#reachingmilestones

[suramed-health-center]

🚼👶Milestones Matter! Babies going into their fourth month should be reaching these milestones - Visit our website to learn more. 🌐 suramedhealthcenter.com

[kimilat]

Just showing off a few gifts from my coach for reaching a new milestone in my business. Love you to the moon and back @momwhatsfordinner! I have so much gratitude for everything this business has brought me. I've made new friends & found new communities. I have continuous support & accountability with my health & business goals. And I earn a lil' something while helping others the way I've been helped. And yes, there is company recognition, but there's nothing like the recognition from your people. #reachingmilestones #coachlove #newfriendships #communitysupport #healthgoals #businessgoals #helpingotherssucceed #teamnourish #teamevolution #blackbusinessowner #blaccexellence (at Bronx, NY) https://www.instagram.com/p/CF0ldJeAJ8i/?igshid=1heenandck4l4

[reachingmilestones-blog1-blog]

Reaching Milestones- The spectrum of Autism and Asperger Syndrome

Autism Spectrum Disorder

ASD, as it is referred to, is a term used to identify brain development disorders. A wide array of symptoms include problems with social interaction and both verbal and nonverbal communication. The condition may present signs such as repetitive behaviors, twirling or hand waving. Normal childhood development typically takes place only to begin degeneration around the ages of one and two. Diagnosis is usually made by the ages of three and four when loss of language and social skills are evident.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine notes difficulty with social interaction, lack of eye contact, and a hyper sensitivity to light, sound or the texture of foods and clothing are all prominent signs. Language development becomes slow, and the need to stick to routines becomes rigid. Withdrawal from physical contact is replaced with an attachment to specific objects. Decreased or increased reaction to pain and an oversensitivity to normal sound levels are all common symptoms.

Although the exact cause has not been identified, it is believed to be caused by an abnormal brain chemistry and physiology. Contributing factors that produce the disorder can be heredity, diet, mercury exposure, vitamin and mineral deficiencies and vaccine sensitivity.

The Center for Disease Control and prevention, commonly referred to as the CDC, reports that one in every sixty-eight children have been diagnosed. The CDC reports no link to ethnic, racial or socioeconomic group, although it is five times more likely to occur in boys rather than girls.

Asperger Syndrome

The Autism spectrum can range from needing constant care and supervision to people who grow up to live independent lives with friends, family, homes, and careers. The symptoms experienced can fall anywhere in this broad range of disability.

Asperger Syndrome is considered to be at the high functioning side of the spectrum. Asperger typically presents the inability to talk at the same learning rate as other children. Although once they do, they develop extraordinarily large vocabularies and the ability to converse on complex topics. This and their intense ability to focus has earned them the common nickname of “the little professors”. They usually tend to enjoy great academic success.

The website AutismSpeaks.org states that the syndrome is subtle, awkward and not easily understood, making it hard to diagnose. They commonly have trouble with eye contact and modulating their voices. Fixating on a single subject that they find fascinating and talking incessantly about it is also a hallmark of this syndrome. The realization that other people may not be as interested in their fixation contributes to their tendency toward social isolation. Lacking this and other skill sets to sustain healthy connections often leaves them longing for normalcy. 

[reachingmilestones-blog1-blog]

Autism gets a face on “Parenthood”

When “Parenthood” ended their six-season run in January, television lost a role model for families of children with Autism everywhere. The long-running show showed the life of the Braverman family. The family included grandparents, four children and the children’s families. Max, one of the grandchildren, was diagnosed with Asperger’s in the first season of the show. He is the first television character to put a face on the realities of Autism.

Actor Max Burkholder was only 11 when the show began filming. Max knew the importance of portraying this character realistically and spent a lot of time studying the disorder so he could portray the character true to life. Burkholder said he strived to understand Autism because he wanted his character to ring true to the audience. Audience members took to the character easily, especially those who have children living on the spectrum. His scenes featured personality quirks and emotional outbursts that tugged at the heartstrings.  

In one emotionally charged episode during season 5, Max goes on a field trip with his class. On the trip, the other students in his class tease him mercilessly, until Max has a tantrum. After his parents pick him to bring him home, Max asks, “Why do all the other kids hate me? Is it because I’m weird?” His parents, portrayed by Peter Krause and Monica Potter, do not have an answer for him. The episode struck a chord with many parents who deal with this type of situation on a regular basis. The directness of questions coupled with being unable to answer the question is a common scenario for many families.

Jason Katims, writer and producer of “Parenthood” used this show to address common parenting issues, including some of his own. While the show is based off a film of the same name, Katims created Max’s character because he wanted to highlight the difficulties of parenting a child with Autism. Despite his desires, Katims said he was worried that the show would not be able to pull it off. “I was worried. Would everybody reject it?  Would we be able to do a good job of telling the story… what the experience is really like for a family dealing with this?” There were no other shows to draw inspiration from, but luckily it was a success.

Max deals with a variety of every-day situations as well as some more difficult situations, throughout the course of the show. During season four, Max’s mother tell him she has breast cancer. His response to the terrible news was “Ok. Can I go watch TV.” Later in the same episode, Max tells his mom that if she undergoes chemo, the procedure will kill some of her healthy cells as well as her sick cells. For many families, this episode in particular highlights the way children with Autism typically respond to emotional situations: with facts.

Part of what made the show special was how the audience learned to see someone living with autism as a human. “At first, I thought playing Max was about the fact that he had Asperger’s. But over time, it’s been more like his Asperger’s is more secondary to who he is,” Burkholder said.

[reachingmilestones-blog1-blog]

Test Your Flight Ability at Blue Horizons with Autism Speaks

Autism Speaks is always trying to find new and innovative ways to help families and individuals with autism. In their newest venture, they have teamed up with JetBlue Airways to help people find ways to fly easier.

Their event, Blue Horizons for Autism, is off to a great start with their first event being held last week. The initial attendance of Blue Horizons at the JFK International Airport in New York City was over 250. During the event, families and individuals with autism are able to rehearse what it is like to travel by plane in a relaxed, yet realistic, environment. They are surrounded by others in similar situations, helping to give them additional support.

Anyone who has autism or has an autistic loved one knows that travel can become difficult. By preparing for the flight well in advance, you can better anticipate your individual needs during travel. During the event, you will be able to experience all the steps of airplane travel first hand. The event also works to help crewmembers learn more about handling customers that have autism.

Blue Horizons for Autism starts with the family checking in with the airport ticket counter as if they were going on an actual flight. They will walk through the security checkpoint, experiencing all of the normal procedures. Each family will also experience waiting at a predetermined flight gate and the standard boarding procedures before they get on the plane.

While you do not actually travel anywhere once you are on the plane, the plane does circle around the airport for about twenty minutes. This helps to simulate the airplane ride and can show the autistic individuals what it is like to be in the air. Families or caretakers can then gauge the reactions of their loved ones and understand their specific needs when it comes to flying. This helps to prevent issues in the future when they fly for the first time.

The individuals that attended Blue Horizons found the experience very insightful and found ways to improve their future flight experience. They learned unforgettable skills that they can use again and again.

JetBlue Airlines and Autism Speaks plan on working together to create more events in the future. They hope to share the experience with people in cities all over the United States. To learn more, connect with Autism Speaks on Facebook, where they will announce any upcoming events.

[reachingmilestones-blog1-blog]

Autism and Teaching Social Skills

During each of other interactions with the world and with other people around us, we use social norms we learned through observation. This type of behaviors are so deeply ingrained that we may take them for granted. It is easy to ignore the intricate makeup of social behaviors because we do them without even thinking. Traditional social skills help us communicate in everyday situations. We understand when it is our turn to speak, when we should change a subject and if another person is angry, happy, sad or uncomfortable based on these cues. Individuals with Autism cannot process these cues at the same rate, or in the same way, as other people.

According to the National Association of School Psychologists, there are for key areas of social skills that parents, teachers and medical professionals look at to determine which goals are most appropriate. These four areas include:

1. Beginning skills: These set of skills include listening, following directions, ignoring distractions and politely speaking.

2. Relational skills:  This set of skills include sharing with others, asking permission before doing something, participating in an activity and waiting to speak.

3. Thinking skills: This set of skills include asking for help, saying sorry to others, understanding and accepting consequences for behavior and decision-making skills.

4. Dealing with conflict: This set of skills includes proper reaction to losing, handling blame for something, coping with feeling left out, and responding to teasing from other children.

Each of the skills listed are necessary for children to gain a proper level of independence. This is particularly important for children with Autism as they get to school age. If they are able to master at least some of these social skills, they are likely to fare better in school and have a higher quality of life. Parents, teachers and therapists can work with children to encourage mastery. Common methods of social education include modeling, evaluation, role-playing and copying others.

Social skills training is a helpful way to help children with Autism. This type of preparation will help children with Autism perform better in school. Therapists usually perform this type of training individually or as small groups. These education groups may consist only of children with Autism but may also benefit from the addition of students without Autism. All children can benefit from mastering social cues and norms. Children in these lessons usually perform better if trained in a neutral location (like a classroom) because they can take the skills with them more easily.

Although children with Autism may have a difficult time learning social norms, these struggles can be reduced through social education. The social skills classes offer a much-needed education that provides a road to independence and higher interpersonal skills.

[reachingmilestones-blog1-blog]

Football Penalties Donate to Charity

During the past few weeks, most of us have been enjoying the 2014 – 2015 football season. While the hype for preseason was a little more and led to a greater expectation of game-play, very few have been disappointed so far. The only damper on the fun and excitement has been the plentiful amount of fines and penalties issued this year, an issue that not many fans want to discuss.

While most people view penalties and fines as a disappointment in an otherwise great game, there are some that are hoping to change that. One college athletic department has been hoping to turn their penalty into a more positive situation for everyone. This could help people view penalties much differently in the future, putting a more positive light on an otherwise dark topic in football.

Pat Haden, from USC’s Athletic Department, was one of the first coaches to get a penalty this year. He received the penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, and now he understands how negatively a penalty can affect a person. Haden got his penalty during his team’s victory over Stanford during the third quarter. He argued with the game officials on the sidelines during the game.

Haden was removed from the committee as a direct result of his actions. He also had to deal with increased negative publicity. The Trojan Coach, Steve Sarkisian, also received a penalty for the incident by the Pac-12 Conference. The fine for the inappropriate sideline behavior was $25,000 for each coach.

As soon as possible, Haden decided to issue a public apology. He wanted the fans to know he was sorry for his behavior during the incident. He admitted that he should have waited until after the game to talk with the officials, and that he should have used the proper channels to do so.

Haden used Twitter to help him make some big announcements to his fans. He was happy to pay his fine and wanted Pac-12 to forward the fine money to the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles for Autism Research. The request was made to honor Haden’s 5-year old grandson.

Happy endings are always nice to see, especially in a situation that is so negative. Haden did something that not a lot of players or coaches take the time to do. The NCAA or NFL should have more individuals requesting their penalty money be donated to a worthy cause. That way, more people can have happy endings.

[reachingmilestones-blog1-blog]

The Myth of the Refrigerator Mother

People who are uninformed about the latest advances in diagnosis and treatment of autism often point to parents, especially mothers, that seem emotionally cold as a cause of autism. Years ago, when he first discovered autism, Austrian psychiatrist Leo Kanner suggested emotionally distant parents might be the cause. Although he had little research to support his theory, he based his idea solely on his own observations of his patients’ parents. In his case notes, he observed that many of the parents seemed to have difficulty expressing affection.

If he had the benefit of modern genetic science, Kanner might have come up with the correct theory, that autism has a strong genetic component. Far from being a mere psychological reaction to distant parents, autism is a neurological disorder that interferes with the electrochemical circuitry in the brain. Perhaps it wasn’t Kanner’s observations, but rather his conclusion that was wrong. Since research has since shown that there is a tendency for parents to pass autism on to their children, perhaps the parents Kanner observed were themselves affected with autism spectrum disorder.

Yet the myth persists. Popular psychology, as opposed to the real science, tends to mix old-school, blame-the-mother discarded psychological theories with old wives’ tales.

If you have a child with autism, don’t be surprised if some well-meaning, yet nosy neighbor gives you some “advice” on curing your child of the disorder. “Just show her more affection,” the neighbor might say. “You’re not the friendliest mom on the block.” Before you let the neighbor’s words throw you into a tailspin, take charge. Educate your neighbor about autism.

Point out the latest research, which shows that children who develop autism show signs early in infancy. Studies conducted on young babies show that children who will develop autism do not look at faces as much as babies who do not. That shows that autism is not the result of poor parenting, since these babies were only a few weeks old. It is a neurological disorder that affects a person for a lifetime.

Secondly, point out that autism often runs in families. It is a genetically-inherited condition that the best parenting in the world cannot change.

 For more information about combating the myth of the refrigerator mother, see your child’s therapist.

References:

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/autism/autism-symptoms-and-early-signs.htm

http://genetics.thetech.org/original_news/news49