coping with meltdowns

Having an autistic child can be quite challenging sometimes. My child will sometimes have what we call "neuclear" meltdowns. Sometimes when he does this, he can scream non stop for hours at a time and it's so hard to figure out if he's screaming because he is in pain or he's just not happy. I have done a few things that seems to calm him when this happens, so it might help some of you.

1. The first thing I do when he's having a screaming fit is I will give him some pain reliever like motrin to see if it's a pain thing, or him being fustrated. If he calms down after 20 or so minutes, I know he must be hurting, like an ear infection.
2. If he continues to scream, I get a blow dryer and put it on the cool setting and blow it on his back. For some reason, this calms him.
3. If you have them, blow bubbles
4. give them a newspaper or magazine to shread
5. give the child a warm bath.(this method usually doesn't work on my son when he is screaming, as he will not sit still)
6. take them outside to swing on the swingset if you have one.

The most fustrating part is trying to figure out what makes him so upset. There have been many times when I've had to take him out at 2am to swing. Sometimes if none of the above help, try and find something to distract the child. Usually the blow dryer method works best for us. When he does have a meltdown, it usually only last about 40 min. Before, it would last at least 2 hours.
For more info on autism treatment, please visit http://www.overcomingautisticchallenges.com

Autism and Supplementation

Autism and Supplementation

Supplements have become an important part of the health industry. There are literally thousands of products on the market that can give your body the added nutrients it needs. People with autism are especially prone to nutritional difficulties and it is important that they take supplements to achieve a balanced nutritional state.

The first step toward addressing autism and supplementation is to adopt a gluten and casein free diet. These proteins have been found to potentially worsen the symptoms of autism. In fact, gluten and casein, in many autistic children, have been found to help the brain produce natural opiates, making foods that contain them practically addictive!

Another important step is the implementation of a balanced and healthy diet. Remember, autistic children are influenced by routines, so if a healthy diet is instituted early and followed, autistic children will likely adhere to it.

It is also important to have the input of a doctor to determine if your autistic child is absorbing the proper amount of nutrients. Simple blood tests can determine nutrient levels and from this data a diet can be successfully adjusted to address any shortfalls. Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) medical professionals are a good place to start because they have been especially trained to understand the challenges facing autistic children.

There is a list of common supplements that autistic children are often lacking or simply do not have at optimum levels. Selenium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, folinic acids, vitamins C and E, essential fatty acid, cod liver oil, taurine, and various amino acids.

When beginning a regiment of supplements, it is important to work them in slowly. It is equally important to document changes in behavior. Pay close attention to the effects of supplements on your child. Note any differences and prepare to discuss them with your doctor or nutritionist.

In terms of positive and negative effects that can result from the use of supplements, and a change in diet – they will not be easy to miss. Positive changes can include a reduction in the severity of behaviors. Many autistic children can show improvement in managing behaviors and social interaction. It is equally important to note regressions in behavior. If negative behaviors are observed, the supplement added should be reduced or eliminated. For the most part, negotiating the diet and supplementation of an autistic child is a trial and error undertaking. It is recommended that when first purchasing supplements you start with small packages. Buying in bulk can save you money in the long run, but if you buy a ton of a supplement that produces undesired results, you are stuck with useless product.

Should you chose to add supplements to your child’s diet, you will need to d so in a controlled manner. Don’t just dole out supplements on an experimental basis. Work with a doctor or a nutritionist to come up with a specific plan that is geared toward your child’s success. This regiment should include frequent tests for metal toxicity, stool analysis, and tests for various amino acids and peptides.

There is a lot to consider when choosing supplements for your child. This process is very important and can improve the overall quality of their life. Do not rush into the process and make sure you cover all the bases before proceeding. Give supplements time to work. Oftentimes, it takes time for the body to accurately process nutrients and for you to see any changes in behavior.

How I potty trained my autistic son

When my son first got the official autism diagnois when he was 3, the dr.'s told us since he was classified as severly autistic he would probably not be potty trained until he was at lesat 9 or 10. We have proudly proved the experts wrong. My son is 6, still totally non verbal, but 100% potty trained. He's been using the potty for almost a full year. These are some of the things we did that could help. We knew his was ready because he hated being in wet or dirty pulls up. He would take them off. The first thing we did was to just start putting him in underwear in the day and a pull up at night. For some reason, my son was terrified of the toliet. He would have no problem going in the bathroom to take a bath, but he wanted nothing to do with the toliet. Since he is big for his age, we could not get a toliet training chair. Instead, we just got a small trash can and put it in the living room. When I would give him something to drink, I'd would wait 15 mintues and take him over to the trash can to see if he'd use it. After a while he finally peeed in it. I wold use one of his favorite foods as a reinforcer each time he did it. It took about a week before he realized he could go there. Each day I would move the trash can closer and closer to the bathroom. Finally, I just put the trashcan in the toliet and he used it. I had to do this for a few weeks until he could grasp the concept that you peed in the toliet. One day, I just alltogether took out the trash can and he was consistantly using the toliet! A lot of parents might not agree on the way we taught him to eliminate his bowels, but this is what worked for us. There was a spot in his bedroom where he would go and take off his underwear and squat and go. Sometimes it was very hard for me to catch him in the act. I'd be cooking or doing other household chores when he would do this. When he would do this, he would go into the kitchen ,turn the water on and try and wipe himself. I had to keep track of the times he was doing this. One day like clockwork I saw him run off to his bedroom and take his underwear off. As soon as he started to squat, I picked him up, took him into the bathroom,put him on the toliet and he used it. It took a few nights before he finally was able to realized you did both in the toliet. He still has a little trouble with wipping, but he has not used the floor for about a solid year now. I never thought I'd be able to say my son is potty trained.

treatment options

When you first get the diagnosis of autism, it can be very overwhelming for most parents. Some treatments might work wonders with one child, but do nothing with another. It's all trial and error. There are meds out there that some children take. We have decided not to medicate our son yet. If in the future he's having a lot of problems, then we will. One the best treatment options I would highly recommend is ABA therapy. It can be expensive, but if you shop around you can find a better price. We tried the GFCF diet and it didn't go too good. My son would not eat any of the soy products. Some parents swear by this diet. It can't hurt to try. For more info on autism, please visit www.overcomingautisticchallenges.com

When you hear the word "autism", the movie "Rainman" usually pops into people's head. Autism is defined as a neurologicial disorder that affects development. It can range from the mild or sever. I have a six year old son who falls into the more sever side of it. When we first learned of his digagnosis, it was incredibly overwhelming. We always knew something about Alex was just not right. He developed normally but he never picked up speech. When he was a baby(around 11 months), the first thing we noticed that was a little odd was his sleeping pattern. He NEVER slept more than 2 hours a night. Sometimes he would be up for over 48 hours with no sleep whatsoever. I lived on coffee. As he started to grow, he would never look when you called his name. I did mention our concerns to our peditrician. We were assigned an early intervention program for therapy. I can't say this program help a lot, but it was a beginning. We had to deal with a lot of sensory issues. He hated the way things felt on his feet without shoes. He would freak out over grass. He rarely ate food with a lot of texture. I spent countless hours on the internet looking for ways to help. There are so many available therapies it can get confusing. Treatment for autisic childen is very expensive. I've heard of parents spending over 100k or more per year just in thearapies. Like most average income earners, we don't make near 100k, so we had to work with what we had. When he was 3 he started going to school. He was put in a special classroom called PPCD(preschool program for children with disabilities). He attended that until he was 5. He is now in a class for kids that just have autism. I can't stress the importance of treating autism early. In the years since he's started school, he has made tremendous progress. He still doesn't talk, but can communicate by other means. He does understand some sign language and will use the picture exchange system occasionally. He is totally potty trained. I never ever thought I'd be able to write that.