Category: Special Needs

Prenatal vitamin intake may reduce autism recurrence in high-risk families

Autism, Featured Topics 07/23/201907/16/2019 admin

Starting prenatal vitamins even before pregnancy may cut risk Editor’s note: Watch video of Dr. Rebecca Schmidt talking about prenatal vitamins and autism risk (SACRAMENTO) —High-risk younger siblings of children with autism are less likely to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), have significantly lower autism symptom severity, and higher cognitive scores if their mothers take maternal prenatal vitamins during their first month of pregnancy, UC Davis research has found. Rebecca Schmidt The study appearing in […]

Tapping into Your Child’s Potential

Autism, eParent Connect, Featured Topics 07/12/201907/09/2019 admin

By MaryAnn Bennett 700 hours, 11 months and 56,000 Legos went into creating the world’s largest Titanic replica. At the center of this creation was a 10-year-old boy from Iceland with a passion for Legos and a deep interest in the Titanic. Brynjar Karl Bigisson, now 15, is on the Autism spectrum. Like many children with autism, he struggled with communication and constantly needed help in school. In a recent interview, Bigisson said those struggles […]

Researchers call for the term ‘high functioning autism’ to be consigned to history

Autism, Featured Topics, Healthcare 07/10/201907/10/2019 admin

Summary: Researchers argue the term “high functioning autism” be abandoned by the scientific community as it is misleading and may create harmful expectations of abilities for children on the autism spectrum. “High functioning autism” is not a diagnostic term. The term is based on IQ assessments rather than functional assessments. While children with ASD may exhibit normal-to-higher IQ for their age, many experience skill based, social and behavioral difficulties that impact their daily lives. Source: […]

Autism advocacy and research misses the mark if autistic people are left out

Autism, Education, Featured Topics 07/09/2019 admin

By Liz Pellicano Autistic people have been routinely misunderstood, ignored, and excluded for decades – including from campaigns designed to promote awareness of autism itself. But this is beginning to change. Autistic self-advocacy organisations and autistic activists have long criticised autism awareness initiatives. The criticism is they too often emphasise the “deficits”, or difficulties of autism, rather than the profound possibilities of autistic lives. In part, this is because those campaigns are designed by non-autistic […]

Getting Your Child with Aspergers or ADHD Involved in Social Events

ADHA, Autism, eParent Connect, Featured Topics, Parenting 07/08/201907/10/2019 admin

Adolescence is a critical time for social development. Not all teens develop social skills at the same pace. Those with Asperger’s Syndrome or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may have deficits that need to be addressed in order to enjoy the normal experiences of adolescence. One-way parents can help their teens develop important social skills is by encouraging them to participate in social events at school and in the community. Structured events allow teens with […]