Children are becoming diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorders more commonly now than in the past. This is a trend that is currently affecting 1 in every 110 children, and 1 in every 70 boys. While there are theories of why this may be happening, there is currently no single definitive cause.

If you are seeing some signs that your child may fall into the Autism Spectrum category, I encourage you to do your research as there are many websites, support groups and networks available through the internet and most likely in your area. The sure way to determine if your child’s symptoms and behaviors fit within this category is to have your child seen by a pediatric developmental specialist. This is often times a developmental pediatrician, behavioral pediatrician, pediatric neurologist, psychologist or a neuropsychologist. You will have to see what practitioners or physicians are available in your area.

Early diagnosis for your child is key, whether you feel comfortable with this or not, because you need to know what you are dealing with, in order to find every opportunity to make the most progress with your child. There are stories of children no longer having Autism, because parents have worked so hard to find the right resources to help their children at a young age, so let’s get you on this band wagon!  This is the opportunity you will want to have, if your son or daughter needs it.

The diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder is very hard to swallow, and it may be very difficult for some of you to believe this or want to share this information with others.  Just know that it is completely your choice of who you want to share this information with.  It’s usually best to tell your child’s child care providers and your family, or it may be in your child’s best interest to keep this on the quiet side for the time being.  This is sometimes the case when your child is unfortunately stuck in an unsupportive environment.  This is a personal decision that you will have to consider, and decide if sharing this information will help your child, or hurt your child.  Most times sharing this news is going to be helpful, so you can get services and accommodations for your child, and understanding from others when your child may do things that appear out of the ordinary.

Once you get past this initial stage, you need to get moving!  Your child is going to need a lot of interventions to try to beat this diagnosis!  The most common treatments children seem to receive now are sensory-based occupational therapy which I will talk about mostly, speech and language therapy, behavioral therapy, and nutritional modifications from an alternative health care specialist or a DAN! Doctor.  DAN! is the acronym for Defeat Autism Now.

Now when it comes to the world of therapy and interventions, it doesn’t matter whether your child has a diagnosis of any specific condition or not, it’s just important that your child gets help!  Therapists do not work with your child’s diagnosis per say; they work with their specific symptoms and areas of difficulty, as every child is unique.  I encourage you to do your internet research on the types of interventions I mentioned, to help you decide where you may want to start.  Once you receive an evaluation from a physician or any specialty therapists, they should be able to direct you to the other services that would be helpful and complimentary.

I am going to share some of the benefits of Occupational Therapy services for these children with you, while emphasizing the need to work with a therapist or clinic that specializes in treating sensory processing disorders.  The most common symptoms I expect to see with young children who may be on the border of being diagnosed are:

• Speech delays
• Echolalia (parroting what others say, or repeating themselves)
• Less eye contact
• Decreased sensation awareness

(i.e.- unaware of touch; unaware of safety hazards; wandering off; stepping into a pool or off a ledge without realizing; needing constant pressure from hugs or tight clothes; not being aware of drooling or food in the mouth- causing them to stuff their cheeks or gag; not realizing when their diaper is wet or dirty due to not feeling it or smelling it; constantly seeking movement with swinging, spinning or jumping on furniture; not being able to sit still and tune in to group activities or show the same level of sustained interest; being a risk seeker like wanting to climb on top of play sets or furniture; not being as emotionally connected with family members as one would expect; or constantly seeking visual stimulation through fast moving TV shows, or rolling or flapping objects close to their eyes).  These are only a handful of sensory symptoms that are often reported.

Then you have a group of symptoms related to when children are hypersensitive or hyper-reactive to sensations, such as- screaming, tantrumming, running off or possibly showing aggression toward others with self-care or play times; refusing hair washing, tooth brushing, being tilted back in the bathtub, the feel of a diaper, or certain clothes, or refusing certain foods; having digestive issues with strong gas, constipation or frequent diarrhea; not being able to tolerate loud or busy environments, being taken out in public without tantrumming, running off or melting down; not being tolerant of touch from others, being held, and having excessive difficulty tolerating any changes in their home routine, or anyone messing up their agenda.  Again, this is not an all-inclusive list, I am just trying to give you a general idea of what is commonly seen.

Your child’s symptoms should be looked at from a non-biased eye to help you determine if the frequency and severity of symptoms (like the ones I have mentioned) are a big enough problem to affect the success of your day or your child’s day.  If the intensity of your challenges are affecting normal routines and expectations and someone’s overall stress level (which means you, your child, or your child’s caretakers), then it’s time to get an evaluation from a sensory trained occupational therapist.

The testing completed by an occupational therapist will look at developmental skills and abilities that are expected for your child’s age, as well as your child’s ability to function and perform in his or her everyday environment.  The therapist will focus on family stressors and sensory symptoms that may warrant intervention.  The great part about starting this type of therapy is that sensory symptoms can be highly reduced if not eliminated in most children, and the intervention is done in a play-based way.  Most children enjoy their therapy sessions, as they get the stimulation or calming strategies that their body so badly craves, and then you as the parent will be taught how to continue these activities at home, and how to incorporate them into your daycare or school environments.

Auditory integration training programs are also an integral part of helping your child’s sensory processing difficulties.  These programs can help decrease their hypersensitivity to sound; improve their attention, eye contact, initiation of language, and overall coordination skills, as well as improve their mood stability for those high stress kids and frequent tantrummers!  You can refer back to previous episodes to learn more about these types of programs. They can be just short of working miracles, when you have the right combination of therapies for your child!

I encourage you to find a local occupational therapist that you feel comfortable with, in terms of being able to communicate with them openly, getting your questions answered to your satisfaction, and most importantly seeing progress in your child!  You will also want the therapist you choose to be willing to collaborate with other professionals as needed, so your time and money is not being spent receiving conflicting information from different professionals and then trying to figure out which way to go!

Here are some websites to get you started with some other research, if you haven’t scoured them already! Best of luck to you and your family!

http://www.defeatautismnow.org/

www.centerforautism.com

www.NationalAutismAssociation.org

http://www.autismspeaks.org/

www.autismnetwork.org

http://www.ianproject.org/

http://www.autreat.com/

www.autism-pdd.net

www.Icare4autism.org

http://www.theautspot.com/

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Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Jessica Ralli, the founder and director of “Soft” which is a new online clothing store dedicated to providing clothes for children who have tactile hypersensitivies. She shared with us her background of being a special education teacher in the New York City area, and having students who needed clothing accommodations that just didn’t seem to be available. She conducted three years of research, connecting with 5,000 parents or individuals, and has a super knack for fashion that inspired her to start the “Soft” clothing line. Her business partner Suzy Kogen Friedman has been a life long advocate for people with developmental disabilities, and has a family member who also struggles with clothing issues. This provides her with great first-hand experience of what it’s like to shop for clothes for the pickiest of children. Together these dynamic women launched their clothing line which can be accessed through www.softsensoryworld.com.

They have a great self-explanatory website that I encourage you to check out. They are currently offering “clothing basics”, which include casual/dressy clothing that mix and match well with many outfits, ranging in sizes from 4-12. They use a super silky cotton that never pills, that even the pickiest of children have raved about, along with flat seams, waistbands with elastic encased in cotton, water-based printed labels versus tags (with printing from vegetable dyes to not be irritating or distracting), wide/flat collars to not disturb the sensitive neck line, and designer prints on the clothes that are not rough, crackly or annoying. Upcoming in April 2010 are their seamless socks, soft jeans, shorts and collared shirts, and they are working on some super cool underwear that will be available in 2011! Oh boy, I can’t wait!

Jessica shared with us that she always has some type of offer or sale going on that you can find out about, or you can sign up to receive information on new product releases on her website. They may have anything from free shipping, to 20% off, or free shirt offers!

In addition to offering this great starter line of clothes, Jessica has put together an extensive website to offer support services to teachers and parents on the overall topic of tactile hypersensitivity. You can find these additional resources at www.softclothing.net. There is a section on this website she calls “therapy corner” where she posts the best resources she has found over her years of research. Some of these resources are checklists for teachers and parents to determine if a child may have sensory processing difficulties.

For more information on Jessica’s “Soft” products, I recommend you listen to this podcast as she is fun and informative. If time doesn’t permit, then you should be able to get your all your questions answered between her two websites above, and you should be able to order some clothing basics quickly online from her e-store.

Thank you Jessica for your time and great innovations! I can’t wait to share your information with some of my current clients as well as a good handful of past clients!

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Last week we talked about ways to plan ahead and prepare ourselves in many ways for the holidays.  So this week I was able to get Suzette Boyette to come and talk to us about some great ways to keep our stress down, so holiday times can be more enjoyable.

Suzette is a nurse practitioner who is a co-founder of the Parents Everywhere Network with a show in the network: The Madness of Motherhood Show.  She is also a mother of three great children!

She gave some great suggestions in this episode, delivering them with such fun and sincerity.  I encourage you to listen to this episode as you will surely enjoy her description of these tips! If you can’t, then here are the highlights:

1. Take a nap!

This is her favorite recommendation and she encourages you to do this daily, for 20-60 minutes at a time. Try making this fun by letting your kids get into your bed, setting up a tent or fort in the house, or setting out a blanket in the middle of the floor and snuggling up!

2. Get good sleep!

This is so important for restoring your body’s health, repairing your body and rejuvenating it, so you can be your best for your children and for yourself.

3. Give your kids a choice of what they can do to help.

They may not want to do what you have planned for them (like writing out Christmas cards), but they may be more willing to unload the dishwasher or complete another household chore.

4. Use your time in the shower to relax and set the tone for the day.

Suzette turns off her bathroom lights, lights one candle and plays some relaxation/meditation music, or her favorite Pop CDs, and uses deep breathing techniques to help rejuvenate her self. She allots 15 minutes to do this with the door locked so she cannot be interrupted by one of her three children. Doesn’t this sound great? I can’t wait to try it myself!

5. Use deep breathing techniques

You can really do this anywhere: in your home, office, or even in your car. If you have a busy morning getting your kids off to school then you can sit in your car and just take a few minutes of quiet time, with slow breathing.  Try not to think of anything, just be at peace and relax. Five minutes of this type of breathing and total relaxation could feel like an hour when you are really busy or stressed, and really, it’s only five minutes!  You could also spend time listening to your favorite music or some relaxation music while driving, versus listening to the kid music that you may be so programmed to play.  If you are a working parent, you can also bring your lunch to work and find a quiet place outside to eat and relax, or just spend a few minutes of quiet breathing outside, at your desk, or in your car before going back to work.

6. Let it go!!!

The chaos will wait for you, and the chores won’t go anywhere, so why be in such a rush?!  You can only do so much, so pace yourself and be content with your choices of what needs to be done, and what will have to wait.

For more great information from Suzette, you can find her online at www.parentseverywhere.com.  She can also be reached by emailing her if you have a specific question, at  sboyette@parentseverywhere.com.

Thank you so much Suzette, you are so inspiring and amazing!

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With the excitement of the holidays approaching, comes excitement in our children, and usually a large amount of increased stress in parents. This is especially true for parents who have challenging sensory-based behaviors to handle on top of thinking about packing and traveling, or just cleaning the house for company, cooking or shopping for meals to entertain family & friends, entertaining other children who may escalate your own child’s behaviors, or who may have conflicts with your child (like cousins or neighborhood kids).

So I came up with a list of key points to remember around the holidays, as if I was talking to a parent in my office:

Tips to Make the Holidays Smoother:

• Plan ahead for changes in the schedule
• Try to keep your child’s sleeping and eating schedule the same
• Plan for sensory breaks built in throughout the day (to prevent over-stimulation or over-tiredness)
• Plan to incorporate sensory and self-regulation activities into your daily routines (have opportunities for movement, quiet time, a change of clothes, chewing objects, etc…to prevent meltdowns based on what makes your child’s nervous system stressed)
• Set aside quiet time opportunities (away from other siblings, away from large family gatherings, etc…)
• Setup a schedule for your child to refer to throughout the trip or for each day, if your vacation is packed with a lot of activities in one day. This schedule can be a group of pictures on a dry erase board or poster board, or a written outline for those who are good readers
• Sleeping arrangements (try not to change too much if your child is sensitive to his/her bedtime routine).
• Make your own list of survival tips if you are concerned about your child acting out or being overly stressed.
• Shop early for food/presents so you are not rushed and more stressed.
• Think about the foods your child will be around and what type of foods may affect your child’s behavior in a negative way, and plan to have your own food accommodations in advance

Foods Recommended:

• A high protein diet
• Low sugar foods
• Organic when possible, especially for meat, milk (if any at all), grains and porous fruits that can easily absorb pesticides when they are growing

There are some great pies and desserts that can be found in health food stores more commonly now, to address food sensitivities, such as gluten, wheat, dairy, soy & other ingredients that can affect our children as well as the rest of the family, such as sugar or dyes & preservatives.

It’s also easy to find recipes online now to accommodate your child’s food sensitivities. Try to do your best to incorporate foods and routines into your daily schedule that can be helpful to others as well as your child. You don’t want to make your child look any more different that necessary, so you may find fun things to do with family in town or some great recipes that are yummy for everyone.

Here’s a sample plan to help you come up with your own plan, specific to your child:

• Have chewy foods available (snacks in the car) or chewy objects (chew tubes, teethers, soft pencil grips on a shoelace, etc…)
• Plan where the local parks are if the weather is nice, or know where the indoor kid places are, to provide your child with a good physical outlet
• Plan physical activities into your vacation, based around your child’s sensory needs and dislikes (skiing could be a great choice or it could be disastrous for a child who is hypersensitive to touch).
• Balance out your plan for sedentary or adult-based activities with some sensory calmers.
• Know what you are going to tell your relatives or friends that you don’t see often, when you may need to make some accommodations for your child. This includes thinking about how comfortable you are with discussing your child’s sensory difficulties with the rest of the family, and what you want to share with them, if you choose to be selective.)

Another very important tip to keep in mind is that you need to be calm and organized in order to be an effective parent for your sensory sensitive child, so you have to take some time to plan for yourself.

Next week we will have Suzette Boyette from the Parents Everywhere network on the show to talk about ways to distress the body and stay sane for the holidays!

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We have been fortunate to have Cris Rowan, a pediatric occupational therapist from British Columbia with us the last two episodes, and she has shared some great information with us! After seeing how technology can really impact our children in today’s fast-paced and advancing world, I have asked Cris to come back for one more episode to share with us some of the strategies that parents, teachers, and therapists can do to help achieve a good balance between sensory and developmental activities, and the use of technology.

Cris reported that in a 10-year period of working in the public school system, she noticed a huge explosion of child diagnoses such as AD/HD and Autism. She was curious about the effect that technology had on the changes that were seen in these children. She started researching this area by asking parents how much their children were using technology when she met with them during school IEP meetings. Then she left her school system position and began to develop class interventions and workshops for teachers and therapists while in her private practice.

Cris shared with us the following steps to successfully unplug children from technology, based on her research and expertise in the fields of child development and technology usage:

• Become informed.
• Parents need to disconnect from technology to reconnect with kids and establish “sacred time” in their daily routines, during times such as car rides, meal times, holidays and evenings, such as one hour before bed.
• Enhance child performance skills in alternate activities to build self-satisfaction (i.e.- climb a tree).
• Ensure critical milestones of movement, touch and human connection are met at a frequency of 3-4 hours per day.
• Address parent misperceptions of outdoor safety.
• Restrict all technology use for toddlers under two years of age, and limit technology use to no more than two hours per day for elementary-aged children. (Cris would love to see TVs outlawed in pre-k and daycare programs.) She also has a rule of one hour in- one hour out to balance play time for children.
• Restrict all media violence (including cartoons!) for children under the age of eight years.
• Remove all TVs from bedrooms.

Cris has also developed numerous products and initiatives to make changes in how children to use technology, and she continues to develop new games, programs and resources for families all the time. Here are some of her products which can be found on her website:

Zone’in is a self regulation program that teaches children to harness their energy to focus and attend, and is complete with simple strategies and tools that achieve immediate results. Zone’in is accessible learning for all students, while making a teacher’s job easier.

Move’in is a two part program. A fun board game assesses fine motor skill components and provides individualized interventions to improve printing and reading. Move’in comes with easy-to-use software to create a database, as well as make custom work and journal sheets.
Unplug’in addresses TV, videogame and internet addictions in children, helping them develop the necessary skills to unplug. Traveling through the Me, We, Earth and Spirit dimensions builds performance skills, empowering children to unplug. Unplug’in brings imagination and creativity back into children’s lives!

Live’in improves child health and promotes a life long love of learning.  Designed for school and home use, the Live’in Resource Guide contains information regarding the negative effects of technology overuse, the Zone’in Research Fact Sheet, Technology Topics for Discussion, Technology Addiction Questionnaire, the Survivor Unplugged Challenge, Ten Steps to ‘Unplug’ Your Kids, Alternate Activities to Technology and the Technology Schedule.

Unplug’in brochures provide parents, teachers and health professionals with useful information and techniques to address TV, videogame and internet addictions in pre-school and elementary aged children.

She has also set up the following child health initiatives which can be found on her website:

• Balanced Technology Management Champion Status: for Canadian Governments, Health Units, Elementary Schools, and Technology Production Corporations.
• Linking Corporations and Communities Initiative- where she is working with large corporations such as Microsoft to redesign some of their programs and get them to put money back into community parks and nature, etc…
• Creating Sustainable Futures Program
• Unplug – Don’t Drug Policy Initiative

If you would like to contact Cris, sign up for her newsletters, participate on her new forum called “The Source”, or view her website, you can find her at:

www.zonein.ca
info@zonein.ca

1-888-8zonein (888-896-6346)
604-885-2666

Remember you have any questions or comments; please post them on The Sensory Show blog.

Thank you again Cris for everything you do. It’s obvious that you are passionate about taking such an active role in making a difference in this world for our challenging, but amazing children!

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