Articles relating to specific neurodiversities / special needs.
“I want my child to speak.”
All parents want that. As a Speech and Language Therapist (SLT), I want to help parents achieve this goal as well. However, is this a choice for us to make? It is estimated that about 25-30% of children diagnosed with autism are non-verbal or minimally verbal (NVMV)
The full title of this book definitely does it justice - Autism Abracadabra. Seven Magic Ingredients to Help Develop Your Child’s Interactive Attention Span. Hence, the term grimoire used in the title of this piece. According to the Oxford Dictionary, a grimoire is “a book of magic spells and invocations.”
Interoception is a sense that allows us to feel sensations from the inside of our bodies. For example, interoception enables you to feel your stomach: is it growling or is it fluttery? Is it full or maybe nauseous?
What is a Neuro-Crash? It’s what happens when the imposed situation overwhelms your child or adult’s brain, so their coping mechanism shuts down. (We’ll get into why I use the term “imposed situation” in a bit.) You’ve probably had your own version of a Neuro-Crash at some point (many points?) in your life. Have you ever felt so completely overloaded and overwhelmed you just couldn’t take it anymore?
PDA is a condition driven by very high anxiety. Therefore, the idea behind talking to someone with PDA is to deflect the request from yourself. Anything we ask from them, even if it’s as simple as "drink water" or "sit down" is considered a demand and is enough to trigger their fight or flight response. Here are 5 strategies on talking to some with PDA.
Pathological demand avoidance (PDA) is a subtype of autism that is currently only recognized in certain countries like in the United Kingdom. However, there are plenty of autistic children all over the world who are exhibiting signs of PDA and need to be supported.
Children with autism are likely to suffer many more oral health problems, including tooth decay, gum disease and dental injury, than children without autism. Parents and caregivers can do several things to make oral hygiene and dental visits easier for their autistic kids.
Trinity College London is delighted to announce the launch of industry-first, regulated qualifications for musical learners with learning difficulties across the whole spectrum of abilities and needs.
On 14 July 2022, the Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia, brought together various stakeholders for a workshop titled: Empowering Autism Preparedness and Response. The workshop resulted in an announcement to form a National Autism Council in Malaysia.
TOXIC POSITIVITY – The fundamental problem with approaches that focus on changing behaviors. Read a mother’s view on mood and behavior rewards charts.
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