Posts Tagged ‘Autism’
Angels I’ve Encountered
January 7th, 2010 | 
Author: Do you ever feel like you’ve encountered an angel in your life? I have. I feel like I’ve crossed plenty of angels in my lifetime, but most importantly since I’ve had children. I’ve asked for guidance when I felt desperate and lost without hope, and somehow I am always led to comfort.
Angels are people that suddenly show up in your life and lift your spirits back to where they should be. Angels are also people that are so willing to help in situations that seem impossible.
I believe that some of the angels who have crossed my path are:
The teachers who’ve been slapped, kicked, and screamed at, but continued to smile and strive for a response from a child with autism.
The friends, who I’ve bitched at, cried with, laughed with, or just sat silently with.
The unconditional love a sibling gives to her brother or sister with autism who shows no sign of love in return.
The speech teachers who never give up achieving an utter, a word, or a sentence from a child’s lips who cannot speak.
The elderly man who smiles so gently in line at the grocery store duing your child’s meltdown.
The many parents I meet at autism events, who eagerly share their compassion through their own stories.
Angels are ordinary people not afraid to share their hearts and put forth the effort for someone else.
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Do Children with Autism understand death???
Do children with autism understand death? Do they mourn? Do they understand when people are sad?
I’m not sure if my daughter (who has autism) understands. Maybe she does and just doesn’t know how to show her emotions. With that being said, I decided to write a poem to her about the passing of her grandpa.
Jackie,
My grandpa died today. He was great grandpa to you. Do you remember grandpa? I’m not sure that you do.
He’s gone to heaven, a place beyond the clouds far away.
Do you remember heaven? It’s where angels stay.
Do you remember angels? We talk to them when we pray.
Your grandpa told great stories when we gathered around.
He always joked and laughed, he was such a clown.
Grandpa worked hard to provide a warm, happy home.
He fought for our country over seas all alone.
Grandpa pickled everything from beets to beans.
He made the best rubarb jelly and hated the color green.
Grandpa visited you this summer and was amazed to see you swim.
He didn’t realize what a mermaid you were with no fear to jump in.
Grandpa loved grandma, his bride so true.
Grandma loved him and cared for him through and through.
Grandpa always stood strong on how important family was.
I guess that’s why I’m here and your here because of his love.
Love,
Mom
Halloween can be quite Howling!
It’s the start of the season. The change of weather, the starting of school, and the preparation of upcoming holidays. Holidays are quite stressful on our homefront. This, of course, is speaking from my own point of view since every child with autism is different. Put a child on the spectrum in a normal environment and there is usually some sort of sensory overload. Put a child on the spectrum in a classroom hosting a Halloween party and AHHHHHHH!!!!! Loud noise, scary costumes, no structure and lots and lots of sugar! What do you expect!!!!!
This year when we entered the general education class, my son backed away with his head hung low. When I asked what was wrong he said that he didn’t know anyone and was embarrassed. I asked if it was Jackie and he nodded. Jackie sat at a table with her aid. Her hands were cupped securley over her ears, with her eyes shut. She held onto a storybook music player hoping to drown out the noise in the classroom. She had just arrived from a parade around the school and had about all she could take. I knew this and so did her brother. This is usually when we walk softly and whisper hoping to not erupt the volcanoe within her. When we managed to escape out of the classroom and back into her AI (Autistic Impaired) class, I was able to catch my breath. Wheww! A sucess with no meltdowns!
The AI classroom was a whole different story. No music, no yelling, a safe haven for Jackie to regroup. I sat in the room observing the other children in her class. As I observed, I compared, and I wondered at what level Jackie fell into in comparison to her classmates. I always beat myself up wondering if I’m doing a good enough job. I found myself questioning, “would she had done better today if I worked with her more to prepare?’. Then a peaceful feeling fell upon me and I felt reassurement that things are ok.
When we left the school and got into the car. I looked back into my rearview mirror and witness two beautiful children. I thought, “Who cares if it’s not a Norman Rockwell Halloween!”
Influence of Music – Musical Therapy to Treat Autism
Influence of Music – Musical Therapy to Treat Autism by kim valerio
in Diseases and Conditions (submitted 2009-09-25)
Musical therapy is a relatively new treatment method for autism patients, but one that should not be overlooking when discussing options. Patients who receive musical therapy often should great improvement in temperament and learning skills. Music connects to the non-verbal part of our brains, making it a perfect therapy for disorders in which the patient has trouble communicating, such as autism. Research this innovative treatment method if you are looking for some help with autism and haven’t had much luck in the past.
Musical therapy is effective because it can be used in conjunction with learning social skills. Music is a very non-threatening medium for patients, and many games can be played using music to help improve social and behavioral skills. By encouraging eye contact while singing or using instruments that need to get close to the face, musical therapy can help autistic individuals break social barriers.
The number one way that musical therapy can help children, as well as older autistic patients, is by helping with the development of speech skills. Music is a way to connect the verbal and non-verbal functions in the brain. Autistic individuals may have various forms of speech problems. Some can only hum, grunt, or make other non-word noises, while others babble nonsensical phrases or cries. Still others gain the capability to put together phrases and sentences to communicate with the world, although these usually lack emotion. Autistic people are known for monotone voices. However, no matter how skilled the individual is with speech, he or she can participate in musical therapy by clapping rhythms, humming along, or doing simple echoing songs.
Autistic individuals are commonly found to be particularly good at music. Some, for instance, have perfect pitch. Others can play a particular instrument very well, with little instruction. Even if he or she shows no genius musical ability by normal standards, you may find that a particularly hard to deal with autistic person has abilities in music that exceed his or her other abilities. A musical therapist can use music as a way to link this kind of learning with other kinds of learning, not only as speech development and social behavioral development as previously discussed, but also as a way to communicate emotions and develop memory.
By using all of these techniques in conjunction with one another, musical therapy can work wonders with people who are autistic. Trained professionals can use music to teach children and others how to communicate in nonverbal ways, making it easier for patients to learn. Research the musical therapy option to provide you or your child with another choice when treating autism.
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