Reach Higher Autistic Services
Autism is on the rise and conventional services have few answers, but many questions. Experts agree that ASD is a neurodevelopmental social disorder which makes relationships difficult, even impossible. Research, 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. 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 necessary to learn new skills. Amazingly, the human brain reorganizes and works 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. We use the SCERTS and the Floortime Models to address the core deficits or challenges which define ASD. Click here to find a seminar near you or organize one in your area.
Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity is the ability of the human brain to change itself to deal with deficits, injuries and general changes in the needs of an individual. Plasticity is merely the term we use to describe the fact that a person's brain is continually growing new neurons and making new connections to old ones. The brain is plastic, pliable, and able to grow new connections. As the needs of an individual change, the brain increases and decreases the neural connections in the brain. The brain is a “use it or lose it” organ. We can use the science of remapping the brain through brain exercises to assist children with autism. Neuroscientists are now encouraging patients to overcome their diagnosis by exercising the weak neural connections in their brains and increase their abilities. This kind of therapy works on many levels from stroke victims, to brain injuries and even children with autism.
Social
Social skills drive our interactions in every aspect of life from family, friends, school and work. Such skills such as joint attention, eye contact and verbal communication are vital for social success in all environments. Reach Higher Autistic Services teaches parents to develop their children’s social skills during play interactions and develop these social skills at home in a natural environment.
Social Play Spaces, where parents and their autistic children can focus on attunement, attachment, joint attention, and social skills remap the brain and encourage children with autism to develop and exercise social skills in a playful atmosphere that increases parent-child bonding. As oxytocin is stimulated and bonding occurs, parents and children reconnect through playful, calm interactions. Actually, play activity is helping sculpt the brain. We make new cognitive connections that find their way into our everyday lives. Neuroscientists, developmental biologists, psychologists, social scientists, and researchers from every point of the scientific compass now know that play is a profound biological process. It shapes the brain and makes animals smarter and more adaptable. . . .it fosters empathy and makes possible complex social groups. For us, play lies at the core of creativity and innovation. The ability to play is critical not only to being happy, but also to sustaining social relationships and being a creative, innovative person.
Oxytocin
Oxytocin is the bonding neuromodulator which stimulates the birth process and lactation and it connects mothers and babies emotionally. Modern day stress and oxytocin robbers like in vitro fertilization, Cesarean sections, bottle-feeding, infant swings and leaving a baby sitting to bottle feed decrease an infant’s security feeling and increases isolation which creates separation between infant and caretaker. Reach Higher Autistic Services helps parents re-think their parenting style and learn the skills to bond with their children with autism and facilitate oxytocin production in that bonded relationship.
Studies show that parenting styles influence the lack of development of both social skills and language skills in children. Fetal development is a determining factor in the personality, emotional state and intellectual abilities of each child. Parenting begins in the womb. Pregnancy is a crucial period of parenting and requires a mother’s attention and care for the environment of her unborn child. Parental sensitivity and receptivity are key factors in the training and recovery of children with autism.
Attunement
Attunement and attachment develop as parent and child bond through positive touching and eye contact. As children lock eyes with their mother, they begin synchronizing the neural activity in the right cortex of each person’s brain. Their brain rhythms are getting in tune. This process is performing a kind of mind-meld that is a very pure form of intimacy. Without this kind of bonding, children end up being extremely brittle and behave erratically. Notably, children with autism avoid eye contact typically, but by encouraging connections in a Social Play Space , children may discover the joy of social interaction and build relationships as they recover.
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. Click here to sign up for one of our seminars or organize a seminar for your organization.