Hi and welcome to this week’s article; both Aspergers and Sensory Integration Dysfunction often go hand in hand.  It is common to hear that a child with Asperger’s Syndrome also has difficulty with balance and other gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and unusual tolerance (or intolerance) to sounds, lights, smells, and touch.  These complaints cause as much of a problem for children with Asperger’s Syndrome as the actual language, communication, and social weaknesses that are a direct result of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

There are therapies that address the symptoms of Asperger’s and sensory issues.  However, there are activities you can do at home with your child that will help develop sensory integration.  There are separate sensory systems that create a person’s sensory profile.   Here is a list of these sensory areas:

* Tactile is the ability to properly interpret touch.

* Proprioception is the ability to properly use the big muscles and joints of the body.

* Vestibular is the ability to balance, body movement, and knowing where your body is in relation to space.

Closely related, but not exactly sensory systems, these skill areas are often incorporated during occupational/sensory therapies.

* Gross motor skills are necessary for walking, kicking, jumping, and coordination.  These skills include all physical skills related to the strength and control of the large muscle groups of the body.

* Fine motor skills are necessary for grasping, writing, tying shoes, and working buttons and zippers.  These skills include all physical skills related to the strength and control of the small muscles of the body.

When working with children with Asperger’s and sensory issues, keep in mind that many physical play activities can be adapted to your home therapy program.  Sensory therapy should look like play and it should be fun.  Here are some activities you can try, along with the sensory systems each activity will benefit.

Proprioceptive:

*Have the child jump on a trampoline.

* Have the child jump into a foam pit or onto a padded mat.

* Encourage pushing or pulling heavy weight, such as a basket of books or toys.

Vestibular:

*Push the child on a swing.

*Have the child walk on a balance beam

Tactile:

* Have a finger painting session.

* Mash and roll out Play-Doh.

* Use mud, pudding, or shaving cream to play in with hands and feet.

* Play catch by tossing a textured, weighted ball.

There are many books and videos that can help you develop a home play therapy plan for your child with Asperger’s and sensory issues.  One such guide is the video entitled, “Learn to Move, Move to Learn, Dinosaurs” by Jenny Clark Brack.   This video is a theme-based lesson geared towards young children. 

Thanks for reading,

Dave Angel

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Articles and Videos posted this week at The Parenting Aspergers Community

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Do you have any information on Aspergers and results of Neurofeedback. We recently took our daughter, age 5, to a center for an evaluation, and were amazed at their findings on how the brain works as an Aspergers child. Do you have any reports or information on this form of treatment? We are seriously considering a program like this for our daughter

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http://www.parentingaspergerscommunity.com/members/479.cfm

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My son has Aspergers but recently he has also been diagnosed PDA Pathological Demand Avoidance syndrome. He is nearly 12yrs old and is in mainstream school with support. We are out of our mind his dad and I with worry as he has changed alot hitting and strangling himself he won’t comply at home or school. We need help but don’t know where to get it, and although he was diagnosed we haven’t been given any strategies to go with the report. He wants to stay at his current school but we feel the school although they are trying they are not able to meet his needs,and we cant cope at home. Do you know of PDA? And if so any ideas of where we can seek help?

Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome (PDA) is a diagnosis that is related to but separate from the autism spectrum. People who have PDA are socially manipulative and have great success in . . .

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Aspergers Video – Aspie Eyes

The delicate sounds of Yanni’s “Whispers in the Dark” opens and continues throughout this photo montage. Upholding the claims that people with Asperger’s Syndrome have an innocent look, this video focuses on the one part of the face that portrays what is inside-the eyes. Each photo in this slideshow is of the eyes of a person with Asperger’s Syndrome. The creator of this video spent six months gathering, editing, and arranging the photos for this slideshow. Running time: 4 minutes, 46 seconds . . .

To watch the full video go to: -

http://www.parentingaspergerscommunity.com/members/477.cfm

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Hi there and welcome to this week’s blog article …

Question

Where can I find the right medication to help his Asperger’s, not cure it?

Answer

Asperger’s Syndrome is not a curable illness. There are no medications that can make Asperger’s go away. Many children with Asperger’s benefit from social skills training and cognitive behavioural therapy. In addition, many children can benefit from medications for symptoms related to the syndrome. Many children with Asperger’s suffer from anxiety or depression. Some suffer from hyper-activity or attention deficit disorder. Some children with Asperger’s suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Medications designed to alleviate those symptoms are available for children with Asperger’s. Working with your doctor to understand the symptoms your child suffers from is the first step. Once those symptoms are understood, it is important to then talk with your doctor about which medications might be available to treat those symptoms in your child.

A variety of medications are often available for some of the symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome. For example, many different drugs are available for ADD. If your child suffers from ADD, your doctor will decide which medication and what dose is right for your child. Your child will need to try the medication to see how it affects him. During that trial period, you’ll need to watch your child carefully to see how he reacts. If he reacts well and tolerates the medicine, and the medicine alleviates the symptoms, your child will continue on with the medication.

If your child tries a medicine and suffers from side affects or if the medicine doesn’t help alleviate the symptoms, you’ll need to consult the doctor about changing the medication. This process could be a long one. It is not unheard of to try three or four different medications and dosages to find the medication that is right for your child.

Be sure that you understand the benefits and the possible drawbacks and side affects of any medications you give your child. Also, try to understand how the medicine can work in concert with behavioral therapy in helping your child manage the symptoms of Asperger’s. Be sure to tell the doctor about any herbal medicines or other supplements your child might be taking. Supplements can often have harmful interactions with medicines, or they can render the medicines ineffective.

Consulting a book such as Luke Tsai’s “Taking the Mystery Out of Medications in Autism/Asperger’s Syndrome” can help empower you with knowledge of the medications used in treating Asperger’s symptoms. This book pulls together twenty years of experience in working with people with Asperger’s and autism. It describes many scientific theories and practices that are effective in Asperger’s treatment.

Have a great week,

Dave Angel

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Articles posted this week at The Parenting Aspergers Community

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What can I do if my son with Aspergers doesn’t want to go for therapy?

People go to therapy for almost everything these days, especially teenagers. High school students who are feeling stressed out or depressed will see a therapist about how to better handle their scattered lives. Many teenagers find themselves needing someone to talk to when their parents’ divorce or when they find themselves with new, blended families to deal with. While many children welcome the opportunity to go to therapy, many are resistant to go. Children with Asperger’s often find the idea of a therapist threatening. Many children with Asperger’s have trouble …

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My son has primary absent epilepsy along with Asperger’s. The medical profession has recommended Epanutin, which I have not been happy to give. What are my rights to have this decision reviewed?

Epanutin capsules are used to treat epilepsy in children. This medication is designed to prevent seizures and head injury. The drug company, Pfizer, makes Epanutin and the drug contains phenytoin sodium. As with any drug, your child might suffer side effects from taking Epanutin. These side effects could be …

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Is there a cure for Aspergers?

There is no cure for Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s Syndrome can be diagnosed at any point in a person’s life. Many children today are diagnosed early in childhood because there is a greater awareness of the syndrome than there used to be. It is possible to be diagnosed later in life, often during late teenage years or early adulthood. Many people who are diagnosed at a later point in their lives feel …

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Hi there and welcome to this week’s blog post …

Question

How can I help my son to better manage his frustrations?

Answer

Children with Asperger’s are easily frustrated. For the, living in the world can be confusing and they need to have someone there to translate and explain every day events to them. One of the best things you can do with your child with Asperger’s is to help him learn to identify his feelings and emotions, and then teach him how to cope with those same feelings.

Tony Attwood has developed a cognitive behaviour therapy program which he outlines in his book, “Exploring Feelings: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to Manage Anger (Anxiety).”

The program is designed to keep the interest of the children while encouraging the cognitive control of emotions. The program was designed as an anger management program for children with Asperger’s, so the needs of children with Asperger’s are addressed in the program.

The program is designed to help children identify feelings and emotions and then discusses appropriate responses to those feelings and emotions. The program does not have to be implemented by someone with a background in cognitive behaviour therapy. A teacher or a parent could use this program effectively.

Remember that your child with Asperger’s is also a child, not simply a child with Asperger’s. All children get frustrated and all children need to learn to manage those frustrations. All parents deal with teaching their children appropriate ways to behave and appropriate ways to deal with anger and frustration. For a child with Asperger’s, the challenge is to communicate effectively and to try not to get frustrated yourself.

If your child is a teenager, remember that all teenagers struggle with testing limits, learning to make their own decisions, and learning to function independently. All teenagers struggle with making and keeping friends, with finding success at school, and even with the development of romantic relationships. Your child may be more or less frustrated than a neuro-typical child, but he may not have the skills to handle those frustrations.

Set appropriate limits while trying to give your child some leeway to function independently. That is a difficult task for any parent. Allow your child the ability to express his frustrations in appropriate ways and ensure that he understands what is appropriate. As a parent, you can model and teach appropriate ways of coping. Often, a program such as Tony Attwood’s can help ensure that you find an effective way to communicate these skills to your child.

That’s all for this week … and have a great week.
Dave Angel
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Articles posted this week at The Parenting Aspergers Community
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I need help with melt downs and managing anxiety.

Young people with Aspergers suffer anxiety every day due to fears of new situations, strangers, and making mistakes. This builds a lot of anxiety for the young person. Often anxiety is expressed in anger, resistance to new situations/going places, and meltdowns, as you have seen. Dr. Judith Reaven, of the University of Colorado at Denver Health Sciences Centre, USA, confirms that children with autism spectrum disorders are at high risk for …To read the full article go to: -
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I would like to have help in getting my son to complete daily tasks like cleaning his room, brushing his teeth.
As you know children with Asperger’s Syndrome often have fixed habits, are perfectionists, and get easily distracted, all of which combine to make completing tasks, even those as simple as tooth brushing, difficult for them. In addition, children with Aspergers like to …
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My daughter won’t take care of self care issues or wear a bra. She is now a teenager. What should I do?

Problems with personal hygiene are very common with teenagers who have Asperger’s. No one knows exactly why, but they may feel that refusing to bathe, wear clean clothes, and maintain good personal hygiene gives them control over their own lives. Or they may avoid these tasks because …
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Well first up congratulations to last week’s competition winner who is Jeanette Smith – a free copy of the “Parenting Asperger’s Resource Guide Volume 2” is on it’s way shortly to you Jeanette………..

…….If you wish to read Jeanette’s great sibling tip it is Number 9 in the comments section on the following blog page:

http://parentingaspergers.com/blog/2008/01/01/how-to-help-sibling-relationships/#comment-106

This week it could be your chance to win by adding some advice or a comment on the topic of therapeutic approaches, in particular focusing on glyconutrients (but you can talk about any therapeutic approaches it doesn’t have to be about glyconutrients……)

So without further ado week 2′s exclusive sample from the Brand New “Parenting Asperger’s Resource Guide Volume 2” (which is due to be released in early February) is based on the following question I was asked about treating ASD with Glyconutrients…….

Question

I have been hearing a lot lately about glyconutrients and how they are a wonderful, new scientific discovery. Are they helpful for children with Asperger’s and what might they do for my son?

Glyconutrients are important nutrients required by the body for good health and to fight disease. Glyconutrients are not minerals, vitamins, enzymes or amino acids.

They are nutritional supplements that come from plants.

Glyconutrients help cells work together to create immunity to disease, heal and repair the body by promoting stem cell production, regulate hormones, remove toxins, and promote other biological functions. Technically, they are monosaccharide sugars.

Are glyconutrients helpful for people with Asperger’s Syndrome?

Many researchers believe the cause of autism is genetic, but there is evidence that viruses can cause brain dysfunction and damage the protective coating, the myelin, around nerves. When nerves are exposed, they are susceptible to damage.

Autistic children often have digestive problems and, since the nervous system is connected to the digestive tract, those digestive problems may damage nerves. Or nerve damage may occur due to autoimmune disorders.

Nerve damage may lead to disturbance of mental functions such as learning, memory, communication, social interaction, and so forth.

To avoid this, it is important that Aspies have good nutrition and digestive support. That’s where glyconutrients may help.

For children who have autism or AS, glyconutrients help supply the body and brain with chemicals for effective cell communication, to correct chemical imbalances, and prevent nervous system damage.

Autism is one of several autoimmune diseases in which a lack of dietary sugars or the inability to absorb them causes problems.

For people with autism, glyconutrient supplementation has been found to be beneficial.

It’s possible that supplementation with glyconutrients will also provide a preventative measure for autoimmune diseases.

Consequently, there is potential for restoring brain function in autistic children with the use of glyconutrients.

At this time, glyconutrients are not scientifically proven and you should get more information form you doctor, before going ahead with their use.

To find more information about glyconutrients, go to the following websites: www.Glycostory.com and www.Micronutra.com

For information from parents, try some of the online forums, like Braintalk Communities at: www.hastypasty.net/forums/archives/index.php.

Well that’s all for the article – but don’t forget to add your treatment tip or comment to the blog for a chance to win a Brand New free copy of the “Parenting Asperger’s Resource Guide Volume 2”……

Best Wishes

Dave Angel