Using Behavioral Approaches in Autism (And on Anyone)

by Shannon Des Roches Rosa (Guest Post, Thank you- Shannon)


Behavioral methods are usually associated with autism and early intervention, or orca training.

But guess what? You can use them to change the behavior of almost anyone: your children, your partner, your co-workers, even icky blog or Twitter trolls.

I am a huge fan of behavioral methods because they have helped my son gain so many skills, but I also confess that I use the methods to mold behaviors whenever I can.

Let me tell you how you can play puppeteer, too.

All you have to do is ignore undesired behavior, and instead seek out, role model, and reinforce desired behavior. If your subject doesn't respond, then analyze their motivations, and appeal to those motivations instead using reinforcers (okay, bribes) if necessary, which you can taper off once the behavior becomes routine.

That's pretty much it. I know.

Behavioral methods are straightforward, but they're not instinctive unless you're the kind of naturally empathetic and kind person I tend to avoid because you make me feel like a jerk.

And implementing behavioral approaches systematically and consistently, especially in parenting, takes more effort than asking children to talk about what they were feeling when they hit their brother over the head with a lunchbox (though understanding that motivation is important, too).

It takes a lot more analysis and upfront effort to be proactively positive instead of impulsively negative, but the results are generally worth it because you're not reacting and reprimanding, you're planning and conditioning -- and conditioning sticks.

Behavioral methods aren't foolproof, but they usually work. Here are some examples:

• Instead of yelling at a kid who picks her nose, hand her a tissue, and tell her how proud you are when she blows her nose instead of excavating. Actively watch for opportunities to catch her doing the right thing, and praise her with gusto when it happens. If this approach doesn't work, up the ante with a sticker or other reward chart. If you still can't find any motivation strong enough to stop the nose-picking, then you need to decide if it's a critical battle, or if you should change your focus to "I'm proud of you when you don't pick your nose in public," and start reinforcing that behavior instead.

• Instead of chastising a co-worker who takes the last cup of coffee and leaves the carafe empty, ask them if they wouldn't mind refilling it, and be emphatic but not patronizing in thanking them when they do so. Repeat repeat repeat. (You might want to wait until after they've had their first sip of coffee.)

Behavioral methods form the cornerstone of ABA therapy, which is one of the most commonly used approaches to help children with autism and other special needs learn. it is a 1:1 -- one child, one therapist instructor -- intensive, data- and evidence- driven educational program for addressing a child's learning deficits. Whether it takes place at home, at school, or across both places, all the learning is tracked, and the resulting data scored and analyzed to see what kind of progress the child is making.

Many autistic children have difficulty learning from their environment or in traditional educational settings, because there are so many assumptions involved in each lesson.

How can a child learn to write the letter A if they don't understand how to hold a crayon, that you need to hold the paper with the other hand, or even that you're supposed to remain seated? These kids need their learning broken down into small steps, and bolstered by repetition. This is what ABA therapy does.

It is not the only way to help our kids with autism and other special needs learn, and it doesn't don't work for all kids with autism because there is no one type of kid with autism, just as there is no one type of gifted child or one type of Deaf child.

But ABA is worth trying, to see if your child responds. ABA therapy methods taught my son Leo to dress himself, play with other kids, ask for help, and occupy himself independently. He simply did not respond to other ways of learning when he was little.

Some critics protest that ABA therapy is too rigid, too intense, and uses aversives or negative consequences to shape behavior. While these practices were used in the early days of researchers like Ivar Lovaas, an ideal modern ABA program is customized for each child's skills sets and learning needs, and is flexible not only in what it teaches but in where the teaching takes place.

There should be no forty hours per week of sitting at a table doing boring drills. There should be no punishments, only praise and reinforcements. ABA therapy, like most credible learning systems, continues to evolve through evidence regarding best practices.

ABA therapy is also frequently downplayed by a media that prefers to sensationalize autism "cures" achieved through dietary supplements or questionable medical protocols or Martian rocks, but I guarantee you: most "cured" or "recovered" children, including Jenny McCarthy's, Karyn Seroussi's, and Age of Autism's had ABA therapy as well, and likely made much of their progress in that environment.

Many of Rethink Autism's learning tips are simple but not necessarily something I'd come up with on my own, an example being color-outlining the inside edges of separate color areas to encourage children to use more than one color per picture

Using a one-inch-thick boundary around the coloring area, and then gradually increasing the size and complexity of the white space while reducing the thickness of the outline. Coloring inside the lines is an ongoing challenge for Leo, but the Rethink Autism approach seems to be helping so far:

We are currently in a situation that is testing our and Leo's long-time ABA program supervisor Emma's behavioral chops: Leo has decided that he would prefer not to have a little sister. My son may have many challenges, but his memory is tremendous, and he remembers his years as Mommy's baby quite clearly. He has tolerated his sister for almost five years, and now feels it's time for the usurper to go. He has spent the last few months trying to hit, pushing, and terrorize her non-stop.

My husband and I have been trying to ignore Leo's behavior (when safe to do so), or keep the two of them separated and supervised. But Supervisor Emma pointed out that this is not a long-term approach; we are not addressing Leo's motivation, which is to make his sister miserable enough to leave. So we need to take his motivation away. We need to create as many safe positive interactions between Leo and his sister as possible, so that Leo starts to like his little sister, sees that there many benefits to having her around, and stops trying to remove her from the picture.
Cross your fingers for us; if Emma's approach works, it'll be one more victory for behavioral techniques.

Source: http://www.blogher.com/using-behavioral-approaches-autism-and-anyone

Microcephaly ~ Devang Chavan

When I went to his class, he was cleaning coriander leaves, slowly and carefully, observing each leaf as he cut off the edges and placed the leaves aside with the bunch of other leaves.



Devang Chavan is ten year old shy kid, who is very active and independent in all his personal skills. He can read and write simple text, good in functional mathematics and can perform simple task independently. He helps his mom at home by running few errands like buying grocery from a store, or helping at home.

He suffers from Microcephaly, which is a medical condition in which the circumference of the head is smaller than normal because the brain has not developed properly or has stopped growing.

Microcephaly can be present at birth or it may develop in the first few years of life. It is most often caused by genetic abnormalities that interfere with the growth of the cerebral cortex during the early months of fetal development. It is associated with Down’s syndrome, chromosomal syndromes, and neurometabolic syndromes.

Babies may also be born with microcephaly if, during pregnancy, their mother abused drugs or alcohol, became infected with German measles, or chicken pox virus, was exposed to certain toxic chemicals, or had untreated phenylketonuria (PKU).

Babies born with microcephaly will have a smaller than normal head that will fail to grow as they progress through infancy. Depending on the severity of the accompanying syndrome, children with microcephaly may have mental retardation, delayed motor functions and speech, facial distortions, dwarfism or short stature, hyperactivity, seizures, difficulties with coordination and balance, and other brain or neurological abnormalities. Some children with microcephaly will have normal intelligence and a head that will grow bigger, but they will track below the normal growth curves for head circumference.

Devang was five years old when he was admitted to Swami Brahamanand School, centre for Mentally challenged. He was very restless and hyperactive. His speech was limited to few words. He had the history of prolong illness and had to be hospitalized several times for diarrhea, respiratory track infection and convulsions. His development milestones were delayed from birth.



Over the period of six years, he has shown marked improvement in behavior and is quite obedient and well mannered. He is shy and does not interact freely in the company of strangers. He takes active part in sports and extra curriculum activities and is being trained in pre-vocational skills.

Children, like Devang, will only have mild disability, especially if they are otherwise growing and developing normally, will have normal intelligence and continue to develop and meet regular age-appropriate milestones.

There is no treatment for microcephaly that can return a child’s head to a normal size or shape. Treatment focuses on ways to decrease the impact of the associated deformities and neurological disabilities. Children with microcephaly and developmental delays are usually evaluated by a pediatric neurologist and followed by a medical management team.

Early childhood intervention programs that involve physical, speech, and occupational therapists help to maximize abilities and minimize dysfunction. Medications are often used to control seizures, hyperactivity, and neuromuscular symptoms. Genetic counseling may help families understand the risk for microcephaly in subsequent pregnancies.

However, ‘The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’ (NINDS) conducts research relating to microcephaly in its laboratories at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and supports additional research through grants to major medical institutions across the country. A small group of researchers studying a rare neurometabolic syndrome (3-PGDH), which causes microcephaly, have successfully used amino acid replacement therapy to reduce and prevent seizures.


Source: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/

We grieve the death of ‘Eunice Kennedy Shriver’, the founder of Special Olympic. May the torch of love move on…..

“The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community” wrote Eunice Kennedy Shriver in a hotel meeting room nearly 40 years ago..

Hundreds of mourners descended on Massachusetts on Friday (14Aug09) to pay their respects to ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER's mother-in-law EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER, who died earlier this week on 11th of August 2009.

Celebrities including Jon Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder and TV titan Oprah Winfrey turned out for the funeral of the mental disability campaigner, as well as the actor-turned-California governor and his wife Maria Shriver,

The sister of former U.S. president John F. Kennedy passed away aged 88 after a short stint in hospital. Her health had dramatically deteriorated in recent years after a series of strokes.

To commemorate Shriver's role as the founder of the Special Olympics, disabled athletes lined the streets of Hyannis, Massachusetts with torches as her four sons carried the coffin to the Saint Francis Xavier Catholic church - the building where the Terminator star married Shriver's daughter Maria in 1986



Eunice Shriver, whose older sister Rosemary was mentally disabled, wanted every special needs child to have the best possible life, to live without fear. She wanted to change people's perceptions, wanted the world to understand the gifts and capabilities of this group she called "her special friends."

Coming from a family, the Kennedys, for whom sports were so important, she had a vision of the good that competition could bring to special needs kids. She took on a task that was Olympian and she turned it into something as grand as the Games in Athens, or Beijing, or Lillehammer.

She traveled the world to spread the word. She dived into pools, slapped mustard on sandwiches, hugged and hustled around the planet, showing the way for millions of families who were looking for a better quality of life for their challenged children.

One thousand athletes competed in the first Special Olympics World Games in Chicago in 1968. In Shanghai in 2007, there were 7,500. There now also is a World Winter Games.



From its modest beginnings, Special Olympics is in more than 180 countries and serves 3.1 million athletes. Special Olympics of Washington, incorporated in 1975, after a visit to the state from Shriver, serves 7,000 athletes.

"At a time when people were being told to put their special needs kids in a home," said Shelby's sister Lexie, a student at Western Washington, "Eunice Shriver was more than willing to say that, 'Yes, I have a sibling with special needs and I want to make her life better, rather than ignore the problem and pretend it isn't there.' I find that very, very inspiring."

Her son Timothy Shiver writes “My mother has always been about hope, love and opportunity. Love being the most important. For what do we have, if we do not have love? Hope for helping us through each day when life challenges us. And, opportunity that each one of us is empowered to create to make the world a better place. My mother believed in these things so strongly and they have played a major role in her life, especially, her work with people with intellectual disabilities.”

Shriver de-stigmatized disabilities. She gave Special Olympics athletes a transformative sense of accomplishment. She changed the world view of mental retardation.

“To this day, the mission of Special Olympics is rooted in the values of hope, love and opportunity. To create an opportunity for people with intellectual disabilities where they can compete, experience success and showcase their talents to the world. To create a community of hope and welcome for the athletes and their families where they can experience joy and acceptance. And, to let others share in the love and joy that comes from the athletes so openly and unencumbered. That is the essence of my mother's vision” says her son, Timothy Shiver.

May the torch of love move on and brighten the lives of differently abled children.

Source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/, http://www.contactmusic.com/, http://www.google.com

Down Syndrome Child

She is stubborn but she is smart, she knows how to get her things done, even if she has to boss over her friends (specially when her teacher is not looking.) She likes to be the centre of attraction and is a quick learner. On festive days, she will wear her frilly dress, fancy clips in her hair and even carry a matching purse. When she is in mood, she will help with cleaning the class, and tiding up the room and then give her sweetest smile. Kareena Rajput is 10 year old Down syndrome child, so very cute that you just cannot resist hugging her.

Kids with Down syndrome tend to share certain physical features such as a flat facial profile, an upward slant to the eyes, small ears, and a protruding tongue.

Other characteristics of people who have Down syndrome are that the sinuses are not developed properly and this can cause the tear ducts to block and make them look like they are crying all the time.

Kids with Down syndrome have a wide range of abilities, and there's no way to tell at birth what they will be capable of as they grow up

Approximately half of all kids with Down syndrome also have problems with hearing and vision. Hearing loss can be related to fluid buildup in the inner ear or to structural problems of the ear itself.

Vision problems commonly include amblyopia (lazy eye), near- or farsightedness, and an increased risk of cataracts.Regular evaluations by an audiologist and an ophthalmologist are necessary to detect and correct any problems before they affect language and learning skills

Low muscle tone (called hypotonia) is also characteristic of children with Down syndrome, and babies in particular may seem especially "floppy." Though this can and often does improve over time, most children with Down syndrome typically reach developmental milestones — like sitting up, crawling, and walking — later than other kids.

At birth, kids with Down syndrome are usually of average size, but they tend to grow at a slower rate and remain smaller than their peers.

For infants, low muscle tone may contribute to sucking and feeding problems, as well as constipation and other digestive issues. Toddlers and older kids may have delays in speech and self-care skills like feeding, dressing, and toilet teaching.

Other medical conditions that may occur more frequently in kids with Down syndrome include thyroid problems, intestinal abnormalities, seizure disorders, respiratory problems, obesity, an increased susceptibility to infection, and a higher risk of childhood leukemia.

Upper neck abnormalities are sometimes found and should be evaluated by a physician (these can be detected by cervical spine X-rays). Fortunately, many of these conditions are treatable.



(Kareena with her class mates, she loves painting)

Down syndrome (DS), also called Trisomy 21, is a condition in which extra genetic material causes delays in the way a child develops, both mentally and physically.

Normally, at the time of conception a baby inherits genetic information from its parents in the form of 46 chromosomes: 23 from the mother and 23 from the father. In most cases of Down syndrome, a child gets an extra chromosome 21 — for a total of 47 chromosomes instead of 46. It's this extra genetic material that causes the physical features and developmental delays associated with Down syndrome

Although no one knows for sure why Down syndrome occurs and there's no way to prevent the chromosomal error that causes it, scientists do know that women age 35 and older have a significantly higher risk of having a child with the condition.

Down syndrome affects kids' ability to learn in different ways, but most have mild to moderate intellectual impairment.



Kids with Down syndrome can and do learn, and are capable of developing skills throughout their lives. They simply reach goals at a different pace — which is why it's important not to compare a child with Down syndrome against typically developing siblings or even other children with the condition.

While some kids with Down syndrome have no significant health problems, others may experience a host of medical issues that require extra care. For example, almost half of all children born with Down syndrome will have a congenital heart defect.

Kids with Down syndrome are also at an increased risk of developing pulmonary hypertension, a serious condition that can lead to irreversible damage to the lungs. All infants with Down syndrome should be evaluated by a pediatric cardiologist.

Breast feeding is very important for all babies especially for children with Down's syndrome because Mother's milk offers better protection for the immune system than formula milk. and the immune system of children who has Downs syndrome is almost always suppressed.

A simple, risk-free blood test can detect Down syndrome from the blood of pregnant women

Researchers in Hong Kong have developed a way of identifying genetic markers, which show whether an unborn child has the chromosomal disorder, without relying on risky amniocentesis techniques. The most common prenatal test for Down syndrome involves amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS) in which a sample of the fluid surrounding the foetus is collected and analyzed.

The procedure might carry one per cent risk of miscarriage. As a result, it is only usually carried out if there is a high enough risk of a disorder - in older mothers, for example.

Source:http://kidshealth.org/