June 2015
By Maureen Bennie
Member,
Autism Calgary Community
Director,
Autism Awareness Centre Inc.
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Repetitive behaviors such as hand flapping or toy spinning are often seen in individuals with autism. A new study can now predict how serious those repetitive behaviors will be. This preliminary research was present at the recent International Meeting For Autism Research (IMFAR) conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.
“In the new study, Wolff and his colleagues used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to scan the brains of 42 baby sibs who were diagnosed with autism at age 2. DTI provides a measure of the structural integrity of white matter — nerve bundles that connect different brain regions. The researchers probed the structure of five white matter tracts previously linked to repetitive behaviors in autism or conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder.”
Differences in scans of one tract, the tract that involves the corpus callosum, found that babies who later show the highest levels of repetitive behaviors had a higher measure of integrity in this tract at 6 months. No links were found in this area of the brain to abnormalities in social, communication, or movement functions.
Parents have observed gut issues in their children such as digestion problems, bloating, food intolerance, and stomach upset to name a few. Dr. Frye, a leading autism researcher who serves as Director of both ACH’s Integrated Autism Research Program and Autism Multispecialty Clinic, says the microbiome-autism connection is one of several promising avenues being examined as part of their integrated research program at Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute. The role of the gut microbiome could hold a key to new treatments and understanding of autism.
Slattery, clinical research program manager at ACHRI’s autism research program, says “If the GM (gut microbiome) truly plays a causative or even contributory role in ASD, then we could be potentially talking about a new therapeutic approach to improve ASD symptoms.” What we are talking about here is the gut bacteria – brain link.
And more brain discoveries – the brains of girls diagnosed on the spectrum are different than those of boys. Researchers did scans of the corpus callosum and found that the organization of these fibers was different in boys compared with girls, especially in the frontal lobes, which play a role in executive functions.
In research presented at IMFAR, the study authors showed that when girls and boys with autism are compared with typically developing boys and girls, the behavioral differences between girls with autism and the female controls are greater than the differences among the boys. One reason that females are less understood is because they are not as well represented in research.
If you are not sure your child has autism or you if you are concerned about another child in your life, check out the early signs of autism spectrum disorder from the Australian Parenting website. The site highlights the red flags of social communication and behavior. There is also a helpful video of parents talking about what ASD signs they first noticed in their child. For further reading on this topic, have a look at Could It Be Autism? A Parent’s Guide to the First Signs and Next Steps or Does My Child Have Autism?
Need to get your child calm, focused or organized? Check out this post at Golden Reflections blog. All activities are categorized and there are free printables too. For hyperactive kids, have a look at 25 Sensory Integration Activities.
Even though school is about to break for the summer, some children still like to learn about things over the summer and parents may want to keep their child engaged in learning. Here is a list of 40 free educational websites. You can explore topics of interest or experiment to see if new interests can emerge. We will never know what our kids might like if we don’t expose them to novel things and here is a chance to do so at no cost.
Susan Dunne, adult with Asperger Syndrome, wrote a brilliant article about the impact horses have had on her life. Susan says, “Something strange happens when I go to be with my four horses at the end of the day. With them I am no longer an outsider battling through the day, tolerating unwanted noise, sights, company. I am no longer alone either – I have come to join in with this herd who accept me willingly, just as I am. This is what makes it so different: I want to be here, want to be with these magnificent gentle creatures where I feel accepted and at peace.”
The positive effects animals have on individuals with autism was recently highlighted in a study from the NIH/Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The study found when animals are present, children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have lower readings on a device that detects anxiety and other forms of social arousal when interacting with their peers.
Dogs, cats or guinea pigs were used in the study and may be a helpful addition to treatment programs designed to help children with ASDs improve their social skills and interactions with other people. I know my own children’s social skills have improved in programs such as Story Pals at the public library. My children read aloud to a dog once a week.
Jillm Kuzma, SLP, wrote an excellent post on how to teach kids about distractions that occur both externally and internally. Some great free visuals here as well as how to use Ned’s Head to teach about thoughts.
Tired of nagging your kids to get things done? Look no further than SLP Elizabeth Sautter’s tips on how to help your children be more independent. She suggests family meetings, visual schedules, a weekly planner, and much more. Not sure what chores are appropriate for what age? Use this list to guide you.
If you are hiring new people for summer work, enrolling your child in a camp, or want to think about how you can make the upcoming school year the best one possible, you will want to read Ten Things to Ask of Professionals Working with your Special Needs Child. Written by a pediatric psychologist Mona Delahooke, she believes that parents can have significant impact on how teachers and others perceive your child, the unspoken messages these adults offer, and the emotional support they provide.
The Secret Rules of Social Networking is a one-of-a-kind resource that outlines the unstated rules that guide relationships overall. The book also demonstrates how one can carry these relationships into an online environment. The authors address Internet safety, romantic relationships, online vs. in-person interactions and more, with a particular focus on adolescents and young adults with communication and social skills challenges.
FLIPP the Switch: Strengthen Executive Function Skills is a practical book written for parents and educators by parents and educators. The target audience is anyone who works with young people aged 3-22 who are disorganized, inflexible, impulsive, and who struggle with planning or problem solving. Readers will learn about executive function (EF) and how EF skills contribute to success in school, at home, and in work environments. Most importantly, readers will receive specific instructions, templates, and how-to scenarios for 25 strategies, five strategies for each of the five FLIPP components – flexibility, leveled emotionality, impulse control, planning, and problem solving.
This book is indispensable for anyone who wants to minimize conflict, maximize on-task behavior, and support positive social-emotional development in a child or student with challenging behavior. Given the right tools, parents, educators, and others who work with this population can effectively structure the environment and teach strategic thinking skills that will support the critical life skills of flexibility, leveled emotionality, impulse control, planning, and problem solving.
These are the highlights of what in the world is going on in autism for June 2015.