My ASD Child

"What might be some of the environmental factors involved with autism spectrum disorders, and how would they interplay with genetics?" The rate of diagnosed cases of ASD level 1 (high-functioning autism) grows each year. A number of experts believe that the rising Asperger’s rate is an epidemic that will continue to grow, and they claim that the cause of autism must be environmental. Other experts argue that the increased number of cases is not due to an epidemic, but instead due to a better understanding of how to diagnose these children with symptoms that were previously missed. Still others claim that the rate of the disorder is not growing more now and would have been larger in the past if the current diagnostic criteria were in place. Environmental Factors— A variety of environmental triggers is under investigation as a cause (or contributing factor) to the development of ASD and other autism spectrum disorders, especially in a genetically vulnerable youngster:

"Is it common for children on the autism spectrum to be rather clumsy and to have problems with motor skills? If so, how can it be diagnosed/treated?" Neurological in origin, Motor Skills Disorder (MSD) is a developmental disorder that impairs motor coordination in daily activities. Many kids with ASD or High-Functioning Autism (HFA) experience deficits in motor skills development, which often manifest as abnormal clumsiness (although it may not be major enough to be considered a disorder in and of itself). MSD is a result of weak or disorganized connections in the brain, which then translates to trouble with motor coordination. Movements are performed because the brain sends messages to the area requiring action. MSD is a result of weak or poorly structured neural pathways to the moving parts of the body. Clumsiness is a matter of poor balance and gross motor coordination. The origin of this deficit is the vestibular system of the inner ear. The vestibule is an o

 "I need some useful behavior management strategies for a very out of control 6 yo boy with autism (high functioning). Thanks in advance!" Teaching kids with ASD or High-Functioning Autism (HFA) to manage their own behavior allows parents to spend less time dealing with challenging behaviors at home. Managing your own behavior is called self-control. Self-control skills are used to help HFA children to pay attention to their own behavior. These young people can learn to monitor their own behavior and control their own actions through using self-control techniques.  In order to help a child on the autism spectrum learn to monitor his own behavior, parents should ask themselves the following questions: Are there any factors or challenges that my youngster faces that need to be considered before implementing a self-control plan? Is my youngster able to make an accurate self-assessment of his behavior? What goals do I have for my youngster in using a self-control plan

Hi mark, my 13 year old son aspergers. In the past and less so now he has felt extreme sensitivity to wearing certain clothes and shoes. He seems to be getting better with this. For the past 12 months though he seems to have a fixation on closing every door in the house. It either has to be wide open or fully closed. He cannot bear to think of it half closed and says this gives him pain in his head. This is driving my husband, my 9 year old daughter and I mad. He is up and down all day and night closing doors after us. My husband refuses to give in to his demands and it causes many arguments. I know this is genuinely upsetting my son but he said he cannot get out of doing it as it causes him pain. What can we do? Dear Mark Hutten, I am a Research Associate in Dr. Dennis Wall's lab at Harvard Medical School. We are months away from completing a mobile system for rapid detection of developmental delays and would like to discuss recruiting for our study through your co