Autism

AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD) or Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) (APA, 1994) is a category of developmental disability characterized by qualitative impairments in social interaction and social relatedness, difficulties in acquiring and using conventional communication and language abilities, and a restricted range of interests often co-occurring with an extreme need for consistency and predictability in daily living routines. Autism is on the rise and conventional services have few answers, but many questions. Experts agree that ASD is a social disorder which makes relationships difficult, even impossible.

Autism Spectrum DisorderResearch, however, does offer hope that children with autism can recover many of their social connections with home-based therapies that include intensive parental interaction and play. Given the right stimulation, the brain will change itself. Everything in the human brain will reorganize and work to restore proper function. At Reach Higher Autistic Services, we teach parents to work with their child in their own home to provide the opportunity to develop social and intellectual skills which will result in closer relationships and higher functioning activities for their children with autism. Click here to find a seminar near you or organize one in your area.

Even though you have a diagnosis of autism, the prognosis is not set. The human brain is "plastic" or very adaptable and malleable. With the proper exercises and stimulation, your child's brain can grow and change and expand its abilities. There is hope. A diagnosis is not the final say. You can make a difference in your child's life.


Reach Higher Autistic Services

Reach Higher Autistic Services teaches the SCERTS Model of social communication, emotional regulation, and transactional support. When I attended the Option Institute, I was inspired by the Son-Rise Program® to research the principles which were presented there and discover the educational and scientific techniques that allow the human brain to develop and grow the neurons and neural connections necessary to learn new skills. The SCERTS Model originated from over 2 decades of empirical and clinical work, and is consistent with recommended tenets of evidence-based practice embraced by researchers and clinical scholars in PDD, ASD and related disabilities.

Reach Higher Autistic Services teaches parents to establish a Social Play Space in their home and begin bonding with their child to form interpersonal connections and increase social skills which lead to more typical lifestyles. We are forming seminars for 2012. Join us by registering now.

Checklists

Infants:

  • Absence of Cooing and Babbling
  • Absence of or minimal Eye Contact
  • Resistance to physical contact
  • Failure to Respond to Their Name
  • Lack of Gestures to Communicate
  • Lack of Desire to Interact
  • Ritualistic or Compulsive Play Patterns

Toddlers:

  • not play "pretend" games (pretend to "feed" a doll)
  • not point at objects to show interest (point at an airplane flying over)
  • not look at objects when another person points at them
  • have trouble relating to others or not have an interest in other people at all
  • avoid eye contact and want to be alone
  • have trouble understanding other people's feelings or talking about their own feelings
  • prefer not to be held or cuddled or might cuddle only when they want to
  • appear to be unaware when other people talk to them but respond to other sounds
  • be very interested in people, but not know how to talk, play, or relate to them
  • repeat or echo words or phrases said to them, or repeat words or phrases in place of normal language (echolalia)
  • have trouble expressing their needs using typical words or motions
  • repeat actions over and over again
  • have trouble adapting when a routine changes
  • have unusual reactions to the way things smell, taste, look, feel, or sound
  • lose skills they once had (for instance, stop saying words they were using)