Martha Herbert, M.D. and "The Autism Revolution"

Dr. Martha Herbert's new book, The Autism Revolution is a gift to those of us trying to understand what the mish-mash of research results in the area of autism really mean. She talks about autism as a whole-body disorder that includes the mind. It's "a collection of problems that can be addressed and many that can be solved."

MeMoves

MeMoves is an engaging exercise for small or large groups. Its developers describe it as "a kind of Western t’ai chi or yoga set to music". Children watch and imitate images of slow rhythmic movement and in the process get calm and improve attention skills. In children with autism it fascilitates the function of the mirror neurons.

The original product is a DVD with a variety of moves and costs $59. Watch the children below work to it.



There is also a MeMoves app for iPhone which helps with calming and focus, but without the whole-body movements. It is $10.




I've heard this described as a timing program - but I'm going to disagree with that. It is rhythmic, and the children are doing coordinated movement, but in what I've seen thus far, the stress is on calming and attention rather than on precise timing. In any event, it appears to be a great product! Find out more at ThinkingMoves.com

Sensory Check Lists

I often get asked about a sensory check list for parents. I like the Sensory Processing Disorder Checklist from SPD Foundation because it looks at function, covers all ages and looks at modulation. Another list I like a lot is the Sense and Self-Regulation Checklist by Dr. Louise Silva. It was published in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of AJOT, and is also available Dr. Silva's web site.

The gold standard for sensory questionnaires is the Sensory Profile with the Sensory Processing Measure being very good, as well. Both of these are standardized on large populations and available commercially from Pearson's and WPSpublishing respectively.

How about assessments? There is the SIPT, but it does not cover modulation. I am waiting for the Sensory Scales from SPD Foundation to be completed. They have standardized the SOR (sensory over responsivity) section on a few hundred children across the US, but have much work to do on the rest of the tool. By the way, the SOR section is being actively used by researchers.

SPD Conference

I am at the Sensory Processing Disorder Conference in Boston. Day 1 is for parents and others who want a crash course in all things sensory. Days 2 and 3 have sessions cover new research.

Diane Henry, author of Tools for Tots, Tools for Teens, etc. was the primary lecturer for Day 1. Her books and workshops are excellent with tons of good tips for helping children of all ages to self-regulate using sensory strategies.

We also heard a lecture by Doreit Bialer covering the A SECRET method of identifying sensory strategies for a particular child taking the child's emotional state, culture, relationships and environment into consideration. Ms. Bialer talked about a child who displayed chaotic behaviors in a grocery store. His mother changed this behavior by giving him responsibilities during shopping. He helped create the (picture) gorcery list, took it to the store, pushed the cart and deposited pictures into a bag once the grocery items were placed in the cart. His mother scaffolded these activities by working first with small lists and shopping in very small stores and then increasing the challenge with time.

HowdaHUG

In our "goodie bags" were both practical and fun items. My favorites include a very cool seat called HowdaHug that cradles and rocks a child. This is very light, very portable and comes in a variety of sizes. We also received a set of Soft Seamless Underwear for children who have difficulty wearing clothes. The cloth in the underwear is thick, soft (of course) and would provide good proprioception if a slightly smaller size was purchased. The garment has no elastic.

Sleep and Dental for Autism

Autism Speaks has published two guides that parents will want to download.

The first covers sleep habits and discusses bedtime routine (including sample PEX-style cards), sensory concerns (light, sound, tactile and temperature), the amount of sleep needed (children with autism appear to need less sleep), and strategies for problem sleepers. There is a wealth of good information in 8 pages.  Autism Speaks Sleep Tips

The second guide is a toolkit for dental professionals. It provides practical strategies for doing dental work on children with autism. Included topics are sensory strategies, picture schedules and social stories. There are handouts for dental workers to provide to parents regarding chemicals and procedures. The appendix contains parent medical checklists and parent handouts regarding the nature of amalgams and flouride. Autism Speaks Dental Tool Kit

Update on Winter Depression and Melatonin and Lights

Two years ago I wrote about using low dose melatonin to help chase the winter blues. (See that post here.) There is a bit of an art to this method. Someone told me that you are supposed to use the melatonin for a few weeks in the autumn and then stop. I looked for a reference to cite on this, but found none. However, it made sense to me, so I decided to try it this year.

Starting in early November, I took about 3 drops of liquid 25 mg. melatonin in a glass of water (also tried under the tongue, which seemed to be fine, too) once a day for about 3 weeks. Research shows that there are two times of the day it will work. For most people, the dose is to be taken in the early afternoon. For others (that's me), it is taken in the morning. I would get up at 7:00 and take the melatonin at 9:00.

I did nothing else until early January when the light was beginning to increase a tad. At that time, I started getting a bit of brain fog, so I purchased a 10,000 lumen light and began sitting with it for 15 minutes in the morning. It has worked very well. I notice that my brain goes into a bit of hibernation if I miss a few days running, but otherwise, the brain is working well. BYW, I have tried using lights without melatonin in past years, but it didn't seem to be enough. And the article cited below says that melatonin alone may not be enough either.

To get more information, read the short summary on the NIMH website: posted in May 2006 Summary from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2006/properly-timed-light-melatonin-lift-winter-depression-by-syncing-rhythms.shtml

Ease App on Fox News

A quick note about the EASE listening therapy app from Vision-Audio.com.  Fox News did a segment on the product. It can be seen at:

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/02/05/solution-for-sensory-disorders/