Monterey Bay Forum

A mother of child with special needs (Asperger’s Disorder) emailed me asking for help. She lives in Redlands, CA. Her child has an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, is hearing impaired and has epilepsy. The child is in elementary school.

Parenting a child with these kinds of problems can be overwhelming. As there are many parents who face these difficulties, perhaps a general post may be helpful both for this one mother and for other families. Most importantly, know that there is help, there are resources and you don’t have to do this job alone.

The mother wants an advocate to assist her in the IEP process. She asks for immediate help. (more…)

written by Cameron Jackson DrCameronJackson@gmail.com

Does Peter — this is a hypothetical clinical case — suffer from NLD or Asperger’s Disorder or PDD-NOS? So some combination? What is the best fit? Many of the facts are true however names and identifying information has been changed to protect privacy.

Remember the children’s verse: “Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater… had a wife and couldn’t keep her… so he put her in a pumpkin shell… there he kept her very well… ”

It certainly was socially inept of Peter to keep his wife locked in a shell….Was that the best that Peter could do?

Non-verbal learning disability (NLD) was much talked about 10 years ago. Maybe because NLD never made it into in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) it’s only known in certain circles.

In some ways NLD is similar to 298.0 Asperger’s Disorder — which is a diagnosis in the DSM-IV.

Many people somewhat approximate the diagnosis that are in the DSM-IV. The issue is to find the best fit.

Let’s see what is the best diagnosis for Peter. A number of facts are changed to protect privacy. Let’s see whether Nonverbal Learning Disability (NLD) or Asperger’s fit as a better fit for this young man.

Peter — not his real name — is in his middle 20′s. He went to private schools in Santa Cruz County and finished at an alternative high school. Both his parents finished college and work professionally. Peter is an only child.

From his father for years he heard, “Just step up to the plate… you can do it… Try harder…” Yes, Peter has low self esteem. (more…)

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Like designer jeans, Asperger’s Disorder has become a “hot” diagnosis.

Asperger’s is much more preferred by parents as a diagnosis than a diagnosis of Mental Retardation. Or Autistic Disorder. It’s easy to see why: In Asperger’s Disorder the person’s cognitive I.Q and functional abilities (self care abilities, ability to work) are in the normal range.

In Asperger’s Disorder, only the social abilities are in the Borderline or Deficient range.

One young woman I recently had the opportunity to assess (a young 18 year old with Asperger’s) said that she preferred to learn over the Internet — with her lap top on her bed — so she did not have to interact with people. She views her mother as her best and only friend. She tries to stay “with it” by not showering and having dirty hair — as that is socially acceptable here in Santa Cruz, California. She is right — in Santa Cruz, California dirty hair and rarely washing hair or taking showers is “in”. In certain circles.

written by Dr. Cameron Jackson DrCameronJackson@gmail.com Monterey Bay Forum www.FreedomOK.net (more…)

The next version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V) more than likely will collapse Asperger’s Disorder and PDD-NOS into “Autistic Spectrum Disorder” (ASD). If you want to comment go to the following web site.

I think the new definition of ASD is cleaner and well written. It still needs something in the diagnostic criteria that addresses how substantially handicapped the person is by his/her particular symptoms.

The flip side of diagnosis is treatment. A diangosis of “Autistic Spectrum Disorder” should include the specific deficits — and degree of deficit — so as to suggest appropriate, individual interventions.

Web Rings which Monterey Bay Forum has joined include: Asperger’s Web Ring, Assistance Dog World, Children’s Advocacy, Northern CA Webring and Home Education Special Needs …
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written by Dr. Cameron Jackson, Ph.D.. L.D. Licensed Psychologist 831 688-6002

Children with a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, NOS) have major social and communication difficulties.

Families need to be given the TOOLS how to have fun and be spontaneous with their children as they teach them. It is very hard on families to be social and engaging with ASDD children who seem to be in their own world, who seem to ignore their parents, who seem unaware of brothers and sisters.

The P.L.A.Y. project’s goal is to teach parents to PLAY in a fun way in developmentally appropriate ways. Not only the child – the whole family can benefit. Currently available in Monterey County, P.L.A.Y. is also available to Santa Cruz County parents. P.L.A.Y. is a vendor of San Andreas Regional Center which covers the four counties of Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito and Santa Clara. Pl.L.A.Y. is a regional center vendor for under 3 children. It is appropriate for children before attending school.

The following information comes from the Easter Seals site. There is a link to the site at the bottom.

“Easter Seals P.L.A.Y. Project (Play and Language for Autistic Youngsters) program started in 2006. The mission of the project is to help young children (up to age 6) with autism spectrum disorders and their families obtain interventions that consist of 2-3 hours of intensive, individualized therapy per day, and are integrated with other therapies saving the parents time and money.

“The P.L.A.Y. Project is unique in that it provides training for the parents of children with autism so they can implement therapy at home. Easter Seals has home consultants, including specially trained occupational therapists and speech pathologists, to implement the P.L.A.Y. Project, enabling them to teach parents how to initiate therapy in the home setting. A child with autism needs 20-30 hours per week of therapy to learn and grow as quickly as possible. This project is highly cost effective for families and enables the child to receive a continuum of service throughout their day.

“The P.L.A.Y. Project was founded by Dr. Rick Solomon, who has diagnosed and treated children with autism for over 15 years. Dr. Solomon’s initial study of 70 children with autism demonstrated that 65% of the children in the P.L.A.Y. Project made good to excellent progress. Solomon’s study has been given tremendous credibility with its recent acceptance for publication in the Journal of Autism and receipt of a National Institute of Health grant.

Goals of the P.L.A.Y. Project include:

Improving parent/child relationships.
Improving behavior of the child reducing stress within the home.
Including siblings in coaching and training.
Creating strong families including improved spousal relationships
Improving child development so children are ready for school.
Improving systems for families so services are integrated, accessible, culturally-appropriate and of high quality.The P.L.A.Y. Project is partially funded by First 5 Monterey County, First 5 Fresno County and the Fansler Foundation.

“If you or someone you know would like information regarding the P.L.A.Y. Project, please contact Drea Martinez at 559-267-3952 in Fresno and Mark Wenzler at 831-684-2166 in Monterey.

“For more information about the P.L.A.Y. Project, you can also visit www.playproject.org.

Above comes from Easter Seals