YHave you ever saw a child head bang before? Well, of course you have! All children do! Have you ever seen a child head bang excessively to the point that you feel their skull will simply...crack? Every day many parents of children who have ASD experience this cringing event multiple times per day. The more theY try to prevent the head banging, the more intense it becomes. Recently, I read an article by Dr. Sonya Doherty who shares that head banging isn't a behavior but rather a cry for help for children that are experiencing high levels of brain and gut pain related to 1 or 2 reasons: 1) Sensory Overload - many children with ASD have difficulty with processing information and where they are in "space and time." Ever been intoxicated and the world won't stop spinning? Multiply that by 100 and then MAYBE you'll have a minute awareness of what it means to be loss in "space and time." Often you will see this child with ASD lay down on the floor, spin or head bang to help them reorganize or block out data that they just can't process. This inability to process data causes direct pain to the gut and brain. 2) Digestive disorder - many children with ASD experience food texture sensitivity. Most children that I've work with who have ASD, simply don't want to eat. There was this one bright , silly , handsome teenage boy that I worked with for over a year who ate pizza and jalapeno chips everyday for over 10 years straight (according to mom). He suffered from migraines caused by a poor diet. With the help of his parents, I was able to introduce him to a more healthier diet. Nevertheless, poor diets lead to constipation, gut pain, toxins stored in the body which causes serious illnesses and headaches. Often you will see a child with ASD cover their ears, scream, or head bang to help them block out the pain. This inability to process food and or eliminate the waste from the body causes direct pain to the brain. What can you do to help your child ease the gut and brain pain? Introduce a healthy diet. Remember, often children need to be offered a food at least 16 times before they will eat it. It's like that song you hear on the radio for the first time that you hate and then weeks later you are bopping your head to it. Include fresh fruits and green vegetables. Reduce or eliminate sugars. Exclude ALL meats from the diet which takes at least 2 weeks to digest. Although, I must admit my opinion here is rather biased since I'm a vegetarian. Give deep compressions to your child's body helping the molecules to move around and connect with space and time. Swing your child in a hammock, support them with bouncing on a large exercise ball and most of all...contact Early Intervention to get the support you need for you and your family. For more information regarding Early Intervention, please contact ABEL If you have information, videos or pictures that you would like to share regarding head banging or any other developmental delay, please forward to [email protected] BE WELL!
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Down Syndrome is a lifelong Chromosomal Disorder. A person who has Down Syndrome has an additional Chromosome (21) either in part or a complete copy of it. This duplication of the Chromosome could come from the father or mother. Although there is not a direct link to Down Syndrome for older mothers (age 35 plus), there is a higher risk of during conception duplicating the Chromosome (21). Studies show that 1 in every 600 children in the USA has Down Syndrome and mothers that conceive age 40 and older have 1 in 100 chance of having a beautiful child with Down Syndrome. There are a couple genetic test available to detect Down Syndrome (FISH) and parenting counseling might be a good idea. In fact, I recommend all parents planning to conceive take part in some form of parent counseling / training.
Children with Down Syndrome have a wide array of abilities. Other than physical features and potential physical limitations, children with Down Syndrome typically have a Cognitive delay. This developmental area encompasses information processing, conceptual resources, perceptual skill and language learning. From an Early Learning Development perspective we teach science, math and social studies to help children develop cognitively. According to a resource provided by the National Down Syndrome Society, families ,Early Learning Practitioners, Interventionist and other related professionals should consider the sequence of milestones achieved vs. the age the milestone was achieved. They do however set a wide array of time for each milestone. The variation between development of a typical child vs. a child with Down Syndrome can have no variations (For example a child with Down Syndrome could say their first word at age 1 which is no different from a typical child). On the other end of the ray there is a 4 year difference between the time a child with Down Syndrome may say a full sentence vs. a typical child. My experience as a Special Instructor working with children birth to 3 with Down Syndrome is that they are the most delightful, social children you ever want to meet. Full of hard belly laughs, hugs and ENORMOUS SMILES! If you have any stories or pictures you would like to share regarding this subject or others, please contact us. You may also visit the National Down Syndrome Society for more information or our Early Intervention page. Toddlers should sleep 11-13 hours per night. Some children touched with Autism are sleeping 40% less than the recommended amount about 6-8 hours per night. Parents of children with Autism, I bet are sleeping even less hours. When a child has Autism, it impacts the entire family. Lack of sleep often translates to short attention and disruptive behavior across environments. Some research shows that children who are touched with autism often suffer from lack of sleep related to neurological connectors. I'll dig into that topic during a later blog. Children who suffer from lack of sleep are often prescribed Melatonin, by the pediatrician. According to research, children touched with ASD naturally produce lesser amounts of Melatonin; thus prescribing this hormone made by the pineal gland is a common medical practice. Over time, parents should see better sleep habits. If your family does not improve sleep habits after exhausting all strategies for 2-3 weeks consistently, best practices indicates visiting a sleep specialist. I would caution you to look into the long-term use of Melatonin; side effects may involve interrupting puberty. As your family craves SLEEP; explore calming activities in the evening to prepare for bed. Examine what the current room arrangement is. Is there too much light, too much color, too much furniture? Loud colors and busy rooms equates to loud children busy children. Use warm colors complimented by natural wood and essential oils. NEVER EVER WATCH TV BEFORE BED with a child who has trouble sleeping, TV typically stimulates. Lastly, as a parent, take good care of yourself. If your cup is empty there's nothing to pour into the ones you love and care for. Work and home life balance is very important. Consider disconnecting from the world for 1-2 hours per day and focus on your evening ROUTINE and self care rituals. Please share your story about Lack of Sleep for children and families touched with Autism. https://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/health-and-wellness/sleep Through my lightly black mascaraed big bold brown eyes, I see the Extraordinary Leader. She's possesses a certain pizazz in something as simple as her walk. She embraces cultures and diversity; a rainbow of color herself. She surpasses the notion of being motivated. She practices a strict religion: Performance, progression and preservation. Health is at the forefront of her mind. She is energetic and spontaneous. Although she is a risk taker and secretly thrilled by the idea of winning, she is ethical and cautious. She is inquisitive, a fast thinker and also examines decisions with care, She appreciates the opinion of well trusted allies and seeks the truth. At times she is brutally honest; especially with her self. She cringes at words like "workforce" which implies a negative connotation. She prefers using words like achievers, subject matter experts, technicians - words that describe individuals that add value to organizations. At times she is introverted but also understands the importance of building meaningful relationship and alliances with seasoned professionals. The power of learning through the experience of others is invaluable. She's connected to those that are doing something right, something of value AND something profitable. She is trendy and enjoys luxury, though she is modest. Her focus is on the future, she is steadfast. If business expansions and growth of the organization means mergers or closures; the decision is made with no regrets. She lives in the present and prays for "Peace on Earth and Good Will to Men." Above all, SHE IS FREE AND HER MAKEUP IS DONE BY ME.
Are you ready to step into your greatness? Mentoring and Consulting by: Alia Bonner El www.aliabonnerel.weebly.com Who is gonna grieve the dead Negro's Soul & then raise him from the dead? Furthermore, why would a high yellow girl brighter than the sun from the north with promise to surpass rainbows engage in such thought? Why do I care ? I can't fight myself no mo...that Negro is my brotha & my sista. Imma grieve that Negro's soul. Then imma study hard, then imma teach harder & imma raise that Negro soul from the dead. This social class is a social problem that requires social responsibility in order to attain social change & achieve higher culture, & higher consciousness. It's not a coincidence but rather heaven sent my year and a 1/2 long obsession with Philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson led me to the studies and works of Dr. Cornell West. He's a professor at Harvard University with a profound interest, understanding and voice in American Transcendalist and African American Change Agents like W E B Dubois. I am so intrigued by the brother right now that I've already purchased 2 of his books: Race Matters & Democracy Matters. They take the back burner as I am currently reading The Souls of Black Folk by the brother Debois. It's so important to stay connected to people, to the past, present and future. My idea of a good time: good book, John Coltrane (great jazz musician) & a glass of champagne. "What peace shall I search for other than the peace in my own mind, heart, soul and my home." ABEL-
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