My Autism Insights

Do audio books help individuals with auditory processing disorders to strengthen their listening and processing skills?  It would seem that they do.  According to Christie Berry, Ed. D., in her essay “Reading with your Ears ,” “Listening to unabridged audio books while following along in the book improves language skills, auditory processing, and contributes to an increase in overall cognitive abilities.” This was heartening to find as it validated 2 things I’ve been thinking about.  First, I’m noticing that Gus has a greater ability to focus on something auditory when he’s being read a story and following along (as opposed to listening if I’m asking him or giving an instruction).  So I started wondering if audio books might start to increase the length of time that he can sustain listening. This question was brought about by a second observation I recently made,  this one about myself.

I have terrible listening skills - always have.  Unless I’m very interested in what someone is saying, I zone out pretty quickly.  You can see how that might have been a problem in school since I often didn’t pay attention to what my teachers were saying (except the especially interesting one).  Fortunately, I’m a much more visual learner and a combination of reading and writing things down allowed me to excel, at least through high school.  College was a different story.  I had one teacher, my accounting professor, who droned on so badly that I could not stay awake in his class no matter how many coffees I had beforehand.  Only class I ever flunked.  When I became a teacher years later, there was always a running joke between my co-teacher and myself because neither of us was ever able to listen in the professional development meetings. We’d always say, “we don’t do extended listening.”

Then a few years ago, something incredible and completely unexpected happened.  Harry Potter on CD.  I was already a crazy obsessed fan, so I figured I could listen to them while driving and even if I missed a bunch of stuff, I knew them almost verbatim anyway.  What a surprise to learn that Jim Dale is a wonderful narrator and that I actually did have the capacity to listen to something for a long stretch - if it was interesting.

I’ve since become very fond of audio books and listen to segments of books almost every day.  Even the books I find less engaging to read (Jane Austen) hold my interest with the help of a good reader.  I’m fairly certain I’ve increased my capacity to pay attention to auditory information.  I’m thinking of trying some audio books for Gus (not Harry Potter - my kids don’t share my enthusiasm).  Perhaps they might help him to be able to focus in the classroom a little better over time.

For additional information on how audio books can help with auditory processing disorders, check out “Improving Auditory Processing - Listening to Language” by Sharon Hensley.

Have you had any success with using audio books to develop auditory processing skills?

Tomorrow: guest post from the author of General Hysteria on art projects for special needs children.  Don’t miss it!

It’s that fun time of year (at least in the northeastern U.S.) when the weather starts getting confused - does it want to be springlike or glacial? The fluctuations combined with the longing for spring can wreak havoc and sickness abounds.  It’s hard enough when any child comes down with what a local doctor has recently referred to as “the Crud,” but when a child on the autism spectrum falls sick, there can be extra challenges involved.

Not Appearing Sick…At Least At First

Parents can usually tell when their kids are not quite up to snuff, even their pre-or-non-verbal children, because there are usually signs in addition to the obvious things (i.e. runny noses).  For example, when a child has an ear infection, they will typically tug on the painful ear(s).  But what if the child tends to have an undersensitivity to certain sensations?  Gus used to get ear infections all the time, but often we wouldn’t know it until they were advanced because it took a long time for him to feel and show discomfort.  Even the absence of fever isn’t always foolproof.  In college, I was bordering on pneumonia and only had a temperature of 99 degrees.  While most people get concerned when temps hit 101 or 102, but 100 for me is the “serious” benchmark.  Luckily, my mom paid attention to my behavior got me to a doctor when necessary even when the numbers didn’t seem to warrant it.

So watch for other signs of sickness: changes in behavior or eating, lethargy, sleeplessness that seems out of the ordinary (which can be extra tough if you have a child who doesn’t sleep well to begin with).  Basically, be extra vigilant at the “cruddy” times of year.

Can’t or Won’t Take Medicine

A friend of ours has a daughter who’s been battling “the crud” for a week now.  Medicine is a problem because the child has oral sensory issues.  This means that certain tastes or textures are incredibly aversive to her.  When a child has this type of difficulty, getting her to take any type of fever reducer (which I know some people are opposed to anyway) or other necessary medicines can be a battle.

For coughs or runny noses, I’ve heard from several doctors that it might be better to just let your child’s body work without the interference of decongestants or cough syrups.  However, if your child is incredibly uncomfortable, you could try a cool-air humidifier or a warm air vaporizer.  Even being in a steamy bathroom for a while can help clear congestion.

Sore throats can be soothed with lemon and honey, but if that isn’t happening, try warm fluids flavored to your child’s liking.  Cold foods can also be soothing, but you might want to avoid the ice cream as dairy tends to be a bad idea when mucus is involved.  Frozen fruit or fruit juice, even plain ice, can be helpful.

For fever, if Tylenol or Ibuprofin are not options, you can try cool baths or cool compresses at the wrists, armpits or groin.  If the fever spikes and you need to get it down quickly, or if the other methods aren’t working, you could also try Feverall, which is acetaminophen in suppository form (unless your child can’t take acetaminophen). We’ve always been told that for a fever 101 or higher, to call the pediatrician.

I’ve heard of other methods of fever reduction, like egg whites on the feet, but I can’t vouch for them.

The main point is, at these times of the year when germs seem to be extra active, be vigilant and pay a little closer attention to your child’s cues that may be indicating illness.

I’m no doctor, and these are just my observations as a mother.  If your child appears ill, it should go without saying that you should contact your pediatrician.  But if you have any tricks up your sleeve for when your special needs child is sick, by all means, please share.

It seems there have been quite a few things to be thankful about this week, but I’ll stick to my usual 3:

1. I am thankful for the amazing weather we’ve had.  It’s been like springtime and I can see the difference in mood and energy level for all of us.  The fact that he just caught a cold will not dampen my glee and having a whole week of not having to wear 20 layers inside the house.

2. I am thankful that Gus received a People Respecting Others award at his quarterly assembly yesterday.  I thought it was an academic award, but I really like the fact that he got a reward for something more related to social skills.  It’s an awesome positive reinforcer.

3. I am thankful for the great conversation I had with the teacher of the class our district has been trying to get me to agree to send Gus to.  I’ll be visiting the class next week even though I doubt I’ll want him to move.  But I’m going in with an open mind.

I am also thankful that giving up sugar hasn’t killed me in the…one day I’ve been off it, but that’s a story for another blog!  Please share your gratitude below and have a great weekend!

  image by Andre Koehne

An illuminating conversation this evening reminded me that ‘the system,’ in other words, the school system, is really not to be trusted when it comes to what’s best for your special needs child.  Many parents either believe that their school district has their child’s best interest in mind, or they believe that they can’t reject whatever the district is trying to push at them.  Neither is true as I was reminded tonight.

I called to schedule a visit to the local school’s special needs class (the one I said no to last year) and the teacher called me back to set up a time.  We got into a very interesting dialog.  Actually, I quite liked her and if Gus ended up with her, it would probably be okay.  But I’m glad I spoke with her directly.  For one thing, last year after she’d evaluated Gus, she felt that he would not be a good fit for her class (she has since changed her opinion since the makeup of the group changed).  The district at last year’s annual review told me that the teacher did think he was a good fit.

You’re probably thinking, “That must have been an oversight or a misunderstanding.”  Perhaps, but it gets better.

When they emailed the teacher that I may be calling about paying a visit, they told the teacher that I was unhappy with his current program.  Now, it’s possible that they could have inferred that from, “I don’t want him to change schools,” but I’m not quite sure how.

They also neglected to tell the teacher how often he’s been bounced around over the past 3 years - she said that even if he is a good fit, he should stay put or he would just lose another year in re-adjusting to yet another change.  Did I mention I liked her?

So the moral of the story is: whenever possible, communicate with teachers and service providers directly because school districts might say whatever they have to in order to get you to go along with their agenda.

My car was talking to me today.  There’s a weird squeaking going on somewhere on the driver’s side.  It could be a belt or it could be something in the driver’s side front wheel.  I don’t know exactly what it is, but she’s telling me something is out of order.  My job is to figure out what it is with what she’s giving me.

My clothes dryer was telling me something, too.  Suddenly there’s a banging noise, as if a boot had somehow been slipped in with the laundry.  Obviously, there’s something wrong, so I called the repair guy (who just fixed it 2 months ago) to come and take a listen.

I often hear people say about non-verbal autistics that they don’t communicate.  This has never seemed quite accurate to me.  They may not speak, but sure they communicate.  Newborn babies don’t speak, but they sure let you know when they are hungry or wet or gassy.  A smile universally means pleasure and a hugs is a sure sign of affection.  While it is certainly not always an easy means of communication, it’s there and our job is to figure out what the nonverbal cues all mean.

Is verbal communication really all it’s cracked up to be?  I mean, when someone says that a non-verbal autistic isn’t communicating, that just goes to prove that words can be inaccurate.  Non-verbal communication: a look in an eye, a sound at a particular pitch, a hand gesture are all valid means of getting a message across.  So let’s be careful in how we portray these individuals.

I am not, by the way, trying to imply that autistic individuals are inanimate objects, merely that I personally have a (possibly unhealthy) level of communication with the objects around me.

And now I am going to have a chat with my pillow because my brain is telling me that if I stare at this screen anymore, my eyes will fall out.  Have a great night.