K12 Educational Learning Disabilities

Although the history of autism likely initiated well during a century ago, autism wasn’t formerly recognized as its own condition, it was originally confused provided another mental disorder, schizophrenia. For many years, it was also believed that autism was the result of one, basic cause. Today, it is known that autism does not only have one cause, and nothing about the disorder is basic. History Autism

For instance, although all autistics have issues with social development, some may be highly gifted and learn to live independently, while others are mentally unable to grasp concepts and are completely dependent. However, you may be wondering, how did the history of autism develop and where did it all begin? The following are the main facts that outline the major breakthroughs in autism history.

• 1912 – Eugene Bleuler – a Swiss psychiatrist was the first to recognize a pattern in schizophrenic individuals who seemed to be self-absorbed. Bleuler referred to this self-absorption as “autism”; he was the first to create and use this term. However, he was not the first in the history of autism to recognize autism as being a separate mental disorder from schizophrenia.

• 1943 – Leo Kanner – an Austrian-American child psychologist was the first to recognize autism as an independent mental disorder. Kanner described a group of 11 children having the following common characteristics: o Displaying anguish with changes o Problems with social interaction o Delayed echolalia (vocally repeating the sounds or words of another) o Good memory o Overly sensitive to specific stimulants, particularly sound o Problems with food o Difficulty being spontaneous o Notable intellectual potential Kanner labeled the behaviors of these 11 children as having early infantile autism.

• 1944 – Hans Asperger – an Austrian scientist and pediatrician, wrote about his experiences with a group of children he came to call autistic psychopaths. Asperger noted many of the same traits in the children that Kanner studied. However, the one trait he did not mention was the delayed echolalia. Instead, he noted that his group of children spoke like “little grown-ups”. Asperger also mentioned their clumsy motor skills that were different from the average child. If the name Asperger looks familiar, this is because he plays a major role in the history of autism in regards to Asperger Syndrome, now recognized as a specific type of high functioning autism.

• 1967 – Bruno Bettelheim – An Austrian-American child psychologist and writer wrote The Empty Fortress: Infantile autism and the birth of the self. Within his work, Bettelheim discussed three therapy session he had with children whom he called autistic. Bettelheim claimed that the autistic disorder was the result of their mother’s coldness. It was his belief that parents should not be involved in the children’s therapy. This lack of understanding of the condition left many parents wrongly feeling they were somehow to blame.

• 1970’s – Autism knowledge and research spread to Sweden. The Erica Foundation in Sweden began education and therapy for autistic children. During their research, it was discovered that autism was more complex than initially realized. This led researchers down a new path, making them realize, for one of the first time in the history of autism that there was more than one, general cause of autism.

• 1980’s – Autism research really took off and more researchers were becoming convinced that the typical reasons were related to neurological disturbances, which may be on occasion combined with other genetic factors such as chromosomal aberrations, metabolic disturbances, or illness.

For information on recognizing and treating autism sign up for the free Autism newsletter below. The history of autism still continues to this day, as researchers are still on a quest to determine the cause and the most effective treatment. Don’t let your child suffer anymore! Lead your child out of his world through program now!

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Behavioral interventions come to the rescue to provide cost-effective assistance for parents of troubled adolescents. Perhaps your child is suffering from a lack of concentration or is exhibiting inappropriate behavior, as young as pre-school age. Or maybe a recent divorce, move or other event is affecting your child adversely. In the most serious cases, teens turn to drugs, alcohol, sex or violence to compensate for emotions they’re lacking. The best way to remedy the situation is to get help early, utilize all resources and have a family intervention to ensure a strong support system.

Often, children who need a behavioral intervention suffer from ADHD, autism, dyslexia or another pervasive developmental disorder. An early intervention program is the key to helping the child overcome natural difficulties and find studying techniques that work. The public school system generally only focuses on one particular learning mode, which leaves many students feeling “stupid” or frustrated. By teaching the student more about their learning needs and focusing on self-empowerment, as well as skill development, the students will begin to learn their way at their own pace and will develop a renewed interest in school. A behavioral intervention can do more than just prevent anger or hyperactive outbursts in school. It can pave the way for your child’s future and instill a sense of pride and accomplishment.

There are other types of behavioral interventions as well. For example, some can help obese children get on the right track and begin living a healthier life. Dr. Teresa Quattrin, a UB professor of pediatrics, writes: “Obesity comes with a myriad of other serious health conditions, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and low self-esteem, so it’s imperative that we find tools that can prevent and treat overweight in a clinical practice setting early on.” At the University of Buffalo in NY, primary care physicians are conducting tests to see if a 24-month intervention can combat child obesity. The focus will be on increasing fruits and vegetable consumption, minimizing junk food, increasing physical activity and educating families on behavioral modification techniques that promote healthy living.

Evidence suggests that pre-natal behavioral interventions can be extremely helpful for pregnant women who smoke, drink, suffer from depression, or are victims of intimate partner violence. These risks can cause developmental disorders with your baby and may also lead to post-partum depression for the mothers. These intervention programs are ultimately very successful, with 90% of participants reporting a significant difference in their situation, according to one 2008 intervention study.

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If your child has special needs for any reason, finding the right play materials for him or her can be a bit of a challenge. However, finding the right therapy toys can do wonders for your child’s development and cognitive skills. Here are some of the best places to find the toys you need for your child at affordable prices.

Www.childtherapytoys.com is a great resource for finding educational toys that children of all development levels can use. Therapy toys include dolls that may represent parents or grandparents (these are good for role playing exercises), as well as hats that represent different occupations. You may also want to choose therapy toys that will help your child to further recognize some of the basic skills that are needed in the ‘real world.’ Play money in a drawer is a great tool for teaching your child about the value of a dollar, the values that is placed on each coin, and how to spend wisely.

You can also find a number of great therapy toys for your child at www.sensoryedge.com. This site sells toys that will enhance your child’s sensory skills, so that they can explore the world around them safely. Gymnic balls teach the concept of movement and motion, and there are also a number of therapy swings that you can choose from that will advance your child’s hand/eye coordination. These swings are also recommended for children who have autism or forms of ADHD. Art tables and easels are sold on the site as well, so you can purchase the supplies your child needs to be creative.

If you are currently working with a counselor or therapist, you may want to log onto www.toys4therapy.com to order therapy toys that will make your sessions more effective. Skills like fine motor control, sensory-motor awareness, and finger isolation are taught through these toys, and you’ll be able to expose your child to occupational therapy as well, since there are toys that will teach him how to tie his shoes or get dressed. There are also toys that are shaped like food in order to teach children how to prepare their own plates and feed themselves.

Other therapy toys include puppets, which will allow your child to ‘act out’ scenes in his or her life that may be troubling, or bop bags, which allow children to unleash their frustrations safely. You can find out more about how to find the right toys for your child when you visit www.counselingtoys.com; this site has a great selection of therapy toys as well, and the prices are very affordable.

No matter what your child’s needs are, these sites will most likely be able to help. The earlier you purchase the right play materials, the sooner your child will be on the path to successful learning. Good luck!

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