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Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Experts Disagree on Autism Diagnosis Explosion'

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the official estimate is that 1 in 88 children in the United States has an autism diagnosis. This is higher than their estimate from 2006 of 1 in 110 children with autism, and a surprising jump from the 1 in 10,000 rate from decades ago. But this estimate pales in comparison to a 2011 study in which researchers from Yale and George Washington Universities looked at autism rates in a suburb of Seoul, South Korea. After looking at thousands of children, they found that 2.65 percent of them had autism – a whopping 1 in 38 children, many of which had not been officially diagnosed. However, a 2011 study from Britain found that diagnosis has stayed fairly steady over the last several decades – 1 in 100. Nancy Minshew of the University of Pittsburgh says that, as she sorts through the evidence, she feels that the rates have actually remained rather steady. However, she believes that maybe there are more diagnoses being made, simply because we are a little more sensitive to what it means to be autistic.

 Read more here. 

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Are Autism, Gut, GFCF Diet, And Anxiety Connected?

A persistent question in the world of autism is whether or not autistic people have a greater tendency than nonautistic people to have sensitivities to wheat and milk proteins. Research results are mixed, but anecdotally, many parents of autistic children report improvements when they remove wheat and/or dairy from their child’s diet. Excluding the latter might be particularly risky,according to a new study. Many autistic people have very specific food preferences, and autistics tend to be low on vitamin D and calcium, so cutting a major dietary source of these nutrients requires care and caution. But what about wheat and autism? Another recent, very large analysis found a complex relationship between autism and wheat sensitivity. Most headlines stated simply that the study authors found no link between autism and celiac disease. The reality is more complex and opens up an issue that I’ve not seen anyone address yet for autistic people.

 Read more here. 

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Thursday, October 24, 2013

12 Autism Resources for those who Speak Spanish

We know there are a good amount of resources available in the U.S. for English speakers, but, of course, Autism is not just limited to those who speak English, so, the resources should not be limited either. About 36 million people living in the United States use Spanish as their first language. We gathered together a list of the best Special Needs Resources available in Spanish. Please pass these along to anyone who many benefit from such resources. 1. Autismo Diario Autismo Diaro is a non-profit publication whose purpose is to disseminate as much information about Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity (ADHD”) . Most of their content is provided by national and international media agencies. Subjects include: news, general information, education, therapy options, opinions, and more. You can also find Autismo Diaro on Facebook and Twitter.Website: autismodiario.org

 Read more suggestions here. 

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Thursday, October 17, 2013

An In-Depth Guide: How to Transition Young Children with Autism

Young children with Autism respond well to structured routines and familiar surroundings. But life has a way of throwing unexpected curve balls, and people need to adapt. Psychologists call this resiliency; the ability to “go with the flow” when things don’t go your way. Resiliency is honed in neurotypical children through their development of play and self regulation skills, as well as a sense of humor. Neurotypical children learn to be resilient when they find ways to self soothe, manage stress, and see the humor in unwanted and/or unanticipated situations. The experiences, paired with the vocabulary associated with that event, are stored in their “memory banks” i.e. episodic memory, for later recall and problem solving as needed. For children with autism more work is needed to make he or she more comfortable with transitions.

 Here are some important transition teaching tips for for young children with autism. 

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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Autistic Kids Focus More on Right Than Left Eye

In face recognition, children withautism focus on the face about as long as their peers, but tend to look at the right eye rather than the left. The new research also shows that children with an autism spectrum disorder tend to focus just below the eyes, instead of at the pupils. Research has shown that children with autism have trouble recognizing others’ emotions and faces. They tend to gaze at faces differently than non-autistic children — such as preferring to look at the mouth instead of the eyes. This may help explain why they miss social cues and may have difficulty interacting with others. Read more here.

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