My ASD Child

"What can be done about  an autistic child (high functioning) who does things repeatedly like rocking back and forth, spinning and flipping objects, making strange vocal noises over and over again? This constant non-stop behavior can be so annoying (and embarrassing) at times." Most of our "leisure activities" are nothing more than self-stimulation behaviors that have become highly ritualized over time and made socially acceptable. There is nothing intrinsically valuable or reasonable about leisure pursuits such as bungee jumping, playing cards, dancing, playing video games, listening to music, smoking, etc. People participate in these different activities because they find them to be pleasurable and because the activities alter their physical state. Each activity provides us with a particular type of sensory input. There is not necessarily a great difference in so-called self-stimulation behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorders and some of thes

"Can high functioning autism be inherited? Our son was recently diagnosed, and now I am wondering if my husband has it too ...their behaviors are very similar." There is strong evidence that ASD Level 1 or High-Functioning Autism (HFA) is, at least in part, an inherited condition. If one twin develops the disorder, there is a 60% likelihood that the other will develop it as well.    Younger kids born into families with an older child on the autism spectrum have a 5-6% likelihood of also having the disorder. Even though the incidence of HFA is higher among related family members, no specific gene has been linked to its development. Also, there is currently no way to test for the genetic predisposition towards the disorder. HFA is a neurobiological disorder in which known areas of the brain are affected in ways scientists do not yet completely understand. The disorder is considered to be inherited in a complex fashion (e.g., more complicated than disorders such as co

"Is it fair to say that some people unfairly stereotype children and teenagers who have an autism spectrum disorder? It seems to me that society views this population as "trouble-makers" or mentally handicapped - and even dangerous (e.g., they get blamed for some school shootings), which is just plain ignorant in my opinion. What's your opinion please?" Young people with ASD level 1 or High-Functioning Autism (HFA) are often viewed largely in negative terms by some. And to make matters worse, this inaccurate stereotyping often leads to inappropriate interventions, which can lead to long-term damage. Here are some examples of stereotyping. A child with ASD: Can't do things that require social interaction, especially with strangers Dislikes establishing eye contact Dislikes using the telephone, preferring email or person-to-person instead In social situations with a lot of noise and conversations, has trouble hearing and easily gets disoriented I

"What would be the most important teaching strategy to use with my students who are on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum?"  The short answer is: capitalize on the child's natural visual-thinking skills... Children with Aspergers (AS) and High-Functioning Autism (HFA) often think differently than other children. They often have what is known as 'visual thinking'. While many of us think in words or abstractly, kids on the autism spectrum think in pictures and films playing in their head. They have a difficult time seeing a generic representation of, say, a cat, and instead recall exact images of cats they have seen. Some researchers believe that the way AS and HFA people think is a good way of compensating for losses in 'language thinking'. This is what often makes these kids good at building things and seeing the end product of something before it is done. Using this visual thinking to an advantage can help parents and teac