5 Steps To Getting Started With Play Therapy | Friendship Circle -- Special Needs Blog

5 Steps To Getting Started With Play Therapy | Friendship Circle -- Special Needs Blog

After going through the process of diagnosis for a child with special needs, many parents are overwhelmed by the cost of private therapy and treatment. Then there’s the difficulty of scheduling therapies, and for some children, the trauma of separation from the parent during therapy.

What if there was a therapy that could be done at home for free? What if there was a therapy that strengthens the bond between parent and child while also encouraging the child’s emerging independence? What if there was a type of therapy broad enough to assist with all types of special needs, but flexible enough to be tailored to a child’s specific goals in physical or occupational therapy, speech or social skills, sensory integration or emotional regulation? It would be perfect if such a therapy was also demonstrated to be effective in decades of scientific studies, right?

Well, you’re in luck. With these five steps you can get started on play therapy today.

1. Time Management
The funny thing about play therapy is that it requires the caregiver to change his or her own behavior before any changes are observed in the child. The first step is to create pockets of time throughout the day — 10 minutes at first, but eventually up to 30 minutes — with no distractions: no telephones or televisions, no errands or chores. Everything will have to to wait for 10 minutes so that you can prove to your child that your attention is undivided. My disabled son is 10 years old, and the one “reward” that he has always requested is time with a family member. He knows intuitively how valuable that time is.

2. Non-Verbal Communication
The next change is to stop talking.

Read more at http://blog.friendshipcircle.org/2011/04/14/5-steps-to-getting-started-with-play-therapy/

ZUMBA & Autism

YouTube - ZUMBA & Autism. Must Watch!

5-Minute Screen for Signs of Autism Works in 1-Year-Olds

5-Minute Screen for Signs of Autism Works in 1-Year-Olds

A simple checklist completed by parents can help doctors screen for signs of autism as early as the child’s first birthday, according to new research.

''I am hoping it will become the standard of care," researcher Karen Pierce, PhD, an assistant professor of neuroscience at the University of San Diego School of Medicine, tells WebMD.

She recently tested the screen, asking 137 pediatricians throughout San Diego County to take part. At the 12-month well baby visit, the doctors asked the parents to answer the 24-item checklist. The questions ask about their child's emotions, eye gaze, communication, gestures, and other behaviors.

The screen found suspected autism, autism spectrum disorder, language delays, or other developmental problems about 75% of the time, Pierce says.

"One of every four times, it will be wrong," she says. "The price to pay for that is actually very tiny" compared to the benefit of early intervention.

Autism Jabberwocky: Melatonin for Sleep Issues in Autism

Autism Jabberwocky: Melatonin for Sleep Issues in Autism

Melatonin for Sleep Issues in Autism

A recent meta-review has found that melatonin is a safe and effective treatment for sleep disturbances in autism. While this finding should not come as a surprise to anyone, it is good that researchers continue to publish on subjects that can improve the quality of life for children with autism and their families.

The key findings here are similar to those in other studies. Melatonin can help children with autism fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. It has minimal side effects and is well tolerated by most children.

However, while melatonin can help with some children, it is not going to work for all children. And melatonin does not seem to help if the problem is that your child wakes up during the night.

Or in simple terms, it can help your child fall asleep but it isn't a cure-all for the sleeping problems associated with autism.

The abstract really gives all of the relevant details, so here it is.

Melatonin Dysfunction and Autism

Treatment of Melatonin Dysfunction in Children With Autism Shows Improvement in Sleep... -- MELBOURNE, Fla., April 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

MELBOURNE, Fla., April 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The current prevalence of autism spectrum disorder is alarmingly high. Although there is no cure for autism, it is possible to manage and treat the comorbid medical conditions associated with autism. One of these conditions, sleeping disturbance, can be challenging to treat. A new study published in Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology by Dr. Daniel Rossignol (International Child Development Resource Center, Melbourne, FL) and Dr. Richard Frye (University of Texas), sheds some light on sleep problems in children with autism and treatment of this problem.

These investigators found that, in general, children with autism had abnormally low levels of the hormone melatonin, a hormone that is necessary for the regulation and maintenance of sleep. The review points out that although investigators have identified some children with autism with genetic problems in producing melatonin, the number of children with this problem was very low. Importantly, the investigators identified 18 studies of melatonin treatment in autism, with 5 studies comparing melatonin to a placebo, and found that melatonin improved several aspects of sleep in the placebo-controlled studies. Specifically, melatonin significantly increased sleep duration by an average of 73 minutes compared to baseline and lowered the amount of time it took for the children to fall asleep by 66 minutes compared to baseline. Melatonin was well tolerated by most children and side effects were minimal.

One intriguing finding of the review was that some studies reported better daytime behavior in some children with autism when they took melatonin at night. "This was not surprising," states Dr. Rossignol, "when children sleep better at night, their behavior is usually better in the daytime. These findings are important because something as simple as a nutritional supplement could greatly improve both the lives of the children and their parents." Dr. Frye adds, "Our article provides evidence for dysfunction for an important metabolic pathway in autism spectrum disorder, the melatonin pathway, and further demonstrates that appropriate treatment to correct dysfunction of this pathway can be helpful to improving sleep and daytime behavior in children with autism. Hopefully, further studies can identify defects in pathways that can be easily corrected just like the melatonin pathway."

SOURCE Dr. Daniel Rossignol

http://www.danrossignolmd.com/

Treatment-Resistant Epilepsy and Autism

Treatment-Resistant Epilepsy Linked to Autism

Epilepsy that is difficult to treat may be more common in those with autism than previously believed, new research suggests.

"In general, we knew prior to this study that people with autism have significantly elevated rates of epilepsy," says researcher Orrin Devinsky, MD, professor of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine. Devinsky is also director of the NYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.

In his new research, he found that epilepsy in autism is often treatment-resistant. ''Among those with autism who have epilepsy, in many cases it is difficult to control with medication,'' he says. In the small study, about 55% of those with sufficient data available had treatment-resistant epilepsy, he tells WebMD.

The research is published online in the journal Epilepsia.

It follows research published last week in the Journal of Child Neurology finding those with both autism and epilepsy have a higher death rate than those with autism alone.

Autism spectrum disorders, a group of developmental disabilities, affect about one in 110 U.S. children, according to the CDC. Epilepsy, a brain disorder involving spontaneous seizures, affects about 3 million Americans, according to the Epilepsy Foundation.

reviews | Special Needs Kids Go Pharm-Free

reviews | Special Needs Kids Go Pharm-Free

Library Journal recommends it, and mom bloggers are loving Special Needs Kids Go Pharm-Free. See why with their reviews below. Click to listen to an author interview with It’s Your Health Network.

Sandra Frank, Ed D, RD, LDN says author and dietitian Judy Converse’s work “…is very much needed and ground breaking in the field of dietetics.” See why Special Needs Kids Go Pharm Free and Special Needs Kids Eat Right topped Dr. Frank’s Dietitian’s On Line blog on World Autism Awareness Day for 2011.

Food Sensitivity Journal: “If I were master of the universe, I would make sure every pediatrician and every new parent has access to this book.”

On autism therapy, opinions differ - SentinelSource.com: Parenting

On autism therapy, opinions differ - SentinelSource.com: Parenting

Scientists Discover "Thunder" Protein -May potentially result in new treatments for autism

Scientists Discover "Thunder" Protein That Regulates Memory Formation

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered in mice a molecular wrecking ball that powers the demolition phase of a cycle that occurs at synapses those specialized connections between nerve cells in the brain and whose activity appears critical for both limiting and enhancing learning and memory.

The newly revealed protein, which the researchers named thorase after Thor, the Norse god of thunder, belongs to a large family of enzymes that energize not only neurological construction jobs but also deconstruction projects. The discovery is described in the April 15 issue of Cell.

"Thorase is vital for keeping in balance the molecular construction-deconstruction cycle we believe is required for memory formation," explains Valina Dawson, professor of neurology and neuroscience in the Johns Hopkins Institute of Cell Engineering. "It's a highly druggable target, which, depending on whether you enhance or inactivate it, may potentially result in new treatments for autism, PTSD, and memory dysfunction."