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Autism Parents, Don’t Settle for Sleep Deprivation!

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:40:13 +0000

I am posting this recommendation for parents who have problems sleeping (NOT YOUR CHILD). We all know that autism also brings sleep deprivation into our homes and this makes everything else we do more difficult. This won’t help with being up with your child at all hours, but it will help if, like me, you can’t sleep from worrying. In any case, I’ve been taking POWER TO SLEEP for about a month and it is INCREDIBLE. I really didn’t think an herbal supplement could help with sleeping to this effect. This beats even pharmaceuticals. Here are the ingredients. From what I’ve read, the Valerian Root Extract is probably the most potent ingredient, but whatever the case, IT WORKS!

Calcium Citrate 50 mg
Valerian Extract 200 mg
Ashwagandha extract 150 mg
Hops extract 150 mg
Passionflower extract 150 mg
Lemon Balm extract 150 mg
GABA 100 mg
L-Theanine 50 mcg
Melatonin 2 mg
Bioperine Complex ( Ginger root extract, Piper longum extract, Bioperine Black Pepper extract (fruit)) 6 mg

Product Description

Attaining restful and sustained sleep is fundamental to health and wellbeing. Irwin Naturals Power to Sleep PM utilizes natural ingredients formulated to gently encourage a state of relaxation, replenish nutrients that help the body cope with stress and improve essential mineral stores. These ingredients work together to help you relax before bed, sleep soundly during the night and wake-up feeling refreshed in the morning. Contains Valerian, an herb traditionally used by warring tribes during negotiation to ensure peaceful communication, combines with other beneficial botanicals to promote a sense of relaxation and calm. Melatonin and GABA are keys to maintaining a normal sleep cycle. Ashwaganda, a botanical traditionally used to help your body cope with stress, along with the minerals calcium and magnesium which help promote a healthy nervous system, work together to help you wake up feeling refreshed.

The Onion - Autistic Child Ruins Marriage He Was Born To Save

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 02:07:22 +0000

I usually love The Onion, but this article, Autistic Child Ruins Marriage He Was Born To Save, is a) just mean, b) full of sterotypes, and c) not funny. I’ve HAD BEEN a fan of The Onion for years and it’s sad to see that they are so mean-spirited and not funny.

HOUSTON—With the challenges accompanying his developmental disorder widening the already vast gulf between his parents, autistic child Evan Thomas, 3, continued this week to destroy the failing marriage he was brought into this world to save.

Evan, who through the very act of being born was entrusted with the task of resolving lingering conflicts, soothing deep-seated contempt, and restoring intimacy to Mark and Sharon Thomas’ long-strained relationship, has thus far utterly failed in his assigned duties, sources reported Monday.

“It’s so much work taking care of Evan, and Mark just refuses to help out as much as he should,” said Sharon Thomas, who endured a long, agonizing childbirth to put an end to the couple’s constant bitter arguments. “It’s so frustrating. I don’t get any time to myself because Evan needs attention like 24 hours a day.”

“I never asked for this,” Sharon added

According to sources, Mark Thomas, 32, had always wanted a healthy, happy, completely normal son to provide a quick and easy fix to all of his marital problems. However, rather than allaying their trust issues and instantly making everything all better, Evan has reportedly driven a deeper rift between his parents by prompting fights about who is to blame for his condition.

“The doctors are constantly telling us that it’s not anyone’s fault, but if you’d ever met Sharon’s brothers, you’d know that something’s not quite right on that side of the family,” Mark said. “We probably shouldn’t yell in front of him as much as we do, but he doesn’t really pay much attention and it honestly doesn’t seem to bother him.”

“In fact, nothing seems to bother him,” Mark continued.

Although Evan was only diagnosed with autism six months ago, Mark said it was clear right after bringing him home from the hospital that something was wrong with their son, since their lives did not take a dramatic 180-degree turn for the better, lingering disputes did not just melt away, and years of underlying tension were only brought into sharper focus.

The child, who according to his parents rarely smiles or acts cheerful, has left many in the household concerned that he’s not committed to mending the broken relationship. Moreover, during the past three years, Evan has reportedly done almost nothing to curb Mark’s controlling nature or Sharon’s cruel emotional abuse.

Evan has also failed to utter the words “mama” or “dada,” thereby ruining any chance his parents might have had at forging an instantaneous, all-healing bond.

[MORE ...]

Contact The Onion at … editorial@theonion.com; newyork@theonion.com; chicago@theonion.com; austin@theonion.com; colorado@theonion.com; milwaukee@theonion.com; madison@theonion.com; minneapolis@theonion.com; dc@theonion.com; davidkschafer@gmail.com; shannah@theonion.com; mcavoy@theonion.com; bwernecke@theonion.com

TV, Movies and Your Child with Autism

admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:00:39 +0000

Can cartoons, movies, tv impact your ASD Child?

In general, I’ve never big a big fan of blaming violent movies, TV, or video games, for the acts committed by people who view them regularly. However, if you have a kid with autism, you might consider taking a look at what exactly your child is watching. While this is a great idea for all parents, sometimes autism parents might assume that a certain show is OK or think your child is not paying attention to what YOU are watching. In our case, our daughter is super perceptive even when we think she is focused on something else entirely. She also seems to tune in to our moods, which can also be a factor considering what you are watching.

You often hear people say that kids with autism do not imitate others. This is not the case for lots of kids with autism. Our daughter does lots of imitating of people in real life and stuff from movies. Kids with autism are often very visual thinkers. Video Modeling is even a therapy used to teach social behaviors to children on the Autism spectrum. In our case, what might appear to be just general bad behavior could have roots in a movie she saw last night, last week, or last year. Even movies that are NOT VIOLENT and perfectly fine with neuro-typical kids, can result in unwanted behaviors. One prime example of a movie banned from ever seeing the light of day in our house is the 1999 Walt Disney movie TARZAN. For one thing, Tarzan swing from everything under the sun. There are also lots of OVER ACTIVE MONKEYS being monkeys. None of these are things you want imitated.

Acting like a monkey in Walmart could perhaps result in some parenting stress even for the best of us. Yes, that can be a pain, but some acts in what you might consider safe media, could result in serious injury or even death if imitated by your child.

One thing that I assumed was fine was Looney Tunes. Our daughter loves Bugs Bunny. She likes to take her Bugs Bunny doll with her lots of times. He is her most beloved doll. So much so, that she threw Buggs off of a moving train while we were going over a bridge in a heavily wooded area at the Six Flags amusement park right before we were about to enter BUGGS BUNNY NATIONAL PARK! Buggs was rescued by a brave Six Flags employee. Why would she do such a thing? At first thought, it doesn’t make much logical sense to my brain. However, have you ever seen all of the things that Looney Tunes characters endure? Being thrown off of a moving train is actually pretty tame compared to a lot of the things the Buggs Bunny cartoon character gets himself into on screen.

I watched Looney Tunes as a kid and my memory of them really didn’t match up to reality. We are guilty of popping in a movie in the car DVD player, giving her the headphone and letting her watch a movie while we listen to something else. When I watched some of these classic cartoons with her, I was a tad shocked at some of the subject matter. The first episode that I watched had a prostitute, a homicide, and a suicide! The next involved about a dozen ways that the Road Runner tortured Wile E. Coyote. This was followed by Buggs apparently committing suicide while playing a friendly game of russian roulette with Yosemite Sam.

I’m not going to go into the full laundry list of Looney Tunes debauchery here, but will give you a couple of examples that would not be wise to imitate. Below is Buggs Bunny after he was HANGED by another character. The second picture shows a character who was just submerged in boiling water because another character thought he resembled a lobster. The only consequence of these acts in the cartoon world was some mocking by the other characters. Real world imitations of either of these could result in a lot bad things.

Movies, TV, video games, and the Internet can be great tools for your visual learner if you provide the right input. So, watch what you are introducing to your ASD child’s mind. The problem behaviors that you are enjoying may be the direct result of some simple cartoon that you assumed was fine.

Facebook Autism Groups

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:16:56 +0000

Facebook is a treasure trove of information and support for families impacted by autism. Here are just a few Facebook groups.

VA State Delegate Bob Marshall = Asshole Extraordinaire

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:58:27 +0000

I’m Pro Life, but I gotta say, this guy is pretty pathetic. He for sure gets a nomination to the A-Hole Extraordinaire Hall of Fame. This is a very exclusive club consisting of Michael Savage, Dennis Leary, and Rush Limbaugh.

Legislator Says Disabled Kids May Be God’s Punishment

RICHMOND – State Delegate Bob Marshall of Manassas says disabled children are God’s punishment to women who have aborted their first pregnancy.

… more

Presidents Day: Still no AUTISM CZAR

admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:08:24 +0000

President’s Day reminds me again that President Obama seems to have forgotten all about the “Autism Czar”. I realize he probably won’t use the term Czar after people went nutzo on this term. He also refered to this person as a Federal ASD Coordinator in his campaign promise. That’s fine, ASD Coordinator will do fine. He did appoint a special adviser on disability policy and applied over $12B in stimulus money towards IDEA (special education funding via the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act). It is also worth note that stimulus money for IDEA is temporary and does not represent a longer term commitment. IDEA funding has not been raised to full levels.

Still no Autism Czar.

Candidate Obama on Autism …

“Many insurance companies have failed to assume their responsibilities. Individuals with autism are routinely denied insurance benefits for their treatments. As President, I will appoint a Federal ASD Coordinator, an “Autism Czar” to oversee and coordinate a nationwide effort to deal proactively with ASD. This effort will include diverse but credible research, treatment, personal care/assistance and family support and will work with existing national and state organizations and taskforces. We need to ensure that combating autism, once and for all, receives the recognition and priority it deserves at the highest level of government. This appointee will also have a mandate to eliminate bureaucratic obstacles that may be delaying implementation of important measures and will ensure that all federal funds are being spent in a manner that prioritizes results. We need to build effective communication and collaboration among federal, state and local agencies. Right now, our government is just trying to keep up and, as any family who faces autism will tell you, we are not even doing that. What we know and what we have seen is that America can and must do more.”

[Excerpts from Senator Obama's World Autism Awareness Day Speech]

Related:

Autism Murder Suicides: I’ll take your kid if that’s what it’s come to

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 09:56:21 +0000

I am sick and frickin’ tired of seeing these autism murder suicides. Mom or Dad can’t take it any more. Can’t bear to think of how their child’s life will end up, decides to off everyone involved. For some reason, these people who are good at killing their children, often screw it up and survive themselves. How convenient.

This case in particular pisses me off. Gigi Jordan feeds son, 8, fatal dose of pills, leaves strange 2-page note in botched murder-suicide.

Why? Other than the obvious, you killed your kid, douchebag, Gigi Jordan has a net worth of $100 million dollars thanks to the ever lucrative pharmaceutical business. That’s $100,000,000.00. That’s a lot of zeros that could have done wonders for that child. Can you imagine all that could be done for kids with autism with $100 million? Off the top of my head, I would start an ABA based school, living facilities for adults with autism, and maybe an Autism Farm along the lines of the Imus Ranch.

By all accounts, Gigi tried everything to help her son. While I don’t always agree with where the “neuro-diversity” crowd draws the line and I know autism symptoms can be reduced via the proper treatments, this is a case where they are right and you need to accept your child for who he/she is today.

Since Gigi Jordan survived, that money will probably go to a bunch of lawyers who will no doubt argue that autism stress was the root cause of this homicide. That pisses me off.

If any other $100 millionaires are considering offing yourself and your kid, please send me the kid and the money. You don’t have $100 million, just send the kid and what you have today. Don’t have anything, just send the kid. Knock yourself out if you want to go out that way, but don’t take your child with you! You don’t have that right.

Gigi had some stiff competition this week too for the murder/suicide that most pissed me off. There was this mom who killed her child with BLEACH! Social services ‘failed autistic boy killed with bleach’. BLEACH!

I get that this is a difficult journey for many of you. I get that you’ve lost friends and family thanks to autism. I get that you don’t get enough help, don’t get a break. I get that many of your spouses abandoned ship long ago and left you to fight these battles alone. I get that you feel like you are on a never-ending roller coaster ride from hell. I get that you have met lots of clueless doctors and educators along the way. I get that it’s a 24/7 job and will be for the rest of your lives for a lot of you. I get that. What I don’t get is killing your kid. If you are heading down that road, contact me or someone please. These kids have a lot of life to live. They have feelings. Do you want your child’s last memory in this world to be you murdering him/her?

(And, Yes I know I need some line breaks in this entry, but Word Press is playing difficult today. Sorry.)

Related:

Free Temple Grandin Coloring Book on Autism: My Life in Pictures

admin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:21:33 +0000

The coloring book Temple Grandin: My life in Pictures a coloring book for children about autism is available for free, in preparation for the showing of the HBO special about Temple Grandin, Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism. Temple Grandin is an animal scientist, autism advocate and a person with autism. She is also the author of several books including Thinking in Pictures and her recent book Animals make us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals.

All of the illustrations in the coloring book are created by artists with autism through Project Onward. According to Project Onward’s website they provide art supplies, studio space and professional guidance for emerging artists with developmental and mental disabilities. The coloring book was written by Mary Carpenter the Author of a children’s biography about Temple Grandin, Rescued by a Cow and a Squeeze.

The coloring book is 27 pages filled with detailed illustrations of Temple Grandin’s life from her early non- verbal years, college life, her work as a scientist and engineer designing factory farming equipment that is kinder to animals. It is a beautifully illustrated and informative coloring book about Grandin’s life and autism that children and adults should enjoy. My life in Pictures a coloring book for children about autism, is available for free at the Barnes and Noble Website.

Autism and the Dentist Office

admin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:34:32 +0000

As kids, most of us were not too fond of going to the dentist. Often a scary ordeal even for “neurotypical” children, it can be downright terrifying to kids with autism. For one thing, they are asked to sit still for an extended period of time while a stranger poke, picks, and scrapes around in their mouth with various instruments. The odds are very high that the first few trips to the dentist will be less than successful.

In our case, we didn’t have much luck with the “go slow” and acclimate the child to the dentist office method, even though we tried it several times. When mommy or daddy had dentist appointments, our dentist was willing for our daughter to come and get used to the environment (i.e. - for free). We had some success taking the Donkey (from Shrek) doll and having his teeth looked at first. The novelty of this wore off pretty quickly, but the hygienist was able to look around some. In the end, however, Donkey had a more successful dental exam than our child.

Sitting in the chair was no problem as long as she got to play with the instruments and enjoy the chair going up and down. The problems start when the hygienist started poking around in her mouth. This just was not going to happen in our case right now and since we were concerned that our daughter might have a cavity (she didn’t), we resorted to the good old fall back … drug the kid and hope for the best. Thanks to Mr. Ativan, we were finally able to get a good cleaning, polishing and x-ray.

If you don’t have a pressing issue and your dentist is willing to work with you, it’s worth it to try the non-drug approach. Remember, we are talking baby steps here and if your kid sits in the chair the first time, you should consider this a success. Here are some tips for you to try.

A pediatric dentist usually has the most experience with children with developmental delays.

Bring your child’s favorite DVD to his dental visit.

Bring some of your child’s favorite toys to medical and dental exams.

Have your child help the dentist count his teeth.

The first time your child has a dental cleaning, ask your dentist about giving him a mild sedative until he gets used to the routine.

Stay in the treatment room to help the dentist by keeping your child’s hands away from the dentist and the instruments in your child’s mouth.

Give the dentist an opportunity to talk to your child; she may be more cooperative with a friendly dentist.

Check if insurance will cover your child’s dental surgery in the hospital under general anesthesia; insurance will usually pay if the dentist submits a letter of medical necessity.

_{*Tips from “The Child with Autism Series” by Kathy Labosh}

Related:

Rush Limbaugh Retard Summit

admin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:49:01 +0000

Rush is making a run at the most ignorant title. He joins the ranks of Michael (Alan Weiner) Savage and Dennis Leary with this one.

Rush Limbaugh: ‘There’s Going to Be a Retard Summit at the White House’