EFA supplements consisted of a daily dose of 80% fish oil and 20% evening primrose oil. This supplementation resulted in doses of 558 mg EPA and 174 mg DHA (both omega-3 fatty acids), as well as 60 mg alpha-linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid), and 9.6 mg vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol). Each child's motor skills, reading, spelling, and behavior were rated by people who were blind to whether the child was receiving EFAs or placebo. There were no significant improvements in the motor skills of children receiving EFA treatment, but the reading, spelling, and behavior of these children did improve by the end of the three months as compared to children who had been receiving placebo. After the three-month period, children who had been receiving placebo began the same EFA supplementation treatment, and similar improvements were then seen in these children.
- Journal of Poetry Therapy, by DelValle, PR, McEachern AG, and Chambers HD, published in 2001, summarized Oct 21, 2006
This article gives an overview of social stories and how parents and therapists can use social stories to help autistic children improve their social functioning.
Because most children with autism have difficulties with social interactions and understanding the emotions of others, social situations can be confusing for them. By spelling out the behaviors and perceptions of others in the social environment in a step-by-step way, the authors state that social stories can help reduce anxiety and improve behavior in everyday situations like lining up after recess or going to the grocery store. The authors describe how techniques like reinforcement (a tool of applied behavior analysis or ABA) can be used to help maintain the desired behaviors described in the social story. Much of the article contains examples of problem behaviors and the social stories that can address them.
Shannon Des Roches Rosa bought a $5 raffle ticket that resulted in a new iPad for Leo, her son with autism. Leo had tried the iPod Touch, but his motor skills make the iPad much easier for him to use. His mom says it’s sturdy and can handle Leo’s touching, swiping, and tapping. Leo has already mastered more detailed drawings. He enjoys apps such as the spelling programs, First Words, and IwriteWords. One program the entire family has used to help Leo is Stories2Learn. Shannon says, “Our entire family had a great time putting together the photos, captions, and voiceover for this social story about Leo visiting a local cafe – the process was so easy, and fast, and Leo loves the story so much I had to have his sister demo it, as Leo likes the voiceovers to repeat several times.” Shannon shares with readers other iPad applications and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) apps she’s found that help children with autism.
Read original article: The iPad: A Near-Miracle for My Son with Autism
Mainstreaming Children with Autism
Sep 9, 2009Co-teaching classrooms are becoming more common, particularly in Knoxville, Tennessee, where there is a special education teacher and a general education teacher teaching together. This enable students with autism, and other developmental delays to be in classrooms with their neuro-typical peers. Sequoyah Elementary School has found that having more than one teacher in a classroom gives all the children a chance at extra help, not just the special needs child. The children receive the same curriculum, but with modifications to fit their needs, for example instead of 25 spelling words each week, the child will receive 10 to learn. Environmental changes can help too, for example, a child's desk may be moved to a quieter part of the room for better concentration.
Theo Vermaas, a child with autism, won the 5th grade spelling bee at Broadmor Elementary School in Tempe, Arizona. He is one of two of the eight students in the Structured Education for Alternative Learning Styles, or SEALS, program at Broadmor who participate in regular classroom activities. After being diagnosed with autism in first grade, Theo has been treated with neurofeedback and sensory integration learning.
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Jul 2, 2007 by AnonymousSummer is flying by, as usual. It’s nearly the Fourth of July, which is the unofficial halfway-point of the season. Everyone here is okay, but getting over bronchitis. Jonathan came down with a severely debilitating cold last weekend, just in time for Hayley’s birthday party. Thomas escaped the illness and is doing just okay on the Clonidine. (By the way, I realized that I’ve been spelling “Namenda” incorrectly in previous blogs; consider this an editorial correction.) It’s definitely helping him get to sleep at night, which is really wonderful. We’ve been playing around with the dosage time to get it so that Thomas is sleepy at bedtime. The doctor told us to give it to him at bath time which can be different every night, so we settled on 7:00 p.m.
In the almost two weeks that Thomas has been taking Clonidine, there were only two nights in which it didn’t help, so we’re very pleased with the difference it makes in bedtime. Thomas goes to sleep in a matter of minutes instead of hours. However, it hasn’t made any improvements in undesirable behaviors as far as I can tell. I’m fairly certain that the neurologist will be increasing the dosage. My speculation, and this is by no means a suggestion that I know what I’m doing when it comes to prescription medications, is that Thomas will eventually be taking either a half-pill in the evening and in the morning, or a whole pill in the evening and a half in the morning. I’m thinking that it may not make him as drowsy in the morning after a full night’s sleep. Again, I will leave it to the doctor’s good offices to advise us. I’m going to call her tomorrow and give her the update.
Armed with the new medicine, we went up to my mother-in-law’s cottage this weekend for the Fourth of July. It felt a lot better to be going up there with the knowledge that Thomas would definitely be going to sleep before midnight. Usually, we have to plan carefully so that we avoid the kids (especially Thomas) going to sleep in the car and thus pushing bedtime back to midnight or even later. They didn’t go to sleep in the car this time, and we gave Thomas his medicine just as were getting to the exit that leads to the cottage. He fell asleep about an hour and a half later
As usual, it was an exhausting weekend spent chasing the kids around until bedtime. Just getting Thomas to come inside for meals is an ordeal, and we definitely can’t contain him there like we can at home, since all of the doors stay unlocked and people go in and out all day. Thomas can and does quietly fly out the door unnoticed much of the time and Jonathan and I have trained our ears to listen for the soft swish of the screen door and little feet running across the deck. It’s so hard to go up there, but the kids love it so we’re still willing to go. But that’s pretty much the only reason! Jonathan and I have very little “fun” up there, but very few people understand that. We don’t like to go because it usually means a weekend of trying to control Thomas and not having fun playing games and talking with the other grown-ups. I do get to ride on the boats with Hayley because she always wants to go, but that means leaving Jonathan with Thomas (or vice-versa).
With the above in mind, Jonathan and I had a brainstorm on the way home yesterday. We thought about bringing my cousin Patrice up there the next time we go, if she’s available. She’s been over twice to take care of the kids while I accomplished various errands, and both Thomas and Hayley love her. This is a good idea, I think, but it makes me feel very guilty. I hear this little voice in my head saying, “No fair bringing hired help! You’ve got two little kids…you don’t get to have cocktails on the deck or lounge in the sun on the pier for at least a few more years! You wanted to have kids – deal with it!” Other people up there have two or more kids that they have to keep tabs on. Are Jonathan and I being overly-cautious by following our kids around like a couple of overly-protective watchdogs? Am I paranoid? I mean, with a lake on one end of the property, a not-busy-but-fast road on the other side and nary a fence to be found, I think that diligence is what’s called for. Even a fence wouldn’t help with Thomas, though. He likes to play on the neighbor’s swing-set, which is fine with them, but if this hypothetical fence cut Thomas off from anything he really wanted to get to, it wouldn’t work. He’d either climb it or figure out how to open it. Naturally, Jonathan and I spend our days up there playing tag-team and trying to find each other to watch both kids when one of us has to go to the bathroom! And if one of us gets called away on a project, the other one has to figure out a way to bisect them self.
Then again, I feel selfish wanting to bring Patrice up to Wisconsin. Nobody else brings “help” to watch their kids. We’ve only got two, not a dozen! I don’t want to appear snooty, and I’m not sure if I could really relax with a book or something while Patrice runs around after the kids. To me, that would seem very weird. Does anyone else have any opinions? I’d love to hear any comments about this quandary. Should we just suck it up and resign ourselves to going up to the cottage not for our enjoyment, but the kids’ enjoyment? Do we not get to have fun and games until the kids are old(er), because that’s what it means to be a parent? Or should we hire Patrice to come with us so that we can all have some fun? I don’t know how to feel about this. Any comments?