Comments on: Brain Performance, Kindness and Autism http://www.positscience.com/blog/2009/11/09/brain-performance-kindess-and-autism/ The brain, brain fitness, and Posit Science Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:32:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Best Autism Treatment Remedy http://www.positscience.com/blog/2009/11/09/brain-performance-kindess-and-autism/comment-page-1/#comment-47 Best Autism Treatment Remedy Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:51:14 +0000 http://www.positscience.com/blog/?p=156#comment-47 Great stuff. Nice to read some well written posts. A long way between them. Great stuff. Nice to read some well written posts. A long way between them.

]]> By: Autism in Children http://www.positscience.com/blog/2009/11/09/brain-performance-kindess-and-autism/comment-page-1/#comment-30 Autism in Children Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:25:29 +0000 http://www.positscience.com/blog/?p=156#comment-30 Good read, thanks. Always looking out for weird and wonderful stuff to read :) Good read, thanks. Always looking out for weird and wonderful stuff to read :)

]]> By: Allison http://www.positscience.com/blog/2009/11/09/brain-performance-kindess-and-autism/comment-page-1/#comment-23 Allison Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:29:18 +0000 http://www.positscience.com/blog/?p=156#comment-23 I very much agree that it is important to show our children how to be comfortable with and respectful of people with all kinds of differences. I am the wife of Steven who started this post. This morning on our way to school I told our son that I was happy that he had been able to be a helper to the boy who had autism, and I pointed out that it can be hard to interact with a child who doesn't offer or respond to typical social cues. I explained that the more practice this child has with interacting, the better he'll get at it. Just like the more practice our son has with interacting with kids who have differences, the easier that will be even easier too. I responded to his questions about autism by saying that one doesn't develop autism later in life, and that we don't have a "cure" yet, although there are many therapies which can help children with autism learn how to respond to (and offer) social cues as well as gain comfort with new environments. Our son wondered why the boy had made certain repetitive sounds and why he had been so interested in holding items. I explained that when people are uncomfortable, routines can be comforting. The sounds could be his way of communicating happiness or fear, or could be something he does in order to make his environment "the same". I said that holding the items and looking at them intently allow him to focus, and that focusing can help take his attention away from all of the other stimuli (people, animals, sounds, smells, etc.) which can be overwhelming. My son and I stopped and listened to and watched everything that was happening around us, and we noticed quite a bit which didn't disturb us, but could disturb someone who is senstive to stimuli. All of those questions are valid and I tried to be very respectful of our son's questions, as comfort with our children's questions will, I hope, give them a comfort-level with not only discussing differences, but in interacting with those who have differences. I very much agree that it is important to show our children how to be comfortable with and respectful of people with all kinds of differences. I am the wife of Steven who started this post. This morning on our way to school I told our son that I was happy that he had been able to be a helper to the boy who had autism, and I pointed out that it can be hard to interact with a child who doesn’t offer or respond to typical social cues. I explained that the more practice this child has with interacting, the better he’ll get at it. Just like the more practice our son has with interacting with kids who have differences, the easier that will be even easier too.

I responded to his questions about autism by saying that one doesn’t develop autism later in life, and that we don’t have a “cure” yet, although there are many therapies which can help children with autism learn how to respond to (and offer) social cues as well as gain comfort with new environments.

Our son wondered why the boy had made certain repetitive sounds and why he had been so interested in holding items. I explained that when people are uncomfortable, routines can be comforting. The sounds could be his way of communicating happiness or fear, or could be something he does in order to make his environment “the same”. I said that holding the items and looking at them intently allow him to focus, and that focusing can help take his attention away from all of the other stimuli (people, animals, sounds, smells, etc.) which can be overwhelming. My son and I stopped and listened to and watched everything that was happening around us, and we noticed quite a bit which didn’t disturb us, but could disturb someone who is senstive to stimuli.

All of those questions are valid and I tried to be very respectful of our son’s questions, as comfort with our children’s questions will, I hope, give them a comfort-level with not only discussing differences, but in interacting with those who have differences.

]]> By: Marghi http://www.positscience.com/blog/2009/11/09/brain-performance-kindess-and-autism/comment-page-1/#comment-22 Marghi Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:30:02 +0000 http://www.positscience.com/blog/?p=156#comment-22 I had a similar experience this weekend, when my daughter came with me to a fundraiser for the Community Alliance for Special Education (www.caseadvocacy.org, if you're interested). Those are hard questions to answer for a young child, but I think that making our kids feel comfortable with and respectful of people with all kinds of differences is a great thing. I had a similar experience this weekend, when my daughter came with me to a fundraiser for the Community Alliance for Special Education (www.caseadvocacy.org, if you’re interested). Those are hard questions to answer for a young child, but I think that making our kids feel comfortable with and respectful of people with all kinds of differences is a great thing.

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