As the good sensory trained therapists that we are, we have long known anecdotally that children with autism often avert eye gaze especially when there is simultaneous input, such as when the child is being given auditory directions and/or is attempting to problem solve a situation.  When I work with teachers who have kids on the spectrum ...

As a peds OT for over 25 years, I’ve said for a long time now that it’s not what we teach our kids in therapy it’s what they teach us!  Here are a few great examples of our ambassadors for special needs: Grace McClelland: Born with a ULD (Upper Limb Difference) at age 5 Grace was bullied by a boy at at school for her “stupid little ...

I just received this update from the SPD Foundation regarding the Newtown, CT murders and the young man identified as the shooter Adam Lanza.  (See my December blog:  Autism Speaks Out About Newtown Tragedy).  PBS's Frontline has released a riveting documentary on Adam, his apparent diagnosis of SPD and his early years as his family ...

I recently came across this lecture on the TED Talks series.  If you are not familiar, TED (Technology Entertainment, Design) is a non- profit organization designed to foster the spread of great ideas. Since its inception in the 1980's it has hosted a platform of some of the world's leading  scientists, visionaries and educators with the ...

As my year as your peds blogger comes to a close, I thought I would give you a rundown of the top 5 most popular posts.   5.  Weighing in at the fifth spot was the final update on the DSM-5 due out next May: SPD Excluded from DSM-5. 4. The AJOT published study on Speed and Legibility with Pencil Grasp had some surprising ...

In the wake of the horrible mass shooting that occurred this past Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT  one of the inferences that has come up is that the gunman Adam Lanza may have had a diagnosis of Asperger's  which incidentally, will be removed from the DSM-5 next year  as  previously discussed.   During ...

In addition to the exclusion of the SPD diagnosis which I blogged about last week,   there are more changes to the upcoming DSM-5 which recently received final revision and approval.   Most notable are the sweeping changes to the autism diagnosis.  To summarize from the Autism Society's position statement ... ''The DSM-5 ...

A colleague recently sent this YouTube link and I felt compelled to share it. Although titled What Autism Feels Like, it is actually a brief clip on what a day probably sounds like in the life of a child with ASD. As peds therapists, it often becomes our role in the school, clinic or our community to educate teachers, parents and/or other staff ...

Last evening at a party, I was reminded once again how thankful I am to be a pediatric OT.  At a party you ask?  Let me explain!  Several months ago one of my neighbors shared with me that her son had been recently diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome.  He was struggling with some social/behavioral issues for awhile including ...

I know I have been blogging frequently on the topic of autism, but given the media attention it seems to be getting these days, along with the proposed definition changes in the upcoming DSM-5, it just seems fitting to keep current in this ever expanding field. This past week I took a quick trip to San Diego to check out the Autism Society of ...