A Student Becomes The Teacher by Andy Spinks

Anyone involved in Arts and Crafts is sure to get their inspiration from hundreds of influences. Whether it's from nature, music, or other artists work, inspiration can fuel some of the most creative ideas and emotions.

I had the great fortune to meet and quickly be inspired by a young artist only twelve years old. The young artist is a student at a wonderful facility in Central Florida that specializes in autistic spectral disorders. Autism is characterized by impairments to communication, social interaction, and repetitive or restrictive behaviors. The staff working with this young artist very quickly discovered his interest and talent in making incredibly detailed figures from common commercial plastic modeling compound. The modeling compound worked well for him, but he communicated to the staff that he would like to try a material that was a bit firmer. By providing samples of various Polymer Clays to the staff, we found the one that he felt most comfortable with. As a special treat, the staff allowed me to spend some time with the young man while he created one of his works. It's rare to be allowed to watch as an artist works, but this was a very special opportunity.

I was almost brought to tears as I watched a twelve year old young man, whose verbal communication skills were virtually non-existent, create one of the most detailed Polymer Clay sculptures I had ever seen. What he lacked in verbal communication skills he more than made up in creative communication skills. Not only was his creation something to marvel at, but his technique was just as impressive. With a photograph as his inspiration, he worked the clay, never taking his eyes off the photograph. He never once looked at the piece as he was shaping it and used no tools other than his fingers and finger nails to make small creases and indentations. He spent less than ten minutes creating his work of art, ten minutes that will be with me forever.

Not only was this a humbling experience for someone with very limited knowledge of autism, but it was also an experience that demonstrates the incredible power that self expression through Arts and Crafts has. A focus group study conducted in 2005 found that teachers and staff gain a better understanding of a student's thought process through the use of Crafts. The staff working with this talented young artist shared that they had learned a great deal about his thought process and in many ways he had become the teacher and they had become the student.

I have never seen anything quite as inspirational and doubt if I ever will. This young artist's ability to communicate in conventional ways was limited, but his actions and artistic results spoke volumes.

Andy Spinks is co-owner of The Clay Store - The Clay Store. The Clay Store offers a large selection of Polymer Clay Supplies and Polymer Clay Tutorials.

Classified Autism by Ryan Fyfe

Affecting three crucial areas of development: communication, social interaction, and creative or imaginative play, Autism is a brain disorder that begins in early childhood and persists throughout adulthood. The specific cause or origin of autism is not known, however, many researchers suspect that autism results from genetically mediated vulnerabilities to environmental triggers.

Some professionals estimate that 1 out of every 166 children in America are affected by autism on one level or another. The national health institute has a more conservative number of 1 in every 1000; either way autism is prevalent! A family that has born one autistic child has odds of 1 in 20 of another, which leads to heridatary assumptions.

There is a set list of psychiatric criteria and a series of standardized clinical tests that are used to diagnose autism. Although not always physiologically obvious, a complete physical and neurological evaluation will typically be ableo to determine whether an individual is affected by autism.

The clinical definition defines that 'autism must manifest delays in "social interaction, language as used in social communication, or symbolic or imaginative play," with "onset prior to age 3 years", according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'. The symptoms of autism must manifest before the age of three years to be clinically recognized; this is stated in the ICD-10, which is a set of criteria for the proper diagnosis.

It is possible for children affected by autism to improve their social skills to a level where they can be fully integrated with mainstream events without any notice. Often times the case is that individuals affected by autism are un-willing to want to cure their condition because they see it as a part of who they are, and do not want to lose that.
About the Author

Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the article, this caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks.

Ryan Fyfe is the owner and operator of Autism Area - Autism Area, which is the best site on the internet for all autism related information.

The Different Types Of Autism Treatment by Gray Rollins

Autism refers to a brain disorder, which typically affects a child's ability to communicate, form relationships, and respond appropriately to the environment. While some people suffering from Autism are relatively high functioning, there are others who are mentally retarded, have serious language delays, or are mute.

The actual cause of Autism is not known. But Autism is relatively easy to spot, and children as young as 18 months start showing symptoms. It is futile to believe that children will just grow out of it. In fact, the early years provide the best time for progress and improvement. So, intensive therapy should begin as early as possible. While different children suffering from Autism may have different problems, parents of such children have to face one overwhelming challenge - there is no single agreed upon method for treating this condition. Parents, researchers, and doctors have not been able to reach common ground here.

Autism treatment usually consists of a combination of behavioral therapy, language and speech therapy, and special education in schools. Reports suggest that play-based behavioral therapies and alternative treatments involving dietary restrictions and vitamin supplements are beneficial. But, there is no solid proof to support this. What makes matters worse is that many children are beset with additional problems like sleeping difficulties, anxiety, or gastrointestinal problems.

ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) This is often referred to as the Intensive Behavioral Intervention (though there are differences between the two). Studies show that children suffering from Autism can make dramatic progress when they receive this kind of instruction. Parents and doctors mostly accept this treatment because this is one of the most researched of all treatments. This program involves intensive one-to-one interaction between the child and the teacher. Each skill is broken down into sub-skills and each of these sub-skills is taught intensely, one at a time. It is a reward-based program where toddlers receive a lot of positive reinforcement. Activities begin from simple actions (identifying colors) and progress to more advanced activities (language). ABA depends on prompting, positive reinforcement, and differential reinforcement.

Nutritional Therapy This therapy is based on the surmise that certain ingredients in food can have a damaging effect on the brain of an autistic person. Leaving some substances out of the diet (milk and gluten, for instance) have shown startling positive changes in patients. Additionally, vitamin-B12 and magnesium supplements are administered to cover any deficiencies. These kinds of special diets curtail some of the more distressing symptoms like disruptive outbursts, restlessness, and sleeping disorders.

Anti-fungal Treatment Since autistic children often suffer from poor bowel ecology, overgrowth of fungi and microbes is a problem. Therefore, autistic children respond well to anti-fungal treatments. These children are also found to have high concentrations of yeast and anaerobic bacteria. Evidence suggests that Candida Albicans, a form of yeast, may cause Autism and may also exacerbate the behavioral and health problems found in autistic children.

A detoxification treatment called Chelation Therapy is slowly gaining popularity among doctors. This treatment is based on the theory that some children's vaccines are exceptionally high in heavy metals like mercury preservatives, and this causes autism.

It is because of the vast multitude of therapies that many desperate parents opt for combination treatments. An estimated 30% of parents try special diets, non-traditional methods, or vitamin treatments. Music, vision therapy treatments, yoga and horseback riding are also used to treat autism. Unfortunately, it is not possible to predict which children will benefit from a program or whether there is light at the end of that particular tunnel at all.
About the Author

Gray Rollins is a featured writer for For Autism . To learn more about autism treatment and autism causes, visit us.

Learn From Your Team In A Home Autism Treatment Program by Katherine Lee

As a member of your child`s Autism Treatment team, you must learn from the other Autism therapists.

I tried to learn something from every one who came to work for us. I look for a trait that is admirable, and I also learn from their errors. Here are some things that individuals taught me:

1. Being organized at the therapy table is critical
2. Use your time well
3. Taking time to pair throughout the session is a must
4. Taking data is invaluable
5. Being fun means what is fun for the CHILD, not just for me
6. Be on time for my sessions
7. Be faithful for my sessions
8. Always remember it is about Him/Her not me
9. Encourage and desire criticism
10. Compliment others as encouragement
11. Be loyal
12. Be committed to the child no matter what
13. Write neat
14. Keep orderly log books
15. Don`t take good behavior for granted
16. Don`t miss shifts
17. Use time wisely
18. Quality is important
19. Quantity is important
20. The child is always educating me on Him/Her

Ok, those are 20 quick points right off the top of my head. I could go on and on. Many of you know I am an Autism therapist with other children now. But these points here I learned to apply to MY program (and I try to apply to others). Of course, I fail, all the time, but I try to keep these and so many other invaluable lessons in mind. So when you observe your team member, and you see mistakes and errors, write down the POSITIVES you see about the person. And go and do like wise.

Let's get going!,

Katherine Lee

About the Author

Katherine Lee is a highly regarded consultant in the areas of Applied Behavior Analysis and & Relationship Development Intervention. She is author to numerous columns on Autism, ABA and RDI. Join Kat for her popular WEBLOG- "'Reality ABA' - An Online Autism Diary" at Autism Treatment