As parents get ready to send kids back to school, Dr. Michael Morrier, Assistant Director of the Emory Autism Center, offers suggestions for helping autistic children succeed in school, academically and socially.

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Take a minute and watch this adorable baby carry on a conversation…

Speech Development in Babies

Now, you may be wondering do all babies talk this much.  The answer is NO!

Science has found a significant correlation between fetal testosterone levels and vocabulary, suggesting that fetal testosterone might be involved in shaping the neural mechanisms underlying communicative development. (continue reading…)

This video is a must-see for parents of autistic children. Dr. Temple Grandin was diagnosed Autistic in 1950 and is currently an animal science professor at Colorado State University. In this video from the University of California MIND Institute lecture series, Dr. Grandin discusses what being autistic is like, and the different experiences people on the autism spectrum may have.  The lecture includes  strategies for helping autistic children and adults function, and how to teach children in ways that can help them overcome the challenges of autism.

In recounting her own experiences being taught, Dr. Grandin touches on a social shift in American culture that may have been detrimental to children on the autism spectrum. When she was growing up, social skills, etiquette and manners–the areas of social interactions that people on the autism spectrum often have difficulty with–were explicitly taught, and entertainment required interpersonal interaction with other children.

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Hearing a diagnosis of Autism for their child can be very upsetting to parents. The guidelines issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics confirm that diagnosing a child’s autism and getting appropriate therapy early is easier on the child. Parents, family members, primary caregivers, pediatricians and other health care providers have intimate knowledge of a child’s development and can identify the first signs of emerging problems during the child’s development.

Earlier the identification is better for diagnosis. Parents can play a great role in initiating the process of helping their child learn to relate, communicate and think while the professional are screening and performing comprehensive evaluations. The start of educational and therapeutic programs may take some time. In the meantime, parents can take initial steps. Children benefit most by getting help in an early stages when their nervous system is growing most rapidly. Early diagnosis and treatment for autism can prove to be very effective in avoiding developmental delays. (continue reading…)

Autistic children will be hanging 10 at beaches up and down both coasts this summer with the help of volunteers from Surfers Healing. Founded by former world champion surfer Israel Paskowitz and his wife Danielle in 1999, the free program served about 2,500 autistic children last year in the United States and Puerto Rico.

Family Ties

Autism is personal to the Paskowitz family because their son Isaiah was diagnosed with the disorder at age 3. Isaiah, like many other autistic children, struggled to overcome feelings of distress from sensory overload. One day, Israel put his son on the front of his long board and the two cruised out into the ocean together. (continue reading…)

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Osteopathy is one of the more recognized and accepted therapies for many conditions, on the line between conventional medicine and complementary medicine. It was founded in America by Andrew Taylor Still in the mid 1870s, after he became unsatisfied with the orthodox medicine he was practicing. It came to Britain in the early 1900s. Much of the research was undertaken by William Garner Sutherland at the beginning of the 1900s.  Osteopathy involves the use of very gentle manipulation to correct any structural problems in the body. Generally, osteopaths are very well qualified and regulated. Some osteopaths also study cranial osteopathy which involves the movement of the fine bones in the skull which can be of particular relevance in those with autism and other neurological conditions. Cranial osteopathy is not generally used on its own, but as part of an all round osteopathic treatment.

I have found cranial osteopathy very helpful with my children. When babies are born the bones in the head move when they travel down the birth canal, normally they will move back into place, however sometimes this does not happen and can lead to all sorts of problems. Obviously the more difficult the birth the more likely that this will happen. (continue reading…)