Monday, October 31, 2011

Monday, October 24, 2011

60 Minutes with Temple Grandin

What can we say other than, "We love you Temple!" She knows how to address the difficult questions and does it with ease. My favorite part was when she talks about the two kinds of autism and would she want a "cure tomorrow". We are so excited to see her next week, in person!

More about her brain - http://www.cbs.com/primetime/60_minutes/video/?pid=RrJ_vYBCVQ8MVm8EXqyyBn_9SBAdasJW&vs=homepage&play=true

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

A Mothers Courage: Talking Back to Autism trailer



I watched this last year on cable and really enjoyed it. For more information about the film go to http://amotherscourage.org/

Job Interview Skills for People with Aspergers


From My Asperger Child.com


It is a well documented fact that "having poor social skills" is one of the challenges people with Aspergers deal with on a day-to-day basis. But this deficit is never as apparent and potentially awkward as during a job interview. Finding a job when dealing with Aspergers is one of the most difficult tasks an Aspie will ever attempt, and even though some are very successful, others struggle with their problems and fail to land jobs even though they are amply qualified.

One Aspie comments, “One of the most nervous things I have EVER done was my first job interview.” This would be true for most people – but especially those with Aspergers. Individuals with Aspergers may have even more problems with such conversations because they (a) have difficulty reading the body language of the interviewer and (b) find it hard to ‘read between the lines’ (i.e., to infer what qualities the interviewer is really looking for in a potential candidate for the job).

In this post, we will be looking at some important "job interview tips" for individuals with Aspergers: 


To Read the rest of this article click here.

Monday, October 17, 2011

It's Our Normal

I often hear the term "normal", that could mean so many things. Being the mother of six boys, four of them on the autism spectrum, makes our home life unique. Yes, our whole family works hard at improving our quality of life, and we have made huge leaps over the years.  But it is obvious Nero-typical or "normal" isn't always what happens here.
Earlier this week I was trying to relax after a rough night with our youngest - who has a difficult time staying asleep all night and often panicky when he wakes me up - the structure could wait a little while I recharged.


While relaxing I was listening to the sounds and watching the activity in our home. It was full of movie quotes, singing, and lots of activity - pacing, tip toe walking, and jumping. I was reminded of a realization I had a couple years ago. This is our "normal" other homes must be pretty boring.

Autistic Boy Scout earns 132 merit badges

From the Desert News Monday, Oct. 17, 2011
Nate Christensen is 17 years old. He plays the trumpet in his high school marching band and loves playing "Just Dance" on the family's Nintendo Wii. He took a good friend to the homecoming dance. He looks forward to graduating from high school. He completed 132 merit badges in the Boy Scouts of America scouting program. He also happens to be autistic.


http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705392563/Autistic-Boy-Scout-earns-132-merit-badges.html

Autism and Self injury: A World of Its Own

"The beautiful, blessed, but bizarre life of living with autism and acute, episodic self injurious behaviors Everyday is different. You don't always know when or if the behavior will emerge. You could be having a great day and then, suddenly, you're walking down the street and a car alarm goes off, and now, we're on the ground, trying to prevent fists from flying into his head...sometimes all you can do is grab his hands, comfort him and survive the moment...then press on." kgaccounts

A big hug for the both of them. What an awesome mom to dedicate so much for her son.

 

Vibration Tube Stops Mild Episode of Self Abuse in Autistic Person

Using a vibrating tube, one of the many therapy tools for those with autism. This young man is able to stop self injurious behavior, "70-75% the time" says his mother.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Autism Statistics in South Korea


Reported on May 9, 2011, 2.64 % of children (one in 38) have some form of autism in Seoul, South Korean. 

The six year study searched for 7 to 12 year-old children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among 55,000 children in a community outside Seoul, South Korea. 
Largely funded by Autism Speaks, the study was led by Young Shin Kim, MD, PhD, MPH, of Yale University.
The estimate is far higher than CDC's estimate of one in 110 children, as the study found many school kids have mild, undiagnosed autism.
Here is more information in three other articles

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/05/09/autism.study/index.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/09/health/research/09autism.html

http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/news/20110509/study-autism-may-be-more-common-than-thought

Monday, October 3, 2011

Device to Locate People Who Wander


This device locates mentally impaired people who wander away. The Layton City Police have 10 to use, but you can buy your own.

By Ruth Malan

Standard-Examiner correspondent

Thu, 09/29/2011 - 11:42pm


read more at . . .
http://m.standard.net/stories/2011/09/29/device-locates-mentally-impaired-people-who-wander-away