ANY resources about ABA (applied behavioural analysis) or teaching autistic children?

I have a 3 year old boy that I suspect he might have a mild autism ,PDD-NOS or Aspergers . He has 3-4 or 5 words sentence ( just turned 3 last month) but he has some strange behaviors sometimes and he is hard to teach , he likes to do everything by himself but if I reward him with M&M he is more motivated. I am still waiting for an evaluation. The Early Intervention result is average or above average in everything except social and that he is extremely shy . He does have good eye contact and is very affectionate with me and his siblings but he never said “I love you ” yet . I am not sure if these are symptoms of autism but I want to do everything I can to help my little boy . I am looking for some info about ABA or how to teach children with autism.

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I suggest going to the Autism Society of America, they have tons of info about learning treatment approaches such as ABA, Social Stories, etc ; info about biomedical & dietary approaches such as vitamins, gfcf diet, etc; and complimentary approaches such as music, art or animal therapy . You may want to look into all treatments available, what may work with one person with autism may not always work with another even if their characteristics are the same. They also have information about the charcateristics of Autism, Asperger’s, PDD-NOS, and the other Pervasive Developmental Disorders..they also have information about other disorders that have similiar characteristics of autism. They also have a autism search engine you can use to find resources in your community. A local chapter can be a great place for resources and support among other things as well.

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You may also want to consider reading these books by Ellen Notbohm: (excerpt from books below) 1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders; Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew; and Ten Things Your Student with Autism Wishes You Knew. I highly suggest the last 2 books listed they give you a perspective from their point of view such as when speaking to them: eg. idioms, puns, nuances, double entendres, inference, metaphors, allusions, and sarcasm can all confuse them; and receptive and expressive language and vocabulary can be major challenges for them.

If he is found to have a form of autism, I would contact your local school board for an evaluation as well for special ed. /related services, which is no cost to you. They must evaluate him in all areas of his suspected disability such as if he would need speech therapy or occupational therapy among other things. This way he can also start pre-k at the age of 3 to recieve early intervention services. You would want to get yourself familiarized with IDEA and IEP’s ( Individuals with Disabilities Education Act & Individualized Education Plan). IDEA protects your childs rights to receive a free and appropiate public eduaction (FAPE) & an IEP is used for anyone who receives special ed and/or related services such as therapy. It’s a legal document that outlines how your child will be educated to meet his specific needs.

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Also look into a local Center for Autism and Related Diseases (CARD – ours is with a local university). If your son is found to have autism or a related disorder, they can be a fantastic place for resources. You would have to put him into their database and you would have to attend an orientation first. They will come to your house at no charge and work with any person living in your home or any one who may watch him teaching all kind of useful techniques. They also offer a wide range of training classes such as feeding issues, potty training, behaviorial basics, IDEA & IEP’s, etc. The classes offered are free as well, once in a great while they may have a special class you may have to pay for but that is far and few between. You can use the search engine at the autism society to find a local CARD center.

If I can be more help please contact me through my profile – good luck .

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How can I get funding and help in raising money for school children with Autism?

I would love to get someone like Opra involved, she’s an incredible individual . I’ve talked to the autism society and they have encouraged the idea of using music to help these minds who are yet to be unlocked.
I have used all of my personal money building a recording studio thinking I could do it on my own. I’m taped financially… I’ve have a song produced for disaster victims, but no way to get it promoted.
p.s. I am a graduate of the Recording Institute of America, and a member of ASCAP. Please help me find resources

Hey there!

I’ve been heavily involved with nonprofit fund raising for years….so here are some ideas I have that could be relatively low in cost for your cause…

1) Consider a mail campaign – depending on how many mailing addresses you have, you never know how many people might respond to your cause and just write you a check! This works amazingly well for several organizations that are short on time AND resources.

2) Consider running an online auction – this is an AWESOME way to get to the people whose mailing addresses you don’t have (ie you’ve got their EMAILS)…your email base can feel like they’re using their expendable income on great stuff AND its going to their community at the same time!
I’ve included a link of one of the online auction companies that I’ve worked with…cMarket. They also have another website, BiddingforGood.com, that opens your auction up to all their members so that people who you don’t even know can donate to your cause and bid on your items!

3) Instead of having a garage sale at your home, try having a "garage" sale on eBay! Think of it as a virtual way to get rid of some stuff AND make a little more money…(make sure you include the cost of shipping those items online or else you’ll end up losing money!).

4) Have a fundraising event – give people in your community something to look forward to, and host a gala….you can sell tickets, have an auction, raffle prizes, etc that will give your community something to look forward to AND a perfect opportunity to donate to something they care about.

5) One last tid bit – consider selling sponsorships for your event…this can help off set some of your cost INCREDIBLY. You’d be surprised how many local businesses want to be a part of your cause-minded event! You can ask for anywhere around $500 per sponsor, and if you put your auction online, you can ask for even more than that because they’ll be getting just that much more exposure through your website and event emails!

Best of luck with all of this!

Where is an ideal state in the USA to raise children with autism?

This website may be helpful, as it was created specifically to answer the question you are posing.

http://www.autismkey.com/best_states_for_autism.htm

Help with child with Autism?

I am dating a wonderful woman whom I love with a child with autism. He is 5 years old. I am worried about the possibility of some day being a step dad for him. I want the best for him and his mom, but I’m not sure I could handle the day to day stresses that go along with raising a child with autism. I would hate to commit to being there full time and then not being able to be what they need from me. What can I expect things to be like if we were to get married? What kind of a person does it take to keep your sanity, and be a blessing to them? I would want nothing more than to be a huge help, and help them thrive. I would hate it if I committed and then coulnd’t make things easier for them and feel trapped. Please help.

I have a six-year-old with Autism. I’d do a couple of things. One, if I were you I’d read everything I could about autism. That will give you an idea about the range of behavior you might expect. Autism is a spectrum, meaning that it affects some kids more severely than others. Some kids have trouble sleeping, can hurt themselves, are retarded, have communication problems, and have social problems. Others are quite high functioning. Two, I’d talk with this woman about what her daily life is like. Arrange to spend time around her son. Find out specifically how she’s had to adjust her life to care for her son, and then decide whether you’d be able to share in that effort. My son is expressive, happy and intelligent, but doesn’t talk much and doesn’t like change. While raising him is more effort than a typical 6-yr-old, there are rewards to offset that. Good luck to you.

Anyone else out there have a child with Autism ?

Would you send your child to a group home or raise the child yourself?

i work in a childcare place and work with one on one with an 12 yr old autistic kid who i believe needs to be in a home where people can take special care for him. knowing that his parents have him, its not a safe situation and they use him for the money from the state. i guess it all depends on the person and if they can really take care of the child the best they can.

Do adults with Autism ever live away from home after finish school?

What is the future for them? My friend is disabled and raising a child with autism.
Her daughter is 17.

Many degrees of autism exist and that is the answer to your question. Obviously, there are degrees of independence involved. There are also many therapies which exist today which if followed strictly – overcome many of the handicaps of autism. The dedication of some parents to following these practices, change the lives of their autistic children. Autism is not like "Downs Syndrome" – it is more manageable, however, even some "Downs Syndrome" people are independent to some degree.

Is it difficult to raise a Child with Autism?

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I think the biggest difficulty isn’t so much the child as it is everyone else. My son is currently “learning” empathy and “regulating” emotions with one of his therapists. He doesn’t show as much remorse for bad things as most children, when people are scared he laughs, when people are happy he cries. It’s fairly typical with children on the spectrum, but to hear others tell it my son is a “sociopath”.

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He has a lot of troubles academically and attends a specialized school. We had to remove him from public school due to the teasing. He’s in regression right now and having a lot of accidents, other parents tell me to take control and “bust his butt” so he’ll stop. His sensory issues make him need to feel things, sometimes he bites himself or jumps of furniture, people say his “suicidal” or into “self harm”.

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He has made great improvements, but only the family, doctors and therapists see that. So, yes, it’s difficult. But working through a tantrum, correcting bad acts, trying to control a lack of impulse control, only getting hugs and cuddles on good days…those are nothing compared to dealing with the actions of people who just don’t get it.

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Does anyone know what it’s like to raise a child that has autism?

I’m babysitting my nephew who is 2 and has autism aspergus I heard they get tougher to raise as they get older so is there any advice you can give to help raise him? He doesn’t talk or interact with anyone and some kids with autism never learn to talk so I just need some tips for raising him.

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Bless you for taking on such a big job! This is kind of tough to answer, since I’ve noticed that children with autism or Aspergers don’t read the books that tell them how they are “supposed” to behave. Some of the symptoms are very common, and then you’ll say, “Huh…they don’t do THAT….” Which is perfectly normal! DrkAngel gave some very good pointers on Aspergers as well. I might add that some of his toys will be in a certain order or location, and may upset him if moved….not to say that you cannot touch them, but expect an outburst. Before my daughter was diagnosed, I used to try to force her to look at me (it’s how I was raised, you look at the adult talking to you), and she used to scream as though I was physically hurting her, and drop her weight until I had to lower her to the ground. Your nephew may get upset sometimes, and resort to screaming, hitting himself, or retreating into silent mode.

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Repetitive motions and behaviors (i.e., tapping a table over and over, saying a phrase or word over and over…..and OVER…) are to be expected, and while they may initially drive you nuts, the sounds and motions actually comfort them. I’ve noticed that the repetition actually has decreased over time, especially they are somewhere they feel safe.

Keep in mind that sometimes children with autism have “inappropriate” emotional reactions to situations; for example, if another child hurt their hand and started crying, they might start laughing and smiling. Learning social cues is difficult for them, as subtlety and innuendo do not normally factor into their world; they are direct, honest, and very blunt.

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Wiki or google examples that you can read in your spare time. In my personal opinion, it doesn’t exactly get HARDER…..just more interesting. And they are able to communicate more as they get older, whether with talking or writing or signing…chin up. You have an awesome nephew who is going to surprise you at every turn. Good luck!

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Do you know of a good/active on line forum for parents of children with autism?

There are many websites about autism but I am looking for a forum to connect with other parents raising children with autism. I have come across a few forums but they are not very active.

Nassau/Suffolk chapter of the Autism Society of America has a yahoo group.

Advice and tips on how to cope with raising a child with autism?

I have a feeling my son might be autistic we took him to a physiologist and she sent us home with a bunch of test and I scored them and it shows that he is in the severely abnormal range I think I might be autistic as well and was Miss diagnosed as a child as being add. Lately raising my son has been more of a up hill battle and I feel lost and alone…if anyone at all has any parenting tips please help me…I come to you all because my family offers no support and feel like crying but I cant even find time to do that…I’m begging for any advice or books or encouragement you all can give

You can do it!!!! The fact that you are not giving up speaks volumes )
Book:
Children With Autism, by: Carolyn Thorwarth Bruey

*find a balance of your life and your childs. they should be a part of your life but not the center of it- this is when you start not having time to cry )

*establish a routine and maybe even set up a visual schedule. Children with autism greatly benefit from having a set schedule and it really helps when they can visualize what they are going to do that day, what is coming next, etc.

*Be consistent. This is very important with children with autism for the same reason as having a routine. they need to know what is going to happen with their actions.

*Reinforce positive behavior. This lets them know what behaviors you want and when they are doing something good.

Feel free to email me if you have any more questions!!

Good luck- you can do it!

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