Ben’s School Daze - A story of being overwhelmed in a sensory world

We, Mr L and I, were asked to review the new book called Ben’s School Daze.  The book is written by Magnetic Moves Co-Directors, Robyn Sims and Joanne Larcom. 

The children’s book is about Ben, a lively and active boy, who finds the sensory experiences within his day to be overwhelming.  From not wanting to brush his hair, putting shoes and socks on, the loud and noisy trip to school, the school playground, in the classroom and getting home from his school day.   ‘Loud noises vibrate through is body and “shoes and socks bother him… they never feel just right”. This can make it hard for Ben to be a good student.  But don’t worry, his teacher and mum know what to do to help him through his day.’

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) can exist on its own or in conjunction with other childhood development and behavioural disorders, like Autism.  The book has pages on ideas for using the book as a teaching tool for children, parents and teachers, with discussions you can incorporate in a classroom group or one on one with the child.  It also has a section on what is SPD, what you can do to help, Classroom and School concepts and a short list of useful websites. 

After finishing reading the book, I asked Mr L what his thoughts were about Ben.   Mr L said “Ben sounds just like me when I was in early Primary School – wish I had this book back then to take to school for the teacher to read to the class”.  The wonderful book is written in a way that children with SPD feel like they are not alone.  From a parent’s perspective – I could totally understand what Ben was going through as Mr L had a lot of the same sensory experiences when he was younger.  Mr L has come a long way, through many hours of therapy, courses and great resources like this book.  Mr L still hates tags on his clothes, certain clothing materials, loud noises, horrid smells and will still only brush his hair with a soft baby hairbrush as normal hairbrushes hurt his head. 

We love this book as it is simply written in a way children will understand and the illustrations that go with the story as real life examples of what SPD feels/looks like.  This book is a valuable resource for both children (with or without sensory issues), parents and teachers to get an understanding of the daily challenges children with SPD go through  and simple strategies to help children like Ben get through the day and make things smoother for the child and their  family. 

The authors, Robyn Sims is a paediatric occupational therapist and Joanne Larcom is a mother of a child who has sensory processing challenges so the book has been written by two people who understand SPD and the daily challenges children and families face.  The book is beautifully illustrated by Helen Devenish who has been painting and creating beautiful art for over 30 years. 

Ben’s School Daze book will be launched on July 19^th 2015, and for those readers who are in Brisbane or South East Queensland, Magnetic Moves, are having a free fun family afternoon with fun activities, book reading and signing, afternoon tea and sausage sizzle from 3pm to 5pm at Splitz Gym, 79 Jijaws St, Sumner Park.  You can purchase Ben’s School Daze on the day and 10% of books sold will be donated to Children’s Safety Australia.

For more information on Magnetic Moves and their sensory processing tools visit: www.magneticmoves.com.au

For more information on Sensory Processing Disorder visit:

www.spdaustralia.com.au or www.spdfoundation.net

The Toy Bug will be stocking Ben's School Daze soon!

Until next time - Keep Smiling!

What Is Happening For Our Autistic Teens?

The results from recent surveys in Australia show that the number of people with autism spectrum disorder has been constantly growing for the last 15 years. Nowadays 1 in 100 people under 18 is diagnosed with autism, which means that 230,000 people in Australia have the disorder. However, although the statistics are disturbing, recent research carried out by Aspect shows that not much is done for the personal development and realisation of people with autism.

The results of the research raise a number of questions about what will happen with the following generations of autistic Australians. One of the main problem for autistic teens is related to education – 70 out of the 100 surveyed adolescents with autism report that they are not receiving a proper education answering their needs. The main problem seems to be that tutors and teachers are not aware of the needs of autistic students, which results in the inability of the students to concentrate in class, to pay attention to the teachers and to understand them, to prepare for lessons and exams, to do their homework and to cope with the assignments in class.

Another aspect of the life of autistic teens in Australia appears to be loneliness and depression. The research shows that 69% of the teens feel lonely and almost the same per cent need more support when dealing with depression and stress. Their parents are of the same opinion; about half of the surveyed parents of teens with autism pointed out that their children need more support to deal with their mental conditions. A lot of attention should be paid to bullying and discrimination, too. According to the experts, children with autism are more likely to be bullied than those without the condition. It is really important to pay attention to the need for more ASD-friendly groups for sports and hobbies.

If we do not make more effort and take immediate measures for the well-being of autistic children and teens, their future is clear. Previous research by Aspect shows that only 54% from all fit-to-work autistic adults in Australia are in paid employment. On the other hand, the surveys show that teens with autism look for a job or study and want to become well-trained professionals. For now, given the current study and career support for ASD individuals, many of them are unlikely to succeed in continuing their education or starting work.

In short, while the number of people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder in Australia grows, not much is done to facilitate their lives and give them equal educational and career opportunities. If that doesn’t change, however, people with autism (currently about 230,000 in Australia) will be unable to find a suitable education course or even to graduate from high school, which lowers their chances to start a paid job and thus making it hard for them to lead a normal life.

We need to make ourselves heard on this issue for all our sakes.

Words Can Hurt As Well As Sticks And Stones

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” is a rhyme that many of us may have heard when we were children. Sadly, research shows that there is little truth to this rhyme, as name calling and other forms of bullying often result in negative effects for young children, teenagers, and even adults. The detrimental consequences of bullying are felt by both the victim of an act of bullying, as well as the perpetrator.  

Research currently shows that one in four children in Australia become victims of bullying, and victims can be as young as three years of age.  According to a recent article in the UK’s Birmingham Mail, research also shows that autistic children are more likely to be victims of bullying, and that this tendency to be bullied actually increases for autistic children as they grow older. Bullying can be an especially distressing event for children along the autism spectrum as well as their families.

Bullying is not just “empty and meaningless” words. Words can in fact have harmful short and long term effects. The effects of being bullied are devastating, as research also shows that bullied children are more likely to exhibit symptoms of depression, are nine times more likely to contemplate suicide, and girls that are bullied as young children are especially likely to continue a pattern of victimization into adulthood.  

News reports from around the world are also often filled with stories about children or teenagers who have committed suicide after being bullied, but bullying is not confined to childhood, as it can happen in the workplace, and even adult friends and neighbours can bully other adults and even children.

The world was recently shocked by reports of a letter that an unidentified neighbour wrote to a lady who was caring for an autistic child calling him a “wild animal” and advising her that she should euthanise him because of his autism.

So, in a world where teasing and bullying are commonplace, how does one raise a child that is resilient to the effects of bullying, especially if one has a child with a disorder along the autism spectrum?

Get Involved – As a parent or primary caregiver you may already feel “involved” just dealing and coping with the day to day challenges of raising a child with autism, but it is imperative that you interact with your child’s teachers and others in the classroom to both educate them about autism as well as to be on the lookout for signs that your child is being bullied. This is true whether or not your child attends a “mainstream” school, or a school that is centred on the education of those with special needs.  

Seek Support – As awareness of autism spectrum disorders increases, local and regional support groups have been forming all across the globe that seek to provide a place for members to learn about autism, as well as to learn about coping strategies and to seek and provide emotional support for one another. These groups are invaluable to help members acquire the tools that they need to support one another in their efforts to raise their children.

Advocate – There are now several groups in Australia and across the world that are seeking to educate others about the real harm caused by bullying as well as to come together to work for positive change. Bullying No Way is just one of the many groups that have resources for parents, kids and others to come together to end bullying for all Australians. No Bullying is another group that can provide information about bullying and efforts to end this deadly practice. This site has information that is also especially for children and adults who have disabilities and are victims of bullying and other forms of discrimination. 

A greater awareness of the subject can go a long way in stopping bullying before it becomes a major problem in a child's life.

Choosing Toys for Kids with Special Needs

Sensory Overload

Do you ever wonder what it’s like to be so overloaded with sounds, movement and colour that it all becomes too much to cope with?

Watch this clip and find out exactly what it’s like.

This was created as part of Mark Jonathan Harris' and Marhsa Kinder's "Interacting with Autism" project which is working to build an interactive, video intensive website that will focus on the best available treatments for autism.

I won’t keep talking about the video.  Just watch it.  Make sure you tell me how it made you feel as I’d love to read your comments.

Sensory Overload (Interacting with Autism Project) from Miguel Jiron on Vimeo.

When Wrapping Helps

Whether or not your child has autism, there may be times that you need to comfort your child without words. Many times a child might become stressed from too much stimulation and may even act out when this occurs. Overstimulation can be very upsetting for both the child as well as others if the stress has pushed the child into a meltdown. When overstimulation occurs, it can help your child if they receive comfort and support while their nervous system recovers and has a chance to balance itself.

Wrapping is just one technique that can help to soothe your child and be a safe way to help your child receive comfort and support without the use of words.

What is wrapping? Wrapping is very similar to swaddling a baby. Wrapping is taking a piece of cloth, such as a blanket or sheet, and covering your child with it. As very young children, most of us drew security and comfort from wrapping up and getting to snuggle in a favorite blanket. As a child grows older, they may still find comfort from being swaddled.

To see if this technique might help to calm your child and soothe their worries and frustration you can start by helping them to sit down and then draping them with the material. As you arrange the clothing over their shoulders, draw them close to you, as you would in a big hug and gently begin to rock back and forth with them. Continue to do so for about 10 minutes or so. While you are rocking them, you can try alternating the pressure of your hugs, or you can even give your child their own pillow or blanket to hold as you hug and rock them in the covering.

Since the idea is to help comfort and soothe your child in a nonverbal manner, you will want to practice this method of helping them to feel safe and secure before they are acting out from having too much stimulation. Try this technique during a quiet time when they are not stressed and if they are not resistant to it, you can then use this technique to let them know that everything is going to be okay when they have simply been through too much. In this way you can help them to feel safe and know that they are loved, without using words.

Pretending To Be Normal

I think we all do this to some extent but for people on the autism spectrum the challenge can be huge.

While none of us can define what ‘normal’ is, we can easily say what it is not.  The easiest way to stop people noticing that you are not ‘normal’ is to avoid eye contact.  Keep looking at the ground and let no-one in…

Pretending to Be Normal (Eye Contact)

If you try to look into my eyes
you might succeed, if only for a moment
until I feel your gaze incise
and my skin wires buzz with too much current.

Long ago, I began to invent
a way to wear a kind of compromise –
“normal”, like a suit of skin. But you circumvent
this, if you try to look into my eyes.

It’s not your fault. This is my own disguise,
trying to hide my alien skin, to prevent
my green strangeness from showing through. If one’s wise,
one might succeed, if for more than a moment,

….. 

This poem was written by Nicole Nicholson of Raven Wings Poetry and it reflects her experiences with Asperger’s Syndrome.

I know you will be reacting to those words already so I encourage you to go over to Nicole’s site and read the rest of the poem and share it with people who need to understand why so many people on the autism spectrum prefer not to make eye contact.

Explaining Death To A Child Is Never Easy

Explaining death to a child is never easy, but this task can be even more difficult if the child is also autistic. Most autistic children are capable of sensing the void in their life from the death of a loved one. What you say to your child when explaining a death will depend on many factors, including their developmental level and how close they were to the deceased. In general, there are a few tips that you can keep in mind that may make this task a bit easier on both you and your child, whether or not they are autistic.

Look For Ways To Explain Death Before It Happens

Sometimes it is not always possible to try to prepare a child for the death of a loved one, particularly if the loved one passes suddenly or when they are young, but death is a topic that should be discussed rather than avoided. If a loved one is facing an illness that is likely to result in death, you may wish to be on the lookout for opportunities to discuss death with your child. If you happen to be driving by a graveyard or perhaps a pet that belongs to your child’s friend dies, these are good opportunities to bring up the subject of death and explain that it is a natural part of life. Explain that it is natural to feel many different emotions when someone close to us dies, but that death is something that is a natural part of living.

Reassure Your Child That It’s Not Their Fault

Your child may understandably feel confused and perhaps distressed at the loss or void in their life from the person’s absence. When explaining death to your child, reassure them that the death is not their fault, that nothing that they said or did made the person go away and that it is not a means of punishing the deceased. Explain to the child that the loved one is also no longer in any pain and still loves them, even though they will no longer be able to see them.

Try To Maintain Normal Routines

It is important to try to keep the child’s schedule as normal and regular as possible, but also important for the child to attend the viewing and funeral of the deceased loved one. It helps everyone to give and receive comfort and to be allowed to show their grief.

Understand The Signs Of Grief And Offer Comfort

We all express our grief differently. Some children may temporarily regress, or perhaps act out more and display outbursts of temper and frustration. Others may express their feelings in nonverbal ways such as losing sleep or appetite. It is important for adults to express to children that all of these behaviors are normal and that they are still loved and that it is okay for the child to seek comfort from them.

Death is hard enough for adults to understand and accept.  Don’t expect too much of your child.

Does Diet Cause Autism?

If you are the parent of a child with autism, chances are great that you are constantly seeking ways to help your child with the unique challenges that they face as they grow. In your quest to understand more about autism, you may look for ways that can help them to adjust and cope with their environment. One of the factors that you may have considered is the role of diet in its development and treatment.

In the past, there has been considerable debate among parents, teachers, physicians, psychologists and others as to whether or not diet plays any role in the development or progression of autism. It seems there are plenty of studies that support both sides of this discussion. So, what are parents who wish to provide the best care and support to their children with autism supposed to do?

While the research still remains unclear, most of us who are familiar with autism know that our kids are more sensitive to many things in their environment. Whether it’s noises, textures, movement - you name it - many things seem to affect our children more than others without autism. While it is unclear if certain foods in our diets may cause or worsen autism that does not mean that we should not take the time to be aware of the effects certain foods may have on our children.

Many parents of children who do not have autism are familiar with the excess energy and erratic behavior that sometimes occur in children when they have eaten too much sugar. If this occurs in non-autistic children, it is simply common sense to consider that our autistic kids may be more sensitive to the effects of sugar and other common ingredients found in foods, such as caffeine, chocolate, food dyes, preservatives and more.

You may wish to keep a food diary to document any reactions your child has to specific foods. Keeping a food diary may help you to discover if specific foods seem to increase certain behaviours or reactions in your child. Over time, if you keep noticing your child has the same effects to a particular food, you may wish to limit their exposure to this item.

While sugar, caffeine and chocolate are known for being likely culprits, other children may have gluten sensitivities  or even low level allergies to other food items such as nuts or milk.  While identifying a specific food sensitivity probably won't "cure" your child's autism, anything that you can do to help reduce your child's stress and sensitivity levels from factors in their environment certainly won't hurt.

 

Theory Of Mind And Autism

Theory of mind relates to the ability of a person to see aspects of the mind such as beliefs, perceptions, emotions and desires from not only their own perspective but from that of others.  By being able to apply and understand these in oneself, it can allow the person to be able to better understand and predict how another person will behave.

Children start to develop Theory of Mind, or an understanding of other people’s feelings and motivations, at around four years of age.  That does not seem to happen for children with autism.

People on the autism spectrum seem to have less ability to empathise or predict how another person may behave which is why others comment that they have poor communication and social skills.

Here is a simple example of how Theory of Mind and autism interact.

A child with autism was instructed by his teacher, ‘Go and ask Mr Smith [another teacher] if he would like a cup of coffee’. The child went and found Mr Smith and delivered the question, but then came straight back without waiting for the reply: he did not realize that the intention of these communications was to find out whether Mr Smith wanted a drink.

Children with autism struggle with day to day conversation because they don’t pick up on the cues implied in the sentences nor can they read body language or facial expressions.  All they hear are the specific words you have used.

To gain a better understanding of theory of mind there is an excellent example from an article titled “Theory of Mind in Autism: Development, Implications, and Intervention”.  

A woman is presenting the status of a project she has been working on at the end of a long staff meeting.  Toward the middle of her presentation she notices a colleague looks at her watch and sighs.  A man at the meeting starts to nod off while others become fidgety.  Her boss asks her to “wrap it up” and even though she is not finished, she decides to end her presentation.  As people begin to exit the room, her colleague who was on the verge of falling asleep while she was talking tells her that her project sounds very interesting.

Typical people often take for granted how much we use our understanding of other people’s thoughts and feelings to guide our social interactions.  In the example above, the speaker was able to read the nonverbal cues of others indicating that they were bored and tired; consequently, she decided to end her presentation.  The presenter did not take the phrase “wrap it up” literally, and she knew that the boss intended “it” to mean the presentation, even though this had to be implied from the context.  Finally, the speaker probably realized that her sleepy colleague’s comment about her project is probably a “white lie”, and that his comment did not match his belief or behavior, but instead reflected his desire to please her.  Now imagine being a person with an autism spectrum disorder faced with a situation similar to the scenario presented above.  An individual within the autism spectrum most likely would have behaved differently as a result of not being privy to the mental states of others.

The challenge faced by parents, friends, professionals and carers of people with autism spectrum disorder is to help them to become better at understanding empathy and the views from another person’s perspective.

That’s where stories can be very useful.  They lead children through the social situations they are likely to encounter and can help them learn to interpret what they see and hear.

I would love to hear your views and comments on this issue as well as what techniques you have used to help your children cope with social situations.  Your comments, thoughts and experiences could make a valuable resource for others.

Can You Outgrow Or Recover From Autism?

Recently there has been a lot of discussion and debate around the notion that some children with autism may grow out of their symptoms and fully recover.  An article in The Wall Street Journal titled “Who Can Outgrow or Recover From Autism” discusses this topic in detail.  The article talks about a recent study that had identified 34 people who had been diagnosed with autism by the age of 5 but years later were indistinguishable from peers on language, socialisation and communication skills. 

This study was led by a team from the University of Connecticut and was undertaken as a result of comments and observations by clinicians and parents who had described how the symptoms of their patients and loved ones seemed to disappear completely.  As no study had been undertaken to examine this issue, it was decided they formally investigate and assess how children with autism fare over time and whether they could achieve an “optimal outcome”. 
 
Based on previous studies it estimated that 10% to 20% of children who were diagnosed with autism may achieve an optimal outcome.

For more information follow the link above to the article in The Wall Street Journal or follow this link to the actual report that was in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and titled “Optimal outcomes in individuals with a history of autism”.

My Defining Moment

It is hard enough being a teenage girl even if you have all the social skills and social savvy needed to make you part of the ‘in crowd’.  Luckily for most girls they have a bestie that they can chat with and work out the complicated issues of the day.

When you are autistic you may not have the friends to chat with or even the ability to talk at all.  That makes the world a very frustrating place to inhabit.

Carly Fleischmann is a teenage girl who was diagnosed with severe autism and an oral motor condition that prevented her from speaking.

“Doctors predicted that she would never intellectually develop beyond the abilities of a small child.  Although she made some progress after years of intensive behavioural and communication therapy, Carly remained largely unreachable.  Then, at the age of ten, she had a breakthrough.

While working with her devoted therapists Howie and Barb, Carly reached over to their laptop and typed in "HELP TEETH HURT," much to everyone's astonishment.  This was the beginning of Carly's journey toward self-realization.”

The quote comes from the blurb on Carly’s book Breaking Through Autism.

The video is by Carly and it shows life from her perspective and it also shows how she has found and used an alternative form of communication – social media.

Who would have thought that social media would be the saviour of an autistic teenager?

Are parents placing too much hope on the iPad solution?

You know how much we love the apps that are becoming available on the iPad.  We have often shared our discoveries with you, knowing that the apps have been specifically designed to help children on the autism spectrum.

Recently some autism specialists and researchers have begun to think that we are placing too much hope in these apps.  They seem to think that we expect the apps to perform miracles for our children.  

Do you think that’s true?  I don’t agree.

Over at Autism Plugged In one writer said, "Technology isn't ‘an answer’ but it can sure help and sometimes in quite life changing ways."

He goes on to say, "The special needs Apps on iTunes and Android are interesting, fun, helpful and are usually developed by highly qualified professionals in relevant areas, but they are only ever going to be another tool to add to your kit bag.  It may even be that the App itself does nothing more than provide you with 10 minutes peace, but that in itself is invaluable."
Isn’t that more in line with the way you view your child’s use of the iPad and apps?

I love seeing results like those you’ll see in the video below.  I love seeing a child find the right tool for his needs.  I love the fact that a simple app holds so much promise.  But I don’t believe they are a "cure" for autism.

As parents of children on the spectrum we will always be looking for tools to make our children’s lives easier but we understand that they are only tools.

What is your opinion?  Do you see the iPad as a cure?



 

Fussy Eaters And Autism

There’s nothing more annoying than spending time in the kitchen, whipping up a meal, only to have it refused, point blank.  It’s even more frustrating when the child in question hasn’t even bothered giving the food a taste.  They just flat out refuse.

You worry that they’re not eating enough, or enough of the right things.  Besides, it just makes you feel unappreciated, what with the effort you’ve just put in making the meal.

It’s hard not to take it personally, but you can’t, especially when it comes to children with autism.

One of the key characteristics with children with an autism spectrum disorder are the sensory issues, whether this be hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity. Children will need extra sensory stimulation; increased pressure, large movements, or, at the other end, their senses can be heightened.

Therefore, noises can seem too loud, clothing can feel uncomfortable against the skin, tags on shirts can irritate...and food can be an issue.

Food consumption is influenced by the look, smell, taste and feel of the overall meal, and even individual ingredients.

For children with autism, they can be genuinely repelled by certain foods.  Perhaps the smell is too strong for them, or the taste too distinctive or overwhelming. They may even like the taste of the food, but find the feel of it in their mouth disturbing or off-putting.

Some children prefer the crunchy feel of uncooked vegetables, such as carrots, as they provide a greater sensory experience, and the texture of cooked carrots is “too mushy”, for example.

In determining if your child is a “fussy eater”, first and foremost, remember it’s not personal, it is a genuine aversion to certain foods, or food combinations.  Work out what the sensory issue is and it makes life – and meals – much easier to work around.

Advice From Dr Temple Grandin

Dr Temple Grandin recently published an article in Take Part which gave her views on the education of children on the autism spectrum.  I love what she has to say and I encourage you to read it.  I have included an extract here, but you really need to read the whole article.

Her stance - stay positive.

“Special educators need to look at what a child can do instead of what he/she cannot do.

There needs to be more emphasis on building up and expanding the skills a child is good at.  Too often people get locked into a label such as dyslexia, ADHD, or autism, and they cannot see beyond the label.  Kids that get a label often have uneven skills.  They may be talented in one area and have a real deficiency in another.”

She goes on to say “Kids with autism often get fixated on one thing, and it is important to expand their fixations.  If the child loves race cars, then race cars can be used as subject matter for reading and math. If the child only draws pictures of NASCAR race cars, a teacher could start expanding the fixation by having him draw an Indianapolis-type car or draw sports cars that regular people can buy at car dealerships.  The next step of expansion is to draw pictures of places where race tracks are located.”

Her advice is so very logical that it makes me wonder why the education system doesn’t follow it.

Read the rest of the article.  It is practical, sound and full of clear advice.

Great Articles To Read

 

On a regular basis on the Toy Bug Facebook page we include links to great articles that we have found and which are well worth reading.  These are some very useful resources and provide clear insights and ideas so we decided to list some of them here so you can easily find them again.

Here are a few of the recent ones:

·       This link by Dr. Tony Attwood explains the difference between Aspergers and High Functioning Autism.  

·       This details a great recipe for Gluten-free Cloud Dough. 

·       This article relates to research that showed that focusing on the strengths of adolescents with autism spectrum disorders improves their social skills. 

·       This article is great idea for when your child is bored and looking for something to do.  

·       This link includes a set of slides that provides some great information and well explained examples to assist people to accept their diagnosis.    

·       This article titled Eight Fun Oral Sensory Activities to Improve Your Child’s Regulation provides activities for your child and as detailed in the article when you need a “quick fix”.

·       This article discusses a simple, inexpensive yet very effective way to make some sensory and discovery bottles for your child. 

·       This is an article on pillow caves and squish boxes that make ideal sensory retreats. 

These are just some of the resources on the Toy Bug Facebook page so when you get the chance, grab a coffee and spend a bit of time having a look. I know you will find some useful information.

Seams Away

Do you have to suffer through the dressing dramas every morning (or night)? Your child refuses to wear a piece of clothing because it itches or it won’t sit in the right spot or because it rubs. Nothing you can do will make your child wear that item of clothing, will it? That’s fair enough. Would you wear something that felt really uncomfortable?

Seams Away is an online store specialising in clothing for children with sensory issues.

This is from their website:

“More than 1 in 150 children have sensory needs that are largely unmet by the children's apparel market today. Soft clothing changes that. Soft is the first inclusive and universally designed line of clothing geared toward children with sensory or tactile sensitivity, a common symptom of Autism, Aspergers, and Sensory Processing Disorder. Soft is designed and constructed considering the needs of all children, particularly, sensory sensitive dressers.

Soft provides comfort and style for all children. Soft clothing features:

• Flat seaming and totally seamless construction throughout (for extra comfort)
• Soft, high quality cotton (combed, bio-washed and pre-washed for extra softness and smoothness)
• Wide collars (for a roomy fit)
• Encased elastic (waistbands that don't pinch)
• Printed labels throughout - printed with water based ink (for a smooth non-plasticy feel that won't itch)
• Vegetable dyes, natural enzyme washes and water based digital prints (to protect against allergies).”

The range is really good and includes everything from socks to coats. It also has a book called "I'll Tell You Why...I Can't Wear Those Clothes!" which helps to explain the reasons behind your child’s reactions.

This is a specialist store and I’m certain the products will be in big demand.

5 Big Myths Of Autism

As a result of the increased awareness of autism spectrum disorders, there has also been an increase in myths associated with them too. They are myths for a reason – most are wildly untrue. It’s important to weed out these myths and help educate people about ASD so we can all live together in understanding.

Some of the myths often raised are:

1. Autistic people can’t show emotions: Autistic people have the same range of emotions including empathy, sympathy, compassion and love as anyone else but the main issue for other people is to identify, recognise and interpret when these emotions are being shown.

2. Autistic people cannot learn or continue to improve: Learning can occur in the same way and pace as for anyone else but the main issue is providing the correct type of support and intervention as early as possible. As with anyone else this can continue throughout their lives.

3. Autistic people have some special skill – the “savant syndrome”: In some cases autistic people can have unique and highly developed skills but that can lead to the overuse of the tag of savant or in extreme cases where these skills appear to be at the expense of other skills, “idiot savant”. This belief has been popularised by films such as “Rainman”. More often than not they are like any other person who is able to excel at something because they are simply good at it and have a strong interest and passion to achieve.

4. Autistic people can’t develop relationships: Autistic people are often portrayed as not able to maintain eye contact or look away when talking. In addition, they often like solitude and isolating themselves and when you add to this the difficulty they may have in reading body language and nonverbal signals, it leads to the perception that they can’t develop a relationship. While these are real issues they are not indicators or mean they don’t want to develop a relationship. As with anyone, autistic people often have the desire to develop the relationship and the people who they are trying to interact with need to have the patience and understanding to recognise this.

5. Autism is as a result of poor parenting: As autism is linked to development and learning issues, parents often blame themselves for the onset of autism. Autism is linked to genetic and biological issues and as such the parenting involvement plays no role.

In addition to these myths, there are countless others that can at times, and unfairly, paint an adverse and negative picture of people with ASD. Together, we can help raise awareness and understanding of the disorder and eliminate these myths.

Free And Cheap Apps To Help With ASD

It is worthwhile having a look at some free and cheap apps currently available to download for your iPhone or iPad. These types of games are a great way for kids to learn, especially those that use technology. Many ASD children learn better from a technology based tool than they do from a teacher. Here is a brief summary of some of the apps that may be of interest – plus I have included one at the end for parents:

• Lexico Cognition: This game was developed and tested by qualified speech therapists and helps to develop language understanding, vocabulary building, cognitive, memory and auditory skills. There are several levels where questions are asked that need to be answered with the use of images and text. For children with reading difficulties all questions can be read out aloud if needed or the sound can be turned off.

• Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim: This game provides your child with a guide to water safety and uses Stewie to help with the story. This app allows the story to be read out and also features a memory game, sounds effects and a sing along song. There is plenty of interaction with the characters and objects that adds to the fun and enhances the learning about water safety.

• Licking Letters: This is a fun game that allows your child to find letters with Hoppy the Frog to spell out and read words. It includes lots of interaction with great sounds and animations that assist with the education and learning for your child.

This following app is ideal for parents and is worth trying if you are having trouble sleeping. You need to make sure you are looking after yourself and getting enough sleep.

• Yoga for Insomnia: This app guides you through a series of yoga poses that aims to increase your mind’s ability to calm itself and assist with getting a good night’s sleep. Settings can be changed from beginner to advanced so you can have a more effective session. Insomnia can be extremely taxing so being able to manage and address it becomes critical.

There is an ever increasing range of apps on offer through iTunes and other places now. Keep your eyes open for what you can see and please share your finds with us here.

April Is World Autism Awareness Month

With April being World Autism Awareness Month it provides an opportunity to discuss, learn and highlight issues with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). This can result in a greater appreciation and understanding of ways we can assist children and adults who suffer from an ASD to improve and lead a more meaningful life.

With one in 100 people estimated to have an ASD, the awareness month also provides an excellent opportunity for people who don’t suffer from any ASDs to be made more aware of this neurological condition.

ASDs can affect interpersonal skills, communications, motor skills, concentration as well as a number of other developmental conditions and can relate to people with Asperger’s syndrome and high functioning autism. It has been the raising of the awareness that has led to many of these conditions being recognised in the last 10 to 15 years where previously they may have been misdiagnosed. The importance of this is that with early intervention, better support and understanding occurs to assist with managing the ASD.

As part of the World Autism Awareness Month, in 2007 the United Nations General Assembly declared 2 April as World Autism Awareness Day in perpetuity. Autism organisations around the world use this day to promote fundraising and awareness events. This also includes the Light It Up Blue campaign and this year thousands of building and landmarks in 45 countries and over 600 cities were coloured by blue lights.

The other important issue with World Autism Awareness Month is that it provides an opportunity to value the role of autistic people in the world, how they can make a positive contribution and that they can be proud of themselves.

As part of our involvement with World Autism Awareness Month we would like to encourage you to share your thoughts and stories on our Facebook page.