'Look at Me'

From Age of Autism Contributing Editor Cathy Jameson.

“Look at me!
Look at me!
Look at me NOW!
It is fun to have fun
But you have to know how.” –Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

Ronan has loved his Dr. Seuss books for several years now. He really enjoys ‘The Cat in the Hat’ and ‘Green Eggs and Ham’. Flipping back and forth to his favorite pages, he hands us his books so we can read aloud to him. Since he loves the books so much, I’ve memorized several of the pages. To Ronan’s delight, I offer these silly sentences to him at random times of the day.  Ronan’s siblings do a really good job at keeping Ronan engaged too.  Big Sis adds silly sounds and acts out certain scenes. Little Buddy offers goofy expressions at the really funny pages while pointing to the words he’s reading. Ronan’s little sisters wait patiently to see the pictures while Ronan eagerly looks for his next favorite part of the story. Ronan’s been thumbing through, scanning and reading books for several years now. We have multiple copies and other Dr. Seuss media—board books, apps for the iPad, DVDs, flip books and have bookmarked favorite youtube videos. I love that while I read aloud, Ronan is able to fill in many of the words. It’s not verbal language yet, so he signs everything to me.  

Brotherly Love Prompts Autism App

When Jonathan Izak looks at AutisMate, he only wishes something similar had existed when his brother was younger.
The iPad app, which Izak and colleagues have spent the last 18 months creating, is designed for autistic children — kids like Izak’s brother.

“I think it definitely would have helped him (with his) acquisition of language,” Izak said.
In recent years, the iPad has been a hotbed for apps designed to help those with autism and other special needs, so AutisMate will have plenty of company when it hits the App Store later this week.

Decoding the Language of Autism

A very interesting piece about communication--for both children on the spectrum and for their families.

Autism has its own language. Just ask any parent whose child has received a diagnosis of PDD-NOS and now has an IEP mandating EI that includes OT. But the specialized language of how we talk about autism is actually easier to master than the language -- spoken or not -- that autistic people themselves use.

This point came home to my wife and me during a trip we took to the Bay Area last month with our autistic son, Sam. Erika's grandmother died two years ago at age 97, and her family made the trip to California to inter her ashes in the East Bay city where she had lived for many years.

Our initial plan was for Sam and me to stay behind at the hotel while the rest of the family went to the cemetery. We figured the service wouldn't mean much to him and that he might be disruptive. Ultimately, though, we decided that since only immediate family would be there, there was no harm in bringing Sam. We told him we were going to "say goodbye" and crossed our fingers.

Autism Is Nation's Fastest Growing Developmental Disability

From Boston, interview with speech and language pathologist Kara Corley from Children's Hospital

It's the fastest-growing developmental disability in the country.
More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with aids, diabetes and cancer combined.
It's estimated one in 110 children in the U.S. are affected by autism. April is Autism Awareness Month.