The Seattle Children’s Hospital is offering free classes to the families of children who are diagnosed with autism. These classes are open to the general public and no advanced registration is required. These classes are also available through the Seattle Children’s video and teleconferencing outreach program and can be viewed at various locations.

Below are the free classes being offered this year –

Autism 101

Thursday, Apr. 25, 2013
7 to 8:30 p.m.
Presenters: Amy Bohlander, PhD, and Lindsey Miller, ARNP

Thursday, Jul. 25, 2013
7 to 8:30 p.m.
Presenters: Karen Burner, PhD, and Karen Sporn, ARNP

Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013
7 to 8:30 p.m.
Presenters: Rosalind Oti, PhD, and David Eaton, ARNP

Autism 200 Series

Autism 205: Legal Planning for Individuals with Disabilities: Guardianship, Public Benefits and Estate Planning
Thursday, May 16, 2013
7 to 8:30 p.m.
Instructors: Joshua L. Brothers, JD, and Christopher Henderson, JD

This lecture will include topics on legal guardianship and power of attorney, public benefits that are available and estate planning, trusts and wills for individuals with disabilities.

Autism 206: Anxiety
Thursday, Jun. 20, 2013
7 to 8:30 p.m.
Instructor: Felice Orlich, PhD

This lecture will explore the issues associated with anxiety as observed in children with autism. This lecture will discuss how to identify the signs of anxiety as well as the strategies that you can do to help support your child.

Autism 207: The Transition to Adulthood
Thursday, Jul. 18, 2013
7 to 8:30 p.m.
Instructor: Gary Stobbe, MD

This lecture will be very beneficial to parents whose child is approaching adulthood as it will discuss the common issues and obstacles that families face as their child transitions from being a child to being an adult. The focus of this lecture will be on children aged 16 and above.

Autism 208: Social Communication
Thursday, Aug. 15, 2013
7 to 8:30 p.m.
Instructor: Jim Mancini, MS, CCC-SLP

This lecture will focus on the early social communication abilities such as engagement, joint attention, nonverbal communication abilities and early reciprocal conversational abilities. A model of social communication will be presented and strategies to facilitate development of social communication will be discussed.

Autism 209: Relationships, Puberty and Sexual Health
Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013
7 to 8:30 p.m.
Instructors: Karen Toth, PhD, and Katrina Davis, BA

This lecture will discuss the common issues surrounding puberty and sexuality as well as sexual health and hygiene. Parents will be given an insight into how these issues should be addressed.

Autism 210: Highway to Hell or Stairway to Heaven? – Parenting a Child with Autism
Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013
7 to 8:30 p.m.
Instructor: Greg Schell, MEd, Director, Fathers Network

This lecture will discuss the issues and challenges that the parents of autistic children experience. Lessons learned from other parents with special needs will be discussed as well. A discussion of “resilience” which is deemed to be a powerful tool will also be discussed.

Autism 211: Panel Discussion – Developing and Advocating for Services in Local Communities
Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013
7 to 8:30 p.m.
Facilitator: Amy Carlsen, RN, LEND Parent Professional Partnership Leader

This lecture will focus on the Community Asset Mapping project in which rural communities have developed organizations to be able to provide better services to the children diagnosed with autism. Personal stories and insights on the successes and challenges of this project will be discussed.

For more information regarding these free classes, please contact the Seattle Children’s Hospital at (206) 987-8080.

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Having an autistic child who does not want to be touched or hugged can be very frustrating to a parent. There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to hold your own child. Some parents who are faced with this challenge often resort to waiting until their child has fallen asleep before they actually hold him.

Children who do not want to be touched or held often have Sensory Integration Disorder which makes the child oversensitive to touch. Due to this, your child will avoid physical contact not just from you but from everyone else because he does not like the overwhelming sensation he feels when he is held or touched.

When this happens, do not take it personally. Many people are quick to think that their child’s avoidance means that their child does not like them. This is simply not true. Your child is not avoiding you. But rather, he is avoiding the overwhelming feeling that he feels whenever he is touched. Keep in mind that your child’s avoidance is not a reflection of your parenting style nor is it a reflection of your child’s feeling towards you.

With that thought in mind, it is best that you do not force the issue. Do not get mad when he does not want to hug you nor should you make him feel bad for not wanting to be touched. Do understand that this does not have anything to do with you.

While all this may seem frustrating and challenging, always remember that all hope is not lost. As long as you are patient and are willing to explore and discover ways to connect with your child, there will always be hope that you can one day be able to engage in some sort of physical contact no matter how brief and small it may seem like.

When trying to connect with your child, always remember to observe and follow your child’s signals. Do not over impose yourself on him and do not get in his way. You do not want to intrude nor to disturb him. What you want to do is to slowly and carefully enter his world until such time that your child has made the association that you are part of the activity that he is doing. Just be patient and continuously explore ways by which you can be physically closer to your child. It will take a lot of time but you will eventually get there.

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Prepare your child for the path not the path for your child, and he will find his way. ~ Unknown, Native American

I don’t hate anything or anyone quite the way I hate math.  As a teenager, algebra was the bane of my existence.  While sitting through math class was rough enough, algebra homework was pure unmitigated torture.  My homework fantasy involved my parents breezily hunched together over the kitchen table doing my algebra for me.  That fantasy never came true.  But what my parents did do was tell me I was smart enough to figure it out.  Eventually, painfully, I did manage to learn enough to pass my tests and move onto college where all things math became a distant nightmare of youth.

I was reminded of this when a few weeks back two friends of mine got into an ethical dispute.  Friend Number One wrote a thank you card for her son.  The recipient of the card (Friend Number Two) was disappointed that Friend Number One wrote the thank you card for her son because, she maintains, the son who is sixteen, is capable of writing his own thank you card. Two knows One’s son is autistic, but she also knows he is able to write, he is able to speak, and he is able to enjoy gifts.

In sharing this story, another friend shook her head with a sad memory of her own. She took painting classes as a youngster. One day she arrived early and saw the teacher retouching another child’s painting.  Caught, the teacher explained she was ‘cleaning up’ the canvas, but the damage was done. While her parents proudly hung her paintings, my friend was haunted by the belief that the paintings were not truly hers.  She did go on to an art college, but dropped out after a year, never quite believing she was as talented as the other students.

Then she told me of a distant relative who would finish her son’s homework when he’d give up and collapse in frustration. After a while, her son’s teacher sent home a polite note asking the mother to refrain from proving what her son did (or did not) learn in school.

When I was an art educator at the LA County Museum of Art, a few parents would take the brushes out of their children’s hands to fill in their children’s ‘sky’ because they wanted the project to look ‘finished’.  I wish I could forget the disappointed and confused faces of these children, who had been enjoying the process of creating, until they were interrupted, or ‘completed’ by their parents.  What will the future path be like for these children? Will they wait for their parents to show them the right way or will they expect their parents to finish the journey for them?

Is the mother simply helping her autistic son by writing his thank you cards, or is she denying him the pleasure of crafting into words his gratitude for being remembered, thought of and loved? And if thank you card writing is just a chore, especially for a child, isn’t that the lesson? Of course, we all know it’s much faster and easier to just do the thank you notes ourselves, and not have to cajole, bargain or beg our children to do it themselves. But what are we teaching them by doing it for them?  Doing chores builds character, discipline, responsibility, stability and order. Do we patiently, and endlessly teach our children how to exhibit good manners (in their own inimitable fashion) or do we exhibit the good manners for them? And if we do for them, aren’t we only robbing them of the ability to do for themselves- even the stuff that no one really wants to do?

If we feel compelled to ‘finish’ our child’s work, we interfere with their ability to deal with challenge, frustration, and failure. If a child works on his/her own level and is permitted to learn and/or ‘fail’, their self-esteem is actually sturdier than a child who is ‘protected’ from struggle, from trial and error and the meaning of loss. If we can’t let our child experience loss, how will they ever know how to enjoy what it feels like to honestly win?

Is it our job to push our children to participate in this world or is it our job to protect them from the world? Do we strive to find a balance between protecting and preparation?  Do we do our loved ones a service by making the way smooth and safe for them, or does that only serve to make them need us more and rely on their own abilities less?

My older brother Phillip is severely autistic. He cannot speak.  Phillip will always need help with many aspects of his life, like shaving himself. Yet, he has his assigned daily chores at the group home where he lives in North Hills, California, which is administered by New Horizons, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping adults with developmental disabilities.  The pride he takes in accomplishing his chores is something I would never want to take away from him.

As tempting as it is, I endeavor to not speak for him, but I know Phillip has developed a strong sense of self in his needlepointing.   He doesn’t need words to express his palpable sense of accomplishment in creating his needlepoints.  I design the needlepoint patterns for him and sometimes I make the designs fairly complicated. He never hesitates to take up the creative challenge.  I like to think our collaborations in yarn, needle and canvas are how we communicate our love and need for each other.

Despite how proud I might sound, his needlepoints are beautiful and many people collect them, frame them and display my brother’s work on their walls. People who don’t even know Phillip have purchased them! Phillip loves seeing his framed needlepoints in other people’s homes.  I can only imagine what he must feel when he sees his creations living in the world for everyone to enjoy.  I wonder if he feels like he exists because he can look at and point to the proof of it.

The world does seem to be becoming an increasingly frightening place, if our only source of information about the world is the news that spills into our emails, on our radios and TVs at the speed of light.  The instinct to protect is an honorable one, and as it is instinct, it is automatic to want to spare our children pain, rejection and failure.   But if we cannot allow them to experience pain rejection and failure, as well as unfairness and cruelty, we deny them the ability to become resilient and strong in the face of these facts of daily living.

In the glory of grown up hindsight, I respect my parents immensely for letting me struggle, suffer and learn not only math but also how to cope with scary subjects on my own. My artist friend with the teacher who repainted her pupils’ work was less fortunate. She took the teacher’s weakness as evidence of her own lack of talent.  I wonder sadly what would she had been able to accomplish if her teacher had let her learn and fail and grow. In giving our children their own adventure-filled journey, we are giving them the tools to make not only their life, but the lives of others, richer, braver, fuller and riddled with life’s perfect imperfections.

Lena Rivkin, M.F.A., is an artist and graphologist living in Los Angeles.

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To celebrate World Autism Awareness Day, iconic landmarks around the world were lit blue last April 2nd and will remain lit for the rest of April. This movement called Light It Up Blue aims to shine a light on autism by making people aware of what autism is and how it affects the people who are diagnosed with autism as well as their families.

Light It Up Blue is a global movement which kicks off the Autism Awareness Month. This year, over 7000 buildings, landmarks, hotels, bridges and museums all over the world were lit blue. Some of the famous landmarks which participated this year include –

• Empire State Building, USA
• The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
• CN Tower, Canada
• The Great Pyramids, Egypt
• Sydney Opera House, Australia
• Paris Stock Exchange, France
• Christ the Redeemer, Brazil
• The Torch, Qatar
• Burj Al Arab, Dubai UAE
• Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Japan
• Arcul de Triumf, Romania
• LOISIUM Cube, Austria
• Buddha Statue, Hyderabad, India
• World Trade Center, Mexico
• Mall of Asia, Philippines

You can view the photos of these landmarks on this link.

If you would like to participate in the Light It Up Blue movement, you can still do so. Here are some ideas on how you can Light It Up Blue -

Light up your house

You can purchase blue light bulbs and install them in your porch or garage. Home Deport sells blue light bulbs and Walmart sells blue CFL bulbs. If you would like to use lanterns instead, you can purchase blue LED lanterns at Coleman.com.

Install the Light It Up Blue logo

If you have a blog, website, Facebook or Twitter account, you can embed the Light It Up Blue logo or banner on your site. You can even spread awareness by using the Light It Up logo as your profile photo. This way, it can be easily seen by the people in your social media network.

Have a Blue Day at Work or at School

Wear blue at work or at school and encourage others to do the same. Let them know what the Light It Up Blue campaign is about and encourage them to support this global movement.

Other Ways You Can Participate

You can also download the Light It Up Blue app on your smart phone. This app allows you to take photos and to light these photos blue with a festive picture frame. You can also check out the Light It Up Merchandise and see if you can help by supporting their products.

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Looking for someone to take care of your child with autism while you are at work is often a very challenging task. It is something that takes a lot of time and effort and something that cannot be taken lightly. After all, you do not want to leave your child with just anyone. You want to be able to find the best care for your child.

Aside from the Group Daycare, another option that you may want to consider is the Home Based Daycare. Home Based Daycare is a good option for children who are not comfortable with a large group of people as the number of children in a Home Based Daycare is significantly lesser than those in a Group Daycare. This will allow your child to be able to interact with others without the stress of having to deal with a lot of different people.

Another advantage in having a small group of children is that your child can be assured of a more personalized attention from the daycare provider. As there are lesser children to attend to, the daycare provider will have sufficient time to deal with the individual needs of the children.

The one thing that you need to remember when considering a Home Based Daycare is to check the qualification of the provider. It is not enough that the provider has years of experience with children. Caring for typical children is not the same as caring for a child with autism. You need to verify and confirm that the provider has adequate experience when it comes to children with autism as children with autism have different needs than those of typical children. You want to be sure that your child’s needs will be met accordingly and you want to be sure that the provider will know how to handle your child. Further, you need to remember that the teaching methods used for typical children are often not as effective when used with autistic children.

It is often advised to bring your child with you when you visit the daycare you are considering. This way, you can get a sense of how your child will respond to the environment of the daycare. Does he respond positively? Is he excited about being there? If you can, try to have an unplanned visit to the daycare so you are able to have a candid evaluation of how the daycare operates. It is also a good idea to ask for references and to speak with the parents of the other children who go to the daycare you are evaluating.

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A recent government survey indicates that 1 in every 50 children are affected by autism. While the past number was 1 in 88 and many still sticking with it, there is a clear sign that the numbers are going to continue to grow! With this high ratio amount, the chances of knowing someone who is affected with Autism becomes greater. This is why it is very important that the general public is made aware of what autism is.

It is in this regard that April has been declared the National Autism Awareness Month and April 2 is declared as the World Autism Day. The goal of the National Autism Awareness Month and the World Autism Day is to educate the public on what autism is and how it affects someone who has been diagnosed with autism. The more people know about autism, the more understanding and supporting they will be towards the people who are diagnosed with autism.

Get a copy of our current Autism Statistics – Download Now

The first ever National Autism Awareness Month was first celebrated in April 1970. Since then, more and more people have joined in and have showed their support in various ways. One of the easiest way to show your support is by wearing the Autism Awareness Puzzle ribbon. The Autism Aware Puzzle ribbon comes in various forms so you are able to showcase it in a manner that you are comfortable with. You can pin it on your clothes, you can stick it on your car or locker or you can even post it on your blog.

The meaning behind the various components of the Autism Awareness Ribbon is described by the Autism Society as follows:

The puzzle pattern reflects the mystery and complexity of the autism spectrum. The different colors and shapes represent the diversity of the people and families living with the condition. The brightness of the ribbon signals hope—hope that through increased awareness of autism, and through early intervention and appropriate treatments, people with autism will lead fuller, more complete lives.

World Autism Awareness Day April 2, 2013

If you are looking for a more active involvement during this National Autism Awareness Month, you can check out the local listings in your area and see how you can help. There are many communities who hold special events during this month and they all welcome any assistance that is offered to them, whether it be through volunteering or through a donation. The more people get involved and work to spread the awareness, the more successful the community will be in supporting the people who are diagnosed with autism.

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Finding a daycare for your autistic child can sometimes be challenging. It is important to do your research to make sure that the daycare you are going to select will be the right fit for your child. It is important that the daycare staff is knowledgeable and experienced in handling children who are diagnosed with autism.

There are two daycare options available – Group Daycare and Home Based Daycare. Parents who choose the Group Daycare option like the fact that the group daycare setting helps the child prepare for when he goes to school. The group daycare provides an avenue for the child to learn how to transition from a home environment to a more structured setting.

Keep in mind that children with autism often find it challenging to transition from one environment to another. In fact, there are times when even the most basic skill that your child has already mastered becomes a problem during the transition. To some extent, it may even appear as if your child has regressed in a few areas. The stress of being in a new environment can sometimes cause this. Having the support of the daycare staff is important and necessary to ensure that the transition goes well.

Another advantage of group daycare is that it provides your child enough opportunities to hone his social skills. As children with autism struggle with social skills, exposing them to an environment which will allow him to learn and practice this skill will be very beneficial.

If you feel that your child requires a lot of support and supervision in learning social skills, it will be to your child’s advantage to select a group daycare where the class size is small and the teacher to student ratio is low. A small class size is often the best environment as it allows your child to learn his social skills without the added pressure of having to deal with an overwhelming number of people.

When selecting a Group Daycare for your child, it is advised that you take the time to visit the daycare personally. Do not rely on word of mouth alone. Keep in mind that not all children have the same needs. What works for one child may not necessarily work for your child. It is important that the daycare you select is one where your child can thrive. Always ask a lot of questions and check for references before committing your child.

Next: Home Based Daycare

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced that 1 out of every 50 school children have autism. This is quite a jump from the previous government estimate which indicates that 1 in every 88 school children have autism.

The study was conducted through a survey and the increase is from parent diagnosed cases. This does not mean there is a rise in Autism diagnoses. The new addition are non medically confirmed diagnoses and bringing controversy.

Where Did The New Data Come From?

The new data is based on a nationwide government phone survey conducted in 2011 to 2012 where 95,000 parents were called and asked to participate in a survey on children’s health.

One limitation of the study is the fact that only less than a quarter of the parents who were phoned agreed to answer the survey questions. The researchers are also not discounting the possibility that parents with autistic children were more likely to participate in a survey on children’s health than parents whose children were not affected by autism. This possibility could be a factor which affected the increased statistics.

View The CDC Complete Report Here

How Is The New Survey Different From The Previous Survey Conducted?

The previous study which estimated that 1 in every 88 school children are diagnosed with autism is viewed by many as more thorough compared to the recent government survey. This is because the previous study looked at medical and school records which are more accurate instead of just relying on a phone conversation with parents.

But like any other research study, the previous survey also came with limitations. For one, the scope of the survey was limited. It was not conducted nationwide and in fact, only focused on selected 14 states. It also only focused on eight year old children, possibly because most doctors and experts believe that diagnoses are made in children by age 8. Furthermore, the data were taken five years ago, in 2008.

What Does The Increase In Statistics Mean?

According to health officials, the increase in statistics does not necessarily mean that autism is occurring more often. However, it could imply that doctors are diagnosing autism more often. Keep in mind that in the past, only children with severe language, unusual repetitive behaviors and intellectual and social impairments were diagnosed to have autism. However, we now know that autism is a spectrum and ranges from mild to severe.

What Is The Significance Of This Study?

The new statistics paint a general picture of how many families are affected by autism. Statistics are important as it affects the way that government officials plan how they spend the limited public health funds. Government officials always look at how many people are affected by each illness or disorder and make their decision based on current statistics.

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When teaching your child to read, keep in mind that every child is different. What works for another child may not work for your child. What you need to do is to focus on your child’s interest, strengths and weaknesses. What does he like? What helps him focus? What will encourage him to read? What will prevent him from wanting to read? Focus on these things to find the right approach for your child. 

Below are some tips to help you teach your child to read -

1. Provide a Conducive Learning Environment

When reading to your child, it is always a good idea to find a place which is free of any distractions, whether visual or auditory. Choose a room that is quiet and does not contain any visual distractions such as posters, paintings, toys, etc. You want your child to be able to focus on the book you are reading. You do not want him to be overstimulated by the sights he sees and the sounds he hears.

If you feel that your child is already craving for some sensory stimulation, you can take a short break and engage him in some sensory activities. You can go back to reading after his senses have been stimulated. In most cases, you will find that the short breaks in between the reading exercises will help him focus more during reading time.

2. Capitalize on Your Child’s Interest

Every child has a special interest. Using the child’s special interest can help capture your child’s attention and encourage him to read with you. If your child is interested in trains, it is a good idea to select books that focus on trains.

3. Select Appropriate Reading Materials

When choosing reading materials for your child, you need to take your child’s learning style into consideration. You need to keep in mind that not all children are the same. While majority of children with autism are visual, there are also some children with autism who find visual learning very challenging. For some children, auditory or kinesthetic teaching methods work best. Understand your child’s learning style and use this to your advantage.

4. Use Technology

Studies have shown that children with autism do well when using computer programs that teaches them how to read. Due to this, more and more parents and teachers are using technology to assist them in teaching children with autism to read. Some of the programs you can use are Kidspiration, Computhera, Click N’ Read Phonics.

5. Reward Your Child

Positive feedback and timely rewards go a long way when it comes to encouraging your child to read. Simple prodding such as saying “good job” or showing non-verbal gestures that indicate he is doing well will entice your child to continue reading.

When rewarding your child, do not limit yourself to presents. Rewarding your child for reading a book does not have to be expensive. You can reward your child by letting him choose the next book or by giving him more play time.

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Developing your autistic child’s gross motor skills is important as it can hinder his daily movements when it is not developed properly. For some children on the autism spectrum, movement activities may even be a source of stress.

Below are some activities that you can do with your child to develop his gross motor skills.

Young Boy With Autism Practices Balancing To Improve Gross Motor Skills

1. Balancing Exercises

A good sense of balance is important in a lot of tasks involving gross motor skills and a lot of children on the autism spectrum have difficulty in this area.

To see how well your child can maintain his balance, ask your child to stand motionless with his eyes closed. Once he is able to maintain his balance, you can then progress to having your child walk on a line and then a beam if available.

You can also have him play on other balancing toys such as the Rocking See Saw to help him improve his balance.

2. Playing with a Ball

If it is the first time that your child will be playing with a ball, it is always a good idea to start simple. You can start by rolling a ball towards your child and asking him to roll it back to you. Doing this will help develop his eye tracking skills. It will also develop his motor planning skills as he follows the movement of the ball.

You can move on to more complicated activities as he gets more familiar playing with the ball. You can play catch or bounce the ball. You can also slowly start to introduce ball sports when you feel he is ready.

3. Engaging in Pretend Play

Pretend play is a very fun activity which allows your child to develop his gross motor skills while developing his imagination as well. You can hop like a bunny, fly like an airplane, swim like a fish or gallop like a horse. There is no limit to the things that you and your child can do.

4. Dancing

Dancing is one of the activities that children usually enjoy the most. Parents and therapists both have used dancing as an effective way to encourage imitation and to teach children some everyday living skills.

5. Marching

This is a simple activity that you can do with your child. Have him stand beside you and ask him to follow your foot movements. Start by marching in place and let him focus on the rhythm.

When your child has learned to march in place, encourage him to take steps and march around the room. You can also teach him the accompanying arm movements as he gets more comfortable marching around.

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