High Functioning Autism (HFA) is often used to refer to someone which can not be officially identified as having autism. There isn’t a precise agreed upon characterization to explain High-Function Autism. This may be a particularly grey area to describe, and whilst it can be a phrase commonly tossed round it is a complex one to pin down.

Different from classical autism that is pretty clear cut in key elements whereby these children usually are non-verbal, unengaged and also not able to succeed inside the common diagnostic examining. Children having High Functioning Autism might present with specified qualities categorised in autism though may have the capability to speak, read and write. Their particular cognitive potential appears to be greater in comparison with individuals with classical autism.

Its written that children having HFA have better IQ results when compared with individuals with classical autism. This on the other hand ought not to be viewed as an genuine description with IQ for all with classical autism mainly because their own capacity to reply to information and also communicate is weaker as a consequence could create unreliable low rating.

High Functioning Autism is very much the expression utilised in as a result conveying the particular level a child could work on the Spectrum. At this time there also appears to be a fine line relating to outlining a child having HFA compared to Asperger’s Syndrome. It is often reported that a child which developed usual language behaviours in early years but exhibited social deficits typical to that associated with autism where consequently referred to as having Asperger, s Syndrome. Then the child which experienced late speech development (although they could have caught this up on in the future years) had been subsequently identified as HFA. Then again, experts at the moment are thinking about if speech progression is the simplest way to identify both.

Children having High Functioning Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome are generally “limited within brain regions that will permit individuals to recognize subtle cues, ” and quite often misunderstandings, literal interpretation, and/or sensory over stimulation can bring about overreactions, frustration, a small frustration building up a tolerance, tantrums, aggressiveness, showing up to have volatile temperament, self stimulation (stimming), anxiousness, despair, or even self harm. Most of these children may have interpersonal relationships that might come across to be “rude” by people, and quite often individuals on the spectrum find it hard to understand why they’re not necessarily liked or perhaps regularly come to feel rejected.

ASPECTS OF HIGH-FUNCTIONING AUTISM

Relatively better IQ when compared with individuals connected with classical autism

Not able to recognise emotional desires and also needs connected with other individuals

Could possibly lack sociable politeness for instance returning greetings

Could seem exceedingly dreamy and removed Make minimal eye contact which often leads people presume that they are shy, uninterested or maybe evasive

Moderate delay with speech development

Employ minimal emotional information within their interaction Tend not to recognize very simple social cues

Liking to schedule along with structure; OCD (obsessive compulsive) inclinations

Slight to mild difficulties with motor skills and also co-ordination often viewed as clumsiness

Demonstrate sensory dysfunctions which include wanting to smell everything, along with blocking ears to a number of noises

Therefore you will need to keep in mind High Functioning Autism is not really an official diagnostic expression. IT can often identify children who may have a few of the traits connected with autism yet failed to develop vocabulary on the standard scale. This kind of diagnosis however, can help in leading someone to acquire ideal therapies/treatments and also educational facilities. Treatment plans should really be basically comparable to that connected with Autism. Earlier detection plus intervention is really important and treatments/therapies should be considered to enhance social capabilities, individual communication, behavior, along with peer interactions. There isn’t a fast solution or solution having said that efficient treatment plans can offer greater results regarding children within the spectrum.

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One of the things that you might want to think about when parenting an autistic child is diet. More specifically, diet and nutritional supplements. Many autistic kids are deficient in different vitamins and nutrients, and adding them to your child’s diet can sometimes make a world of difference.

Vitamin D and the Autistic Child

Vitamin D is one such vitamin that can help many children with autism. People usually don’t think about Vitamin D very much. But Vitamin D actually has been shown to be critical to a several different body functions. It is also the most common vitamin deficiency that people in America have. How does this relate to autism? There are some new theories suggesting that a lack of maternal Vitamin D, as well as the child’s levels of vitamin D, could lead to a higher risk of autism.

Vitamin D is really a hormone in the human body, not a vitamin. It is created in response to sunshine, and also can be found in some foods.

What does Vitamin D do?

Vitamin D helps with bone mineralization and formation. A lack of Vitamin D can often cause bone weakness. Vitamin D also helps control the calcium level in your body, which benefits the immune system by helping with immunosuppression. Without proper Vitamin D, rickets can develop. Finally, Vitamin D can have a role in cancer, depression, and other kinds of diseases and mental illnesses.

What is the connection between Vitamin D and autism?

There are cases from both Minnesota and Sweden that show some alarming trends. In Stockholm, Sweden, the rate of autism spectrum disorders for Somali immigrants is three to four times that of non-Somalis.

In Minnesota, the story is very much the same. In 1993, many Somali refugees immigrated to Minnesota. A few years later, the autism rate sharply increased. By 2007, Somalis far out represented members of other ethnic or racial groups in city autism special education programs. City officials tried to figure out why. Autism was very uncommon for the Somalis.

What was happening here? One theory has to do with the amount of sun in both climates. The skin creates Vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. In Somalia, there is much more direct sun than in either Minnesota or Sweden, which are located in very northern latitudes. Also, dark skinned people create less Vitamin D than light skinned people do. Another added complication is that many Somalis in foreign countries are likely to wear headscarves and cover their body, therefore negating any chance of being able to get Vitamin D from the sun.

Because of this, Vitamin D deficiency in both mothers and children was thought to be one possible cause of the increased autism rates.

It’s probably a good idea to get yourself and your kids tested for Vitamin D deficiency. You can increase your Vitamin D levels with supplements. Vitamin D supplements are relatively inexpensive and worth a try for increasing your child’s health. Decisions on supplements are just one of many decisions you will have to make when parenting an autistic child.

Friendship can be a difficult issue that comes up quite frequently for those who are parenting autistic children. There is no doubt that most children with autism want friends, but they just lack the skills to be able to make them. Friends end up being just one more thing they have to learn; one more thing they have to figure out; one more thing that just doesn’t make any sense to them. What comes intuitively to those parenting autistic children comes with a lot of work to autistic children themselves.

Why do children with autism have so many problems making friends?

Well, autistic kids can’t read social cues, or easily understand the “street slang” that many neurotypical kids use. Children with autism aren’t able to talk casually and easily like other children their age do. As a result, they can be shunned. Autistic kids can’t easily enter into conversations. Those parenting autistic children often see their loved ones being isolated, and not fitting in.

For autistic children who want friends but who cannot quite get the hang of how to get them, it can be quite painful. These kids try as best they can to engage other kids. Unfortunately, their way of speaking or the conversation topics they choose rarely matches the interests of other children their age. For those who are parenting autistic children, we stand at the sidelines watching our autistic loved ones fail time and again.

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Their peers aren’t interested in spaceships, the history of paper clips or Bugs Bunny. No matter how much they might try to emulate the manner and ways that their friends speak and the words they use it comes out sounding forced…like reading off of a script. Sadly, most of the kids their age won’t make the effort needed to put up with their awkwardness and difference.

Four Roadblocks to Overcome

To make friends those parenting autistic children must first understand the major roadblocks that prevent their autistic children from developing friends. Once we understand these roadblocks we can help our autistic children to overcome these hurdles. When parenting autistic children, the following four issues that often inhibit friendship development:

1. Odd mannerisms: kids with autism often talk too loudly, and can’t modulate their tone of voice. They might interrupt others and not realize it, they might avoid eye contact, and they might violate the physical space of people around them without being aware they are doing it. It also goes without saying that many children with autism will likely talk excessively about their favorite topic.

2. Rule oriented: Many kids with autism are very rule oriented. This doesn’t work always well with other kids, who don’t want to be so bound down with following rules (or may not even be aware of what the rules of a particular situation are – many kids like to make up their own rules when playing different games.)

3. Immature interests: Often kids with autism will have interests that are more typically found in age group several years younger than they are. This makes it harder for them to connect with their peers. Those parenting autistic children may notice that their loved ones tend to get along better with children several years younger than them.

4. Sensory issues: Kids with autism get overwhelmed very easily by the environment around them. This is another problem that can get in the way of doing things with friends.

Each of these issues is well known to therapists and various methods and treatments can be used to teach your autistic children how to improve their friendship-building skills.

Helping your child to make friends can be difficult, but it can be done, if you understand what the issues to overcome are. Parenting autistic children comes with many challenges, but you can overcome them with time.

Autism, a complicated, not well-understood, debilitation that afflicts 1 in every 150 children, and it is more commonly found in males, than in females. Children, who live in an autistic world, are unfortunately often unable to be a part of our world. They are somehow locked up inside of themselves, with no way out. Autism is reflected in different ways, and to different degrees. Speech and communication are two major areas that are greatly affected in children with Autism.

Autism was rare until it started to appear more frequently in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. At the time studies show that it affected approximately, 1 in every 2000 children. Midway through the 1990’s the statistics showed a sharp increase in children diagnosed with autism. Less than a decade later, the numbers rose to approximately, 1 in every 700 children being diagnosed. Today, in the year 2011 we are seeing children with Autism at an alarmingly high rate of, 1 in every 150 children. Autism is affecting more and more children, why are the numbers going up? The incidence of Autism, is much too high, and the statistics are frightening.

In the early 1990’s, there was a change in how immunizations were mixed, before being administered to children. Prior to the 1990’s, the immunizations for measles, mumps, and rubella, were administered separately, and at different times of the child’s life. In the early 90’s however, a change was made, and all three immunizations were combined together, and were then mixed with preservatives, which were added to prevent one immunization from affecting any chemical change to the other. This new combination was than administered to children in one shot instead of three. Could this be a factor in the staggering number of children who are now affected by autism? Could the combination of the medications, along with artificial preservatives have an effect on the increase in Autism?

This information raises many questions such as, what effect does mixing three very powerful immunizations together into one shot, have on small children? How does it affect their brain, their organs, and other parts of their small bodies?

Many cases of Autism are diagnosed, only after receiving the immunizations. Why is it that parents and doctors alike, observed no autistic signs in some of these children, before they were immunized? Could it be that the immunizations with preservatives cause a serious adverse reaction in some children? These are very important questions that need to be investigated, to provide some concrete answers.
Is there a connection between immunizations and Autism? It appears that there are some implications that there may be a connection. In a logical deduction of the facts that we have, there is evidence that there may be a link between autism and immunizations.

Immediate, and in-depth research needs to be done, to determine if there is a connection between the two, and if there is, something needs to be done quickly, to stop the increase of Autism in our children, the future generation of this world.

After reading many posts in forums and groups it seems that there are Doctors, individuals and communities out there that actually frown on the word “Recovery” when in reference to Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Well everyone is entitled to their opinion but a little open mindedness and a good look at the world and what others are achieving might be in order here, particularly for those in the medical profession.

We are Resilient Physical Beings

It is those exact closed minds that inspired people such as the Kaufmans – SON-RISE, many other families and individuals, and ourselves to pursue what we know we can achieve – recovery from Autism!

It is quite amazing when you think about it, how resilient the physical human is. There are countless factual stories of survival and recovery in some of the most gruelling circumstances. One book that inspired us and I believe many others as well is a book titled “Man’s Search For Meaning” by Viktor E Frankl. If you will ever only read one book in your life I would recommend this one. It is without a doubt one of the finest examples of what a human being can go through and survive.

It is at a spiritual level and the power of the mind that allows us to achieve such amazing feats, the rest is just a biological suit that we occupy and must control in this physical world. Unfortunately the western medical world has by in large forgotten that most powerful source of healing – or have they?

Unfortunately our society does rely heavily on our medical “experts” for our health and well-being, and it is unfortunate that doctors today in the western world practice what I refer to as “Band-aid Medicine” where drugs are prescribed just to cover up symptoms but they don’t actually tackle the root cause of the problem. However, unbeknown to those doctors, they may be actually practising spiritual or holistic healing, only they don’t know it!

Mind over Matter over Autism

The placebo effect! Science proving that the mind plays a bigger part in our health than we would like to give it credit for. I am sure that most times when a GP prescribes drugs for a condition it is largely the mind that is doing the repairs, with the drug aiding at a cellular level, and possibly, without them realising, at a spiritual level, by making the patient believe that this drug will fix them.

Granted that this is my opinion only, and there will be many that disagree with me, but that is ok, there has to be contrast in order for ideas to progress and to know! However the point I am trying to make here is that our minds and our spiritual energy are what really controls every aspect of our physical being and recovery from Autism is definitely achievable.

There is no doubt that at a cellular level there are natural and man made elements that enhance and or destroy our physical structure. Many of these elements we find in nature and there are many ancient “medical” practices that utilised these for health and well being. I always thought that the Chinese had it pretty much right, with the combination of: mental and physical balance, natural herbs, and acupuncture.

Unfortunately in our “westernised” fast lane life we have left all those “old remedies” behind and largely choose to go for the “fast band-aid” approach while making drug companies mega rich.

Make no mistake however that western surgical practices and techniques certainly have gone a long way to increase our life spans, and the quality of life for many with diseases and disabilities. But wouldn’t it be a better idea to look at the root cause and stop those diseases and disabilities from manifesting in the first place!

How can a Person Recover From Autism?

Back to the subject – a person can recover from an Autism Spectrum Disorder. And there is certainly evidence out there to back this statement up! The body is an amazing organism but our spiritual being is an even more amazing force. Together they are what makes us who we are, and together they give us the ability to “recover”.

• The brain can heal itself by re-mapping certain functions to other parts of the brain.
• Bio-Medical supplements can help repair and rebalance our physical structure at a cellular level.
• Specific, targeted education like ABA and DTT can overcome the impaired learning.
• And most importantly a happy loving environment where the child feels that pure energy of complete unconditional love. This will will be the main factor in the recovery process with all the rest being merely an aide!

My definition of recovery from Autism would be: that our daughter will able to be independent and that she will be able to function and be happy and loved in our society. That is my aim, and that is the mental picture I imagine every day and I KNOW we will achieve!

“Thought and Imagination are without doubt our most powerful tools we mere mortals posses!“

Did you ever wish you could see into the future and wonder how things will change in autism twenty-five years from now? I often have. As a teacher of children with severe autism, and now a consultant and author, I wonder if the new theory of stem cells will be on the front line. I wonder about diets and the change of eating habits. I wonder about education and the changes that will be made to teach our autistic children.

In my newly released book, I discuss a number of possible causes of autism. I also emphasize, as of this day, that we do not know specifically what causes the disability. We only have suggested causes as well as a number of possible contributing factors. So, we can safely say, during the last twenty-five years we have been able to gives names to the various types and degrees. For example, we now use the word autism in a generally casual way.

The same is true with asperger’s. However, we are not so quick to point out that Rett Syndrome and Childhood Disintegrative Syndrome are also categories of autism. We have learned that Dr. Bruno Bettelheim’s early theory that Refrigerator Mothers (mothers, he said, who reacted coldly to their autistic child causing the disability) is not the cause; that certain vaccinations have not been ruled out completely as a cause; and that the brain most likely plays a role as a cause of autism. Still, after all of these years, we do not know the specific cause(s).

It is disturbing to realize we can send a woman and a man to the moon, land a space shuttle, and have astronauts walk around in space, yet, in this same time period we have not reached any kind of clear conclusion about the cause of autism. We have learned to impregnate women, with frozen sperm, which is truly a miracle, but we are still looking to find answers to the puzzle of autism. We have learned how to transplant a human heart, to another human beings body, but we are not any closer to determining what causes autism.

When you think about autism, in this perspective, it makes one wonder – is it truly because it is so difficult for researchers to make such a determination as to the cause of autism? Or, is it that there is not sufficient funding allocated to do the research? Is it because autism is such a puzzling issue, or is it because there are not enough motivated, interested researchers attempting to piece the puzzle together?

The benefits are many and uplifting when music is used to interact with the autistic child. If the child has Asperger Syndrome or high-functioning autism, the verbal communication skills that already exist can be enhanced. In some cases just singing a conversation instead of speaking normally will have the child’s attention. In some autistic children music is a major breakthrough key into their world. In a group of children music can be made into a marching game by stopping and starting the music as in musical chairs, though without the chairs. The power of music can be just as exciting to autistic children as with children in a normal classroom or music lesson.

When a parent is out of options or just not knowing what else they can do to communicate with their child, music therapy should be given a try. It is a relatively new approach and teaching method and from the results really shouldn’t be overlooked. There has been great improvement noted in temperament, learning skills and communication. For a child that is having trouble communicating it is the perfect therapy as it connects to the non-verbal area of their brain.

Music transcends all areas throughout our life and with autistic children it is effective when used with the learning of social skills and behavioural skills. When music is played either by an instrument or singing it encourages eye contact which in turn breaks down individual social barriers. Music therapy would help in the development of speech even if the child can only grunt or hum or a simple echo word or phrase. However skilled or non verbal an autistic child is something is connecting, it could be babbling nonsense or putting together a few words to communicate with you and the world, but they are communicating. Clapping your hands in time to the music while singing words will get their attention as autistic individuals are known to be particularly good at music.

A music therapist can use music to bring together different kinds of abilities to other areas of autistic development. For many autistic individuals music is a natural ability and with very little instruction can play some instruments with perfect pitch. A hard to manage autistic person may use music to communicate and become calmer, or in another it may be the best of their other abilities. It seems to be a link to many developments, behavioural development, communication, emotions and even develop memory.

Treating autism is an ongoing therapy which seems to change as new treatments and discoveries are available and tried. What works for one may not work for another. Music therapy is using new techniques, which when used in conjunction with other therapies show great progress. To communicate with a child in a non verbal way can be taught by trained professions using music. What a wonderful way and an easy way to learn to communicate with your child. This musical therapy option is one which you should research and try.

We were on Christmas break from school, so we thought we’d take advantage of this time and get the kids back up to The Grass Valley Wellness Center for another Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) session. This was Tuesday, December 28th, and this time the plan was to have our second daughter Sophia go as well. It was to be Sophia’s first treatment and Danielle’s second. The results of Danielle’s first session were so astonishingly good that we just couldn’t wait to see how Sophia would respond.

Danielle’s incredible change in mood and behavior (for the good) lasted about 4 days before she began to show signs of frustration and defiance over small things. But I was not discouraged in the least. I’m well acquainted with the nature of the healing process by now, and I understand that long-term results come with an accumulation of the right kinds of treatments. We were convinced that we were on to something special with this HBOT. And once you strike a vein of gold you just need to keep on following it all the way.

DANIELLE’S FEELINGS ABOUT HBOT

Danielle was quite upset when I explained that she would be going back for another treatment. We waited to tell her until Tuesday when we picked her and Sophia up from a sleepover. She asked what we’d be doing that day, and when she heard the answer she was hardly fit to be around. She yelled and argued about it for the next hour and a half, before having to depart for Grass Valley. When it got down to it, she was able to explain that she didn’t like the feeling it produced in her ears (the frequent adjustment of pressure).

Once my dad (and my mom went this time as well) arrived at the Wellness Center with Danielle and Sophia, it was time to get them into the tank. The plan was to have Sophia go inside with Danielle this time, along with their pillows, blankets, and toys. Sophia began to weep and become very anxious about it, to the point that my dad didn’t have the heart to force her inside in front of the therapist. (If it had been only family around we all might have made her go in, knowing it would not have harmed her.) Oh well, at least she’d been exposed to the situation and next time would be better prepared. On the other hand, Dad was surprised to watch Danielle go right into the tank without a single protest. He got in with her and as soon as the machine was turned on, she fell fast asleep (thanks to the late night at the sleepover, no doubt).

JAW DROPPING RESULTS FROM SESSION #2

There was an IMMEDIATE change in Danielle’s behavior and mood on the hour-long trip home. My mom explained that her attitude and behavior was so negative on the drive up to the center that they kept going only because they knew the prize that was ahead once they reached the destination and accomplished the mission. Now, here is the scene that made my jaw drop this time. I walked into Danielle’s room that evening and “caught her” SORTING HER SILLY BANDS BY COLOR. I have never seen her sort anything in her entire life (she’s 10). I used to take all the developmental milestones for granted when my kids were babies, but when you have a child who develops at quite a different pace you begin to take note when various milestones are finally met. When she was younger I actually gave up trying to work with her on things like sorting colors because she just seemed not to “get it” and became frustrated with the activity. There were bigger fish to fry anyway…like potty training, making requests, tolerating minute changes in routine, etc.

I was so excited about this sorting activity that I even had to take a picture of it. To me, it’s a sign that something is going on in her neurological pathways.

Again, had no abnormal or irrational conflicts for several days following the 2nd treatment. It was a JOY! I can say without hesitation that it was the very best Christmas holiday we had ever shared with our kids to date. Free of stress and conflict and anxiety. I give all thanks to God and my parents for such a precious gift and significant personal discovery.

The side effects of Reserpine and Respen-A is something I have been asked about by many people. And we have seen in the study done in 1957 where normal doses were 3 – 7 mg, in doses that were high, 10 – 12 mg, reactions like those seen people with Parkinson’s occurred like dry mouth, excessive sleep and irritability. The typical dose to treat high blood pressure is .5 mg and above that dose we see increase association with depression. What appears to happen is that MAO-A activity is stimulated which then has a metabolic effect on serotonin. If serotonin is not being replenished then over time there can be a depletion which can lead to depression.

A majority of the side effects of Respen-A and Reserpine appear to be connected with low blood calcium. Issues with agitation, irritability, fatigue, muscle aches and crankiness can result from low blood calcium. The makers of Respen-A determined the need for calcium supplementation to help counter these side effects that were seen in higher doses of Reserpine and in some kids using Respen-A who were not getting enough calcium. The high dose of calcium required with this therapy has raised concerns in doctors within the community, and in myself when I first started using this therapy as well. The general recommendation is 2,000 mg of calcium between 30 minutes and 1 hour prior to putting on the Respen-A patch. Because we know Reserpine can deplete calcium levels, this allows the body to raise levels up so that we don’t see the agitation, irritability, twitching and muscle aches that can come from a lack of calcium. Some of my own patients have had this happen when their calcium levels were not sufficient.

There is a concern about the possibility of too much calcium leading to calcium imbalances. However, in my own practice, I check blood tests and calcium levels and have not see the issue of excess calcium at all. I have also not heard from other physicians using Respen-A that this is a problem. And lastly, the people at Respen-A have not reported any issues with the amount of calcium suggested.

There have been a few children in my practice with an intolerance to calcium and that is a different issue but I have not seen serum or physiological evidence of calcium toxicity using this therapy. Possibly the regulatory effect of Respen-A keeps calcium levels balanced. So the reason for the need of this high dose calcium is due to the depletion on cellular calcium levels and taking calcium with Respen-A prevents some of the common side effects like agitation and irritability which can be caused by calcium depletion.

Autism in children can be a very hard thing to understand and to deal with. Autism can produce behaviours in your child that can be very misleading, it can be easy to observe your autistic child and jump to the conclusion that your child is just plain bad. The truth is that it is actually less likely for an autistic child to behave badly, if by bad behaviour you mean the deliberate act of rebellion or misbehaviour.

Autism affects the way that your child interacts with the world, and what may be a normal (if there is such a thing) reaction for most children, may not be what you see or experience with an autistic child. Autistic children are prone to unexpectedly running out of the room, to screaming and lashing out with their hands or feet or climbing on top of furniture. This behavior could be misunderstood as naughty behavior, and indeed it would be with a non-autistic child. But as said, autism affects the way that a child interacts with the world, and so often what can be assumed to be bad behavior is simply your child seeing their stimulus through the lens of their autism and reacting to it.

It is possible for a parent to come to terms and find ways to live with and cope with autism. Coping strategies are essential for a parent of an autistic child if they want anything close to a normal life. It will certainly take more work on the part of the parent, and a keen eye to observe subtle changes in behavior and notice patterns in that behavior.

The secret to understanding child autism is to realize that they are likely to understand that they are likely to react strongly to either under stimulation or over stimulation. Your child will have tell-tale signs that can be identified, that can be as simple as a panicked look in their eye before they lose it. Once the tell-tale signs have been identified, it is a case of altering the stimulus to correct the situation. With under stimulation you need to get your child active quickly. This can be through playing a game or focused communication or anything that takes the child’s attention.

Over stimulation can be harder to deal with, since you would only generally have limited control over all the stimulation. Things like loud music or excessive noise can over stimulate, or visual stimulation like strobe lighting or television. When tell-tale signs are spotted then you need to either remove the stimulation source, or remove the child from the situation. Calming tones and touch can really help with a child.

It is important to realize that although this advice can really help, you need to set your expectations for your child correctly. It may be perfectly acceptable to expect one child to sit contently for a cross country plane journey, but an autistic child would not fare so well with this. It is possible to cope with this kind of scenario, but it takes a little more work to get there.

Autism can be defined as the emotional, mental and behavioral abnormalities affecting the children, who are in their early days of life. Normally the autistic disorder or autism is common for the children having age 3 or less. This behavioral disorder results into difficulty in human interaction in case of children as well as adolescents. As a result the normal development of the person gets affected.

The typical symptoms of autism for children and adolescents are as follows:

• facing difficulty in inter-personal communication;
• repeating the same type of behavior such as constantly banging the head, twirling or touching things or continuously rocking sideways or back and forth;
• getting less involved with various activities or interests;
• getting troubled for negligible alteration in regular activities and normal setups.

A child affected with autism can display the symptoms in her early days of infancy, which is supposed to come back after several days of usual development. It is very difficult to categorize any specific situation which can be related to the triggering of autism. In fact, every 7 children among 10 autistic children and adolescents; are also affected with mental retardation or some other abnormalities involving the function or structure of their brain.

As per the latest statistical report, there are around 14 children for every 10, 000; who are affected with autistic disorder or similar problem. Considering the total population of United States, there are 125,000 Americans suffering with these problems and around 4,000 households of the country have at least 2 or more children affected with autistic disorder. Autism is present for three times as many boys as girls.

The cause of autistic disorder is yet to be discovered by the scientists. Till today the researchers have come up with many alternatives as causes, such as immunity system disorder or a particular combination of certain biological aspects, infection with virus before birth or inheriting from earlier generation.

Scientists also found out the effects of certain chemicals inside the brain and the immunity system, which can be related with autism. Serotonin, a chemical substance of brain is supposed to get decreased for the development of autism. It has been seen for some autistic children that this chemical substance did not decrease. Medical scientists are now researching on this situation to know whether this has any relation to the disease and if positive, then why this is common for autistic children and what are the other aspects tangled with this condition.

Learning a new skill can be challenging and it often helps to begin instruction in a controlled environment like a classroom. Once this goal is achieved, it is equally important to learn (and teach) how to translate the skill into other scenarios. Literally, every skill or lesson learned should be able to be generalized by the student. The challenges associated with generalizing learned skills are a developmental characteristic of many students on the autism spectrum. These are three things teachers and/or parents should measure after the student has mastered a skill.

The student’s ability to generalize skills across:

People

If a student can individually and successfully complete a task (such as reading) only in the presence of a particular person, this will not lead to a self-sustaining situation for him/her. The student will be expected to read in the presence of any number of different individuals in the course of his scholastic studies. Each person will also have his/her own unique way of interacting with the learner which should not affect the outcome of the skill or situation. In instructional situations, these are largely teacher driven activities which currently require an instructor to be present. There are also a number of social and life skills which may benefit from conducting short generalization trials.

Locations

Life skills, such as tooth brushing, often run the risk of failure if the skill is taught at school and not subsequently taught in different areas as well. There are a high number of relatively small differences from one room to the next; the light switch location, faucet design, cabinets and so on. The goal is not to teach to each and every one of these different variables, rather it is to instill in the student the ability to recognize these differences and react appropriately.

Materials

Here again, while there are various minor and sometimes major differences associated with physical items used in a skill, the student should be able to use any of these items to complete the relevant task at hand. For instance, microwaves come in many different shapes and sizes and it seems that each one has a unique operating panel. Even so, there is a universal nature to completing this task which can be taught to; such as teaching to different door opening mechanisms, locating the number panel to indicate the length of cooking, and so on.

It is very important that the learner has mastered a skill, before any attempts at generalization take place. Generally speaking, if a student can not yet complete a task in a particular setting it is unlikely that they will be able to complete it in another. Instead of teaching to each and every type of microwave or in dozens of possible locations one might brush their teeth, instructors can take performance data on several sample situations. This will give them a clearer picture of whether or not the student will be able to successfully generalize each skill with any person, in any location and using various materials to complete the task.