Spare The Rod - Disciplining Autistic Children Effectively

Choosing the method in which you decide to discipline your autistic child can be one of the most heart-wrenching and difficult decisions you can make. Since so many autistic children act out in a violent way, it is very difficult for many parents to not make the logical leap to spanking.

While there is no consensus whatsoever on the proper way to discipline an autistic child, one important point comes up again and again when researching the different methods and that is making sure the child understands that the punishment is a direct result of his/her actions.

Whichever method you choose, it's best not to wait a long period of time between the punishable act and the punishment itself. Here are some other points to consider when it comes to discipline and an autistic child.

• Have a sliding scale of discipline. Don't rely on an old standby like sending the child to their room for every form of punishment. You must have an increasingly severe punishment scale to fit the behaviour.

• Consistency is key for the child to connect his behaviour to the punishment. Make sure that mom and dad or anyone else that may be in a position to discipline the autistic child follows the same template and uses the same scolding technique. As parents of any autistic child know, repetition is very important and so is routine. If the same punishment is administered for the same bad behaviour, it increases the chances for comprehension immensely.

• Spanking is extremely controversial. There are proponents that were raised by parents who spanked and are determined to raise their children the same way, autism or no autism. It is my opinion that, at least for autistic children, spanking is not the way to go.

If you look at the previous point about repetition, this would have to apply in all situations for it to work properly, including public situations. I don't think anyone wants to be seen in a public place spanking their autistic child; you would rightly expect a visit from child services the next day. Also, autistic children, even more so than regular children, are a sponge to events going on around them. If they see you hit and it is deemed acceptable behaviour, don't be surprised to see an surge in your autistic child's violence level. A non-autistic child has a much easier time understanding "do as I say, not as I do" when it comes to hitting.

• Finally, don't give up hope with discipline if the first few methods you choose don't work. One of the mantras you learn early on as a parent of an autistic child is that each and every child with autism is different. He or she may end up responding to unorthodox or unlikely forms of discipline that no non-autistic child would. Keep searching for the method that best suits you and your child and try not to get discouraged.

Dealing with discipline and autism can be one of the most difficult dilemmas a parent can face. But with patience and trial and error, you will find a happy medium that will work for both you and your child.

Grab your free copy of Rachel Evans's free Autism Newsletter - Overflowing with easy to implement methods to help you discover a better understanding of autism with more information on autism treatment tips. You can visit Rachel's blog at http://www.the-essential-guide-to-autism.com/blog.

What are the Different Forms of Autisim

There are many different types of autism, and just as with many things you can't just group all Autistic people into one category. Autisim range of symptoms covers a very large field. It will include autistics who are very near to being dysfunctional and appear to be mentally retarded, to the autistic who shows very mild symptoms, or who has received therapy to control their autistic traits to the point of appearing to be normal to the average person.

Autistic persons will be often categorized between those who have an IQ of less than 80 being categorized as having what is called "low-functioning autism", while the autistic person who's IQ is higher than 80 are categorized as having what would be called "high-functioning autism". This method of categorization is not usually accepted or used by medical professionals when dealing with the autistic person. Normally the terms high or low high functioning autism are used to describe the level at which the autistic person can perform the daily activities that are a part of living, and related to their IQ level. Within the Autistic community the use of the labels, high functioning autism, and low functioning autism, are seen to be highly controversial by many autistics.

Many service providers who serve the autistic community still rely to heavily on a person's IQ, with the ability to function on a daily basis may not work with autistic people who test at a high IQ level, or in the case of a person with a low IQ level fail to acknowledge the potential of many of the autistic people who are diagnosed as having low functioning autism. With all the information about autism which is available it is hard to believe, but some within the medical profession still will not recognize autistics who can write or speak as suffering from autism at all.

This all leads to many with high functioning autism, as well as the autistic person who has a fairly normal IQ, being left undiagnosed. This furthers the idea that autism automatically implies mental retardation. Even having said this it should be noted that the number of diagnoses for high functioning autism are now showing a sharper rise, than those for low functioning autism. One reason for this may be due to better diagnostic testing for autism.

Asperger's Syndrome and Kanner's Syndrome

In the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders the biggest difference when comparing Autistic Disorder (Kanner's) and Asperger's Syndrome would be that a Autistic Disorder will include; observed delays or even abnormal levels in at least one and maybe more of the following areas, normally the onset of symptoms of autism will be before the age 3 years old: The first would be in the area of social interaction, second would be problems with language as used in social settings, or the third area would be in symbolic or imaginative play that would not be considered to be a normal level for the average child. While in Asperger's Syndrome there would only be a slight, to no observed delay noticed.

While the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not really include levels of intellectual function for the diagnosing of Asperger's Syndrome, it is a proven statistical fact that those person's who do have Asperger's Syndrome will as a general rule will tend to out perform those autistics with Kanner's Autisim or Low Functioning Autisim this has led to a popular idea that Asperger's Syndrome can be thought of as being synonymous with high functioning autism, or that it could be considered as a totally separate disorder from autism. A popular belief is that those autistic individuals who have a higher level of intellectual function do in fact actually have Asperger's Syndrome.

Autisim as a spectrum disorder Autisim disorders also come under the heading of autistic spectrum disorders. A closely related disorder would be, Sensory Integration Dysfunction, which would involve just how well a person is able to use the information that they receive from their senses. Sensory Integration Dysfunction, Autism, as well as Asperger's Syndrome, have been found to be closely related and in many cases have been found to overlap each other.

While still subject to much debate, there are some people who believe that there might be two separate scenarios for the timeline for the onset of regular autism, these would be early infantile autism and regressive autism. Early infantile autism would be present at the time of childbirth, and regressive autism would begin between the ages of 18 months and 36 months.

Kevin Caldbeck is the owner and publisher of several websites dealing strictly with Health Issues Todays Families are Facing. For more information about autism and the autistic community be sure to check out the resources available for you at http://www.answers-about-autism.info or http://www.better-your-health.com

Vitamins For Autism Diet

You may have heard that including certain vitamins for an autism diet can help your autistic kid focus better. These can be of help even while you have already eliminated casein or gluten from his or her diet. A deficiency in specific vitamins can bring about a body or brain malfunction.

According to scientific studies, the most useful vitamin in the autism diet is vitamin B6. Since 1965, there have been 18 major studies on the uses of vitamin B6 to fight autism. In 8 of those studies, children with abnormalities in their urine, after taking B6 and magnesium, had normal urine.

Also, B6, when taken with magnesium and other B vitamins, has been shown to help autistic children with better mental focus and more awareness about their surrounding social environment. It may sound a little dramatic but it is reported that some children, after taking vitamins and supplements, even spoke for the first time. If you have a child that has a speech delay, then this can be hopeful news for you. If you would like to give your child vitamin B6, be sure to also include magnesium supplements for his autism diet. The reason for that is that vitamin B6 causes a magnesium deficiency in the body.

Vitamin C is another vitamin that you should consider for the autism diet. Just about any person, whether autistic or not, should not have a vitamin C deficiency. A lack of Vitamin C can result in confusion and disorientation. Hence, it goes to show that that vitamin C has a major effect on how a person's brain functions. While there have not been very many studies on how vitamin C affects autism, the few that there have been have been successful. Most of the children tested showed similar results to the B6. After a period of taking Vitamin C, these children started paying attention to their surroundings and being more interactive with others.

There are also a number of other herbs, vitamins and supplements that you can include in the autism diet for your child. Some of the most common are folic acid, St. John's wort and Ginko Biloba. While no single item has a major positive effect on its own, studies do show that several vitamins and supplements working together produce excellent results.

Do consult your child's pediatrician about adding vitamins for autism diet. You would need to monitor your child's progress just to check if he did benefit from these vitamins. Also, let the teachers in school know or any child care involved know about his special autism diet. That way, everyone can help you track your child's development and improvement in social behavior if any.

Sandra Kim Leong shares about autism diet and other therapies for children with learning disabilities. She draws on her experience as a mother to an autistic child. To read her posts, please visit http://www.autismdietplan.com