Travelling With an Autistic Child
1. Plan ahead. If at all possible plan trips far in advance. This gives you time to talk with your child and get them used to the idea of travelling. You can explain to them where they will be going, and some of the things they will be doing while away.
2. Bring items from home that your Autistic child likes. Bring their favourite toys. Bring along their pillow and blanket they use each night. Try and keep as many items that are familiar to your child as you while travelling. This can help your child to relax in their new environment.
3. Bring all their necessary medications. You do not want to be away from home and not have their medicine. Get the prescriptions refilled before the trip to make sure you do not run out.
4. Try and keep a schedule while travelling. If possible keep some of the schedules you use while at home. Try to get up and go to bed at the same time each day. Autistic children need their schedules to feel safe.
5. Do not overload your child. If your child has a lot of sensory issues do not overload them while travelling. If you see your child getting overwhelmed go back to your hotel for a break. Warn your child if the place you are going has loud noises, or bright lights if these are issues.
6. Do not force your child to do something they are not comfortable doing. For example, do not make them go to an amusement park if they do not like loud noises and lots of people. Consider bringing a qualified person to watch your child while you visit the park. They could do an activity that your child would like instead.
7. Make sure your child has something with them that has your name, and phone number where you can be reached in case the child gets lost. If your child is verbal make sure they know how to tell someone they are lost. This can be very hard for an Autistic child. They have a hard time dealing with people anyway.
8. If you have to travel for an emergency try to stay calm. If you are stressed about the trip your Autistic child will pick up on this and become stressed their selves.
9. Take lots of activities the child enjoys to keep them occupied while travelling. This could be handheld games or a portable DVD player. This can help keep your child from becoming overly bored. It can also give them something to focus on if they start to feel uneasy.
10. Notify the place where you are staying that your child is Autistic. This is very important if your child likes to wander on their own. The staff at the hotel will know if they see the child and you are not with them to contact you right away.
Travelling with an Autistic child will take some extra planning, but it can be done. Just try and keep as much structure to the trip as possible. It will make the trip more enjoyable for you and your child.
Treatments for Aspergers Syndrome
There is no one set treatment for Asperger's syndrome. You will not find a medication that will cure a child with Asperger. Instead, you will find several treatments to help with the problems associated with Asperger's syndrome. Here we will examine some of the treatments used with Asperger's syndrome.
Social Skills Training
Children with Asperger's syndrome have a hard time understanding facial expressions, and tone of voice. They tend to take everything said to them very literally. They do not know when a person is joking with them. Children can be taught to recognize changes in peoples voices, and what different facial expressions mean. They also need to be taught how to use better eye contact. This type of training can help the child to make friends. They are taught how to act around other people. Some children with Aspergers want to be around other kids, they just do not know how to act with them. They can be taught how to act when out shopping, or at a restaurant.
Cognitive behaviour therapy
This type of therapy teaches the child with Asperger's syndrome to find ways to cope. They are taught ways to reduce anxiety. They learn how to spot a situation that can cause them trouble. Then they learn techniques to cope when they are in that situation. Aspergers children often have a lot of anxiety. They have a hard time in social settings. They can have anxiety attacks or complete meltdowns. Cognitive therapy teaches them ways to stop the meltdowns from occurring. This therapy will teach a child with Aspergers that when they feel an unwanted behaviour coming on something they can do to stop it. They are taught how to remove themselves from a situation that makes them uneasy.
Medication
No medication will treat Aspergers. However, there is medication to help with some of the symptoms of Aspergers. Many children with Aspergers have anxiety and depression. Some medications can help relieve these problems. Relieving the anxiety can help the child feel more comfortable in social settings. Medications like these can have side effects. You will need to monitor your child's behaviour while they are on the medication. Some children with Aspergers have a hard time sleeping. There are medications to help the child sleep.
Parenting Education
There is training for the parents of Asperger children. This training consists of ways you can deal with behaviours. Learning things that can help to calm your child down when they are having a meltdown, or anxiety attack. Parents are taught ways of using reward systems to control behaviour problems. They are taught how to deal with the behaviours in the home. This helps them to deal with behaviours in other places too.
With these treatments, the life of an Asperger child can be easier. If no treatment is given children with Aspergers can have trouble with depression, and anxiety. They have such a hard time dealing with people socially they might turn to alcohol or drugs to relax them. Getting a treatment plan that works is a number one priority for your Aspergers child.
What are the Signs of Aspergers Syndrome
Aspergers is a form of Autism. People with Asperger's syndrome are on the higher end of the spectrum. They usually have normal language skills. Their main problem is dealing with people socially. Usually, these problems are first noticed when a child begins school. The child can have all the signs of Aspergers, or only a few. Here are some of the common signs of Asperger's syndrome.
1. Have a hard time talking to other kids. Kids with Asperger's syndrome have a hard time going up to someone and starting a conversation.
2. Speak in words that are very advanced for their age. The Asperger's child may use words that adults would use.
3. Have trouble understanding when someone is joking, or being sarcastic. Children with Aspergers have a hard time understanding the tones of people's voices. They tend to take everything said seriously.
4. Have very limited interests. A child with Asperger's syndrome may only want to focus on one thing. They may take a liking to puzzles, and only want to do puzzles all the time. They will often learn everything they can about one subject. That will be all they focus on.
5. Have a hard time with changes in their routine. This can be hard for a child starting school. They had a routine at home and now that is being changed. The same thing can happen during breaks during the school year. This is a common problem of Autistic children.
6. Talking a lot. Children with Aspergers usually talk a lot. They often say whatever they are thinking whether it is appropriate or not. Most of the conversations they have are one-sided. While it looks like the child is talking to you, they are really talking at you.
7. Problems making friends. Kids with Aspergers have trouble making friends due to their inability to relate to the other children. They sometimes try too hard to make friends and scare the other kids away.
8. No eye contact. Children with Aspergers usually will not look you in the eye when speaking. This is another common trait of an Autistic child.
9. Using repetitive movements. This can be a movement like spinning around or bouncing back and forth while sitting. These movements are calming to the Aspergers child.
10. Problems with speaking. The Aspergers child may speak really fast. They usually do not stop to see if the person they are talking to is paying attention. Their tone of voice is flat and does not change to show emotions.
11. Problems with movement. Children with Aspergers often have trouble with their coordination skills. They may always be tripping or stumbling over their own feet. They may take a long time to learn how to ride a bike.
Asperger children have the most positive outcome on the Autism spectrum. They have high intelligence and language skills. They can often be taught the social skills they need to get by. If you notice any of these signs in your child mention them to the doctor.
What Causes Autism
What causes Autism is something every doctor hears when they tell a parent their child is Autistic. There is no one definite answer to this question. There are several thoughts on what causes Autism. Some of the causes of Autism are thought to be genetic. Doctors think several genes cause Autism but have yet to locate them. They now feel that some people are born with the predisposition to be Autistic. Then they have some type of environmental trigger and they become Autistic.
Autism is more common in boys than girls. Some studies show a connection between environmental factors and Autism. They think that the pollution and toxins in the air can contribute to a child having Autism. Studies have shown small towns with high cases of Autism. The towns had one thing in common, a high pollution source. Usually, the source is a factory of some sort that release a lot of toxins, and chemicals into the air.
A majority of people believe Autism was caused by the Mercury, or Thimerosal in vaccinations. This was because Autism was first diagnosed about the same time as vaccinations were given.
There has been a lot of studies and research about vaccines causing a child to become Autistic. So far there has been no evidence to suggest the connection between vaccinating your child and Autism. There could be more risks from not having the vaccinations.
Some studies have shown children being exposed to high levels of Mercury were more likely to have Autism. This was a fear with the vaccinations, but the majority of shots these days do not contain any mercury or Thimerosal. If they do contain Thimerosal it is in very trace amounts. High levels of Mercury can be contributed to eating a lot of fish, and industrial emissions. Researchers think there could be a connection between pregnant women being exposed to Mercury and their children having Autism. New studies are testing pregnant women to see how much Mercury is in their systems and testing the babies at birth. They can then monitor the babies with high Mercury levels and see if they have any problems later on.
There are theories that Autism is caused by an underlying health issue. Certain diseases make a child more likely to develop Autism. Some of these diseases include Fragile X syndrome and congenital Rubella. Others believe Autism is caused by a metabolic imbalance.
It used to be thought that Autism was caused by early emotional trauma. They also thought bad parenting was to blame. Doctors tried to blame mothers for not giving their children enough attention and love. These theories have been found untrue. Much more research is needed to identify the true cause or causes of Autism. Until a definite answer is found no one will know what causes a child to be Autistic. These theories are all just that, theories. Someday hopefully doctors will understand what causes a child to be Autistic, and they can work on a way to prevent, or cure it.
What is Persuasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified
Persuasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified is also known as PDD-NOS. This is where a child only shows some of the signs of Autism. They may not show these signs at all times, or in all places. Usually, PDD-NOS is first seen in children three or four years of age. Yet some children show signs while still an infant. There are different areas that the signs could be present. We will look at two of these.
Social Interaction
The developmental delays in social interaction can often be seen when the child is a baby. They may not look you in the eyes, or smile when you are interacting with them. They do not hold their arms up for you to pick them up. They might playoff by themself. Some of the children with PDD-NOS may enjoy being cuddled on occasion. They might enjoy roughhousing with their older sibling or parent.
These PDD-NOS children usually do not have problems with separation from their parents. They also do not have issues with strangers. They may run right up to a stranger like they would their parents. When the child is older they will usually become close to their parents or other adults. They have a hard time making friends. They do not like participating in games with other kids. Some children with mild PDD-NOS will want to make friends, but since they have a hard time dealing with other people socially this will be hard for them.
Communication Impairments
The impairments of communication in children with Persuasive Developmental Disorder Not Other Specified can start while in infancy. The child will not babble or try to talk like other children do. They may pick up a word and repeat it over and over again.
Some PDD-NOS children pick up speech easy, but they have problems using the right words in the right situation. They have trouble understanding the tone in someone's voice when they are joking or using sarcasm. If someone tells them something they take it literally. For example, if the child was told it is raining cats and dogs they would most likely go look out the window and expect to see cats and dogs falling from the sky. Persuasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified children may only talk about subjects they are interested in. It may seem that they are talking at you instead of with you.
Children with Persuasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified have a hard time with emotions. They usually experience emotions but to the extreme. If they are mad they have temper tantrums that last much longer than a normal child. This is the same for fears or sadness. They may have extremely happy times. They usually will not show facial expressions that go along with the emotion.
These are just two of the many signs of a child with Persuasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. If you see these signs in your child speak to their doctor about your concerns. They can examine the child to see if further testing is necessary.
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