Don’t Fret Over Failures
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010Encourage your children for their efforts even if those efforts don’t achieve the desired results.Winning isn’t everything.
Kimberly Wragge http:www.kimsautismawareness.com
Archive for July, 2010
Marijuana a possible treatment for autism
Monday, July 26th, 2010I guess it was bound to happen. I have been hearing of stories like this recently. Parents who are giving their children marijuana to treat aggressive and self abusive behaviors. This interesting topic got me to research more on medical marijuana. According to my findings, the patient must pay a fee to obtain an eligibility card. They are considered eligible if they are a resident of that state and have an approved medical condition such as cancer, AIDS, or multiple sclerosis. Medical marijuana is legal in 14 states. In New Mexico, they are currently considering making autism an approved medical condition. From what I read, marijuana decreases anxiety and increases “good mood”. The aggression and self abuse often occurs from anxiety and anger. Many parents don’t feel comfortable with treating autistic behaviors with psychotropic drugs, they try and find alternative methods. Very often, homeopathic treatments are used. I’m not sure about this though. What about the long term effects of marijuana? Such as dependency, weight gain, cardiovascular problems, etc. Well, I guess there are side effects for psychotropic drugs as well.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/AutismNews/mother-son-marijuana-treat-autism/story?id=9153881
Kimberly Wragge http:www.kimsautismawareness.com
Oral motor stimulation used to help focus and organize
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010The need for oral motor stimulation goes beyond newborns and infants and continues into adulthood. How many times have you found yourself chewing on a pen or pencil while sitting in a boring meeting or popped a piece of hard candy or gum in your mouth when you are trying to stay alert. The oral motor area (the mouth) can be used very effectively to help a child with autism regulate their level of arousal. It can help organize their central nervous system to either calm or alert them.
Oral motor stimulation can be eating certain tastes of food such as sweet, salty, spicy, or sour. These food tastes are usually alerting. The texture of food is also important. Foods can be crunchy, crispy, smooth, or thick. It is beneficial to experiment with a variety of food textures and tastes to see if there is a difference in behavior. While doing homework, I will often give my son, Anthony, a crunchy, salty snack like pretzels to help him stay alert and focused.
As most of us know, there is usually a “no gum chewing in school” rule. They are now finding that that benefits the custodians more than the student. (Gum is very difficult to scrap off the bottom of desks and chairs) There is compelling research that states that chewing gum actually improves a person’s ability to concentrate and focus as well as relieve tension and stress. Chewing gum stimulates certain areas of the brain which releases neurotransmitters like serotonin. Serotonin is said to increase our self confidence and provide a sense of security. I think we should allow our children to chew gum when needed. The sugarless kind, of course.
Kimberly Wragge http:www.kimsautismawareness.com
Freedom
Sunday, July 18th, 2010Two weeks ago, a local animal shelter rescued 120 beagles from a research lab that was going bankrupt. The story on the news was heart-breaking. So at dinner that night, we talked about it and decided to adopt one from the shelter. The very next day, we all went to the shelter to meet the dogs. The kids were excited to get a new pet. It was so hard to just pick one. They were all so cute. But we decided on “Freedom”. Freedom is a smaller size beagle but has a lot of love to give. He needs a lot of training on how to be a pet. He wasn’t exposed to very much from the inside of his crate for 2 years. Freedom never even walked on grass until we took him for his first walk. But considering he had limited human contact in his previous environment, he is very affectionate towards us. Freedom snuggles up to the kids while they are watching TV and enjoys being pet by them. He is adjusting better than what I would of thought. We are so lucky to have the opportunity to give him a loving home.
Kimberly Wragge http:www.kimsautismawareness.com
Hazy, Hot, and Humid
Thursday, July 8th, 2010I’m sure like everyone on the east coast, we are trying to stay cool in this heatwave. This is also the first week of summer rec programs, soccer camp, and art classes. So unfortunatley, we are constantly on the move. If we could just stay home and enjoy the air conditioner, it would be great. But life doesn’t stop for a heatwave. All of the kids are exhausted throughout the day. They have low energy levels and want to go to bed as early as possible. We are all looking forward to the cooler temperatures next week.
hank goodness.
Kimberly Wragge http:www.kimsautismawareness.com