Dealing with the anxiety of going back to school

One of the issues that causes anxiety for children with a wide range of behavioural, emotional or developmental difficulties as they return to school after a break include the difficulty of predicting what might happen next.  Due to executive functioning issues, many of these children find it hard to retrieve or apply any previous experiences they may have had if those experiences are not exactly the same (same room, same teacher, same peers etc) or if there has been a break in their routine (eg holidays).  It is kind of like waking up to a new environment every day.

The Comfort of Routine

I don't know about you, but I am a bit of a "home-body".  I like going on holidays, but by the time the second week rolls around I start missing familiar things.  My bed.  My kitchen.  My books.  My routines. 

Imagine if you could never go home.  I know that would cause me great anxiety. There is comfort in routines.  It is the comfort of knowing what to expect.  Constantly dealing with "surprises" is emotionally wearing.  And this is multiply true for children who struggle with flexible thinking.  For these children, and children who struggle with self-regulation, the lack of predictability can lead to frustration and anxiety as they struggle to identify and follow expectations (Swanson, 2005).

Managing Anxiety with Routines and Organisational Strategies

 

Lytle and Todd (2009) highlight how routines are an important factor in helping to manage the stress of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Anderson et al. (2008) go further and discuss how organisation techniques taught to older students can have an impact on the academic performance of students with behaviour disorders.  Swanson (2005) provides a comprehensive list of ways that we can help children recognise routines and feel in control by being organised.  Below are the key strategies we could use, both at home and at school:

1. Organise the environment:  Make sure you remove clutter, have clear boundaries for where you do certain activities, and have set spaces where equipment is kept.
2. Use visual or written schedules: Calendars help children predict what is coming up, especially if you cross off each day as it passes. Visual schedules for the day's routine, as well as a schedule for an activity, will help children be more confident in what they need to do.  When it is holidays, count down on the calendar to when school starts again.  Keep as much of the "school routine" at home as possible, or (as one parent suggested) start the routine a couple of weeks before school goes back.
3. Clearly identify start and finish points:  Use clocks, sounds, verbal and visual warnings to help children count up to starting points and count down to finishing.  This applies to individual activities, a session or a new school term.
4. Be organised:  Use containers, checklists, flow-charts to help children be organised and know what is coming up next.
5. Have rules:  Display rules that clearly set out your expectations - but don't have too many.  Avoid "don't" rules, but use statements that tell children what they should be doing.
6. Use photos: Prepare children for important people they will meet or interact with through photos.  You might also use video of new settings, people and/or activities.

Hopefully some of these techniques will help your child deal with the anxiety of going to school.  The techniques will be most effective when they are used at home and at school, so it is important that parents and teachers share what they are doing with each other.

Next time I will talk about using relaxation techniques....

...

References

Anderson, D.H., Munk, J.H., Young, K.R.,  Conley, L., Caldarell, P.  (2008).  Teaching Organisational Skills to Promote Academic Achievement in Behaviourally Challenged Students.  Teaching Exceptional Children, 40(4), p6.

Lytle, R & Todd, T.  (2009).  Stress and the Student with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Strategies for Stress reduction and Enhanced Learning.  Teaching Exceptional Children, 41(4), p36.

Swanson, T.C.  (2005).  20 Ways to Provide Structure for Children with Learning and Behaviour Problems.  Intervention in School and Clinic, 40(3), p182.

Read more...

Parent stories: Different types of anxiety

So... I found after my last post that comments on my Facebook page indicate that if your child struggles to re-adjust to school after the holidays, you are not alone. One parent said that they had to help the children re-adjust every school holidays - not just after the long summer break.

There were also some strategies suggested by families to help their children adjust. They included:

• Playing schools during the school holidays.
• Starting the school routine a few weeks prior to school going back.
• Relaxation therapy prior to and at school - such as deep pressure therapy.

Different things will work for different children/youth. But it helps to understand the type of anxiety your child is feeling.

Environmental Anxiety

This is the label I have given to behaviour that comes out due to anxiety in a specific event. For example, something may happen in the classroom, at school or at home that may cause an immediate reaction. Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders often talk about a child screaming or shutting down, chewing clothing, biting others, running away and/or hiding when something occurs to distress them.

Anxiety due to an ongoing activity or trigger

Other behaviours show that the anxiety is due to a repeated event. These behaviours may include moodiness, nightmares, wetting the bed, the need to cling to someone and so on. This usually indicates that there is an ongoing activity that is causing the child anxiety.

Anxiety Disorders

If a child is showing signs of constant, ongoing anxiety over a period of 6 months or more, it may be time to consult with a psychologist. Kanakos (2011) provides a brief overview of different types of anxiety disorders. These will need to be dealt with differently than the more transient anxieties mentioned above.

Read more...

Learn2bebuddies in 2011

I know it is a bit late to be talking about New Years, but for me it feels like the year has only just begun as I wind down from wedding plans, the wedding and honeymoon. I don't know what it has brought for you, but for me 2011 has seen me gain a husband, a new extended family and a new home. All this has meant that Learn to be Buddies has been very quiet for a while.

But now it is time to get back into things... so I thought I would share a few things that will be happening this year.


Autism Awareness Month

Hopefully you will all be aware of Autism Awareness Month, which happens in April. Last year I interviewed a series of parents, who told their children's stories here to help build awareness. I also wrote a series of posts on Autism. You can browse last year's posts on this link. I hope to do something similar this year, so sign up to our newsletter, "like" our Facebook Fanpage or follow this blog if you want to be involved.

Learn to be Buddies will also be a sponsor of Autism Rainbow Day on the 1st of April. To find out about what happened on Rainbow Day last year, visit the Rainbowland Autism Services website. You also can follow what is happening on the day through Facebook.


Workshops and conferences

Last year we began running workshops for parents and teachers, as well as activity days and book readings for schools and preschools. The primary theme for these workshops was bullying. You can find out more, and purchase notes from these workshops, on our website.

A few bookings have been made for 2011, but there are available days if you think you would like for me to run a workshop for you or your school. Fill in our inquiry form with an expression of interest, or contact us via email.


Blogging

I will get back into writing blogs about behavioural issues and practical strategies in March. While many of the behaviours addressed will be relevant to children with Autism, the posts will be relevant to parents and teachers of children with other diagnoses as well. The posts may also help parents/teachers of children with no diagnoses as they support their children in the challenges they face in the classroom and in social interaction.

However, I want to make sure that I am writing on topics that my readers are interested in or need information about. So is there anything that you are struggling with at the moment? Or a topic you want to know more about? Please ask a question or suggest a topic here or privately through our enquiry form.

Just note that I am not the final authority on Autism or behavioural issues, nor am I a trained medical practitioner. I am a special education teacher and researcher. I will help you find reliable information. however, any information I provide here should not replace consultation or therapy with relevant, trained professionals.


Learn to be Buddies Resources

We will be getting back to developing more Learn to be Buddies resources this year. We were not able to publish Why Don't You Share? last year as planned, so this is the first goal for 2011. We will also be developing a new series of DVDs, resources, games and a book based on a story addressing the issue of following instructions.

We will also get back into publishing further information sheets. These will be made available in our online store, or for free on our website as we find sponsors.


Newsletters

We will begin getting the monthly Learn to be Buddies newsletters out again beginning in March. These will keep you up to date with events, information, blog themes, products and competitions to win our resources. You can subscribe to our newsletter on our website.

I am looking forward to getting back into this important work again....

Read more...

Ask Amanda: Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia

Not too long ago a parent asked me to blog about Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia. They were wondering what these labels meant, and what could be done to help their child.

Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia can be diagnosed alongside Autism Spectrum Disorders and Attention Deficit Disorders. Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia are neurological disorders that effect the way people learn literacy and numeracy skills (NINDS, 2009; SPELD, 2008).


Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is demonstrated in a person's significant difficulty with written expression - handwriting, spelling and structuring a piece of written work.

Children with dysgraphia generally have difficulty with processing and sequencing information (Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, 2008). They may also have auditory, language and visual processing difficulties as well.

Information processing difficulties mean that children find it difficult to transfer what they are thinking onto paper. This can be because they find it hard to store the information long enough in their working memory to go through the physical process of writing it letter-by-letter, word-by-word. So what is a complex, creative story in their head, may come out as a jumble of random words and/or sentences on paper.

Sequencing difficulties mean that they find it hard to use the conventions of writing, like spelling and grammar. Proficient writers are able to spell "automatically" as they remember patterns of letters and shapes of words, thus not having to really pay attention to each individual letter in a word. This frees up a lot of working memory so that they are able to write fluently and focus on making meaning rather than spelling. For children with sequencing difficulties, it means that they will struggle to make meaning because they have to focus to much on each letter.

The same goes for grammar. Proficient writers most of the time use grammatical patterns without having to actually think about it. But children with sequencing difficulties will struggle to put their ideas on paper as well as follow the conventions of writing.

For children with auditory processing difficulties, they will struggle to use sounds to help check spelling. For children with language processing difficulties, who may think in pictures or concepts rather than words, it will be very difficult to translate their ideas into writing. For children with visual processing difficulties, it would be very difficult for them to use visual cues such as the shape of letters and words.


A Sample

You can see a sample of writing from a child with dysgraphia at http://dyslexia.learninginfo.org/dysgraphia.htm


Next time... I will discuss Dyscalculia...


Links used in this blog post:

http://www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/dysgraphia.html

http://www.dyslexia-speld.com/LearningDisabilities/WhatisDysgraphia/tabid/90/language/en-AU/Default.aspx

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/dysgraphia/dysgraphia.htm

http://dyslexia.learninginfo.org/dysgraphia.htm

Read more...

The rage and recovery stages

Following on from the previous post, the next two stages in the rage cycle include the rage stage, then the recovery stage (Myles & Southwick, 2005).


The Rage Stage

It is at this stage that you will see uncontrolled, explosive behaviour. It could be physical, such as hitting, kicking and self-injurious behaviour. It could be verbal, with screaming and yelling of abuse. It could also be withdrawal, where the child withdraws from contact and any interaction.

This is not the moment for trying to teach new skills or redirect the child.

What should you do?

Myles and Southwick (2005) suggest a range of things including:

1. Protect: The child, property and others around the child. This could include finding non-harmful ways for the child to release adrenaline such as those suggested in the previous post.
2. Plan: Have an "exit" strategy, one that allows the child to escape from the pressures of the situation without feeling humiliated or disempowered. Use this routinely, preferably having discussed it previously in a teachable moment. This should be your crisis management plan.
   
3. Prompt: With as few words as possible, and very circumspectly, prompt the child towards there safe space (as discussed in the previous post).
   
4. Prevent a power struggle: Don't argue or respond or try to negotiate. At this stage in the rage cycle the more you say, the more the behaviour is likely to escalate. In my experience, a simple and calmly repeated phrase can help diffuse a child's anger. This could be a simple prompt towards the child's safe space.
   
5. Timer: Having a timer that provides the child with a visual prompt as to when they should stop can help them find an end to the rage stage.
   

As Myles and Southwick (2005) state, it is important (and difficult!) to remember not to take the child's behaviour personally.


The Recovery Stage

As with all stages in the rage cycle, every child will act differently at the recovery stage. Some will be so exhausted that they will fall asleep. Others will use withdrawal into fantasy or denial to remove themselves from the incident. Others will be apologetic.

What should you do?

At this stage it is likely that both adult and child are feeling fragile and emotionally drained. It is important that the recovery stage is just that - used for recovery. This stage is also not the time to discuss the incident. Don't place any demands on yourself or the child until you are absolutely sure that the recovery stage is over.

You could:

1. Rest, and allow the child to sleep.
2. Redirect the child into their special area of interest.
3. Use relaxation techniques - for example: deep breathing, stretching, blowing bubbles.
4. Give the child space if they need it.
5. Use familiar structure and routine to help settle the child.

Once you have both recovered, then you will have teachable moments where you can plan, discuss and use tools like social stories to address the reason why the meltdown happened in the first place.



References

Myles, B.S. and J. Southwick (2005). Asperger Syndrome and Difficult Moments: Practical Solutions for Tantrums, Rage, and Meltdowns. Autism Asperger Publishing Company: Kansas

Read more...

The Rumbling Stage

When dealing with meltdowns, or rage, it is important to recognise when it is possible to negotiate, re-direct or deflect the child's emotion... and when it is time to "ride it out", letting the emotion take its course. If we can catch a child/youth before the emotion takes over their reasoning or thinking power, we are more likely to prevent or minimise the meltdown (Myles and Southwick, 2005).


The Rage Cycle

According to Myles and Southwick (2005) the rage cycle includes three main stages - the rumbling stage, the rage stage, and the recovery stage. They suggest that before and after these stages teachable moments occur. Once the rage cycle starts, the opportunity for the child to learn is gone.

At this stage it is about management and, where possible, prevention of escalation.


The Rumbling Stage

Parents have often expressed to me the fact that they can tell when a meltdown is coming on. The signs could be categorised into four different categories:

• Physical signs, including fidgeting, tapping, restlessness, muscle tenseness, grimacing
• Verbal signs, like name calling, threats, grunting, increasing or decreasing volume
  
• Behavioural signs, like refusals, crying

What can we do in this stage?

Myles and Southwick (2005) identify a range of strategies that could be used in this stage. Some ideas include:

1. Provide a safe, cool down space: Help the child feel safe by moving to a space that is familiar and away from the triggers of their meltdown.
2. Provide a physical outlet: Give the child a way to get rid of the excess adrenaline that is flowing as a result of their emotion. This can be anything from squeezing a stress ball, to bouncing on a trampoline, to tearing up paper.
3. Remain calm and quiet: Don't try to reason with them, remain calm and close-by. Walk with them if necessary. For some children, touch can also be helpful.
4. Redirect: Using a child's interest it may be possible to redirect their attention and emotion. You might need to help the child re-evaluate their goals.
   
5. Use routine: Help the child get back to familiar and safe sequences of events.

But the most important thing to remember at this stage is that, as adults, it is important that we remain calm and flexible, adapting to the needs of the child as the child will not be able to be flexible once they have entered the rage cycle.


References

Myles, B.S. and J. Southwick (2005). Asperger Syndrome and Difficult Moments: Practical Solutions for Tantrums, Rage, and Meltdowns. Autism Asperger Publishing Company: Kansas

Read more...

Ask Amanda: Managing Meltdowns

At the Autism and Aspergers Support Group Inc Hawkesbury meet in July I was asked by a parent about how to manage meltdowns. There is not simple way to answer this question, though other parents did provide some suggestions. Some things that work for other parents and their children include:

• Staying calm
• Get down to your child's level and sit with them
• Speak reassuringly, assuring them they are not "in trouble"
• Hug them tightly or wrap them tightly in a blanket (for some children with Sensory Integration issues this can be comforting)

Since that time I have been reading some information on the topic. One book that I have found particularly useful is Managing Meltdowns: Using the SCARED Calming Technique with Children and Adults with Autism. It is written by Lipsky, who has been diagnosed with high functioning autism herself, and Richards.


SCARED stands for...

Safe - find an environment, or follow the child to an environment where they feel safe.

Calm - stay calm, speak calmly, talk in literal language.

Affirmation - show that you know what they are afraid of by putting it in words.

Routine - work with repetitive, routine behaviours that they may be using to help calm themselves (so long as it does not involve self-harm).

Empathy - show you are there to support and help.

Develop an intervention strategy - make a step-by-step, concrete plan for what to do if a meltdown happens again.


This month...

This month I plan to explore these six elements of responding to meltdowns in more depth.


Reference:

Lipsky, D. and Richards, W. (2009). Managing Meltdowns: Using the SCARED Calming Technique with Children and Adults with Autism. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Read more...

Helping children self-correct and problem-solve

How do you avoid meltdowns when something changes? How do you help your child recognise that what they are doing is making others upset? How can you help a child recognise when they have said or done something that "crosses the line"? Or when someone else has done something to them that "crosses the line"?


Prepare

You are about to go to a new shopping centre. Or your child is about to go to a new school. These situations will bring up a whole range of new information that they will need to quickly process in order to behave as expected and cope.

For children with executive functioning difficulties, as mentioned previously, this will cause many difficulties (Oates & Grayson, 2004). The best thing to do is to prepare your child as much as possible for their new environment.

Talk about what is going to happen. Talk about the environment, and set relevant rules (Dodd, 2005). Further, whilst talking use video, photos, even a drive past or short preparatory visit to help them process as many things prior to the visit where possible. This will help limit the amount of new information they need to process when making choices about their behaviour.

Using repetitive patterns of language, such as if... then... statements, can also children develop an awareness of possible consequences. This means that this is one less thing that they have to think up in a difficult situation.


Rehearsal

The importance of repetition and rehearsal has been discussed previously, but it is important to recognise the significance of role play in helping children develop self-awareness and problem-solving abilities. For young children, this may be done through dress-ups and dramatic play.

For children who struggle with imaginative play, using scripts will be important. That is, teach the child to use a set phrase or set of actions in response to a situation. Older children might want to help you design a screen play and video their new skill.


Visualise


Children with executive functioning issues will need help storing the information and skills, so they need a concrete reminder to carry around with them in case of "emergencies." Ways to do this include:

• A task card
• A social story
• A comic strip
  
• A picture sequence

The bottom line is to ensure that any visuals are small enough to carry in the child's pocket or on a lanyard or key ring. They need to be immediately accessible, but hard to lose.


Teach emotions

Help children get feedback from others around them by teaching them about body language and facial expressions. You can do this through books, videos, photos and picture strips (Dodd, 2005).

Recently I borrowed a great book called Sometimes I feel....: How to Help Your Child Manage Difficult Feelings by Dr. Samantha Seymour. Apart from the great hints and tips for parents/teachers at the beginning of the book, it is full of great photos of different facial expressions and body language. It also helps build awareness of what can cause someone to feel a certain way.

For example, pages 14-19 read:

Sometimes I feel angry... like when my mummy tells me I have to eat my breakfast before I can go outside and play. Or when it's my turn and my sister won't share."

These are accompanied by relevant photos of young children. This is a great book to help children recognise what can cause others to feel angry, sad, worried and so on. Knowing this can help them self-correct more effectively.

Dodd (2005) also discusses the usefulness of video modelling. This is effective as it can be played over and over again, and can demonstrate step-by-step a process of dealing with or responding to certain emotions.

Another great strategy highlighted by Dodd (2005) on page 187 are little picture cards that include an illustration of an emotion with relevant questions (see image adapted from her examples below).


Have a crisis management plan

It is important to also anticipate difficult emotions and situations when a child may not be able to cope. Have a plan for those times.

One of the strategies that has been discussed previously is the use of a feelings thermometer. This is a visual way of helping children recognise and manage difficult emotions.



Be proactive and positive

But most importantly, we should remember to always be proactive - prepare and anticipate in order to prevent negative events as much as possible - and positive, giving praise and positive reinforcement rather than focusing on "don'ts".



References:

Dodd, S. (2005). Understanding Autism. Sydney: Elsevier.

Oates, J. & Grayson, A. (2004). Cognitive and Language Development in Children. Blackwell Publishing: Oxford.

Read more...

Helping children adapt to change

Self-Correction:

"The ability to monitor and accurately evaluate performance and to make changes. Ability to learn from experience and feedback." (Queensland Health, 2007)

Problem-solving:

"The ability to recognise when the actions you are taking are ineffective, to stop, re-evaluate, and to formulate a plan." (Queensland Health, 2007)

Struggling with change

It would be simplifying things far too much to draw a direct link between executive functioning issues and children's difficulties adapting to change in their environment. However, it can play a significant part in this. But before I discuss the problem-solving and self-correction element of executive functioning, I want to look quickly at changes that children may find difficult to deal with, what behaviour they may display, and some other key factors that can contribute to difficulties adjusting to change.


What changes can cause difficulties?

There are many changes that can cause children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, anxiety disorders, depression, ADHD and even children who are chronically tired to feel threatened or anxious. These can include:

• New people
• Familiar people behaving differently
• Interrupted routines
• A favourite toy missing
  
• New sounds
• Moved furniture
• Complex, unpredictable interactions
  (Dodd, 2005; Oates and Grayson, 2004)
  

In fact, almost any change that a child with these difficulties is not prepared for will cause them distress.


What might you see?

Every child will have their own individual way of demonstrating that they aren't coping, or don't know what to do, when dealing with a change. Some examples:

• Meltdowns: I have talked about these in a previous post.
• Withdrawal
• "Stubborn" behaviour, or refusals. This often comes up in the context of children with Down Syndrome.
  

Executive functioning, self-correction and problem-solving

These elements of executive functioning, alongside the ability to plan and self-evaluate, help us adapt to the changes and complexities of life. As Oates and Grayson (2004) discuss, "the ability to switch flexibly between planned actions and different approaches to a task, without losing sight of the goals that are being aimed for, is a high-level cognitive function that is critically important in everyday life." (p214) That is, in order to cope with the many complexities of life - social, academic and physical - we need to be able to constantly evaluate, identify what is/is not working and adjust our behaviour accordingly.

When the executive functions aren't developed appropriately, then children will have difficulties adapting to change unexpected behaviour.

For example, imagine you are a child who loves playing in the sandpit with your two close friends. Ever since you have been at school the three of you have gone directly to the sandpit as soon as the recess bell has rung. Then one day you are heading out to the sandpit and one of your friends decides they want to join the hand-ball games instead.

You want your friend keep to your routine, so you say, "Come on! Aren't you coming to the sandpit?"

Your friend replies, "Nah. Today I feel like playing in the sandpit."

You say, "Aww. Come on! Let's play in the sand pit. We always do!"

Now, if you have a well-developed ability to self-analyse, self-correct and problem-solve, once you start noticing that your friend is becoming annoyed, you think about previous experiences, what you have been taught, how your behaviour is effecting them. You then correct your behaviour and problem-solve based on your goal of maintaining friendships ... which could mean you join the hand-ball game or go to the sandpit with your other friend.

If you have executive functioning difficulties, you would probably keep insisting that your friend maintain the routine. You may become aggressive in your attempts to maintain the routine (eg. pulling the child towards the sandpit) or have a meltdown as you are unable to work out what to do next since your routine has been broken.


Other reasons why children may struggle with change

• Theory of mind or social imagination (as discussed in a previous post) ... Not being able to interpret and respond appropriately to your social context will lead to difficulties with problem-solving and self-correction, or the ability to be flexible and adapt to your environment.
• Intellectual Disability ... a person's IQ is only one element of diagnosing an intellectual or developmental disability. The other element is an assessment of adaptive behaviour. As the American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities states, adaptive behaviour is about the ability to use language, social, conceptual and practical skills to live independently and according to the social expectations of our culture. It is therefore recognised that a person's cognitive development influences their ability to problem-solve and self-correct.
  

Next time....

Next time I will talk about ways to help children self-correct and problem-solve.



References:

Dodd, S. (2005). Understanding Autism. Sydney: Elsevier.

Oates, J. & Grayson, A. (2004). Cognitive and Language Development in Children. Blackwell Publishing: Oxford.

Queensland Health. (2007). Executive Function and Capacity. Retrieved 8th May, 2010 from http://www.health.qld.gov.au/abios/documents/behaviour_mgt/exec_functn_capacity.pdf.

Read more...

Ask Amanda: An update and a review

As usual, with the mad rush to get the Learn to be Buddies newsletter out, I have neglected my blog for a little while. Now the rush is over, it is time to get back to it ....

About our theme

Because executive functioning is such a complex and important topic, and I didn't get very far with it last month, I will continue writing on this topic this month. But before I start writing on this theme, I thought I would mention two things...


A Spotlight...

As part of the Learn to be Buddies sponsorship scheme, we are beginning a monthly spotlight on charities or businesses that a particularly relevant to the Learn to be Buddies mission. This month we are spotlighting Rainbowland Autism Services. Make sure you check out their services and support their cause. Shortly Allison will be writing a post for us to tell us all about what these are.


A review...

I also wanted to share a little from the workshop by Dr. Lee Sturgeon that I attended recently. I shared some information that related to bullying on my Learning to be Buddies Series blog. But here I just wanted to share some of the answers Lee gave to questions asked by parents in the audience.

Toilet Training Tips

Lee was asked about any tips he could give for a situation where a child was fully toilet-trained at home, but was struggling to use the toilets at preschool. His suggestions included:

• Try giving the child access to a private toilet, such as the staff bathroom. It may be the fact that they have to use a public toilet ("in a fishbowl" was Lee's analogy) that is putting the child off using the toilet at preschool.
• Video the child if/when they do use the toilet, then watch it and praise the child for that behaviour at home (applied behaviour analysis). My note: You as a parent may need to do this as many preschools would be reluctant to tape so intrusive a video. Lee's tip about using video as a teaching tool: Make sure you focus on the positive rather than video-ing something you don't want them to do, watching it and saying "Don't do this."
• When toilet training a child with ASD, make sure you do so with a range of different toilets - not just stick to one. This helps them generalise the skill, or use the skill in a wide range of settings not, as Lee said, "just in the ensuite at home."
  

Service accessibility

There were a number of parents who were asking about how/where they could access services for their children due to the limited availability and long waiting lists for Medicare and FAHCSIA funded services. Lee talked about asking your GP to establish an Enhanced Primary Care Plan or a Mental Health Plan, both options allowing parents to access Medicare refunds for private consultants and therapists.


Medication

Another question that came up was the issue of medicating children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Lee talked about the fact that many children with Autism Spectrum Disorders have a secondary diagnosis. For example, they may also be diagnosed with anxiety disorders or ADHD.

He suggested that it is usually these secondary diagnoses that lead to medication. He stated that he used medication for his clients especially for anxiety in the middle school or adolescent years. His statistic was that 40% of children in transition to high school were on medication to help them deal with anxiety.

However, he had one emphatic warning: Make sure you see a specialist in the field of Autism/Aspergers for the prescribing of medication. The main reason is that children with Autism Spectrum disorders often respond differently to medication than do their peers without these disorders.

As you can tell, this workshop was great. It was also free, thanks to a government initiative. I will keep my eye out and let you all know if there is another on coming up in the future.


*

Read more...

The importance of routine...

We can help children with executive functioning issues using routines.

For example, a child with ADHD may lose track of time, not remember where they are up to or what they are meant to be doing. They may hear a school bell, and not know what it means. as bells at different times mean different things.

Routines can be used at home as well as at school. But there are some key elements to making them work.


Be Clear

The best way to make sure the routines are clear to a child is to provide them with a written or visual schedule. First thing of the day, either in class or at home, go over the schedule so the child knows the goals for the day. This will help them follow a pattern or plan to achieve the desired goals.

Goals such as getting ready for school, listening to the teacher, playing with friends, catching the bus... all these have associated behaviour and social skills. If there is a familiar routine, the child is more likely to have success with these goals.

Image from Sparkle Box

Stick to the Plan

It is important that once you establish a routine that you stick to it. Variation can cause behaviour difficulties such as meltdowns that come out of the child's difficulty in adjusting to changes ... which is about the difficulty with flexible thinking, a topic I will discuss when I come to the self-correction element of executive functioning.


If you can't, give warning

There will be times when unforeseen circumstances may interrupt the routine. As far as you are able, make sure that you talk to the child about this. Use visuals to prepare them for the change. This could be about getting them involved in taking one thing off their timetable and replacing it with the new event. This will help them process the information.


Rehearsal

However, as discussed in the previous post, repetition is the key. The more you repeat a process, the more automatic it will become. This way it will be easier for a child to keep track of what is going on and what they should be doing in different settings at different times.

It will help them plan, or act with purpose as they work to achieve a goal either socially or academically (Oates & Grayson, 2004).

Read more...

Autism Rainbow Day

Happy Autism Rainbow Day!

Today I spent the morning recording a radio interview with Jackie Hays, a mother of 3 children with Autism. You can hear some of what she says below...

Read more...

Mary's story

I have three children with Autism.

Timothy is 13 and has Aspergers.

Timothy loves Maths and computers. At the moment he is also enjoying photography and everything pokemon.

Timothy was diagnosed when he was 4yrs old. Timothy really struggles with social situations. He will not answer our door or our telephone without prompting. Even if he knows and loves the person on the phone he refuses to chat.

Timothy has really come out of his shell with the new friends he has made at Camp Autism. I think because most of these kids also have Autism and understand his need to sometimes to walk away or ask questions.

Amy is 5 and has classic Autism.

Amy loves everything Tinkerbell. Amy also loves animals.

Amy has only just started talking in the last 2 years. Amy also is lactose intolerant and has Epilepsy. We have not been successful in toilet training with her and it is an ongoing concern as Amy started Prep this year and whilst she has no been bullied yet I wonder how accepting kids will be as they get older.

Kailyn is 3 and has High Functioning Autism and was diagnosed a week before her 3rd birthday.

Kailyn is extremely bright and can write her name and other family members' and has been reciting the alphabet and numbers from age 2.

Kailyn does not understand other children her own age. She gets very frustrated when they act like typical children and not do puzzles, write names and colour between the lines.

Though with Kailyn we had started seeing the signs at a very early age we chose to put our heads in the sand. Three children on the spectrum brought me to tears often with worry of how we would cope, find services etc. Kailyn has also been diagnosed with Epilepsy and Encopresis. Kailyn is partially toilet trained but due to the encopresis and the need for medication to make her use her bowels it is a daily struggle.

I think the biggest struggle for me personally as a parent is trying to find services and activities for my children. Government funding ends when they are 6 and I often wonder and then what? Timothy is already homeschooled because the education system was failing him. I wonder what next. I wonder about where it will take our family and what the journey ahead will be like. We currently live in a small town in North Queensland and I feel we are being forced to move to a capital city to sit on waiting lists with thousands of other families. The need is so great in Australia that there is not enough services to go around.

The most special moments for me in the past few years have been at Camp Autism. It is so nice to chat with other parents who understand the journey we are on. Its nice to see brothers and sisters of kids on the spectrum hanging out and comparing poo stories or laughing at the silly things kids do. But it breaks my heart to hear of the tears the bullying and ridicule these kids suffer at the hands not only of school yard friends but often of their own family members. Hearing that a smack would cure their brother or sister is not what these kids need to hear.

At times like this journey of raising kids with Autism we should be able to find support in our own family. Sadly this is not always the case. For me Camp Autism has gifted not only myself but my husband and children with a new family. A family of adults and kids who know what the word acceptance means, are always there with a shoulder to cry on , and a joke to make us laugh again. People often thank me for the work I do for Camp Autism, what they don’t realise is how much the camps and the families who attend give back to me. At these camps I am free to be myself and my kids can spin, flap, jump, wriggle, giggle and meltdown without fear of being called horrible names.

Tell your story
and help build Autism Awareness

Read more...

Money for Therapy

If you have a child under the age of six and you live in Australia, you may be eligible for up to $12000 to help you access early intervention services like speech and occupational therapy.

To be eligible for the early intervention funding package a child must have been seen by an Autism Advisor and deemed eligible to access the program before their sixth birthday. The $12,000 in funding under the early intervention component can be used until the child’s seventh birthday to a maximum of $6,000 per financial year.

The catch is that you must use approved Early Intervention Service Providers... some of which are listed here: http://fahcsia.gov.au/sa/disability/progserv/people/autism_panel/Pages/default.aspx This may not be an up-to-date, comprehensive list, so make sure you ask your Autism Advisor or local support group for more information (see the list at http://www.learn2bebuddies.com.au/pages/autism/doesmychildhaveautism.html)

To find out more about this and other funding, visit http://fahcsia.gov.au/sa/disability/progserv/people/HelpingChildrenWithAutism/Pages/default.aspx

Read more...

Jennifer's story (Part 2)

Jarrod

I have a son with autism and he 4 & 1/2 years old.

He loves playing with his play station game, loves matchbox cars & swimming.

He is really good at counting, play station games & numbers.

He struggles with certain textures, Showing certain emotions & being in busy places.

Sometimes I, as a parent, find it hard when he can’t understand why he can't do certain things, he has no fear which is very frightening at times. Having twins with ASD is also very hard at times.

But then I think about the special moments, like when his memory is awesome, he remembers things back to when he was approx 2 yrs of age. His concern for his twin brother Korbin. He may not show a great deal of emotion, but he certainly looks after his siblings. Or when he compliments his older sister on how pretty she looks.

Tell your story
and help build Autism Awareness

Read more...

Allison's Story

Kristie with Kelly Nester (Adelaide Newsreader)
at the Autism SA Masquerade Ball

I have a daughter with asperger’s syndrome and she is 11 years old.

She loves music more than anything else in the world. Every day she focuses on her singing and is pretty talented.

She is really good at singing and art. Kristie also painted the picture for the Autism Rainbow Day logo.

She struggles with language and gets anxious very easily. She also has difficulties reading other people’s body language and often thinks others don’t like her when they actually do.

Sometimes I, as a parent, find it hard when she misinterprets what is being said to her, which makes her sad. It is also difficult when she struggles with her school work because she becomes anxious to give something new a go, but she works very hard to overcome these problems.

But then I think about the special moments, like when she sang in front of 360 people at the Autism SA masquerade ball in October 2009. She was amazing and performed like a professional. It was one of those very special and proud moments as a parent.

Her performance:

I love her dearly and when she smiles, she lights up the room. Kristie is our little princess and we love her dearly.

Tell your story
and help build Autism Awareness

Read more...

The Toy Bug: Educational Toys

Getting appropriate therapy and help for your child with Autism Spectrum Disorders can be very expensive, hard to access or can be complicated by your child's difficulty working with relative strangers outside the home.

So what can you do? One thing you can do is to find toys and games that you can use at home to help teach or reinforce skills that speech and/or occupational therapists would be teaching. This perhaps doesn't replace specialist help, but it can make a significant difference to your child's development.

The Toy Bug

The Toy Bug is an online store started by Jo (whose son you met in our last post). She started this store as a result of her own efforts to locate toys used by her son's therapists, or toys that could keep Lachie's attention and help with his development. Her aim is to ensure that other parents benefit from her experience and efforts.

In short, Jo has done the hard work for you. You just need to pop over to her site to scroll through her range of toys and equipment to find what may best suit your child's needs.


Here are some places you might be most interested in looking at on her site:

Lachie's favourites: I love this as it provides some hints about what a child of his age and characteristics might find most enjoyable.

On Sale: Because we all love a bargain :)

Reward Charts and Planners: Routine and explicit, visual clarification of routines and expectations are so important for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. These charts and planners are a great resource - and could be used in homes and in the classroom.

Books: Because she sells Dave is Brave :)


Donations for Camp Autism:

If you are looking for educational and sensory toys, then there is an added incentive to buy from the Toy Bug. The Toy Bug is donating 10% of its April sales to Camp Autism, an organisation that runs holiday camps for families and children with autism.

(Camp Autism website ... a post about this coming soon)

Read more...

Jo's Story

Lachlan

I have a son with Autism and he is 6 ½ years old.

He loves reading, numbers, puzzles, board games, swimming, going to the park and mum and dad.

He is really good at reading, math, giving hugs and has wonderful manners.

He struggles with noise, too many people, change without being informed way ahead of time, taking a different route to a place he often goes to (like school) and the most scary of all running away from us when out in public and having no fear of cars.

Sometimes I, as a parent, find it hard when people don’t have the understanding or awareness of Autism like when you are out in public and your child has a major meltdown and people stare or you hear comments about naughty children or when people do not understand that you cannot go to a specific outing as there are too many sensory issues for your child to hope with.

We recently went to a friend’s place for a BBQ and there were about 25 people there and we only lasted 10 minutes before our son had a major melt down due to the number of people and the noise. We were unable to calm him down so we had to go home and some of the people where like “what, you are going just because he is screaming” – they had no idea how hard it was for him. So as you can tell we don’t venture out much but I am hoping one day we might get to Australia Zoo or Sea World.

But then I think about the special moments, like when the children in his class could not believe how well he can read and they love him helping them with their reading.

When people compliment what lovely manners our son has – like when he greets someone at the checkout and says Hello …their name (that he reads from their tag), my name is Lachlan, how are you today? And that person is taken by surprise that he knows what their name is. Or when someone sneezes (no matter whom it is) and he says “Bless You”, and when they thank him he says “You’re welcome”.

When he comes and give you the biggest hug and says, "Hug to make you feel happy".

Tell your story
and help build Autism Awareness

Read more...

Zoe's story

Harley and Brodie

I have two sons/with ASD Harley is 14 and Brodie is 11.

Harley loves playstation and Brodie loves swimming at nans, swinging and the computer..

Harley is really good at playstation, online computer strategy games and technology. Brodie is really good at giving kisses to his mum, swimming and going away on holidays

Harley struggles with organization skills, getting off the playstation, doing his chores and the unknown. Brodie struggles with speech/communication, frustration, challenging behaviours and eating non food items.

Sometimes I, as a parent, find it hard when an outing goes pear shaped, when I have to find things to do that suit both my childrens needs, when people comment and stare.

But then I think about the special moments, like when Brodie said mum and nan (his first and only words) and when Harley's got a fantastic first high school report after his last primary school telling me he would never cope with high school. But especially when my mum and I flew with both boys to Detroit, LA and Hawaii and we coped and the boys coped and we had the holiday of a lifetime! x

Tell your story
and help build Autism Awareness

Read more...

Can You Help? Running the Marathon of Autism Campaign

Felicity

Running the Marathon of Autism
By Amy Costin

With April being World Autism Awareness Month it is the perfect time to launch our Running the Marathon of Autism campaign in aid of my little girl, Felicity's, Son-Rise Program (run by The Autism Treatment Center of America) that is day by day taking us closer to recovering her from her Autism!!

Felicity is a full of life 9 year old who has a beaming smile and one of the cheekiest giggles you'll ever hear. Felicity has Autism and cannot yet talk but has a few simple words such as "up" and "mum". Before starting her full time Son-Rise Program Felicity was unable to communicate to us that she was hungry, tired or that she needed to go to the toilet. She would sit by herself most of the time and stare 'into space'... but in just a short time after we began the Son-Rise Program, Felicity 100% toilet trained herself and now loves to be around people. Felicity understands everything that is said to her and willingly gives out hugs and smiles to those around her.


What is Running the Marathon of Autism about?

In 2006 a close family friend, Maryke, ran the Melbourne Marathon for the first time ever - Maryke, mother of 2, who claimed "it was tougher than giving birth," did the mammoth 42km run in the name of Felicity and was sponsored along the way to raise some of the necessary funds needed to keep Felicity's Son-Rise Program going.

This year, Maryke and 4 other amazing women Carley, Jocelyn, Sammy and Nicole, are all currently training in 'marathon proportions' for a variety of major events. These events include the 14 km Sydney City 2 Surf, the 21km Sydney 1/2 Marathon and the 42 km Melbourne Marathon. These inspirational runners who are taking on this challenge are not professional athletes, nor are they seasoned runners. They are women who are mums, work full time jobs and have children of their own but they all have one common passion - Felicity and the amazing milestones she has accomplished since starting her Son-Rise Program 4 years ago.


What is it raising money for?

The Son-Rise Program is sadly not available in Australia. It is run by The Autism Treatment Center of America in Massachusetts and involves at least 4 week long training courses which we, as Felicity's parents and her Son-Rise Program 'directors', need to attend to maximise the potential of Felicity's full time program that has so far seen Felicity prove doctors and other medical 'professionals' wrong. These courses obviously cost money which we rely heavily on fundraising for.


Why is this important?

Felicity has come so far since starting her Son-Rise Program and is the happiest we have ever seen her. We believe that the Son-Rise Program is the right thing for her and even if the amazing milestones she has reached so far are the only ones she ever manages to accomplish her happiness is the most important thing to us and in The Son-Rise Program she has found that.

To find out more about Felicity, the amazing women running for her and The Son-Rise Program as well as ways you can support this campaign by donating please check out our website at: www.intellectualdisability.org
You can also join us at Facebook: www.facebook.com/Marathon4Autism
and Twitter: www.twitter.com/Marathon4Autism

Read more...