Tag Archives: autism spectrum disorder

The ABCs of ASDs

Has your child recently been diagnosed as having autism? Parents can find the jargon and abbreviations that are used by teachers and staff in a Special Education program to be confusing and overwhelming. Here is a quick list of definitions that make everything much clearer. Think of it as the ABCs of autism in a school environment. ABA: Applied Behavior Analysis It is a scientifically validated approach to understanding behavior and how it is affected by environment. This therapy can help children who have autism to pick up on the social cues that their peers, who do not have autism, … Continue reading →

Hawaii Bill Could Make Autism Coverage Required

Hawaii might soon be among the list of states that require private health plans to cover autism therapy. A bill, that is being called “Luke’s Law” has been passed by a committee in the Hawaii House of Representatives. An eight year old boy named Luke influenced the committee with his testimony. There are many states that require private health insurance policies to cover the cost of autism treatment. Other states are trying to get their legislature to approve bills that would require that coverage. Without it, many parents find that they cannot afford to pay for the treatment that their … Continue reading →

Sensory Friendly Events in February

Parents of children who have autism, or who have a sensory processing disorder, may find it difficult to attend movies, plays, and other events. The sensory aspects that others find entertaining can be overwhelming for their child. Fortunately, an awareness of this difficulty has resulted in plenty of sensory friendly events. Here are a few that will take place in February of 2013. February 3: Sensory Friendly Monsters, Inc. movie Where: Cineworld cinema at Valley Centertainment in Sheffield, England. When: 11:00 A.M. What: Lighting will be kept on. The volume of the movie will be reduced. No advertisements or trailers … Continue reading →

Parents Use Medical Marijuana for Son’s Autistic Rage

A family in Oregon is using a non-traditional source of medication to manage their son’s medical conditions. He is severely autistic, and has had incidents of rage. He also has Tuberous Sclerosis. The parents are using medical marijuana as a form of treatment. Alex Echols is eleven years old. He is severely autistic, and has exhibited self-destructive behavior. This behavior has been described as rage. Alex also has Tuberous Sclerosis. According to the Mayo Clinic, it is a complex and rare genetic disease. It causes benign (or noncancerous) lesions to grow in many parts of the body. The lesions can … Continue reading →

New York Regulation Makes Autism Coverage Difficult

Insurance companies in New York are required to cover the costs of applied behavior analysis. This went into effect in 2011. Now, a new state regulation has popped up that would greatly reduce the number of providers for ABA therapy that the insurance companies would cover. This will make it harder for families to afford the therapy that their children require. In 2011, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a law that required health insurance companies to cover the cost of autism services. The insurers had to pay up to $45,000 a year for therapy and treatment, including applied behavior analysis (ABA). … Continue reading →

Study Indicates Some Children Might Outgrow Autism

Have you heard about the study that appears to indicate that some children who have an autism spectrum disorder might outgrow it? I’ve been reading up on it. It appears that this is more likely to happen with kids who have high functioning autism and who have had years of intensive therapy and support. Even under those circumstances, there is no guarantee that a child will outgrow the disorder. When I hear news articles that say that children might outgrow autism, it makes me fearful. I worry that some parents will hear that news and presume that their child will … Continue reading →

Autism: Disease or Disability?

Some experts are suggesting that autism is not a disability, but a disease, like cancer, leukemia, or diabetes. This is a new way of thinking for medical researchers. Their reasoning is that autism has become an epidemic, with numbers continually increasing, and genetic “epidemics” do not exist. The good news is that if autism is a disease, potentially it can be treated, prevented, and even cured. Chromosomal disorders, on the other hand, are not curable. If autism is written indelibly into a person’s DNA, we have to accept it as is, only working to improve the lives of those who … Continue reading →

What is Childhood Disintegrative Disorder?

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Imagine that your child had a normal birth, seemed to be a healthy infant, and passed all his normal developmental milestones until age two. Even from the age of two to four, he was a cheerful toddler and child, smiling, developing language, and using the toilet. Then, gradually, he started to deteriorate. He began losing interest in other people socially, and his use of language seemed to regress. He started soiling himself, and developed curious motor behaviors, like hand-flapping. Little by little, what was once a normal child now appears to be autistic in nature. This is the agonizing reality … Continue reading →

What is Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)?

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Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) is a term that often confuses parents. That’s because some professionals use it interchangeably with “autism,” while others refer to the two as distinct conditions. Sometimes in medical reference books you will see both terms listed side by side, as in “Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorder,” with the same definition for both. So the question becomes… what exactly is pervasive developmental disorder, and how does it differ from autism? The answer is that, according to the DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) a reference book used to identify disabilities, pervasive developmental disorder is actually a large umbrella term describing … Continue reading →

Brain Wiring: Understanding the Autistic Mind

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I remember asking our doctor about my son Kyle’s hand-flapping and wrist-twisting that accompanied his autism. “Will it ever go away?” I asked. “It’s the way his brain is wired,” was the response. It has been a decade since the doctor made that statement, and although “brain wiring” is certainly a factor in autism, new research has provided us with more complete information. The quest to uncover the baffling mysteries of autism continues to move forward. According to TIME magazine in an article posted Sunday, May 7th, Inside the Autistic Mind, here is what we know about autism: As is … Continue reading →