About.com Autism

FDA Approves Abilify for Children with Autism

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:02:52 +0000

Abilify, an anti-psychotic drug, has been approved for treatment of "irritability" in children with autism. According to a Reuters article:

The FDA decision allows Abilify to be used in patients aged 6 to 17 for symptoms of aggression toward others, deliberate self injury, temper tantrums and quickly changing moods.

Abilify should be part of a total treatment program that includes psychological, educational and social interventions for children with autistic disorder, the companies said in a statement.

You can read much more about Abilify in articles from the About.com Guide to Bipolar Disorder, including articles on the medication's chemistry, uses, side effects and impacts.

Are you considering Abilify for your child with autism? If so, what are your hopes and concerns?

FDA Approves Abilify for Children with Autism originally appeared on About.com Autism on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 11:02:52.

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The Chicago Tribune Takes on Alternative Autism Treatments

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:23:23 +0000

This week, the Chicago Tribune came out with a long piece entitled Autism treatment: Science hijacked to support alternative therapies and subtitled Researchers' fears about misuse of their work come true. In essence, the article is a condemnation of the Defeat Autism Now or DAN protocol and other biomedical treatments for autism. Among the article's statements:

Most physicians recommend intensive behavioral therapy and, if asked, warn parents away from experimental treatments.

Even so, studies have found that up to three-quarters of families with children who have autism try at least some alternative therapies.

Physicians and others in the movement -- many affiliated with the organization Defeat Autism Now! -- say their treatment protocols rest on a foundation of solid science. But the Tribune found otherwise after speaking with dozens of scientists and physicians and reviewing thousands of pages of research and court testimony.

Later this week, another article came out entitled Autism treatment: Success stories more persuasive to some than hard data. The gist of the second article: kids with autism may improve with or without therapies, so it can be very hard to know what's "really" working.

As might be anticipated, the articles have raised a storm of protest -- and an equally hefty shower of approval. Two regular About.com commenters, Harold Doherty and Autism News Beat, take opposite perspectives. Harold is disturbed by what he feels is an anti-therapy stance by the Tribune, while Autism News Beat says "It's called journalism..... Get used to it. Expect more in the coming months as the news and entertainment media's narrative switches from "alternative medicine produces miracles" to "science is being highjacked to fool parents". Age of Autism, some of whose writers are specifically presented in a negative light in the Tribune articles, are predictably vocal in their criticism.

Whatever happens next, it seems clear that the autism wars are nowhere near over. In the present battle, the Chicago Tribune has made its point of view very clear indeed. It will be interesting to see whether Autism News Beat is right that the "narrative is changing."

My guess is that consensus is a very, very long way away.

The Chicago Tribune Takes on Alternative Autism Treatments originally appeared on About.com Autism on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 19:23:23.

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Getting Ready: Thanksgiving on the Autism Spectrum

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:37:31 +0000

There's no doubt about it: Thanksgiving can be tough on everyone. Every magazine, website and radio program has a story about an underdone turkey, a mean-spirited relative or the traffic jam from hell. But even Thanksgiving can be relatively mellow if you're prepared - and if your child with autism and your family members know what to expect. The simplest tools for success include:

Practice. Kids with autism do best when they know what's coming. This week, give your child plenty of practice with sitting at the table, eating at least a few bites of selected Thanksgiving foods, and saying hi to relatives.

AT THE SAME TIME, be sure your relatives are ready for your child. Do they know what foods he prefers? Are they aware of and okay with any special needs, behaviors, etc.?

Preparation. If you can, make a Thanksgiving picture book to show your child what to expect.

Plan B. If your child is likely to tantrum, or can only handle a couple of minutes at the table, how will you cope? Some options: bring along favorite videos and toys; assign one parent the job of taking your child outside to calm down; or bring two cars "just in case."

A Positive Perspective Even when things are toughest, it's certain that your child has built new skills over the past year - and it's important that you, your child and your extended family recognize positive changes. If your extended family isn't aware, you might even want to bring along photos or videos showing your child with autism doing something wonderful (dancing, playing with a sibling, or whatever you're most proud of). When you show off the pictures, be sure your child is there to enjoy his or her moment in the sun.

What are your best tips for a successful Thanksgiving? Please share!

Getting Ready: Thanksgiving on the Autism Spectrum originally appeared on About.com Autism on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 07:37:31.

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Stress and the Autism Mom

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:02:33 +0000

Last week, a study came out in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders which said, in essence, that in many cases mothers of teens and adults with autism are under tremendous stress. The blog DisabilityScoop cites the study as saying:

Mothers of adolescents and adults with autism experience chronic stress comparable to combat soldiers and struggle with frequent fatigue and work interruptions, new research finds. These moms also spend significantly more time caregiving than moms of those without disabilities.

Intriguingly, though, the abstract of the study also states:

However, mothers of individuals with ASD reported similar levels of positive interactions and volunteerism as the comparison group. Daily experiences were subsequently related to well-being in both groups.

I found the study a bit problematic, because it looked at "96 co-residing mothers of adolescents and adults with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD)."

First, as anyone who's been around autism knows, people with ASD are as different from one another as they can be, with personalities, challenges and behaviors of every kind and level. So it's hard to have any idea of what these moms were actually dealing with in terms of behaviors or delays. Are these kids/young adults verbal? Toilet trained? Self abusive? Or are they perhaps high functioning, in school, and/or employed?

Second, the "moms only" approach is a bit confusing. Are these mainly single mothers, who may be under more stress than the average mother? Are they unsupported by their husbands? Or was the "moms only" approach simply a research choice?

It's clear that autism in the home is stressful (and comments on a MotherLode blog on the subject are eloquent on the matter). But I'm not sure this particular study sheds much light on the subject.

Do you feel that having a child with autism makes your life overwhelmingly stressful? If so, what are the biggest stressors - and what do you do to overcome them?

Stress and the Autism Mom originally appeared on About.com Autism on Saturday, November 21st, 2009 at 08:02:33.

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Marijuana as a Treatment for Autism?

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:25:07 +0000

In the last few days, quite a few pieces have appeared in the media about the use of marijuana as a treatment for autism. In fact, our own About.com Guide to Addictions has written a blog post on the subject and received some interesting responses from parents and, notably, from adults with autism.

Her questions and concerns grow from articles on sites such as Opposing Views, Autism-PDD.Net, and the New York Times' MomLogic blog which cites a blog from a mom who writes about "Why I give my 9 year old pot."

Each of these pieces is very similar. They begin with a personal story of an individual with autism whose symptoms of aggression, pica (eating non-foods such as dirt), and/or pain improved with the use of marijuana. Then they raise the question of whether marijuana, which is of course illegal, should be made available to people with autism and other disorders.

So far, there has been remarkably little research on the medical uses of marijuana, and the American Medical Association has decided they'd like to see that changed. According to a Newsweek article:

Precipitated by a similar decision by the group's Medical Student Section, the AMA resolved that "that marijuana's status as a federal Schedule 1 controlled substance be reviewed," with the goal of facilitating clinical research, and presented a new medical report, conducted by its Council on Science and Public Health, laying out the drug's various medical benefits.

What's your take on marijuana as a treatment for autism? Intriguing new direction or scary plunge into the unknown? Likely to be useful for treating aggression and pica, or more likely to push people with autism further into their own worlds? Share your thoughts.

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Marijuana as a Treatment for Autism? originally appeared on About.com Autism on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 07:25:07.

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What Do People with Autism Have in Common?

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:38:30 +0000

People on the autism spectrum may be verbal or non-verbal, brilliant or mentally challenged, passive or aggressive, physically healthy or physically ill. They may have "savant" skills - or not. In fact, people with autism spectrum diagnoses seem to have very little in common. So what do people on the autism spectrum really have in common?

What Do People with Autism Have in Common? originally appeared on About.com Autism on Sunday, November 15th, 2009 at 20:38:30.

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Autism and Bullying: How Bad Is It?

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:11:43 +0000

The answer is - it's very bad indeed. According to an article in the Boston Herald:

A shocking new online survey has found that nearly 90 percent of autistic children in the Bay State have been targeted by bullying so violent and ruthless that a state lawmaker says teachers and school systems must be held accountable.

The survey conducted by the Massachusetts Advocates for Children includes painful testimony from parents of autistic children who felt so tortured they stayed home from school for extended periods and even considered suicide.

This information isn't brand new. Most families are well aware that their kids with autism (especially those with high functioning autism or Asperger syndrome) are easy targets. What's more, the article doesn't mention what percentage of typically developing kids are bullied - probably a fairly high number.

Kids with autism, though, are far more likely to be victimized than almost any other group. While they don't have physical differences that are obvious at first glance, many move, speak or act so differently that they stand out like sore thumbs in any inclusive environment. Because they have poor social/communications skills, they easily fall prey to young con artists who convince them to do or say things they shouldn't.

Bullying is no small deal. And as school inclusion becomes more prevalent (for both legal and financial reasons), it's probably going to rise.

Has your child with autism encountered bullying at school? Has the school let you know about it? Has the school helped to handle it? What are your experiences or tips for parents of kids with autism concerned about bullying?

Autism and Bullying: How Bad Is It? originally appeared on About.com Autism on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 09:11:43.

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Handwriting and the Child with Autism: Don't Sweat It

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:33:31 +0000

A new, small study came out the other day linking autism with bad handwriting. To be honest, I intended to ignore the study, since it seemed on the one hand to be rediscovering the wheel (bad handwriting and autism go together? surely you jest!) and on the other hand it didn't seem terribly important even if true. But I see that a number of major media outlets including the Washington Post have picked up the story... so I thought it might be a good idea to at least nod in its general direction. Yes, kids with autism typically have bad handwriting. There are a number of reasons for this, most notably the fact that autism means "pervasive developmental delay," which means "delays in all areas, including fine motor coordination." In other words, kids with autism have fine motor delays which makes pencil-handling tougher. Kids with autism may also have a hard time grasping the concept and purpose of letter-making. Generally speaking, handwriting issues are addressed in the youngest years through occupational therapy. After a few years, though, if the issues haven't been overcome (and in autism they rarely are), schools give up altogether and teach kids to use the keyboard. And that's usually much more successful! Bottom line, of all the issues for kids with autism to worry about, I'd place handwriting near the end of the list. If you think about it, in today's world we very, very rarely use handwriting to communicate with anyone except ourselves. We may jot down to-do lists or lecture notes (though we're as likely to use a handheld or laptop even then). We sign checks and address envelopes. And that's... about it! Follow me on Twitter

Handwriting and the Child with Autism: Don't Sweat It originally appeared on About.com Autism on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 12:33:31.

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Should Asperger Syndrome Be Considered an Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:38:42 +0000

Last week, I asked whether readers felt the diagnoses Asperger syndrome and PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified) should be removed from the diagnostic manual. If they were removed, people with those diagnoses would presumably be reclassified as simply "on the autism spectrum."

A signficant majority of you (65%) felt that those diagnoses were useful and meaningful enough to continue to be listed in the DSM-V (the new version of the manual used by mental health diagnosticians).

Now for the big question: Is Asperger syndrome appropriately included under the autism spectrum umbrella? Or should it, perhaps, be a separate diagnosis of its own, unconnected to autism?

Should Asperger Syndrome Be Considered an Autism Spectrum Disorder? originally appeared on About.com Autism on Sunday, November 8th, 2009 at 12:38:42.

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Share Your Autistic Child's Special Gifts

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:28:59 +0000

People with autism often have special gifts and talents.

Some are autistic savants - uniquely gifted prodigies in areas like math, music and language. Others surprise their parents, therapists and teachers with abilities that no one ever asked about - perfect pitch, an impressive talent for drafting and rendering, an amazing eye for morphological detail in plants and animals, or a terrific ability to learn and speak foreign languages.

In recent days, I've read about autistic artist Stephen Wiltshire, and received a gorgeous, full-color coffee table book called Drawing Autism, which is stuffed with outstanding artistic expressions by autistic artists of all ages. And just this morning, I received an email from my cousin with a link to a series of videos about a blind, autistic musician with impressive talents.

Two days ago, for the first time, I heard my son singing in the shower. And - who knew? - he has a lovely soprano voice, and can imitate the voices of professional vocalists he's heard on TV and radio!

If you're an adult with autism, what are your gifts? If you're a parent, what are your child's?

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Share Your Autistic Child's Special Gifts originally appeared on About.com Autism on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 10:28:59.

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