Don't allow disabilities to limit your life. Open up your abilities...Jerry Komar, Editor
Little Evidence Medications Are Effective For Teens and Young Adults With Autism
Vanderbilt University researchers reported there little proof medications help teens and young adults with autism.
Their report was based on reviewing over 4,500 studies focusing on outcomes, including side effect, of medical, behavioral, educational and vocational interventions. They found limited evidence that supports the use of medications such as antipsychotics to help reduce problem behaviors. In fact, the "harms" associated with the use of these medications included sedation and weight gain.
"We need to do more research to be able to understand how to treat core symptoms of autism," said DR. Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele, M.D.
PsychCentral
Autism Definition To Enlarge As Asperger's Disappears
Soon we will have a new definition of autism. When we do, the diagnosis of Asperger's will be gone. This is according to Dr. Catherine Lord, director of the Center for Autism and the Developing Brain.
"As a scientific diagnosis, Asperger's is merged into autism spectrum disorder...Our committee felt there just wasn't any way to justify its continuance," said Dr. Lord. She added, "We were also concerned that there were kids being denied services because Asperger's sounds like a better diagnosis."
The Star.com
Gross Motor Activities For Children With Autism
One of the many challenges for children with autism is how to strengthen their muscles while making it fun and developing valuable skills. The following are some gross motor activities that meet that criteria.
4 Your Bookshelf
Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew by Ellen Notbohm
Little Evidence Medications Are Effective For Teens and Young Adults With Autism
Vanderbilt University researchers reported there little proof medications help teens and young adults with autism.
Their report was based on reviewing over 4,500 studies focusing on outcomes, including side effect, of medical, behavioral, educational and vocational interventions. They found limited evidence that supports the use of medications such as antipsychotics to help reduce problem behaviors. In fact, the "harms" associated with the use of these medications included sedation and weight gain.
"We need to do more research to be able to understand how to treat core symptoms of autism," said DR. Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele, M.D.
PsychCentral
Autism Definition To Enlarge As Asperger's Disappears
Soon we will have a new definition of autism. When we do, the diagnosis of Asperger's will be gone. This is according to Dr. Catherine Lord, director of the Center for Autism and the Developing Brain.
"As a scientific diagnosis, Asperger's is merged into autism spectrum disorder...Our committee felt there just wasn't any way to justify its continuance," said Dr. Lord. She added, "We were also concerned that there were kids being denied services because Asperger's sounds like a better diagnosis."
The Star.com
Gross Motor Activities For Children With Autism
One of the many challenges for children with autism is how to strengthen their muscles while making it fun and developing valuable skills. The following are some gross motor activities that meet that criteria.
- Playing ball that can include, but not be limited to, baseball, kickball, basketball and T-ball
- Balancing as in walking on a balance beam or on a street-side curb.
- Dancing
- Tunnel crawl by transforming some large cardboard boxes into a tunnel children can safely crawl through
- Obstacle courses such as climbing over and under objects (readily found on any playground) or running around car tires, etc.
4 Your Bookshelf
Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew by Ellen Notbohm
