Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Clinic Notes: Technology for Treating Autism
Many parents who bring their children with autism to my clinic ask what they can do at home to help progress their child. Of course, we have then run the ABA programs for compliance that we run in the clinic and other ABA programs for skill building. But many parents want more. After looking at all of the autism products online they ask about their usefulness. We advise many parents to buy lap top computers if their child is high functioning and we point out software that is useful and that we use in our clinic. But they always want more. And the more has arrived in the Apple iPad. As I have mentioned in previous blogs children with autism are fascinated with the iPad. If you type "autism apps" in the search box in the iTunes store you will find a number of useful apps with more coming each day. If readers would like help in choosing apps for their child please let me know.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Clinic Notes: Children with Autism and the iPad
Apple's iPad is causing a lot of excitement in the autism community. Many parents of the children with autism who I see in my clinic have asked me if they should buy one for their child. So I thought I would blog about what I have seen in the app testing we are doing. First of all, I read an online article about a mother who won an iPad in a raffle and handed it to her child with autism. When she came back a few minutes later he had turned it on and was navigating through the different functions without having ever seen one or being instructed in how to use it. I thought this seemed farfetched so I handed my iPad to a child with autism who comes to our clinic. He looked it over and then proceeded to turn it on and navigate through the different functions without having seen it being used or given any instructions. So it is true--many children with autism have an intuitive feel for the iPad. I have even heard a rumor that Steve Jobs invented the iPad for children with autism, which he denies. In next weeks blog I will review some apps and tell readers the best way to use the iPad with a child with autism.
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Autism Apps for the iPhone, Ipod Touch, and the iPad
Just about everyone who keeps up with what is going on in the autism world knows by now that children with autism are fascinated with computer technology. Apple's iPad seems to almost hypnotize them. I have handed my iPad to a child with autism and they learn to use it on their own in a few minutes. The iPad seems to work even better than the touch screen computers that we use in our clinic and I didn't think that was possible. The iTunes store has apps that are especially suited to the child with autism and we have been testing them in our clinic. Prolog2go is a communication app that turns the $400 dollar iPad into an $8000 dollar assisted communication device. We are putting our Discrete Trial Training apps (DT) in the store now. Our DTT apps have been tested in our clinic with children with autism and work very well. Go to http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/autism-colors/id406336763?mt=8#ls=1 and check them out.
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Autism and the Christmas Holidays
Every December I repost my blog on Autism and the Christmas
The Christmas holidays can be a difficult time for parents of children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders. Of course, any holiday can be somewhat difficult for any child with all of the changes in their routine, especially when they get tired. But Christmas, with all the lights, the music, the relatives, and the crowded malls, is an especially difficult holiday, because children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders are often hypersensitive to visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli.
Children with autism are visual learners, and a month before Christmas you should take pictures of what is going to happen--the lights on the tree, the gifts, the music, the relatives that touch and hug. These pictures should be shown repeatedly each day to your child with autism or other neuropsychological disorders. While he/she is looking at the pictures, tell the child a little story about what's going to happen at Christmas, how to behave, and what your child can do if the stimulation is too much. Include your child in the pictures if possible. A picture of your child going to his or her room to escape the noise and confusion when he/she gets overloaded seems to help, too.
There are no sure-fire techniques to use with a child that will ensure a "Martha Stewart Christmas." But many families who have children with autism or some other neuropsychological disorder have used the visual learning procedure above and the ten tips that follow to have a better Christmas.
1. Try to keep your child in his or her usual routine as much as possible.
2. Sensory over stimulation—the lights, the sounds, the smells, and the relatives touching your child--are the main culprits during the holidays. Eliminating or minimizing these culprits are your best bet.
3. Some families who have children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders wait until Christmas Eve to put up their tree and decorate.
4. Some families let their children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders do all of the decorating. Children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders may line up or stack decorations rather than decorate in the traditional way, but so what.
5. Rather than try to do the Christmas shopping with children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders in a crowded, noisy mall, many families shop by catalog or online and let the child point to or circle the toys he/she wants. Websites, such as www.stars4kidz, offer a variety of toys for children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders. Just type "autism toys" in your search engine.
6. Tactile toys are often a better choice for children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders. Toys that make sounds or involve too much stimulation or are too complex may not cause an aversive reaction in the child. Try ordering some of these autism friendly toys and then let your child select the ones to play with, as they are unwrapped.
7. Talk to relatives before they come over about the best way to behave with children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders.
8. Generally, kids with autism or other neuropsychological disorders do better in the morning than in the late afternoon or evening when they are tired. It may be better to schedule Christmas events at these times.
9. The parents of children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders need to relax themselves. Often the child with autism picks up on the parents’ stress and that is enough to ruin Christmas.
10. And last but not least, realize that you are probably not going to have perfect food, perfect decorations, and perfect gifts. Christmas with children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders may not be traditional, but it can still have real meaning. I wish you and your child the happiest of holidays. Visit us at http://www.childrenstreatmentcenter4autism.com if you have questions about your child.
The Christmas holidays can be a difficult time for parents of children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders. Of course, any holiday can be somewhat difficult for any child with all of the changes in their routine, especially when they get tired. But Christmas, with all the lights, the music, the relatives, and the crowded malls, is an especially difficult holiday, because children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders are often hypersensitive to visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli.
Children with autism are visual learners, and a month before Christmas you should take pictures of what is going to happen--the lights on the tree, the gifts, the music, the relatives that touch and hug. These pictures should be shown repeatedly each day to your child with autism or other neuropsychological disorders. While he/she is looking at the pictures, tell the child a little story about what's going to happen at Christmas, how to behave, and what your child can do if the stimulation is too much. Include your child in the pictures if possible. A picture of your child going to his or her room to escape the noise and confusion when he/she gets overloaded seems to help, too.
There are no sure-fire techniques to use with a child that will ensure a "Martha Stewart Christmas." But many families who have children with autism or some other neuropsychological disorder have used the visual learning procedure above and the ten tips that follow to have a better Christmas.
1. Try to keep your child in his or her usual routine as much as possible.
2. Sensory over stimulation—the lights, the sounds, the smells, and the relatives touching your child--are the main culprits during the holidays. Eliminating or minimizing these culprits are your best bet.
3. Some families who have children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders wait until Christmas Eve to put up their tree and decorate.
4. Some families let their children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders do all of the decorating. Children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders may line up or stack decorations rather than decorate in the traditional way, but so what.
5. Rather than try to do the Christmas shopping with children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders in a crowded, noisy mall, many families shop by catalog or online and let the child point to or circle the toys he/she wants. Websites, such as www.stars4kidz, offer a variety of toys for children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders. Just type "autism toys" in your search engine.
6. Tactile toys are often a better choice for children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders. Toys that make sounds or involve too much stimulation or are too complex may not cause an aversive reaction in the child. Try ordering some of these autism friendly toys and then let your child select the ones to play with, as they are unwrapped.
7. Talk to relatives before they come over about the best way to behave with children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders.
8. Generally, kids with autism or other neuropsychological disorders do better in the morning than in the late afternoon or evening when they are tired. It may be better to schedule Christmas events at these times.
9. The parents of children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders need to relax themselves. Often the child with autism picks up on the parents’ stress and that is enough to ruin Christmas.
10. And last but not least, realize that you are probably not going to have perfect food, perfect decorations, and perfect gifts. Christmas with children with autism or other neuropsychological disorders may not be traditional, but it can still have real meaning. I wish you and your child the happiest of holidays. Visit us at http://www.childrenstreatmentcenter4autism.com if you have questions about your child.
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