I have transferred my blog to tumblr, please follow the link:)

http://andreamajor.tumblr.com/

Autism iPhone breakthrough: from tantrums to app-y days

Few can legitimately boast that an iPhone app changed their life but for 10-year-old Grace Domican, unable to speak due to autism, the touchscreen phone has given her a voice for the first time.

"With the phone showing exactly what she has requested, it is now very clear to all of us what she needs and we see a huge reduction in frustration behaviour as a result," Domican said.

"Grace is capable of a two- to three-hour tantrum that leaves your ears ringing, so this is a good thing."

http://images.theage.com.au/2010/04/16/1331617/graceapp200-200x0.jpg
http://images.theage.com.au/2010/04/16/1331613/gracedomicanmain-420x0.jpg

http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/smartphone-apps/autism-iphone-breakthrough-from-tantrums-to-appy-days-20100416-sjjl.html

Autism Therapy: visual schedules

http://autism.healingthresholds.com/therapy/visual-schedules

All sorts of interesting articles from visual scheduals, to colour intervention..read below one article:


Color as a Therapeutic Intervention
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, by Ludlow, AK, and Wilkins AJ, published in 2009, summarized Dec 28, 2009
Colored lenses that filter out certain colors may help visual processing and reading skills for people with autism.

This case report describes a 10-year-old boy with autism who was sensitive to artificial lights, strobe lights, and reflected light. He also suffered headaches and nausea in response to certain colors of walls, food, and clothing. The authors allowed the child to choose a colored film that was placed over a page for him to read. He chose the color purple, and he was able to read faster right away with the purple overlay. He also said that he could see the words more clearly. When the boy wore glasses with purple tint all the time, he had fewer problems with headaches and nausea.

Online blogs

There is so much information on line, blogs and support networks. The "Autism Hub", on facebook, has heaps of really helpful links. (facebook hosts a lot of support blogs for autism)

I listened to this autistic girl through this site "Hope For Autism & Asperger's Syndrome: My Story"
It's so interesting hearing Autism explained from their lived experience, check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV_CcmLlaw4

Temple Grandin

Temple Grandin, diagnosed with autism as a child, talks about how her mind works -- sharing her ability to "think in pictures," which helps her solve problems that neurotypical brains might miss. She makes the case that the world needs people on the autism spectrum: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers, and all kinds of smart geeky kids.
[need to work out how to embed videos]

check out her talk on TED: "The world needs all kinds of minds"
http://www.ted.com/talks/temple_grandin_the_world_needs_all_kinds_of_minds.html

also her talk: "Why autism is a gift"

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/03/01/temple.grandin.ted/index.html?eref=rss_health&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_health+%28RSS%3A+Health%29&utm_content=Google+International

Autism Picture Cards

---> more picture cards
http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=52037749167

Photos from Autism Creativity and Imagination

---> All art created by Autistic children of varying ages. Parents on the site discuss the benefits of creative expression; whether the child displays raw talent, or the process is simply soothing adn therapeutic. Either way it's positive!

This pic is from Van Gogh's Starry Night and Andy Warhol's Butterfly. It stands for detaching myself from reality when life is too much, and daydreaming (or in this case night-dreaming).
The different colored dancing people are from Keith Haring, and the lady sitting at the table is called Lonely Lady but I can't remember the artist. It's supposed to represent myself sitting alone while everyone else is out interacting and enjoying themselves.

This pic was based on "The Scream" and a bright, busy, chaotic abstract pattern. It is supposed to represent sensory overload.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=85129094626