Specialists that Work with Children with Autism

In their book, Quirky Kids, Perri Klass and Eileen Costello list the specialists that may be involved in working with an autistic child. Some of these are more on the diagnostic side and will recommend therapies that are carried out by other health professionals. Because of the wide range of problems that present in autistic children, many parents are overwhelmed at the number of doctors involved in their child’s care.

Doctors and Specialists who Diagnose Autism

When a child is diagnosed as being autistic, there are a number of doctors who may assess him and determine what type of help he needs:

• A psychologist evaluates a child’s intelligence and cognition.
• A school psychologist evaluates a child’s educational potential.
• A neuropsychologist specializes in processes of learning and thought. They test for things like the ability to sit still, to focus and to process information and organize thoughts.
• A pediatric neurologist specializes in the brain and nervous system. He examines a child and looks at muscle groups and the ability of nerves to register sensation. He also looks at reflexes, coordination and mental skills.
• A developmental and behavioral pediatrician specializes in behavior and development and often works to coordinate the results and recommendations of other specialists.
• A child psychiatrist assesses the child’s mind and how he thinks. He is normally more of an overseer and often works to coordinate medications and progress on a periodical basis.

Specialist Help for Physical Problems in Autistic Children

Physical problems and poor muscle tone are common in autistic children and there are therapists that can help them strengthen their abilities:

• Physical therapists work with large muscle groups and look at skills such as throwing a ball, sitting in a chair and walking up and down stairs.
• Occupational therapists concentrate on smaller muscle groups such as the hands and face. Poor handwriting is a common problem among autistic children and they may struggle to eat and tie shoe laces. Occupational therapists also work on sensory problems such as oversensitivity to clothing tags or difficulty with spinning and swinging.

Speech and Language Therapy for Children with Autism

Speech problems in autistic children come in many forms and degrees of severity. Difficulties may include stuttering and speech impediments. Other autistic children can speak but do not understand the flow and rhythm of speech. They may sound pedantic and stilted when engaging in conversation. A speech therapist works with any type of speech problem and can help an autistic child to sound more normal and use speech in an appropriate manner.

 

Autistic children are often seen by several specialists who have different skills. Some will diagnose his condition and pinpoint his weaknesses while others will work with the child to help him reach his full potential and overcome difficulties. While it may seem overwhelming, it is best to work with the recommended specialists and give the child the best chance at a successful future.

Reference:
Klass, Perri and Eileen Costello, Quirky Kids, Ballantine Books, Random House Publishing, 2003.

A Glimpse into Autism

This is an amazing clip where a young girl with autism begins communicating by using a computer. Although unable to talk, she shares how it feels to be trapped in a body that does not cooperate - and also gives us some insight in to how she experiences the world.

Here are links to some of my articles that may help with understanding autism:

Autism Management Strategies for Children

How to Handle Sex Education for Autistic Children

How to Help Autistic Children Deal with Crowds

How to Stop Autistic Rocking

A Story of Hope

This week’s post is a true story submitted by Barb Culler. It was originally published on her blog so feel free to pop over and have a look there as well.

Be inspired by how much these children can understand and achieve …

Every Sunday morning, I shadow a special needs child so that his family can attend the service. My young friend loves music so we are able to sit through the beginning worship time, but then he needs to have a different activity when the preaching starts. “David” is 11, but his disability results in poor social awareness so we go to our classroom for one on one time.

Our weekly program is to sing along with CD’s of old time Sunday School songs, and to the AWANA Cubbies level CD and workbook. David can read, and loves to sing, although he has limited verbal skills, and like me, cannot carry a tune. David likes to start at the beginning of the Cubbies book, and we sing our way through the modified Bible verses set to music.

There is one song that reads: “Lord, teach us to pray, Lord, teach us to pray. Mark 11:1”

When David sings this verse, he says “Lord, teach us to PRAISE, Lord, teach us to PRAISE…”

Every week, I ponder the simple truth of that request. During worship in the sanctuary, David unabashedly sings, moves his uncoordinated body into claps, and sometimes raises his arms in Praise. His family believes that deep inside him, he understands about God and I agree. David intuitively knows how to enter into worship, and is not embarrassed to express how he understands praise to God.

Oh that we could be so child-like in our worship to God, and not feel embarrassed by how we sound or look.

Lord, teach ME to Praise!

Coping with Asperger's Syndrome in Adults

There are undoubtedly thousands of adults in the world with undiagnosed Asperger's syndrome. Because the condition was only given a name in the early 1980s, many children would have grown up without the benefit of a diagnosis. They would probably have been loners and may have been labelled as eccentric or odd.

Many adults with Asperger's do marry, especially if they are high functioning. While the condition may cause stress between husbands and wives, it can also add qualities such as faithfulness and honesty.

It is never to late to seek help and if an adult suspects they have Asperger's, they should seek confirmation from a doctor. Knowledge brings understanding and it is possible for a person to work on weakness such as social interaction and speech.

Some of my recent articles may help those who know an adult with Asperger's syndrome:

Coping with Adult Aspie Issues

Married to Someone with Asperger's - Advice for Wives

How to Talk to Your Asperger Spouse

Diagnosing Asperger's in the Elderly

The History of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Portrait of a Cherub

Today's post is written by Joan Campbell, mom to a daughter with Asperger's syndrome. It's a beautifully written piece that highlights the frustrations, hopes and joys of raising an Asperger child. Please feel free to share the link and leave a comment to encourage Joan and her family.


There is a cherub sleeping in our second bedroom. When she was younger, my husband and I would sneak in to her room and stand silently admiring her curled up form in the light filtering through from the passage. The roundness of her face and the small, full lips gave an impression of a lovingly crafted sculpture. A tumble of blonde curls framed the masterpiece.

She is older now, almost eleven, and yet I find myself still pausing and studying her face before I wake her up for school. It has lost some of its roundness, and the curls have straightened to a wave, but there remains something beautiful and innocent in that lightly freckled façade.

This habit of observing my daughter in sleep comes partly, I believe, from my desire to understand her better. In that brief moment of shared peace, I feel a connection to her.

When she is awake my child is a jumble of difficult-to-comprehend contradictions. She wins mathematics awards at school, but often stares at me blankly when I issue her an instruction. She will work on a puzzle for two hours, but refuses to talk to her dad on the phone for two minutes. She puts her fingers in her ears when she considers music to be too loud, but screams relentlessly at an ear-numbing pitch over the smallest of incidents. She melts into my hugs, but won't let anyone kiss her on the cheek or even play with her hair. She reads and re-reads (and re-reads) every "Asterix and Obelix" cartoon she can lay her hands on, but refuses all other book I try to introduce her to. She fearlessly goes on two-night Scouting camps without me, but is afraid to walk through the school parking lot without holding my hand.

The books and blogs attempt to explain her to me. Children with Asperger's syndrome, I read, are often very sensitive to sensory stimuli such as sound. They also tend to fixate on one or two topics, to the exclusion of others. I learn that, as with all the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), they struggle with the nuances of communication, and find it difficult to understand expressions and idioms.

The latter has always been rather charming. My daughter has many "huh?" moments and our family conversations are peppered with delightful misunderstandings that sound something like this:

"He's really barking up the wrong tree, if you ask me."
"But he doesn't bark, does he, Dad?"

"Wow, you got out of the wrong side of the bed today!"
"I can't get out the other side the wall is in the way."

The articles continue to educate me on my child. Non-verbal communication is particularly difficult. Reading body language, which is so natural to the rest of us, is like interpreting a foreign language to a person with Asperger's.

I read about a concept called "mind-blindness", which means that children and adults with Asperger's struggle to comprehend what other people are thinking or feeling. It makes them seem as if they lack empathy, and is one of the reasons they battle with social relationships.

All this information educates me, but doesn't allow me the one thing that I really crave: to crawl right into my daughter's mind for a day, and view the world through her eyes. I yearn to understand her thoughts, feelings and reactions.

Yet, ironically, it is in not understanding that I am the closest to her daily experience. For her, people's words, behaviour and expressions often elicit perplexity, the way her behaviour does for me. I gain a measure of insight into how disconcerting it is to struggle to understand somebody.

In my frustration and occasional guilt at my lack of comprehension, I have never once wished for my daughter to be in any way different to that which she is. She is complicated, fascinating and funny in her directness. She has many moments of brilliance and surprising insight. She is determined and focused and like many people with ASD, I believe that her persistence will lead her into a bright future.

Much like a real angel, she is often a mystery to us. Yet, just as the Sculptor carved the perfect lines of our daughter's face, He also carved her beautiful soul and spirit.

We delight in her.

Book Review of The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome by Tony Attwood

When I first started writing about autism and Asperger’s syndrome, I discovered The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome at my local library. It soon became an indispensible reference and I recently purchased my own copy.

The author, Tony Attwood, is a clinical psychologist with more than 25 years experience and has worked with over 2000 people with Asperger’s syndrome. His book is a combination of facts and figures along with true life stories which make it an easy read. It is divided into 15 chapters, and topics include teasing and bullying, sensory sensitivity, life after school, and long-term relationships.

It is an excellent reference book and also contains a list of resources, books and websites about Asperger’s syndrome. It covers all stages of a person’s life and will be a great comfort and help to parents who have dozens of questions about their child’s future.

Here is a link to an article I wrote where I used The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome as a reference:

Helping People with Asperger's to Make Friends