I've been thinking a lot about Autism, Robbie and what that means for our family.
1) We get to avoid taking pictures with the Easter bunny and Santa Clause. Really- who as a kid wants to sit next to an over grown Rabbit or a heavy set man in a red suit?
2) We always have an out- of family gatherings, birthday parties, etc.
3) The above items are a bummer.
When we first received the diagnosis of ASD, My husband mourned. I couldn't understand why he was in mourning. Our son is not dying. He does not have cancer or one of those rare childhood diseases. He many end up different- but still OK I thought. I went into fight mode. I will "cure" or "heal" my son, as they say. Jenny McCarthy did it. If I try really hard- I can do it. I thought.
Two years later I am trying really hard and mourning at the same time. I had no idea what Autism was or what it meant. Robbie will not be a super star athlete- but he also may not be able to play any organized activity at all. His OT is concerned that he can not keep his attention on tasks with out repeated prompts. He gets overwhelmed with too much visual stimulation. He can't sit still. He goes "into his own head" with increasing frequency.
I am looking for answers. MRI, EEG, Allergist, Developmental ped, Regular Ped, Neurologist, new neurologist, old neurologist, another new neurologist, behaviorist, additional behaviorist, speech therapist, occupational therapist,another holistic healer.. No one has answers.
To be clear, the answers I am looking for are not completely how to heal my son. They simply are- why isn't he improving? Why does he take 4 steps back with every step forward? Why are his school reports getting progressively worse? Why was he doing do well during the fall and early winter and is doing do poorly now? Why has behavior worsened and not improved? Why have his bowel movements not improved- since we removed the allergen's from his system? If we are doing everything right- why isn't he learning more, feeling better, acting better? What else can I do? What am I missing in the puzzle we call Autism??
I can not stop looking for answers. I will not stop working to help my son. I'm afraid if I stop looking, I will miss something. A clue, a red flag, a cure. The alternative is not something I am ready to accept- Whether that is a good or bad thing- who knows. Robbie is an incredibly sweet and intelligent boy. We need to peel back the layers and find out how to help him.
If you are local- The Walk Now for Autism Speaks event is taking place Saturday, May 21st in Mount Laurel, NJ. Please come and walk for Robbie.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Brains of People with Autism Focus More on Visual Skills - US News and World Report
Brains of People with Autism Focus More on Visual Skills - US News and World Report
MONDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- The brains of people with autism concentrate more resources in areas devoted to visual perception, resulting in less activity in areas used to plan and control thoughts and actions, says a new study.
The findings may explain why people with autism have exceptional visual abilities, said the researchers at the University of Montreal.
They analyzed data from 26 brain imaging studies that were conducted over 15 years and included a total of 357 autistic and 370 non-autistic participants.
"Through this meta-analysis, we were able to observe that autistics exhibit more activity in the temporal and occipital regions and less activity in frontal cortex than non-autistics," first author Fabienne Samson said in a university news release.
The temporal and occipital regions are involved in perceiving and recognizing patterns and objects, while the frontal areas are involved with decision making, cognitive control, planning and execution, she explained.
The findings offer the "first physiological confirmation that enhanced perceptual processing is a core feature of neural organization in this population," Dr. Laurent Mottron, of the university's Centre for Excellence in Pervasive Development Disorders, said in the news release. "We now have a very strong statement about autism functioning, which may be ground for cognitive accounts of autistic perception, learning, memory and reasoning."
According to the study, the finding shows that the autistic brain successfully adapts some of its cognitive functioning by reallocating brain areas to visual perception. The results may point the way to new areas of autism research.
The study appears April 4 in the journal Human Brain Mapping.
The reason I share this information- from the Autism Speaks blog- is Robbie has always had exceptional visual ability. He could literally pick out a needle in a haystack. It's interesting to me that this an ability common among those with Autism.
MONDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- The brains of people with autism concentrate more resources in areas devoted to visual perception, resulting in less activity in areas used to plan and control thoughts and actions, says a new study.
The findings may explain why people with autism have exceptional visual abilities, said the researchers at the University of Montreal.
They analyzed data from 26 brain imaging studies that were conducted over 15 years and included a total of 357 autistic and 370 non-autistic participants.
"Through this meta-analysis, we were able to observe that autistics exhibit more activity in the temporal and occipital regions and less activity in frontal cortex than non-autistics," first author Fabienne Samson said in a university news release.
The temporal and occipital regions are involved in perceiving and recognizing patterns and objects, while the frontal areas are involved with decision making, cognitive control, planning and execution, she explained.
The findings offer the "first physiological confirmation that enhanced perceptual processing is a core feature of neural organization in this population," Dr. Laurent Mottron, of the university's Centre for Excellence in Pervasive Development Disorders, said in the news release. "We now have a very strong statement about autism functioning, which may be ground for cognitive accounts of autistic perception, learning, memory and reasoning."
According to the study, the finding shows that the autistic brain successfully adapts some of its cognitive functioning by reallocating brain areas to visual perception. The results may point the way to new areas of autism research.
The study appears April 4 in the journal Human Brain Mapping.
The reason I share this information- from the Autism Speaks blog- is Robbie has always had exceptional visual ability. He could literally pick out a needle in a haystack. It's interesting to me that this an ability common among those with Autism.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.JPG)