The Psychiatrist and Your Child With Autism Spectrum Disorders

If you have a child with an intellectual disability such as Autism, Aspergers Syndrome, or Pervasive Development Disorder then chances are you have a psychiatrist in your life. They are responsible for putting mood altering substances into your child. Often times this is very necessary, and is done for good reason. The problem that occurs is that often times the psychiatrist is making their determination based on ten to fifteen minutes of face time. With fewer and fewer providers accepting Medicaid, it is just a fact of life that they are stretched so thin. They are the experts when it comes to pharmacology, but you are the expert when it comes to your child.

Here are a few things to remember when you are going to see the psychiatrist. The first thing that is inevitably going to happen is that they are going to talk to you rather than your child. They may talk briefly to your child, but 90% of their determination of treatment will come from what you have to say. You should be prepared for this ahead of time. Write down your concerns. Possibly in short bullet points and give it to the doctor when you walk into their office. You want these issues thought out ahead of time for two reasons. The first is that you want plenty of time to think about these before you get into the office. You don't want to say "Oh he seems agitated lately", only to think about it later and realize he hasn't been sleeping well. He could be agitated because he hasn't been sleeping. The doctor may prescribe a med to control the agitation, that doesn't address the sleeping. You want the time to think thing through. The second reason is that you want all of your concerns addressed. If you hand the doctor a short concise bullet pointed note, then you have a much better chance of succeeding in this. Don't make it long and drawn out. Remember the psychiatrist is well intentioned and wants the best for your child, but is limited on time.

The last thing you should do before you leave the psychiatrist's office is ask them how they would prefer you communicate with them in between visits. I have found that a lot of doctors would appreciate a short email from time to time. Emphasis on the word short. The psychiatrist is a part of your child's team, but they are often the outsider. Find out from them how, and how much they would like to be informed on your child.

These tips will take you a long way when it comes to your visits with the psychiatrist. Everyone wants whats best for your child, you just have to assert a little. To ensure that your child gets the best care possible.

More information and resources about Autism Spectrum Disorders can be found at my website http://www.autismspectrumresources.blogspot.com/.

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5 Practical Uses for Errorless Teaching Strategies

1) The first time a piece of music is played.

As a musician, I was taught that it is extremely important to play a new piece of music very slowly - which would allow me to avoid making mistakes. The idea being that if I made a certain error, for the first couple of times I practiced a piece, it has more of a chance to become engrained into my future performances. Of course, after the piece is sufficiently mastered at this pace, the tempo should be increased at an appropriate rate.

"The secret of success is 'Practice'... Practice slowly and critically - examine it."- Lloyd J Reynolds

2) When introducing complex concepts such as higher level Physics or advanced Chemistry.

Simple lab experiments or group activities involving a straightforward activity or task are a wonderful way to introduce more complex concepts. While dry-ice and semi-volatile chemistry experiments are usually good attention grabbers - they also offer an easily understandable (and executable) example of the concept being taught. Adding a group element to these teaching opportunities provides even more of an errorless nature - since three or four learners teaming-up are much less likely to miss an important step. The confidence resulting from the successful completion of these mini-experiments will hopefully lead to further explorations into the subject.

3) Practically anything mathematical.

This can also be said of most things which are sequential in nature - such as early language acquisition. Mathematics is an especially good example of the need for errorless teaching, since the understanding of each subsequent concept is dependent on knowledge of the previous. Consider how strange it would seem if an elementary school Mathematics teacher introducing long division by assigning several homework sheets on a topic she hadn't covered in class! The time spent guessing, practicing errors and getting frustrated would most likely impede the students' progress.

4) When a learner is anxious or has emotional challenges.

If a learner has underlying feelings of inadequacy or emotional and/or social challenges, errorless style teaching can go a long way to building their confidence. This is also true for typical students as well. If you consider the previous example of an early physics experiment being an example errorless teaching - only imagine that a particular student has wandered into a mid-level physics lab class by mistake. Without the basic understanding from previous classes he would be totally lost! And not only that, he would be the only one that was struggling! Incorporating errorless teaching early can allow these students to solidify the confidence to participate and reach out.

"A student is almost always motivated to practice if he leaves his lessons feeling capable". -Frances Clark

5) If repeated, typical teaching trials have failed.

Even though the previous situations are great examples of chances to use errorless teaching - this technique can be used in any teaching environment. If a learner is having a particularly hard time with a concept, continuing to challenge them may lead to overload or - at minimum - undue frustration on their part. In respect to the teacher, there is often times an unwillingness to relent when it comes to this scenario ("Wait, let's try it this way..."). At a certain point, teachers and parents need to recognize that the approach is not working and, perhaps a more errorless approach is required.

About the author: Mr. Jeffrey Young is the President and Founder of Innovative Piano, Inc.
Mr. Young has published over 17 books dealing with music and autism education. To learn more about the author and the program please visit

http://www.innovativepiano.com/
Innovative Piano, Inc.
Offering piano lessons for students with autism - Nationwide!
http://www.innovativepiano.com/The-Young-Method-Series.html

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Autism Has Been Cured

Or so the American Psychiatric Association says. The APA has a new diagnostic definition of Autism which will make the one in 110 epidemic go away. What will really happen is that the children with a higher functioning autism spectrum disorder will cease to get the help they need.

Statistics prove that early diagnosis and early intervention is key. Without the diagnosis of PDD-NOS, PDD, Aspergers, and High Functioning Autism, that help will be nonexistent for a lot of families already struggling to make ends meet. Very few insurances pay for the therapies these kids need in order to be functioning adults in society. The estimated costs for some of these therapies can be from $39,000 to $130,000. In Pennsylvania, some programs can be paid by the state with medical assistance. But, to qualify for the medical assistance, the child needs to be declared as disabled. This new definition will have these kids falling through the cracks.

Regardless of a diagnosis, children with autism-like symptoms need professional help. Teachers don't know how to get through to some of these kids to give them the help they need. Unless they are learning support teachers, they just are not taught how to deal with the behavior problems the students with autism spectrum disorders are plagued with, some times due to the stress of school.

On the other side of this debate, the new definition will weed out the children with autism-like behaviors brought on by abuse, neglect, and attention. Schools will not be allowed to make on the run diagnosis in hopes of more funding. There will be a stricter criteria that must be met for a true diagnosis.

Personally, as a mom with a teenager that has a diagnosis of PDD-NOS, this new criteria scares me. My son has a lot of behaviors that he has outgrown, but a lot that he still struggles with on a day to day basis. Without the special programs in the area, he wouldn't be doing as well as he is. But, the new diagnostic definition is a needed change because I, as a parent with a special needs child, see teachers and other adults that are not qualified to do so, make unprofessional opinions on children based solely on the child's behavior. Which is unfair to that child who has now been labeled by someone who is supposed to be advocating for all children. And that child will now be treated differently by the adults around him all because of one biased opinion based solely on behavior.

My hopes for this new development is that there will now be more money spent on therapies for the children and adults that truly need it.

Sherry Vulgamott has been married to her high school sweetheart for 24 years and together they have 3 great kids. In her spare time, Sherry enjoys being with her family and friends, reading, writing, camping, and taking care of her parrots. Sherry invites you to her blog: http://sherryvulgamott.wordpress.com/ and asks that you comment on her posts with any questions or statements you have.

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Accepting Autism to Become an Effective Advocate

Did you sense how your identity changed when you became a parent? At the moment of birth or adoption, our lives are never the same because once a parent, always a parent.

Despite the fact that our self-identity shifted once Mother Nature inaugurated us as mom or dad, this new role is not necessarily a fixed one because our children will always impact it.

As a mom or dad we may go from being a working parent to a stay at home parent (or vice versa), from a girl scout parent to a hockey mom, from an elated parent to a stressed parent and back again, but 'being a parent' will remain constant.

Some of the roles we take on as parents are chosen by us but there are times when roles are given to us that we may not like and can do nothing about. We cannot go to the store and exchange our position of night time soother when our infant is up all night with an ear infection for something else and we can't decide we don't want to be parents anymore.

If we are given the role of being a parent of a special needs child, a child with Autism, we can't refuse to take that role. We can kick and scream and pretend it is not happening, we can wallow in self-pity for a while but the sooner we accept our call to action, the sooner we will be able to consciously mold this role into something more effective and easy to take on.

To make the best of any situation our goal as parents is to transform a negative energy into a positive one. True acceptance of the role we have been assigned and the child we have been given is one of the most powerful positive energies to take hold of.

The most important motivator for any human being is to feel accepted. When we feel unconditionally accepted, by others, and ourselves it frees us from the need to justify and qualify our existence. It gives us the ultimate freedom to be real and authentic and secure enough in our skin to explore the possibilities of what we can become next.

Once we accept the reality of autism and whatever our child's challenges are, we open the door for a positive transformation to occur - for our child and for us. When we find ourselves at this threshold we are better able to envision an amazing potential and with that in our mind we are better able to advocate for our child.

Getting to the role of advocacy as a parent may not be an easy one when you have a child on the Autism spectrum but it is one that is extremely worthwhile and much more fulfilling than thinking or feeling that you are powerless and stuck in a role you didn't ask for and didn't want. True acceptance will lead anyone to uncover surprising abilities that will change attitudes and open up limitless possibilities.

I encourage you to fully embrace your role as parent of a child with special needs so you can progress to the position of unwavering advocate. Always be vigilant about limiting your expectations because doing so can unconsciously create a self-fulfilling prophecy that will constrain your child's potential. You never know what your child is capable of or how far he or she can go, so advocate, advocate, advocate, and reach for the stars!

Connie Hammer, MSW, parent educator, consultant and coach, guides parents of young children recently diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder to uncover abilities and change possibilities. Visit her website http://www.parentcoachingforautism.com/ to get your FREE resources - a parenting e-course, Parenting a Child with Autism - 3 Secrets to Thrive and a weekly parenting tip newsletter, The Spectrum.

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Selecting The WRONG Autism Teacher Can Be Disastrous For Your Autistic Child

If you have an autistic child, then it almost goes without saying that you want the best autism teacher that is possible so that your child is able to learn, can be taught how to learn, and not be left behind as his peers advance and mature. But have you really considered the autism teacher that the school district simple assigns to your child? If not, then perhaps you should as explained in this article.

First of all, you need to remember that your child will be spending 30 or more hours per week in the classroom. All of this time, your child is receiving instruction from their autism teacher. This instruction is much more than just basic learning as would be done for normal children, but much of that time is spent in helping the child learn how to learn, learn how to interact with his peers, learning acceptable behavior, and all done by someone who has an understanding of autistic children and their very specific needs and requirements.

As such, the autistic child will frequently look at his teacher as a role model, someone that they respect, they admire, someone who helps them with seemingly infinite patience, and someone that the child will attempt to emulate because of that relationship and respect. But this is not always a good thing if you have not looked a bit deeper into the selected autism teacher to really determine if that person is really worthy of being your child's role model.

Almost all autism teachers have been trained in autism, cognitive learning disabilities and dealing with emotionally impaired children. Many of them even have a Masters Degree which indicates that they have learned the material required at least once and should be capable of being a good autism teacher. But unfortunately, that is not the end of that story, since "academic smarts" is not all that is required to be an effective autism teacher and to be seen by autistic children as a role model to follow and emulate.

Some of the autism teachers in today's world are not worthy to be viewed as role models. Sure, they have the required "academic smarts" but they are a far cry from being the type of person that you would want your child to emulate or view as a role model for their future lives. Although it is unfortunate, some of these teachers have a character and personality outside of the classroom that is simply, putting it mildly, not the kind of person that you would want ANYONE to emulate, let alone your autistic child who NEEDS a role model to help them determine what is good, bad, right and acceptable within today's society and amongst their peers. In the role of the teacher of autism, some of these people are totally superficial, pretending to be one type of person in the classroom, but outside of the classroom they are an entirely different type of person, many times exhibiting traits of coldness towards others, consistently lying to friends and family, and feeling no remorse about hurting others that they have deceived. Is that the kind of person that you want your autistic child to view as a role model? I don't think so, and you should not think so either.

The choice is yours and much of that choice depends on the value that you place on the instruction that your autistic child receives at school, understanding that when they develop a relationship with their autism teacher, that relationship will inevitably extend into viewing that teacher as role model. I would strongly encourage you to ensure that such a person is indeed worthy to be viewed as such a role model, and you are not required to accept the autism teacher that the school district arbitrarily assigns to you.

If you are serious about getting the best for your autistic child, I would encourage you to do your research into the right Autism Teacher for your child and to do the amount of research necessary to ensure that your autistic child is receiving the maximum benefit for their learning needs. For more insights about Autism and to read a case study of two very real autism teachers, please visit our web site at http://www.autism-explained.com/selecting-the-right-autism-teacher-for-your-child/

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