Autism

Question: autism????? I've been reading so much about autism and about the the different views on the links to the vaccines. But are there any reports on children who have autism and have not been vaccinated?

Answer: I firmly believe that the ONLY link between autism and vaccines is that they happen at the same age. If vaccines were non-existant, they'd find something else to blame it on. "Autism is linked to playground equipment." "Autism is linked to apple juice." They always find something.

Question: When did autism start to become high profile or well known through the media? These days I hear a lot of news and coverages of autism. In the past, I kept asking myself why was I so different from others and what was wrong with me until I learned of autism in 2004. Were there any news or coverages of autism in 1990-2003? In K-12, I never heard the word "autism" and I was never tested for autism. If I had known about my autism back then, I would have gotten help. Did autism start to become high profile and well known through the media in 2004? If not, when?

Answer: Haven't you asked this same question before? There are many things that put autism in the forefront of media. The main thing is the explosion of children who were diagnosed with it whose (affluent) parents are in the technology field. They are much more savvy about networking online and getting far reaching attention. They demanded and got more people involvement in therapeutic interventions and research.

Question: How prevalent is autism among feminists in the modern day? Studies in psychiatric journals in the early 90s showed a link between autism and feminism. The rise in autism has been attributed to women with masculine minds marrying men with masculine minds, leading to children with hyper masculine minds. Furthermore a link has been shown to exist between autism and women and the diagnostic criteria for autism. A study tested 4200 women at the University of New Hampshire. 677 women tested scored highly on the feminist belief scale, or feministic scale. 254 out of 677 women who scored highly on the feministic scale also ranked highly in restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities. Usually their obsession focused around feminist issues whether real or contrived. 107 of the 677 women scored low on the qualitative social interaction scale. 430 out of the 677 women who scored highly on the feministic scale also scored highly on the masculine personality type scale. Do you know any autistic feminists? This study was in a 1992 Issue of the Journal of Applied Psychiatric Medicine so you can look it up yourself if you like. If a web link is absolutely necessary: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/fe… Anna you are correct, and you can be correct about more males being diagnosed with autism than females but that still does not have any relevance to the high rate of autism among feminists, a subset of women rather than all women, as noted in the study only a minority of the women tested actually scored highly on the feministic scale. The ' Hyper-Masculine Mind' is a working hypothesis of neurobiology wendy g. Furthermore you appear to have a rather obsessive need to prove yourself right. Perhaps caused by low self esteem, but nevertheless obsessive. Are you a feminist who has been diagnosed with autism by any chance? At the very least I would suggest that any children you have should be submitted for possible diagnosis immediately.

Answer: Actually, Wendy G., the " hyper- masculine mind " concept is more than conjecture. It is a working hypothesis of neurobiology. Not that that has much to do with the rather stretched claims of the questioner.

Question: Why do some people with autism have dysmorphic facial features but others look normal? I work with people with learning difficulties and i've always wondered why two of the people I teach with severe autism have dysmorpic facial features, and the other people with servere autism look normal! How does this work?

Answer: Some people diagnosed with autism also have a genetic syndrome called Fragile X. Fragile X Syndrome is one of the few genetically inherited syndromes that has been known to actually CAUSE autism. In laments terms, Fragile X syndrome occurs during gestation.. where the X chromosome blocks important brain development.

Question: Any parents of children with autism out there surprised by the Republicans sudden interest in our kids? Not that I don't appreciate it, but where have you been for the last eight years? And does anyone know where Sarah Palin's newfound expertise in autism comes from? Down Syndrome and autism are apples and oranges, and I can promise you, Sarah Palin is never going to have to fight for services for her child.

Answer: My daughter is a special ed teacher who evaluates and implements individual instruction plans at an elementary school. She told me about Obama nearly 2 years ago when she volunteered to work his campaign. Her only goal in life is the betterment of kids who don't have the same abilities as everyone else. Like she says, you can anyone, but it takes a bit more imagination to break through to some kids. Since she believe in children as much or more than anyone I know, I am following her lead on this. McCain has adapted his words and campaign to what has been successful for Obama I've noticed. After the polls showed huge upticks with Obama's "change", McCain decided to become a Maverick, etc. Of course, the GOP wants to cut school spending, it's always been a party mandate.

Question: What is the difference between autism, and autism spectrum? Doctor states child is autistic, school says chld has autism spectrum disorder?? What is the difference? Can medication help with any of this?

Answer: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a general term that includes Autism, Asperger Syndrome, PPD-NOS and others. The reason they used different terms is that the Dr. gave you a specific diagnosis of Autism, but the school can only determine eligibility for special services. Sometimes schools refer to it as "autism like behavior). Medication is sometimes used to help an issue caused by the autism, say anxiety, but there is no pill to cure it like an antibiotic will cure an infection. It's closer to say that individuals with autism learn to manage their condition. This is done through learning the skills needed to overcome their individual deficits. IMO unless there is a physical danger, it's best to save medication to control behaviors as a last resort. Much better to teach the person through therapies, love and patience more appropriate behaviors. Right now the best thing you can do is to educate yourself about autism and the different treatment/therapy options that are out there. There is no one size fits all treatment plan. Every person is different. You are a full member of your child's' team and the best expert on him there is. You need to help the development of an appropriate plan because you are the constant in the different areas of his life (school, home, activities) and get the big picture. Best of luck- it is an interesting, exasperating, exhilarating e-ticket ride! mom of 2 on the spectrum

Question: How bad is autism for ppl and how does it affect their lifestyle? I heard ppl who have autism are socially disfuntional and can't have normal friendships and relationships. I have a friend who little did I know had autism cuz I didn't know why he acted like such a jerk cuz he had a competitive lying problem that a lot of ppl hated about him. And I thought he was really strange and a unusual person. How bad is autism?

Answer: Autism varies from person to person. Your friend is probably trying to figure out how to fit in. Yes people on the Autism spectrum have a hard time understanding social settings and cues. The most important thing to know is that he wants to be normal. I have two children on the spectrum. My son, age 11, will do anything to keep a friend. He watches what everyone does and then tries to mimic them. If he notices that doing something cool gets people positive attention then he will do that too regardless if it is dangerous or means lying. Example: If my son heard a group of boys talking about how good they were at skateboarding, he would say he is a good skateboarder too. He isn't focusing on the topic as much as wanting to be included in the conversation which would make him a 'normal' boy. He doesn't understand that he can ask questions and fit in that way or that he can segway into a topic that he is good in. He sees things black and white. They are talking about skateboarding so I need to tell them I am good at it... It may not make sense, but it is how some children on the spectrum's minds work. Notice on how I said some. Each person is unique. In your friends case he may just have a problem with lying. In all probability he just wants to be friends. You asking this question tells me that you are a good friend. Most people would just walk away from someone like that, or call them names. Being honest with him lets him know that he can be honest with you. I suggest you talk to him about what is going on. Try not to be confrontational about it, because people on the spectrum get nervous and have a hard time dealing with things then. If you can make a joke about it or do it with a light heart you will have a better chance of reaching him. Another thing that might help is knowing that Autistic people tend to make friends for life. They are the most loyal and kind people in the world once you have their friendship. Sometimes it is a hard road to get there, but the rewards are tremendous. Can you imagine having a friend who would defend you to the death? Someone who would never think of dating your girl or even your ex! That is how I would classify these guys. I hope I have helped! Kara

Question: What games to play to teach children about autism? My friends and I are doing a community service project to spread awareness about autism. We are planning a roving carnival, with game stations that children can take part in to learn about autism. Basically we just wanna let them understand how it's like to be autistic, or to learn more about autism through the game. Currently the only game we can come up with is Charades. The kids range from 7 years old to 12. Do you guys have any suggestions for games? :)

Answer: Another game that could be fan and shows again how difficult can be to communicate something, is the following: - Place small items like a clothes pin, a key, a battery, a ring, etc each in a small cotton fabric bag (you need to make these) of the same color and tie them shut. - Make two identical bags of each item. And have the kids in two teams. Each kid gets one of the bags. S/he needs to feel what is inside the bag and then describe it to the team-mates without using the name of the item. Example: Key - it is made of metal, can be used to open a door, has teeth, etc. - Time them. The least time to guess gets a higher score. This will show kids how people with autism can sometimes create a mental image of something (thinking in pictures) but it is hard to communicate (put into words) what it is they "see" in their mind. Since the kids do not see item but visualize it through the sense of touch, they create a 3-D mental image of the item, which is similar of how an autistic person will think of an item before communication what they are thinking in words, describing the mental image, is the hardest part, and that is why the speech of many autistic kids is so fragmented because they are describing a mental 3-D image into 2-D words... Once you have made these little bags with the items, you can use them again and again. If they get dirty just put them in a pilowcase and wash them in the washing machine. Good luck!

Question: How do parents who have children without autism deal with raising an autistic child? As in, they already had children without autism, then they have a child with autism. How do the parenting skills change?

Answer: Im 14 years old. I have a brother and he is autistic and he is 13. I know from seeing them all the time that autism can make the parents life so much more stressful (including mine). But, i know patience is a big thing that changes when they had my brother. My dad isnt very good with that but i know my mom sure is. I mean, my brother is pretty smart (above the average smartness level of autism), he can read, write, spell, and do math. I know that having an autistic brother changed me completely, without him, i totally would look at life so much differently. It makes me appreciate autistic people and mentally challenged people way more than i would if i didnt have my brother. Also, ive been thinking of becoming a special teacher. But yeah, back to topic [lol] parenting skills change by having A L O T more patience, and idk but its hard and i give anybody who has an autistic child [including my parents] alot of credit, it is alot harder than people think. hope this helped :)