This was my son.

Dr. Bruce Perry, a Child psychiatrist featured on the Oprah show states that neglect is the absence of necessary stimulation in order to build a certain part of the brain. In order for children to learn, to stimulate areas of their brain they NEED stimulation. Without stimulation they will learn to stimulate them themselves or retract into themselves. Your brain will form differently.

Dr. Federici calls this Institutional Autism in Institutionalized children. But, what about biological children?

Dr. Perry calls this total global neglect.

But, can you make a child autistic by neglecting them so thoroughly because they never, ever come into contact with humans? That they are so globally neglected that they retreat so thoroughly into themselves that they can’t get out.

Can neglect cause mental retardation?

Absolutely.

Danielle, one of Florida’s most shocking cases of neglect was not only malnourished but also so severely neglected that when she was admitted to the hospital for a physical her appearance wasn’t what shocked Dr. Rodriguez most. The most profound effect of her neglect was how she reacted to human beings. “She wouldn’t make eye contact. She frequently pushed us away, kicked us away,” Dr. Rodriguez says. “[She] would snarl at us, frankly. She behaved like an injured animal. We realized the safest place would be one of the caged cribs.”

If there is little or no stimulation, if there is no human contact, if there is nothing there what else is there? Little development. Danielle, at the age of 9 years old, was determined to be 2 months old developmentally. AJ, at his adoption (26 months), was determined to be between 12 and 18 months, depending upon the skill.

Parents are powerful. If you look at this picture (and I am linking to this picture because it is SO extremely important to see) you will see the difference between a normal three year old child and an institutionalized/neglected three year old child. Perry indicates in his interview that the neglect specifically affects sleep, anxiety, and mood regulation, all of which AJ has problems.

So, in our case, is it an issue more with neglect and institutionalism than with medical issues? I am hoping so because I know that children have an opportunity to rebuild some of those synopsis (some) with care.

Yes, back to that nature vs. nurture. Which one wins?

Post from: Blisstree

Oprah, on Neglect

AJ loves playing with me in the afternoon.

Some Fine Motor Activities that he gets to chose from:
*Handwriting (I printed and laminated these so that we could use them over and over again)
*Pegs He not only has to stack or create the designs but he also has to string them, match colors, and use fine motor skills when cleaning up.
* Lite-Brite Cube (ah, brings back memories, doesn’t it?) but AJ loves it…
*Cut and Paste Activities like this one. Yes, I am a little anxious with cutting but I do let him try it when he is calm.
*Tracing can be a fantastic fine motor skill and can be fun for kids while you are making dinner or lunches. It is a great activity for AJ after he comes home from school and needs to calm down.
*Making snow balls with old newspaper.
*Using a screw driver to take batteries out of toys (this is a favorite).
*Lacing Rice Pasta onto shoe strings.
*Turning over memory cards without bringing them to the edge of the table because that would be cheating…
*Playing “hit the balloon” with one or two fingers, tracking the balloon with the eyes across the room.

Post from: Blisstree

Developing fine motor skills

• Sensory and social deprivation can result in the autistic-like behaviors.
• These behaviors may diminish after the child is removed from the initial deprived environment.
• A substantial minority of children will continue to exhibit these difficult behavior patterns for many years.

Risk Factors:
• Heredity and neurological make-up of the adopted child.
• Lack of postnatal care and negative conditions of development before institutionalization.
• Age when placed in an institution and the length of institutionalization.
• Conditions in institution/country of adoption.

Basically, children learn to be autistic because of their experience in the orphanage…stimulating themselves to pass the time or to entertain themselves. In our case, we believe AJ was swaddled for a decent amount of the two years he was there. He was chronically ill will bronchial infections due to an undiagnosed milk intolerance and an oat and banana allergy (the two main foods in his diet there ). Thus, if he was ill he would have either been swaddled and placed on his back in his crib or left to sleep in the playpen off to the side.

Now, if you were 1-2 years old with nothing to do, no toys to play with…what would you do????

AJ learned to play with toys inappropriately (line up and spin all toys because what else can toys do?), poke his eyes, spin in circles, stare out windows, throw monster tantrums at ANY change in movement (if you were in the same place ALL day, would you like to be moved?), stare at lights to keep from sleeping, attentive to every sound (in his crib he could not make eye contact but could hear everything)…I could go on but those are the MAJOR items.

Now, those things have diminished, as have most of his sensory issues. As Federici and Rutter state, most children will recover from Institutional Autism given the right home life. Thank goodness he has been given that.

One thing that we are specifically working on is making sure that AJ has the right resources to improve, not just the “positive dynamic in the child’s development of appropriate behaviors in the family.” If he truly does have organic autism we need to make sure to have him tested on a regular basis. Now that AJ has been home two years and has made some language improvements we need to start chronically his improvements. If he does not make any improvements (or falls behind) we should be looking at organic autism, not just institutional autism.

Post from: Blisstree

Institutional Autism

Is your little one afraid to see Santa this year? Is he overstimulated by the mall and all the glittering lights, afraid of all the people, conscious of every detail around him, ready to flee at the slightest movement of someone in line, refusing to put on that shirt and tie for grandma?

In my search for tips on how to prepare AJ to visit Santa I only found two posts…This one and this one so it was obvious that it needed to be addressed.

Every parents’ dream is to get that beautiful picture of their son or daughter with Santa for the very first time. (Well, at least I know my dream was and I know that my mother pushes me to get my son all dolled up every year and take the most perfect posed shot I can.) But it is just not a reality for kids with autism or SPD, for children with developmental delays like PDD or anxiety.

• Do be wary of your child’s insecurities. If you know your child is scared of elves chose a photo opportunity that does not have elves manning the camera.
• Do plan ahead

Talk to your son or daughter before they visit with the man in the red suit. Generally speaking, they’re not supposed to talk to strangers, so show them that Santa is a known character.

Books, animated films and television programs can help take the mystery away from the man.

• Do go at odd hours of the day or week. Wednesdays are great days…the slowest day of the week and can often yield the best results.
• Do take along a comforting friend or relative who can hop up there with him.
• Do let him know that its okay to talk to Santa and that Santa is safe.
• Do be prepared to walk away if things get too hectic.
• Do be prepared for a bad photo but don’t be surprised if it a great one!
• Do talk to Santa. It will make your child feel more comfortable.
• Do keep pictures up all year so that your child sees pictures of him/her with Santa for next year.
• Don’t make a huge event out of it.
• Don’t dress him up so he is uncomfortable. For sensory kids this can be the worst…ditch the formal wear and go for something comfortable. My favorite picture of AJ is of him in overalls and a green turtleneck.
• Don’t forget the snacks, the drinks, and the lovie. Ever been without the comfort item? Now there is a lost cause. Make sure your child feels safe.
• Don’t go before scheduled naps or before lunch times when lines can make children cranky.
• Don’t go to the mall where things get out of control quickly. Look for other local places like department stores, school outings, or even local neighborhood events. Our special needs group hired a Santa this year for an hour and it was a great success. If you have someone of Santa Size…rent the costume for a small group.

We had a great visit with Santa last year because we chose to do it on AJ’s terms. Our friend hired Santa to fly in and AJ was able to approach him at his pace. He sat on his lap and talked to him when he wanted to, not when the line behind him dictated. It worked great.

Post from: Blisstree

How to: Visit with Santa

But, we can work to avoid the holiday meltdowns as much as we can. Ultimately, the meltdowns will come…we all know that but we can certainly try to avoid them.

Meltdowns happen for our children when they cannot communicate to us, their routines are disrupted, their sensory functions are out of whack (think twinkling Christmas lights), and there is all together too much. We, as parents, are the ones in charge of keeping them safe and we are the ones in charge of keeping them in control of their own emotions and functions. Just how do we do that?

1. Keep a scheduled routine.
When we lived in Michigan and traveled home for these holidays we still put him to bed at 7 despite the holiday festivities. If we didn’t we knew the consequences would be disastrous for the next day. We had meals at the same time (we requested this of our parents) One set of parents was very accommodating to this request and the other was not. So, we fed AJ early and allowed him to play during dinner. This upset the parent but because we knew what was best for him (and we knew he physically had to eat at a certain time) we followed our own rules.

If you are not traveling sticking to a routine is still just as important, especially if a newly adopted child is used to having structure like school. Even though AJ has been home 2.5 years we still stick to routine and structure because he needs it. We enroll him in a special needs camp to keep him active or we structure his day with low-grade activity to keep him busy. An unstructured day leads to chaos.

Using a visual schedule like PECS is great. If traveling take along a travel PECS system. Social Stories also work great. Stores like the Therapy Shoppe have pre-made Social Stories for you.

2. Keep stimulation to a minimum.
To a newly adopted (or autistic) child stimulation is the root of all evil. Our first Christmas with AJ was spent at my parents house in Illinois because Grandpa Pickel was ill and we did not want to expose him to anything but we still wanted to travel to see him. My father was constantly turning on all the Christmas lights in the house and my mother got out every single Christmas decoration she could find (after we specifically told them not to). We had learned just after we put our Christmas tree up that AJ could not handle the lights because he would self stimulate by putting his face into the tree and staring at the lights for hours. We did not put any other Christmas decorations out either because we knew he would have trouble with them.

Lights, sounds, people all contribute to stimulation. Limit all of these things as much as possible and insist that others help you with this. If they can’t, then you must take it upon yourself to do it. We ended up clearing my parent’s living room, our bedroom there, and the kitchen of much of the decorations so AJ could not stim or get into things. It helped but we had to constantly explain to my parents about who he was. They are now getting used to it.

3. Teach calming techniques.
Try using relaxation techniques such as counting to 10, reciting the ABC’s or colors, massage, yoga, deep pressure, deep breathes.

4. Manage Transitions. The Oregon State Department of Education has an excellent transition plan; Notify, invite, engage, plan, and implement. For children this can be done in any situation. If leaving an event: notify your child that you will be leaving, invite them to leave with you, engage them in the join in the plan by implementing it…

5. Stay calm yourselves and get enough sleep. Lack of sleep can agitate everyone, including children. Make sure to keep nap schedules (if they still nap) and try to work some in yourselves.

Post from: Blisstree

Avoiding Holiday Meltdowns

He has been talking about Halloween since August when he saw the first pumpkin in the store. I’m certainly not looking forward to the Christmas decorations because we all know how he reacted last year to the holiday decorations and the activity.

He obviously loves carving pumpkins but his favorite thing to do is actually making a gingerbread halloween house and he has talked about making one since last halloween. It’s not the candy that he likes…he just loves the project.
Luckily, since AJ loves Halloween we don’t have any trouble with the build-up and the costume…but we have tons of trouble with the trick-or-treating because of his sensory overload problems and his issues with strange people.

I wrote much of this post last year but it was such a hit I thought I should bring it back out…

Some Helpful Halloween Tips:

1. Be Sensory Smart about costumes
Choose a costume that you know your little one will love. AJ loves soft and fuzzy textures and thrives on deep pressure. So, what does he want? Fuzzy Elmo, a Big Yellow Duck, and this year…A Fluffy Pumpkin (albeit…nothing with hats). They are all so soft he can pet them when he gets anxious. If your child hates tight clothing avoid it and go for the sweatshirt, the tail, the bunny/mouse/dog ears, and a touch of face paint (if allowed).
2. Be Sensory Smart when Trick-or-Treating
Start early, avoid the dark, dress warm (or cool), and stay away from crowds.
3. Be Mommy Smart
Eat before you go, hit the bathroom, head to houses you know and your child knows, don’t push it when things get overwhelming, have a buddy for you and him/her, do a practice run at the neighbors or grandma’s house, and know when to call it a night.
4. Be Smart
Avoid the scary night.
5. Be fun
Have your child open the door for trick or treaters, especially if they did not do well getting the candy…AJ loved giving the candy more than getting it last year. He was much more comfortable at home than he was at other’s houses. He did not know what to expect out “there” but LOVED opening the door.
6. Be crafty
AJ loves to do crafts at home and at school. Last week we carved our pumpkin (which has already molded), made a Gingerbread Halloween House, and colored a ghost. Yeah, I’m not very creative but I am sure you can be more innovative. Try Parenting our Children for some better Halloween Crafts and Family Fun Magazine.

Post from: Blisstree

How to: A Successful and Sensory Smart Halloween

or

What do you think the food will be like in the country you are going to travel to?

Do you think that your child will like the food you have in your refrigerator? I know that we tried to keep AJ’s food the same but he took delight in some of the new foods. We fed him yogurt and bananas, baby rice cereal (he did not like our oatmeal), animal crackers, and graham crackers, etc. We tried to get him to eat meat and some cheeses but we found out that he was very lactose intolerant. He loved the Gerber crackers and fruit puffs because they had just enough sweetness in them that they were like candy for him.

Post from: Blisstree

Question: Food

Rock on Kindy Rock Star, Rock on.

Post from: Blisstree

Rock Star, Brought to you by the letter M

Basically, the brain must organize all of the information it takes in, categorize and process the sensations and attempt to move and learn “normally”. If the brain can not do that then the output is dysfunctional.

Sensory integration includes not only the five senses but also balance and movement.

Sight
Sound (auditory- with no diagnosed hearing problems)
Touch (tactile- input from the skin receptors about touch, pressure, temperature, pain, and movement of the hairs on the skin.)
Vestibular (input from the inner ear about equilibrium, gravitational changes, movement experiences, and position in space)
Proprioceptive (input from the muscles and joints about body position, weight, pressure, stretch, movement, and changes in position in space)
Oral
Smell
Auditory Language
Social, Emotional, Play, and Self RegulationSensory Integration is typically detected and diagnosed in children because SI can be obvious during early childhood activities such as tactile play, tumbling, and gross and fine motor skills. If Sensory Integration is not detected learning, development, and behavior problems can surface later and become more serious.

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Post from: Blisstree

What Causes Sensory Integration?

1. Check all clothing for scratchy tags, nubbies from over wearing, and elastics are not too tight.

2. Make sure all new clothing is washed and all clothing that was possibly washed in another type of detergent (not a gluten/casein free detergent is rewashed.

3. Check that all school clothing fits correctly. I know that in our house AJ will not wear clothing that does not fit correctly. He won’t wear pajamas that do not fit snuggly or have “nubbies”. He was once up until 4 a.m. until I realized he did not like his pajamas. As soon as I changed them he fell right to sleep.

4. Make sure equipment like Weighted Lap Pads, scissors, weighted vests, ear muffs, school fidgets and vibrating toys for calmers are all in good shape. If they are not, head to Therapy Shoppe for all your school needs.

5. Fill out this form for your child’s teacher. (if you can’t read the form, go here.

6. Make sure the teacher has the following documents:
Understanding Sensory Integration Issues
Working with the Child Who Has Sensory Integration Disorder
Sensory Integration, Tips to Consider
Tips for Teachers

Post from: Blisstree

Sensory check up for school