My most read post this month on Facebook was one about stimming. Stimming is behaviors that people with ASD may exhibit when experiencing sensory overload or high levels of anxiety. Stimming can be a repetitive motion such as hand flapping or rocking, repetition of words or phrases, or vocalizations. Stimming still puzzles many neurotypicals and some want to eradicate or control stims. These behaviors do serve a purpose. Read this blog post from The Mighty to learn more about what people on the spectrum experience when stimming and why they need to engage in it.

There are some unhealthy stims which are self-injurious behaviors or bad habits. These can include hair pulling, biting, hitting oneself, hitting the head against something or picking to the point of injury. These behaviors are more troublesome as they are harmful to a person who is engaging in them. When this type of overload stimming is occurring, the problem stimulus that is causing the overload must be removed. The second thing to do is to redirect the behavior while still addressing the need for stimulation. Kirsten Lindsmith’s blog is one of the best posts I’ve read on the self-injurious side of stimming. Kirsten is on the spectrum herself and gives strategies for both the autistic individual and the caregiver. I rarely see advice for both people involved in an article.

When a child is first diagnosed, the professionals assemble and begin to implement a therapy program for that child. Anxious parents hoping for a good outcome often involve their child in hours of therapy and programming per week. Once therapy starts to this degree, a parent may start to observe a change in behaviors that are not positive.

Pediatric psychologist Mona Delahooke wrote a great opinion piece about behavioral therapies such as ABA. She has observed that behavioral therapies don’t systematically consider the impact of the treatment on the child’s emotions and relationships. Delahooke says, “In my role as a mental health provider on autism treatment teams for two decades, I have come to believe that the emotional life of the child is the single most neglected aspect of behavioral autism therapies.” She also states, “Developmental and relationship based approaches are designed to help each child thrive emotionally. They can be used across settings in conjunction with other therapies to help bridge this missing ingredient in autism treatment.” In other words, explore a range of therapies and think about how all interventions impact your child’s level of trust in relationships which is critical to healthy emotional development.

There is still a misconception out there that not speaking equals limited intelligence. With the rise of tech devices to help with communication, a new generation of writers and thinkers is emerging from the nonverbal world of autism. Why does this perception persist? Partly because we place so much emphasis on the spoken word as a way of communicating and imparting knowledge, and also because of the way we evaluate and assess those on the spectrum.

Nina Flore’s Mute not Dumb article really illustrates how nonverbal people have been misunderstood and assumed intellectually impaired and why this is. She does highlight some new studies that are putting this myth to rest. As a parent of a nonverbal child, Nina talks about her own quest to find the right evaluation tools for her son; a very interesting read that could help a nonverbal child.

There is a new BBC TV series starting this spring called The A Word which tells the story of a family going through the diagnosis of their 5 year old son, Joe. The Hughes family, who work and love and fight like every other family, realize that if their son is ever going to communicate, they are going to have to learn how to communicate themselves. It’s a funny and thought-provoking series about parenthood and childhood. We should be seeing it on our side of the pond through Sundance TV.

Handwriting can be a constant struggle for those with ASD. I am not a supporter of spending lots of time on teaching handwriting when we have such a great alternative for it – the computer. However, having some handwriting skills are necessary to fill out a form or sign a card. To improve handwriting, you have to understand the underlying cause of difficulty (sensory issues, motor difficulties, visual perception problems to name a few), and what aspect of writing the child is struggling with (letter formation, gradation, inability to stay within the lines).

Superteach’s Special Education blog gives some great ideas on how to improve handwriting. There are new posts each week on some aspect of education, so this site is well worth checking out.

CBC featured a story about Matthew Meisner, age 30, who resides in a lock down unit in a hospital in Nova Scotia. He is severely affected by autism and engages in the dangerous side of self-stims that I talked about earlier this column. When you read about how Matthew spends his day and how he is supported, it breaks your heart. His quality of life does not need to be what it is now. The Low Arousal Approach from the UK deals with challenging behavior and how to manage it. This approach advocates for no restraints and no punitive consequences for behavior.

When I read how this man is being treated, it seems evident why there are problems with his care. We still lack the training and tools to support more challenging individuals in this country. The Low Arousal Approach does work. Where it has been implemented so far in Canada, the results have been life changing for both the client and the staff.

Donald Grey Triplett was the first boy diagnosed with autism back in the mid-1930’s. His prognosis at the time was bleak and his parents were told to put him in an institution. They followed those orders when Donald was 3, but in 1938 they took him back home.
Today, Donald is 82 and thriving in the community of Forest, Mississippi. He drives his own car, lives in his own house, and enjoys playing golf. Part of Donald’s success is due to a town that embraced and protected him all his life. This is the most encouraging and hopeful piece I have ever read on autism across the lifespan. Read it – you will find it inspirational.

And for all the parents who are bombarded every week with some new piece of research that highlights the possible causes of autism, read Carrie Carriello’s I Know What Causes Autism. It’s really a comforting piece of writing, especially for newly diagnosed parents. We have to reach a point of acceptance, love the child we have, and not spend our energy trying to find what to blame for it all or worse yet, blame ourselves.

The Loving Push is the iconic Temple Grandin’s newest book. Parents, teachers, therapists, and anyone who cares about a child or teen on the autism spectrum need this essential road map to prepare our youth for being successful adults in today’s world. Best-selling author, autism advocate, and animal science professor Dr. Temple Grandin joins psychologist and autism specialist Dr. Debra Moore in spelling out what steps you can take to restore your child’s hope and motivation, and what you must avoid. Eight life stories told by people on the autism spectrum, including chapters on subjects like how to get kids off their computers, how to build on their strengths and get back to caring about their lives, and how to find a path to a successful, meaningful life make this a “must-read book.”

Jed Baker’s School Shadow Guidelines is a great book for EA’s. This book helps guide a child to develop appropriate behaviors in school, establish an environment that helps to strengthen academic ability, and also build up his/her social interaction skills with the goal of independence. Special needs children can benefit from having inclusive education to aid in their development and growth; this is where school shadowing serves vital roles.

These are the highlights of what in the world is going on in autism for February 2016.