Autism in America

Autism has always been a tough issue to talk about because, many times, people do not understand what autism really is and how it works. A recent shift in media has showcased autism and its effects. Television shows such as Parenthood, have dedicated entire episodes to the issues that children with autism, such as the character Max, face while growing up. Washington has also taken notice and has created legislation that allows research about autism to continue. Most recently, President Obama signed a new piece of legislation that will let autism research continue for the next three years. The original law was passed in 2006, but expired last week. The Combating Autism Reauthorization Act of 2011 will provide researchers $231 million to continue their work and hopefully find better solutions to help our autistic children.

Autism, which was first recognized in 1943, is an assortment of communication, social and behavioral disorders. At its worst, it can leave a child trapped in an unsolvable shell; however, a large number of autistic people are high-functioning have the ability to make tremendous strides through treatment. Some of the frequent characteristics of autism are behavior social skill deficits, limited interest and repetitive behavior. Still, scientists don't know exactly what causes it - genetics alone?, a virus or a toxin? - or why the numbers continue to skyrocket.

Autism has been on the rise within the past decade and for reasons that are unknown. Today, just about 1 in 110 American children have an autism spectrum disorder; however in the 1990s the rate of autism was about 5 in 10,000 people. According to Autism Speaks, autism is now "more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined." Some researches believe that the rise in numbers links to changes in diagnostic criteria and better diagnosis over the years, but the increase is still too dramatic for that to be the only cause. Another possibility, which is highly controversial, is the debate over the etiology centers on vaccines. Suspicion about childhood vaccines rose because young children frequently exhibit autistic behaviors around 18 months of age, after receiving the shots. Nothing has been officially proven, however, so researchers are continuing to work hard to find an answer.

So when it comes to education, what options does a person with autism have? Well, it really depends on the severity of the autism. If a child is low-functioning, then parents may chose to put him or her in a special education school where that child can receive individualized help both academically and socially. If the child is high-functioning then he or she could be fine at a main-stream school. The biggest factor that almost all autistic children need, no matter what type of school they are in, is a structured learning environment. The child needs clear expectations, as well as a routine. The child should also stay away from high anxiety environments that may cause them to become stressed and have an aggressive or explosive behavior outburst.

Like almost all students, autistic students all learn at their own pace and must have customized learning plans to help them reach their highest potential. Many times, autistic children undergo one-on-one learning with teachers and para-professionals that are specifically trained in autistic education. The problem is that if a school does not have those resources then parents are often responsible for covering the costs on the one-on-one learning and it is not cheap.

However, as autism awareness grows, so do the number of resources. There are now a number of schools specifically designated for children with autism. These schools have teachers and staff who are specifically trained to help children with autism, no matter how severe it is. The schools are designed for students who have not been mainstreamed. These schools are now popping up in almost every state and have the ability to help autistic children not just academically, but also socially and emotionally.

Another resource for children with autism is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). ABA is a data-driven method of instruction that highlights the break down of skills into their component parts and teaching students by means of a variety of prompting and positive reinforcement. Each specific skill is considered mastered only after the data confirms that conclusion. By constructing associated skills in a corresponding manner, ABA has been proven to have the physical effect of "re-wiring" brain circuitry in people with autism of all ages. In other words, if the therapy is completed the right way it results in actually teaching the child "how to learn."

Even though we may not have a cause or a cure of Autism, the growing support for research has given the autistic community hope for the future. The increasing numbers of resources for autistic students in school, as well as the attention form the federal government will bring this country that much closer to solving this puzzle.

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A Boy Finds Meaning in a Mountain

On a sunny day, a young boy of seven was walking along the bank of a small lake. The boy enjoyed walking and exploring near the blue lake which wasn't too far from his home. This day was nice and warm and the air still. The boy knelt down beside the lake to look into the water, as he had done many times before; he always enjoyed watching the fish in the lake, wondering what it would be like to be a fish. He was an imaginative boy, and he loved exploring the woods and pastures near the lake. Though he liked playing with the other children in his street, he preferred his time alone exploring. He found the other children noisy and the play harsh. He was a quiet boy and he couldn't quite grasp the banter and the dynamics involved.

As he knelt down by the lake, he didn't see any fish but he saw his reflection in the mirror like surface of the lake. It wasn't the first time he saw his reflection in the lake but this time he looked, really looked and he stared at the reflection looking back at him. He thought what would it be like if he was in the lake looking at himself, kneeling on the bank. He knew what was true, but he always felt free out here, free to pretend and bend what was true, so he let himself be the boy in the lake and he wondered, nothing in particular, just wondered.

The boy slipped into the water, drawn to the reflection, drawn to him in the water and he found himself looking at the boy on the bank and decided to leave his self there. And he wondered what it was like to be the water and he became the water of the lake. How different it was to be the water, to be fluid and not solid. As the water he asked himself what is it that I do and he answered, 'I am home to the fish and the ducks and quench the thirst of the animals that come to drink'.

The water was inquisitive and wandered to the opposite bank and flowed up upon the grass and lay there. He laid there and felt the grass beneath him and he wondered, nothing in particular, just wondered. The water became the grass and it felt good. He felt the expansiveness and he felt the sun and all was good. He asked himself what he did and he answered that he fed the sheep and gave shelter to the ants and the insects.

He became aware of the tree over there and he thought that it would be good to know something of the tree and so to the tree he went and the tree did feel good. He held the tree and felt the bark. The tree he became. He felt himself planted deeply in the ground, feeling tall and strong, feeling free. And to himself he wondered, what it was that he did and he thought he would answer himself and the answer came, 'I am a home to the birds, I give shade to the sheep and sometimes a young boy comes and sits at my base'. And the boy sat there looking out to nowhere and he wished there were mountains here, for he had never seen a real mountain except in books and he would dearly love to climb a mountain.

So he sat and he sat and thought of a mountain and he found himself climbing that mountain and as time went by he reached the top of that mountain and he felt ecstatic. From the top of the mountain he saw things differently, actually he didn't see anything, for he wasn't looking at anything but he knew he was seeing differently. He felt like he was on top of the world.

He was very happy, just sitting on the top of the mountain and he wondered about nothing in particular, he just wondered and he became the mountain. He didn't think about becoming the mountain and he doesn't know how he became the mountain, he doesn't know when he became the mountain, he didn't know where or why he became the mountain. But he was the mountain and it was good. It was quiet and still and he felt so big and strong and immovable. It surprised him how huge and massive he was and the mountain was still. He hadn't realized how mountains felt, but he now knew. The stillness grew, the quietness, the mountainness grew and the feeling stopped, just stillness, quietness and mountainness.

The mountainness grew, the mountain's awareness grew, he was aware of the land below, of the tree, of the grass, of the lake and the boy at the lake and all the land beyond, still quietly still. There was no boundary between the mountain and all before it, it all blended into one. There was nothing to do, he didn't need anything, there was no wants, no desires, no thoughts, just stillness and an awareness that the stillness was everything, everything was in the stillness, but no desire for anything. At some level or somehow there was an awareness that to know, see, or have anything of the everything would cost a little bit of the stillness. Noise, movement would enter, the stillness would become less, less whole.

The stillness stayed and it was good. The tree, here he was under the tree, how long he was the mountain he could not tell. But it was time to go home. From that time on, especially when he was in the classroom and he was lucky for he sat at the back by a window, he might look out and see the mountain and there he found himself and the stillness. For he was a quiet boy and he tired of the noise of the classroom, most of what went on in the classroom seemed like pointless noise. He learned all he needed as the mountain.

By Philip Martin

Would you like Live longer and be Cancer Free? Read 'The 5 Step Cancer Healing Process' at How to Heal Cancer Philip Martin is a Naturopath, Hypnotherapist and Author of "Life Patterns, the Secret to Emotional Freedom" and "The 5 Step Cancer Healing Process, a clear and defined pathway". He is a gifted therapist based on the Sunshine Coast Qld. Australia. Healing Cancer Blog

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Checklist for Autism Symptoms

To put it simply, autism is now one of the most damaging types of neurological disorders known to medicine and science. It can lead to serious damage at three areas of an individual's development, specifically the behavioral, communication and social interaction levels. The disorder is usually identified during the earliest stages of a child's life, even as early as infancy. If you suspect that your child or loved one is suffering with the disorder, you should have a physician examine them and run some tests to confirm this.

A checklist of autism symptoms

Any parent who is suspicious of their child or loved one's behavior should keep track of any signs or symptoms which indicate that the disorder is present. The following is an autism symptoms checklist that will help you and your physician determine if the child or loved one is truly afflicted with the disorder:

o autistic individuals have difficulties expressing compassion or understanding when another individual is in distress or relating with them which indicates that they struggle with their emphatic skills

o avoiding eye contact or having difficulties interacting socially with others

o deficiencies or inappropriateness with non-verbal and verbal communication skills

o hyperactivity or hypo-activity which indicates extreme behavioral patterns which includes avoiding interaction, being extremely active, being overly passive, experiencing a difficult in behaving or calming down, and showing little or no response to stimuli

o not responding to hearing their names being called

o poor imitation skills such as mimicking basic gestures or facial expressions

o resisting behavioral or environmental changes especially when it comes to allowing other people to interfere with their specific routines such as engaging in repetitious, stereotypical activities and behaviors characteristic of autism

o the inability to understand the presence of danger and act upon it because they are not aware of potentially harmful circumstances

o the tendency to engage in certain activities or behaviors that could potentially result in them harming themselves such as banging their heads against something such as their cribs or a wall or scratching themselves excessively

This checklist should help you determine if you should have your child or loved one examined and assessed for autism. After all, you don't want them suffering any longer if it appears that this is the case.

Help for the child, teen, or adult with autism

There are now publicly funded programs available in every state for children, teenagers, and adults experiencing delays in their development which includes those individuals who are suffering with autism. You will normally need a pediatrician's or physician's referral to those agencies or organizations that provide funding for this. These programs usually provide behavioral, occupational, physical, and speech therapy. Additionally, special education classes are available.

In closing, it should be noted that growing evidence is revealing that individuals with autism can be positively affected by dietary and nutritional changes by taking certain minerals, supplements, and vitamins. In addition, there are some supplements that are administered in order to calm the person down, the most recommended ones being magnesium and Vitamin B. Foods eliminated from the individual's diet include chocolate, sugar, or wheat.

For the latest videos and training information on child development as well as books and curricula on Autism please visit childdevelopmentmedia.com.

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