The autistic student must master some self-help skills in order to become less reliant on others and in order to function in the mainstream of everyday life. These skills should begin with tasks that are small and fairly easy to carry out quickly. Instructions need to be given in short, direct sentences, and the instructor should give immediate feedback after each attempt that has been successful. Vocabulary needs to be limited to only the necessary words needed to carry out instructions.

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The fact that many people are visual learners while other people are auditory learners is a widely accepted fact. However, when observing the autistic student, one realizes that he/she is an overwhelming visual learner. Many autistic students cannot tolerate noises or vibrations, therefore prefer to remain in quiet places rather than tolerate the noise. A child that is autistic will most likely have difficulty with processing and understanding auditory input. Thus, teaching learning skills, coping skills, and life skills using visual aids is much more effective than using an auditory method.

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The dog has been given the title of “Man’s Best Friend” for many years now. Is it possible that a service dog may be the best friend of an autistic child? Service dogs are very specially trained dogs. Perhaps they are better known as guide dogs for the blind, service dogs for the police, and narcotic dogs in the war against drugs. Man has long known of the special properties of the dog. Perhaps the dog’s best property is its devotion to man.  In the case of the autistic child, the dog’s devotion to the child is its best reward.

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Your child arrives home from school you ask, “Do you have any homework to do tonight?” Of course, the answer is always “Yes”. Getting your child’s homework done under any circumstances is difficult, but homework becomes even more difficult when your child has autistism or has Asperger Syndrome.

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Unfortunately this is a question that many parents of an autistic child will probably have to ask more than once particularly if their autistic child is a wanderer.

The Kennedy Drieger Interactive Autism Network has recently released a study on the wanderer. The study found that 50 % of the children involved in the study were wanderers and that this activity began to recede by the age of four.

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Deep pressure therapy is one of the best therapies for helping autistic children. Deep pressure therapy involves putting pressure on the child’s body in order to stimulate the nervous system and to promote a calm feeling. The common beanbag fills the need for both nervous stimulation and a calming method which provides the sensory input autistic children need.

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A child’s developmental level, not just the chronological age, is vital to learning success.  Developmental maturity demonstrates that the brain is able to take in sensory information and then process the information in the higher cortical areas of the brain.  We are all meant to be born with certain primitive reflexes established. These primitive reflexes assist the mother and baby through the birth process.  They then allow the baby to adjust to life outside the womb and to begin the process of training the body and the brain to work together.  Typically, these reflexes are inhibited and replaced by more advanced postural reflexes sometime between 6 months - 3 years of age.

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Interactive Metronome therapy is a neuro-motor therapy that assists people in reaching greater functional gains in a much shorter period of time than traditional therapies.  An IM program provides a structured, goal-oriented process that challenges the child to synchronize a range of hand and foot exercises to a precise, computer-generated reference tone which is usually heard through headphones.  The child attempts to match the rhythmic beat with repetitive motor actions.

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Vision therapy is a subspecialty of optometry that strives to improve, enhance and/or develop visual performance through a prescribed treatment program that is designed to build new neural pathways. (Vision and Learning)  As with any therapy, vision therapy takes time to correct a problem.  Being consistent and committed to the program will help ensure success.  If you have concerns about your child's vision or want to learn more about vision therapy, here is a good resource: Vison and Learning

"The visual system is a significant part of how we process information and a key factor in how we learn.  80% of what you perceive, comprehend and remember depends on the efficiency of the visual system." ( Vision and Learning )

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