Autistic Daily

Pink Sherbet Photography

We’re trying to keep this as professional as possible, but a big WTF comes to mind after reading this story.

An eight year old girl was arrested on suspicion of battery, handcuffed, and taken to juvenile detention where she was held in custody until her parents picked her up.

The third grader allegedly spit on and inappropriately touched two of her instructors.

The county prosecutor later dropped the charges. Well, at least someone here has good sense and judgement.

It’s not stated whether or not school officials knew the girl had Asperger’s, but if they did, the story makes even less sense.

Besides the fact, that, oh, dunno, she’s only 8 YEARS OLD, why wasn’t her condition taken into account before placing the arrest and placing her in the strange and foreign environment of a detention center that, no doubt, only contributed to whatever unpleasant emotions that made her allegedly commit the “battery” to begin with?

Most eight year old girls don’t “inappropriately touch” adults, but if they do, jail obviously isn’t the place to put them during “time out.”

The parents are suing the Lake Pend Oreille School District and Bonner County for $500,000 in damages.

via seattlepi.com

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ephotography on Flickr

A recent government report on death and abuse in both public and private schools from restraints and seclusion reveals some unsettling facts on the need for regulation and education.

Currently, there are no laws in place that regulate these procedures, which are often administered to children with autism to protect themselves and others.

At the state level, where some laws exists, regulations vary tremendously and 19 states have absolutely no laws, including Wisconsin, Wyoming, Vermont, South Carolina, South Dakota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Nebraska, Mississippi, Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Indiana, Idaho, Florida, Georgia, and Arizona.

That’s almost half the United States!

The National Autism Association has drafted a sample letter you can send to your representative if your state lacks laws. It might be a good idea to send it to your representative if your state does have laws so they can be improved.

via ageofautism.com

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nathanborror on Flickr

Autistic children may learn better in smaller classrooms just because it’s easier to read the teacher’s lips.

“Viewing a speaker’s articulatory movements can greatly improve a listener’s ability to understand spoken words, and this is especially the case under noisy environmental conditions,” said Dr. John J. Foxe, Professor of Neuroscience at CCNY.

Speech develops well into adolescence, but autistic children often lag several years behind their non-autistic peers.

In larger classrooms, not only is it almost impossible to read the teacher’s lips, but various noise distractions are amplified, such as side chatter and paper rustling.

via timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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thetransporters.com

The Transporters is a group of DVDs that teach children with autism how to recognize emotions like happiness and sadness.

Released in the United States this week, The Transporters places human faces on vehicles like buses and trolleys.

The DVD series was created by the Autism Research Center at Cambridge University, where the famed autism researcher Simon Baron-Cohen teaches and conducts research.

“To teach autistic children something they find difficult, we needed an autism-friendly format,” Baron-Cohen said.

It it known that autistic children often become fascinated by vehicles that move in a consistent manner, such as trains.

According to The Transporters website, just 15 minutes a day can lead to significant differences in children learning to recognize emotions.

via pottstownmercury.com

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Dr. Edward Carr, a pioneer researcher in autism and psychology at Stonybrook University was killed last week by an alleged drunk driver.

Dr. Carr is best known for his work on Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) and Positive Behavior Support (PBS) for individuals on the autism spectrum.

Because of Dr. Carr’s research, schools in the United States now know how to properly educate students with disabilities.

FBA allows the educator to understand the purpose behind an alleged “bad” behavior while PBS focuses on changing the child’s environment and  teaching the child how to get his or her needs fulfilled in a more productive manner.

For an example of such a time when FBA and PBS are needed, read this lovely explanation at the dailykos.com.

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Editor B. on Flickr

Children spend a good 1/3 of their day in the classroom.

So it makes sense that any law designed to improve a child’s well being would include specifications for what takes place at school.

This is not the case with the Autism Treatment Acceleration Act, and as Mark Hockmuller, San Antonio Autism and Parenting Examiner says, is “one glaring omission from the act thus far.”

“While it is desirable to have requirements for insurance companies to cover autism-related treatments, parents often have major challenges in acquiring adequate services from public schools. The majority of time for many autistic children is spent at the school they attend.”

The bill does address contacts and resources for families and requirements for health care providers and insurance.

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Mykyl Roventine on Flickr

Why is Daniel Tammet considered a Savant? Guess which state is taking steps to ensure insurance companies cover autism costs? Where will parents in Mississippi take their autistic children once the Mississippi Child Development Institute closes? Find out on today’s autism beat.

Daniel Tammet is one of those outrageously smart individuals who can speak 11 languages, recite pi to 22,500 decimal places (We know it’s 3.14…then some other numbers) and is one of fewer than 50 people in the world known as a prodigious savant. Asperger’s individuals, you’re in good company. By the way, the man who took Daniel’s photo, for the article, Stephen Wiltshire, is also autistic. [Nouse.co.uk]

The Mississippi Child Development Institute has announced it’s closing its doors at the end of the summer session. Although it’s working on creating a new autism clinic, it won’t open by the start of the new school year. The school services students with autism and other developmental delays and instructs students by functional level, instead of placing them in grade levels. [clarionledger.com]

Michigan House Committee votes to acquire better insurance coverage for autistic children. The legislation was approved 19-0 by a House Health Policy Committee and next heads to the Democratic-led House. [freep.com]

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Wesley Fryer on Flickr

When it comes to encouraging good behavior, especially in special needs children like those with autism or ADD, praise is better than punishment in the long run, says behavioral specialist Kirsten Conroy.

Conroy recently spoke at a Special Needs Assistants Group Conference and emphasized different strategies need to be taken for children with behavioral disorders.

Conroy advised parents, teachers, and Special Needs Assistants on how to deal with these children in learning environments. 

“We need to put strategies in place to empower a child to be able to deal with a situation they find hard to cope with, be it a typically developing child or a child with a condition such as autism, Asperger’s or ADHD. These strategies must be tailor-made for each individual child and situation.”

Up to a certain point, such as the child being in danger or breaking serious rules, praise is always better and ignoring bad behavior works better in the long run.

Punishment, Conroy argues, often damages the child’s self-esteem and may turn him or her off a particular subject.

via Irishtimes.com

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