Autistic Behaviors

Perhaps the Federation for Children with Special Needs in Boston could connect her with support groups/information. Family Ties of MAss. ( a project of the Federation) is a statewide info and referral network for families of children with special needs. I don't have experience with this group but it may be helpful.

I have 2 1/2 year old son with PDD-NOS, on the spectrum and have been workig with EI for about a year now. There are tons of ideas out there. OT is wonderful, it does help to get him regulated and calm down more. His behaviors have changed to new ones, but also they have become a lot less frequent. There really are so many thing to do. Have you read a lot of articles or books? I know there are a few that helped guide me.
What kind of behaviors any way??

Please RUN to get your friend the book "Overcoming Autism" by Koegel et al. It is written by a doctor & mother team and it was invaluable for getting my son on track. There are specific chapters that deal with each of the symptoms associated with autism. Prior to EI, he spent 90% of his day stimming - last week, our neurologist suspects he will one day test off the spectrum. OT was an enormous benefit for his overall ability to function, but the best thing for stimming, for us, was the floortime technique. That is, I spent hours playing in front of him each day until one day he engaged with me - once I got him to that point & I could keep him involved in play, he would stim less. Some therapists use the stim as a reward, but I chose not to allow it. I would gently distract him, put his hands dow, take the item away - when you read the book you will understand that this is a big choice to make. Also, the book (err - it might be another book?) describes a study that just 10 minutes of exercise a day reduced stim behaviors by nearly 50%. I also tried a lot of things that, in hindsight, did not work for us, but because each kid responds so differently, I will refrain from providing any additional commentary. Tell your friend to hang in there - it gets easier - I promise. She is lucky to have you as a friend!

yOU HAVE TO REALLY LOOK FOR GROUPS, PEOELE ARE SO SPREAD OUT..CHECK WITH yAHOO gROUPS OR JUST gOOGLE YOUR AREA (OOPS, just noticed caps!)

I know other families with children with autism and my son was a preemie..you Can find a support group, but it maybe online more than downthe street. I ofudn a wonderful support group that has helped me daily for almost 5 years now.

Their Early Intervention can offer other services if they feel he qualifies..but they may not be the top peopel for newer therapies for autism. If he qualifies for OT he shoudl eb getitng it..no ag eis too young. My son got PT, ST & OT and now only get's two fo the three.

Find help, hunt things down..the more help he gets and the sooner..the better chance he has of moving forward.

My son started Ot at 13 months, he had developmental delays but it definitly can help at that age. She should talk to the Early Intervention group to set up the therepies she feels her son needs.

We have been working in out local EI since then, and he recieves PT, OT and Speech. They are very supportive and are there to help us, so she should mention it to them. We also went to a Devlopmental Peditrican to have further screening done to determine what the cause of his delays are. Best of luck.

Hello Julie, I happen to have been a certified pediatric occupational therapist these past 25 years, specializing in sensory integration therapy. I chose to leave this field to persue my passion for holistic integrative manual therapy work, primarily cranio-sacral therapy and acupressure. I suggest you guide your friend to talk to her pediatrician to learn more on this alternative therapy, called CST. It is particularly benefitial for infants and toddlers, and is gentle and non-invasive work. CST is very calming and restorative manual work. Major insurance companies will now cover CST under an 'other medical manual therapy' codes if your physician prescribes CST specifically. You can certainly go on line to www.Upledgerinstitute.com and learn more. More and more rehab hospitals are offering alternative therapies, as they indeed should. Be Peace, and Good luck! N.

Dear Julie...as a nurse and mother of a child with Down Syndrome I can recommend the closest Early Intervention Center in your area. You can find it by checking the Massachusetts ARC (Assoc. for Retarded Citizens) website. It's never too early for therapy of any sort with a special needs child.

All the Best,
J.

Hi,

My 5 yr old is also autistic and your friend has done the best thing possible by getting Early Intervention involved. It is incredibly discouraging at the lack of funding and lack of medical insurance support for these kids! She can call the Department of Mental Retardation (DMR) to have an intake evaluation to see if her son meets their eligibility requirements. The DMR will fund $500.00 per family per fiscal year towards services. Also she might try Social Security. My son received monthly disability payments for 6 months until my husband started a new job and then we lost the benefits because now he's making too much money. North Shore Arc in Danvers also is wonderful and they have flexible funding as well as the Autism Support Center with it's large lending library of every book on autism you can imagine. North Shore Children's Hospital has OT, PT and Speech services as well as her local school system (or they should!). Futures in Beverly is doing incredible things with autistic children, too. She can find all these places on the internet or e-mail me here for any additional info I might be able to provide. Good luck!
Barb

My daughter has benefitted greatly from this therapy. It is called Handle. I guess teh woman who founded this therapy was a head banging autistic child and she cured herself. There is a therapist in Great Barrington. Her name is Elizabeth Frishkoff and her number is ###-###-####. She used to be in Burlington VT, but recently moved down here!
All the best,
P.

Hi Julie -

I am a pediatric occupational therapist, and I think there is certainly benefit for a kiddo that young to start some OT services. The earlier the better. Someone with specific experience in sensory integration would be best. Not sure where you/your friend live, but there are some great private clinics in MA and NH that offer these services.

Hi Julie,

My son is 20 months old and recently started OT therapy though Minuteman ARC when he didn't meet some of his 18 month goals for fine and gross motor skills and speech. I know they work with babies younger than my son too, so you should suggest that your friend check them out. The services are available to any child (younger than age 3) who qualifies and who lives in Massachusetts. (Minuteman ARC is in Concord but there are other centers throughout the state.)

Jenn

I used to be an ABA specialist and early intervention is key!!! I have seen young toddlers make astounding progress between the age of 3 and 5. Transitioning into the mainstream when they start kindergarten is much easier with intense ABA at an early age. Autism is on the rise at a rapid rate. She may feel alone, but I bet there are plenty of families in her community dealing with children with Autism. Online support groups for families dealing with Autism are very popular at our center and a great source for gathering information for treatment. I wish your friend luck, Autism is a mysterious disability, but new method of treatment are cropping up all the time. Be informed, be patient and most of all be supportive.

I wish I had specific names and numbers to give you, but I am still working on it. In the meantime, WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN. Be a scientific observer of your child. For methods and examples of observation read anything by Maria Montessori, especially "The Absorbent Mind." Apply for an evaluation at Children's Hospital, if you haven't already. Stay positive. I've seen children with autism accomplish wonderful things, in my Montessori classroom and among friends.
L. A

Hi Julie,
I feel for you autism is a BIG word.In my life path that I was given to work with which is children they put all these LABELS .ADHD,ADD,AUTISM, SPECIAL NEEDS ect..... I know when I was a child there was RETARTED,DOWN SYNDROME,and a few others but they were far and few between and I'm only 38 .Now it seems like all these kids are labels or on meds.Well the children are speaking at a much later age .You may ask why? They don't need to You understand your child ?Don't you?These children are Spirited Children - the Indigo's, Crystals, Rainbows, etc...The new borns are rainbow chidren,we are the Indigo's up to early 20' the others crystal children
and depending on there energy the ages an vary.Theses books should help understand your child better.Though I haven't met with your child so I don't know how sever the case of autism and at this age .....These DR's are quick to put labels but not all.Read the books if you find a DR who knows about then chances are your DR will be willing to work with you .Ask spirit to guide you .You do have a team of guides that is more than willing to work with you ask for guidance.Sleep on it see what they send you in your dreams.Pay attention your your baby.Your baby will guide you.We have intuition use it trust your self.Your baby is physic that is what autism is . I don't know if you are aware of this .You have a very special baby.All these children being born now a days have these gifts it's all up to how we allow them to developed there skills.Ask the children the question.Learn from them they are the future.
May The Light Always Shine Down Upon You and Your Family
Peace,Love&Joy

Hi Julie,
My cousin has a child who was diagnosed with Autism. I suggest you pick up the book by Jenny McCarthy called Louder Than Words. I believe in the back of the book she gives alot of direction and advise with information that may support what you are looking for.
Blessings to you.

I have 2 sons that are both in the autistic spectrum. My oldest just turned 4 a few months ago, and my youngest will be three in a few months. I am so glad that your friend has been already getting help for her son....the earlier the better!!! I had to fight with a lot of doctor's when my older son was 1 1/2 to get him even on a list for Early Intervention!
I do think that she should speak with her son's current Therapist about getting some OT going for him. They say that these kids can benefit greatly from OT Therapy, especially since alot have "Sensory Issues".
I know my boys have anyway. I would get what ever Therapy I could for my kids, because it will make the world of a difference for them as they get older!! I always found especially helpful to have them do sessions at home where I can participate. Here's a heads up also for your friend, once they turn 3yrs., they usually will not come to your house for therapy anymore because they are no longer considered to be home bound?! There are some exceptions I'm told, and also of course if you pay out of pocket. It is very Unfortunate that even though this is a growing Epidemic among our children in this day and age that there is still lack of community support out there. I'm not sure if it's because people just don't know enouph about it, or if they just don't want to face the reality of how many kids it actually effects each year!?
I do wish your friend luck and hope that she keeps up her fight for her son's Therapies, and a child's parent is always their biggest advocate!!

Hi Julie, I have about 4/5 years experience working with autistic children and have found the Autism Project of Rhode Island to be great! They are located in Cranston near Garden City. Let me know if you would like more info. Also I have work with and strongly reccoment Ocean State Community Resources. They offer many great programs and resources. God Bless

Hey Sara- I am a 30 year old mom with a 2 and a half year old little girl named Kaelyn, who has been diagnosed "loosely" with Autism. She was evulauted today and is at a 12-15 month old level. She would have tested a lot lower if we hadn't started her on a gluten free diet almost 3 weeks ago. We took all wheat, rye, barley and oats out of her diet and anything that MAY contain gluten and within 2 days she doubled her vocabulary. (put her at about 16 words) I will swear by this diet even if this is the only imporevement we get. She now makes WAy better eye contact and actually comes to us for affection!! Dr. Jean Benson is a doctor in the area and one of the FEw who recognize the link between Autism and Gluten and thank God for me, she is my child's dr.
I just finished Jenny McCarthy's book LOUDER THAN WORDS and it helped m IMMENSELY. Here are some links that may help...

http://www.gfcf-diet.talkaboutcuringautism.org/index.html

http://www.glutensolutions.com/autism.htm

http://www.autism.com/triggers/candida_org.htm

Hope these help... and ALL moms of Autistic children, at least take the time to look into this diet. It IS NOT as expensive as it seems... I promise you. And if it works.. IT IS SO WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!

If you look into the link between autism and MSG, there is quite a bit of evidence regarding the two. Glutamate is in formulas, soy proteins and a lot of other foods that you wouldn't think about, even wheat thins!! Check into this connection and it may help some.

I know that parents can encourage children to broaden their interests to different stimulus. Parents can cut out pictures that peak their interest and glue them onto cardboard. This is a stimuli that get them to think on the world around them. As they get older, the parents will know if this 16month old is really autistic or just a thinker. There are children who are thinkers(ones that sit around and stare at their environment)who are not verbal at all....some take this behavior as autistic. Hopefully, they will not be to quick in their judgments. This is still very young to make a diagnosis.

You might have the child treated for heavy metal toxicity. It
has been implicated. Child could have chelation therapy. Also
there is a lot of research that links food allergies to autism.
If certain foods are eliminated, then behaviour improves.
Good luck.

Julie, I am currently reading a book called Healing the New Childhood Epidemics by Kenneth Bock. I am half-way done, but it focuses mostly on the physiological aspects of autism and other disorders. sixteen months is awful young to be diagnosed I would think. But I highly suggest reading this book.

Hi Julie, I'm not sure if you've heard of the research that indicates that common household chemicals can aggravate and magnify autistic behaviors. I know of a company that offers products that are free of harsh and harmful chemicals, and I know of several families that have had tremendous results with autistic children and children with ADD/ADHD. If you would like more information, please feel free to contact me @ ____@____.com

Have your friend contact local Early Intervention Program if she's not already connected to them. She can request occupational therapy with them. It can be a very useful intervention with children on the Spectrum. She will more specifically want them to focus on sensory integration techniques. A good book on this topic is The Out of Sync Child. Best of luck!