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2012年9月19日 星期三

What You Should Know About Tactile Defensiveness and Other Tactile System Disorders


One of the most common sensory disorders is Tactile Defensiveness.  With this condition, a child is over or "hyper" sensitive to different types of touch.  Light touch is one of the most upsetting types of touch to a child with SI dysfunction.  Depending on the intensity of their dysfunction, they may become anywhere from mildly annoyed to completely freaked out by having someone lightly touch them.  A gentle kiss on the cheek may feel like they are having coarse sandpaper rubbed on their face.  They also may dislike feeling sand, grass or dirt on their skin.  Getting dressed may be a struggle as different clothing textures, tags and seams may cause them great discomfort.

Often children with Tactile Defensiveness or touch hypersensitivity will avoid, become fearful of, or are irritated by:


The wind blowing on bare skin
Light touch
Vibrating toys
Barefoot touching of carpet, sand and/or grass
Clothing textures
Tags and seams on clothing
Touching of "messy" things
Changes in temperature

On the other side of the spectrum is a child with Tactile Undersensitivity or "Hyposensitivity".   A tactile undersensitive child need a lot of input to get the touch information he or she needs.  They will often seek out tactile input on their own in sometimes unsafe ways.

A child who is undersensitive to touch may have these difficulties:



Emotional and social  - Craves touch to the extent that friends, family, and even strangers become annoyed and upset.  This could be the baby who constantly needs to be held, or the toddler who is clingy, craving continual physical contact.

Sensory exploration - Makes excessive physical contact with people and objects. Touching other children too forcefully or inappropriately (such as biting or hitting).

Motor - To get more tactile sensory information, he may need to use more of his skin surface to feel he's made contact with an object.

Grooming and dressing - May choose clothing that is, in your opinion, unacceptably tight or loose. He may brush his teeth so hard that he injures his gums.

If you child shows signs of Tactile Defensiveness or Undersensitivity, it's important to get a proper screening by an Occupational Therapist, pediatrician or other licensed professional.  This sensory assessment will help you in seeking out the proper course of treatment and therapy.




Visit [http://www.SensorySmartKid.com] for more information and support regarding Sensory Integration, PDD and other Autism Spectrum Disorders.





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2012年7月18日 星期三

Parents With Autistic Children Should Consider Music Therapy As an Alternative Treatment for Autism


When you are parents with autistic children, there are so many autism treatments that you need to consider. There are so many different possible therapies out there, from the traditional to the alternative to ones that seem just plain crazy. One therapy that has been getting attention of late for an autism treatment is music therapy.

Music Therapy

Music therapy may not be exactly what you think it is. It is not focused on learning to play instruments so much as it is focused on using music to engage the mind and emotions of the autistic person, and helping them to communicate.

Music is a more primal, some would say more natural, more patterned way of communication. People with no abilities to communicate whatsoever have been shown to actually respond and connect to others with music therapy.

Most people with autism like patterns, and music is full of patterns. Also, music has rhythm. It is something that people with autism can feel, rather than have to think about.

Music Therapist

Music therapy is not instruction in music. A good music therapist will employ a variety of tools, information and creative methods to create musical environments where an autistic person will feel comfortable. The music therapist will create these environments based on each person's specific needs.

Music therapy requires no verbal ability, which is great for those with autism. Someone can ring a bell, bang a piano, or shake cymbals without having to talk - and by doing this, they can begin to communicate with other people through music. Many people will say that music is an ancient form of communication, maybe even our oldest form of communication.

Music therapists can build relationships with kids others might have thought unreachable by using music to reach them. They can help those with autism build communication skills, decrease their anxiety and increase their overall functioning ability.

Why does music therapy work well with autistic people?


Music is a universal language.

Music captures people's attention. Music motivates a person to respond and participate.

Music makes it possible for people with autism to express and identify emotions that they might not otherwise have been able to.

Music can help increase cognitive skills, and even help with auditory processing, gross and fine motor skills. This is because it acts as a kind of sensory integration therapy.

Music can reduce anxiety. Using the same piece of music over and over again can help create a sense of security and familiarity, which will help make an autistic person more comfortable and more ready to learn.

There are many different autism therapies for kids that parents with autistic children have to sort through. Music therapy can be one viable option to add to the mix.




Many interesting and somewhat lesser known therapies are also available. Parents should learn as much as you can about alternative treatments for autism. Tips from other parents and professionals can be extremely helpful. A great site that has tips and suggestions for additional treatments is the AmericanAutismSociety.org. There you can sign up for their FREE newsletter with tips and info on autism.





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2012年3月13日 星期二

Identifying Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in the Classroom: Eight Things Teachers Should


Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the phrase that is used to describe children who have significant problems with high levels of distractibility or inattention, impulsiveness, and often with excessive motor activity levels. There may be deficits in attention and impulse control without hyperactivity being present. In fact, recent studies indicate that as many as 40% of the ADD kids may not be hyperactive. Research shows that there are several things happening in the brain of the ADHD child which causes the disorder. The main problem is that certain parts of the Central Nervous System are under-stimulated, while others may be over-stimulated. In some hyperactive kids there is also an uneven flow of blood in the brain, with some parts of the brain getting too much blood flow, and other centers not getting as much. Certain medications, or other forms of treatment can be used to address these problems. Often the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder child has special educational needs, though not always. Most Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder kids can be successful in the regular classroom with some help. Teachers can find over 500 classroom interventions to help children be successful in school at http://www.ADDinSchool.com. As a teacher ask yourself these questions: 1. Can the child pay attention in class? Some ADHD kids can pay attention for a while, but typically can't sustain it, unless they are really interested in the topic. Other ADHD kids cannot pay attention to just one thing at a time, such as not being able to pay attention to just you when you are trying to teach them something. There are many different aspects to "attention," and the ADHD child would have a deficit in at least one aspect of it. 2. Is the child impulsive? Does he call out in class? Does he bother other kids with his impulsivity? These kids often cannot stop and think before they act, and they rarely think of the consequences of their actions first. Impulsivity tends to hurt peer relationships, especially in junior high school years. 3. Does he have trouble staying in his seat when he's supposed to? How is he on the playground? Can he wait in line, or does he run ahead of the rest of the class? Does he get in fights often? 4. Can he wait? Emotionally, these children often cannot delay gratification. 5. Is he calm? They are constantly looking for clues as to how they are doing. They may display a wide range of moods, which are often on the extremes: they act too sad, too angry, too excited, too whatever. 6. Is the child working at grade level? Is he working at his potential? Does he/she stay on task well? Does he fidget a lot? Does he have poor handwriting? Most ADHD kids have trouble staying on task, staying seated, and many have terrible handwriting.

7. Does he have difficulty with rhythm? Or the use of his time? Does he lack awareness about "personal space" and what is appropriate regarding touching others? Does he seem unable to read facial expressions and know their meanings? Many children with ADHD also have Sensory Integration Dysfunctions (as many as 10% to 20% of all children might have some degree of Sensory Integration Dysfunction). SID is simply the ineffective processing of information received through the senses. As a result these children have problems with learning, development, and behavior. 8. Does he seem to be immature developmentally, educationally, or socially? It has been suggested by research that children and teens with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder may lag 20% to 40% behind children without ADHD developmentally. In other words, a ten year old with ADHD may behave, or learn, as you would expect a seven year old to behave or learn. A fifteen year old with ADHD may behave, or learn, as you would expect a ten year old to behave, or learn. There is a lot to learn about ADHD. Both teachers and parents can learn more by visiting the ADHD Information Library's family of web sites, beginning with ADDinSchool.com for hundreds of classroom interventions to help our children succeed in school.




Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., is a family therapist who has been working with ADHD children and their families since 1986. He is the clinical director of the ADHD Information Library's family of seven web sites, including http://www.newideas.net, helping over 350,000 parents and teachers learn more about ADHD each year. Dr. Cowan also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of VAXA International of Tampa, FL., is President of the Board of Directors for KAXL 88.3 FM in central California, and is President of NewIdeas.net Incorporated.





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2012年3月10日 星期六

7 Areas That Should Be Addressed in IEP's For Children With Autism


Do you have a child with autism, pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), or Asperger's disorder? Do you have difficulty getting special education personnel to listen to your input on what services your child needs?

Would you like a short list of areas that should be addressed at your child's IEP meeting? This article will give you 7 areas that need to be discussed at your child's IEP meeting; to determine what special education and related services your child requires, in order to get a free appropriate public education (FAPE).

Area 1: The nonverbal and verbal communication needs of the child

Impairment in communication can negatively affect a child with autism's education, and should be addressed, possibly by direct services from a Speech Language Pathologist.

Area 2: The need to develop social interaction skills

One of the characteristics of autism is that children have impairments in social interaction with other people. Children may need services in this area to help them develop appropriate social interaction skills.

Area 3: The needs resulting from the student's unusual responses to sensory experience

Many children with autism have sensory integration dysfunction that can have a detrimental affect on their education. Special education services may need to be given by an experienced trained SIPT qualified occupational therapist.

Area 4: The needs resulting from resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines

Rigidity in routines and resistance to change is another characteristic of autism spectrum disorders. Picture schedules and verbal notice to the child of change in schedules and routine, may help.

Area 5: The needs resulting from engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements

Another characteristic of autism is the existence of ritualistic behaviors. Strategies can be developed to help your child decrease these behaviors.

Area 6: The need for any positive behavioral interventions, strategies, and supports to address any behavioral difficulties resulting from autism.

Many school districts still want to punish children with disabilities for negative behavior, even though IDEA requires positive behavioral strategies be considered.

Area 7: Other needs that may impact progress in education, and social and emotional development.

Some children with autism have medical needs, trouble with organization, executive function, and generalization. You should bring up any other area that causes your child to have educational need, and make sure that needed special education services are written in your child's IEP!

By addressing these seven areas in your child's IEP you will be able to determine if your child needs any special education services in these areas! Good Luck!




JoAnn Collins is the mother of two adults with disabilities, and has helped families navigate the special education system, as an advocate, for over 15 years. She is a presenter and author of the book "Disability Deception; Lies Disability Educators Tell and How Parents Can Beat Them at Their Own Game." The book has a lot of resources and information to help parents fight for an appropriate education for their child. For a free E newsletter entitled "The Special Education Spotlight" send an E mail to: JoAnn@disabilitydeception.com

For more information on the book, testimonials about the book, and a link to more articles go to: http://www.disabilitydeception.com.





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2011年12月9日 星期五

What You Should Know About Tactile Defensiveness and Other Tactile System Disorders


One of the most common sensory disorders is Tactile Defensiveness.  With this condition, a child is over or "hyper" sensitive to different types of touch.  Light touch is one of the most upsetting types of touch to a child with SI dysfunction.  Depending on the intensity of their dysfunction, they may become anywhere from mildly annoyed to completely freaked out by having someone lightly touch them.  A gentle kiss on the cheek may feel like they are having coarse sandpaper rubbed on their face.  They also may dislike feeling sand, grass or dirt on their skin.  Getting dressed may be a struggle as different clothing textures, tags and seams may cause them great discomfort.

Often children with Tactile Defensiveness or touch hypersensitivity will avoid, become fearful of, or are irritated by:


The wind blowing on bare skin
Light touch
Vibrating toys
Barefoot touching of carpet, sand and/or grass
Clothing textures
Tags and seams on clothing
Touching of "messy" things
Changes in temperature

On the other side of the spectrum is a child with Tactile Undersensitivity or "Hyposensitivity".   A tactile undersensitive child need a lot of input to get the touch information he or she needs.  They will often seek out tactile input on their own in sometimes unsafe ways.

A child who is undersensitive to touch may have these difficulties:



Emotional and social  - Craves touch to the extent that friends, family, and even strangers become annoyed and upset.  This could be the baby who constantly needs to be held, or the toddler who is clingy, craving continual physical contact.

Sensory exploration - Makes excessive physical contact with people and objects. Touching other children too forcefully or inappropriately (such as biting or hitting).

Motor - To get more tactile sensory information, he may need to use more of his skin surface to feel he's made contact with an object.

Grooming and dressing - May choose clothing that is, in your opinion, unacceptably tight or loose. He may brush his teeth so hard that he injures his gums.

If you child shows signs of Tactile Defensiveness or Undersensitivity, it's important to get a proper screening by an Occupational Therapist, pediatrician or other licensed professional.  This sensory assessment will help you in seeking out the proper course of treatment and therapy.




Visit [http://www.SensorySmartKid.com] for more information and support regarding Sensory Integration, PDD and other Autism Spectrum Disorders.





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