The 7 Biggest Problems You’ll Experience with Your Aspergers Child –And How to Overcome Them

• Does my child really have autism?
• What will his or her future be like?
• How can I identify with what they are thinking and feeling?
• What can I do to enhance my autistic child’s future?
• What are the autistic signs, causes, and symptoms?

No disorder is as confusing to comprehend or as complex to diagnose as autism. And, no disorder has more myths and misconceptions surrounding it than autism.

Listen to leading autism expert, Dr. Newmark, as he reveals the results of many years of natural and medical treatments covering all treatment options, some of which may be new to you. You will also learn which natural treatments provide a definate reduction in symptoms in many children with autism. And soy?…Don’t rely on Soy until you hear this interview. And Dr. Newmark discusses an organization that may have a doctor that is an autism expert in your area.

We would like to share the steps we have taken to get coverage. This are not difficult, and if you follow these steps, you could have a bed in your home soon. By following these steps, you could have a bed in your home and know your child is safe without spending money that you need.

We would also like to offer you a way to make some money. If you are in one of the states that is not been approved for coverage yet and would like to document the steps needed to get approval.  Please fill out the contact form and let us know. We will pay you.

Thank you for your interest in the Noah’s World Bed.

Download as pdf

How to Apply for Reimbursement for Your Noah’s World Bed

1. Speak with your child’s pediatrician regarding your concern for their safety. Explain that they may be awake and active during “sleep hours.” If possible, give specific examples of situations where your child’s safety may have been compromised (for example, he or she got out of the house, climbed on furniture, fell down the stairs, etc.)

2. Have your child’s pediatrician write a letter of medical necessity and/or a prescription or the Noah’s World Bed.

3. Contact your Medicaid/insurance case manager and request payment for a Noah’s World Bed.

4. As parents or guardians, write a letter to your Medicaid/insurance provider describing:

• What your life is like now and why you need the bed
• How the bed will solve the concerns listed
• How your child will be safe with the Noah’s World Bed

5. Ask your child’s therapists and teachers to each write a letter of support and need for Noah’s World Bed as well.

6. In some areas, it may be necessary to have your local fire and police departments endorse this bed as safe in case of an emergency. (With a Noah’s World Bed you will always know where your child is at night.)

7. You may also contact a local durable medical equipment (DME) dealer to help you with this process. (Have them contact us at matt@noahsworldllc.com.)

The causes of autism is many and varied, but with certainty the occurrences worldwide in every ethnic and social class is on the rise in the last 30 years. Statistics show more boys than girls are susceptible and tentatively 90% of autism cases are genetic. Some recent research pin point a link between genetic and environment but nothing is known for certain.

One study found the higher parental age may be a factor with genetic material integrity. Another study, with research inconclusive stated prenatal environment with exposure to pesticides especially in the first 8 weeks of gestation of the fetus may be the cause. And then there is the infectious diseases possibly rubella virus could be the culprit. There are many Causes of Autism, but there are many more that could be multiple factors in each cause diagnosed.

One thing that has surfaced through research is that early intervention is paramount. With early intervention with treatment many children are showing great improvements. It is usually early in a child’s life that parents notice abnormalities in a child’s development. The child does not make spontaneous eye contact or even avoids it. They will not respond to their name and social interaction is avoided. A smile will not be returned and verbal skills are replaced with gesture and pointing as they don’t understand emotional responses. They will seem to have their own rituals or rules to deal with reality and to get what they want. Any change in their environment or ritual will result in a tantrum. Any of these symptoms is an indicator that something may be amiss and further information sought.

An appointment with the pediatrician is made and if a development disorder is suspected you are referred to a neurologist specialist. After specialized testing has been completed a diagnosis is made into which category of autism to be placed. Sometimes with mild autism a child can reach school age without being diagnosed. The Causes of Autism is many and varied with each child and often a big challenge. Symptoms vary, making a tailor made treatment for each child which makes it necessary to be taught skills as a daily routine for the rest of their life.

The causes of autism can be varied and to find out about them and treatments available visit our site at http://www.all-about-autism.com where you will be provide with the best information available on Autism.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marilyn_Rogers
http://EzineArticles.com/?Causes-of-Autism—Is-it-Genetic-Or-the-Environment?&id=2872159 ]]> http://noahsworldllc.com/causes-of-autism-is-it-genetic-or-the-environment/feed 0 http://noahsworldllc.com/sensory-processing-disorders-in-children-with-autism http://noahsworldllc.com/sensory-processing-disorders-in-children-with-autism#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:53:06 +0000 Chris http://noahsworldllc.com/?p=767 Many children with autism suffer from sensory processing disorders, which mean they are extremely sensitive to various forms of sensory stimuli—such as touching, texture of food or clothing, lights and aromas—that, for most people, go unnoticed.

This is not necessarily true for many children with autism. According to the BBB Autism website, the three general kinds of sensory processing disorders are:

Tactile—based on a person’s sense of touch

Proprioceptive—based on where a person’s body is within a particular space

Vestibular—based on a person’s inner ear, and how it governs a person’s ability to interact with gravity and keep balance

For an autistic child with hyperactive sensory processing, this can lead to inappropriate social behaviors that can be very embarrassing for the parent. Additionally, this can drastically affect a child’s sleep pattern.

Most research indicates that a significant majority of children with autism have some type of sleep disorder. This can show itself in a variety of ways, such as having problems going to sleep, having problems staying asleep, or just waking up very early. For autistic children who have a hyperactive proprioceptive sensory disorder, there are a few tricks that can help the child go to sleep easier at night; one that parents are moving toward more often are weighted blankets.

The principle behind weighted blankets is to help the child with autism feel that he or she is enclosed and safe. An autistic child with a hyperactive proprioceptive sensory disorder often needs to feel cocooned in order to go to sleep because they don’t have an appropriate sense of space in relation to their body. As a result, weighted blankets, generally filled with sand or beans as opposed to traditional goose down, help alleviate the feeling of being in extraordinary space.

Without weighted blankets, many parents of autistic children must share the same bed to help compensate for their child’s anxiety over being in space. Unfortunately, an unintended consequence of this practice can be the loss of sleep for the parents who often wake the next morning sleep-deprived, which can lead to a parent’s irritability. Using a weighted blanket can encourage a child to sleep in his or her own bed allowing for a better night’s sleep for the parents as well as a better relationship with their child.

Still, a weighted blanket is not necessarily a panacea for the child who wakes up in the middle of the night or who wakes up extremely early. For an autistic child who has a persistent sleep disorder, parents might want to look into additional alternatives to use in combination with a weighted blanket. There are a number of beds on the market designed specifically for autistic children. One in particular can aid the effectiveness of a weighted blanket: Noah’s Bed.

The unique, patented design of Noah’s Bed allows for a feeling of safety for the hyperactive proprioceptive sensory child by creating a cocoon-like atmosphere while still allowing the child to see out through the mesh netting. At the same time, parents will have a sense of security knowing that their child will be safe regardless what time he or she wakes up.

For more information on weighted blankets, go to www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/weighted-blankets.html.

For more information on Noah’s Bed, go to www.noahsworldllc.com.

One way to aid sleep that is gaining traction is the use of melatonin. Melatonin is a natural hormone produced by the pineal gland (and regulated by serotonin) that governs a person’s sleep pattern. There has been some research that shows that many people with autism have a significant imbalance in their serotonin levels. When these serotonin levels are off, the body will have difficulty regulating the amount of melatonin produced by the pineal gland. This may be one reason why many children with autism have difficulties sleeping.

Recently, there was a small study (12 children) regarding the potential use of melatonin as a sleep aid published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (April 15, 2009) that showed some potential. For this small sample, children ranging from 2 to 15 years old took melatonin for two weeks and a placebo for two weeks. Overall, the study showed some promise.

While taking the melatonin, the children’s overall length sleep increased by 21 minutes and the length of time it took for the child to fall asleep decreased by 42 minutes. Dosage levels ranged from 0.5 mg to 10 mg depending on age, body weight, etc. Melatonin was given approximately 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime to increase its effectiveness.

Although promising, there are caveats to this—and other studies—regarding the use of melatonin:

First, the study mentioned here has an extremely small sample and was not a blind study; the parents knew when they were giving their child a placebo and the melatonin.
Secondly, there have been no long-term studies to determine how prolonged use of melatonin affects children—adversely or positively.

Significantly, a number of scholarly journals as well as Medline Plus—a website run by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health—all say essentially the same thing: “Well-designed controlled trials in select patient populations are needed before a stronger or more specific recommendation can be made.” (www.nlh.nih.gov/medlineplus)

Parents want what is best for their children, and there is a possibility that melatonin could be an answer to their autistic child’s sleep problems. However, it is likely that melatonin isn’t the only answer; rather it might be one piece to a jigsaw puzzle that improves an autistic child’s sleep. Even though melatonin is classified as an herbal supplement in the United States, you should always consult with a doctor before beginning use.

You close your eyes for what seems like only a minute. Again, you wake up to the tromping of your son’s feet echoing down the halls. It’s your turn this time. You roll over and look at the clock: 3:38 a.m. You force yourself out of bed and go to retrieve your son; frustrated over your lack of sleep, you place your son back into bed. It’s 5:17 a.m. and this time your child is up for good. Less than six hours of sleep…again.

This almost wouldn’t be so bad if your son where 2 months instead of two years old. You’d expect it to happen, because that’s what babies do. But now, two years later, your child has been diagnosed as being “at risk” for having autism spectrum disorder. Every night, it’s the same fight to get your autistic son to go to sleep. You begin the ritual at 7:30 p.m. and he finally falls asleep sometime between 10:30 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Like many parents with autistic children, you are at your wits’ end. You do not know what to do or where to turn. You have seen a number of occupational therapists who have tried multiple techniques to get your son to sleep earlier or to sleep longer, and yet nothing has worked. This is fairly common.

Almost all research on autism in children shows that upward of 80 percent suffer from some sort of sleep disorder. These travails can be loosely placed into one of three categories: not sleeping long enough, having problems going to sleep, and waking throughout the middle of the night. As many parents of autistic children know, being sleep deprived is a significant stress on their own lives that not only affect the parents’ well-being but also affect the parents’ ability to manage difficult behaviors in their autistic children.

Current research is promising, however. Melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland that helps to regulate sleep patterns, has shown that it might help. Recently, a small study showed that use of melatonin helped to decrease the time it takes for an autistic child to fall asleep. In addition, indicators show the herbal supplement also aided in helping children sleep longer.

Still, despite the initial studies, there is quite a bit more research needed in order to call the use of melatonin a success. Also, considering that melatonin doesn’t put a child to sleep in the same way a traditional sleeping pill does, parents who have children who periodically get up throughout the nigh should explore alternatives that can aid in keeping their child safe should he or she wake up throughout the night.

There are a number of different beds that seek to ease may help with getting autistic children to sleep, including Noah’s Bed, created by the parents of an autistic child and their carpenter neighbor. The bed helps create a safe surrounding for the child while allowing the parents the comfort of knowing their child will kept safe while they sleep and get needed rest.

Sadly, these stereotypes often hamper the treatment and care that children with autism receive in the community. Therefore, it is important that the general public be educated about autism or else negative connotations and Hollywood-constructed archetypes will continue to be the norm, not the exception.

As such, tired and exhausted though you may be from the day-to-day grind of raising your autistic child, it is still important that we all act to make sure that people understand our children in order for them to have better lives.

Most people are not ready to run a year-round, sophisticated, public relations campaign in order to make our town and city peers aware of what we face every day. However, Congress set aside April as Autism Awareness Month. Therefore, as you seek to increase the quality of life for you and your child, there are some specific steps that you can take to help raise awareness one month per year.

• Write letters to the editor: Most cities and towns have local or alternative newspapers and are receptive to having their local constituents write letters about topics of their own choosing. During April, or any time throughout the year, get as many of your friends and family to write in giving basic facts about autism. At least one of them could get printed.

• Seek City/Town Council recognition: This actually takes a little bit of planning, but is still pretty easy to do. Call the city clerk’s office in March and tell them that National Autism Awareness Month is coming up in April and that you and a few other parents in the community would like the city (or town) council to draw up a proclamation detailing a few facts (which you are happy to provide) about autism.

• Have a booth at a local event: Most localities have some sort of farmer’s market or fair these days. Ask the general manager of the market about having a booth for a couple of Saturdays so that you can provide information to the general public about autism. Bring a table, a chair, and some literature to pass out to the people going by. This is also a nice way to meet others in your community who may be affected by autism in some way.

These are the most basic principles to public awareness and advocacy. It is important that the general public understand what autism is and how it relates to our children in particular. Don’t expect that stereotypes and opinions will change overnight; we know that’s not how it works, but that’s not a reason to minimize the potential your own personal public awareness campaign might have. All you have to do is touch one person, change one person’s view of autism to have made a positive impact with your awareness campaign. After all, you never know who that one person might be.

What researchers know is that it can seriously hamper your child’s health…as well as your own. On average, a 3- to 6-year-old child needs approximately 10 to 12 hours of sleep per night. Many children with autism do not get the requisite hours of sleep, whether it’s due to an inability to read social cues (such as their siblings getting ready for bed); or may it’s because children with autism have a different internal clock.

Perhaps it has to do with a deficiency in melatonin production within the body due to low serotonin levels—there are currently a number of studies researching how melatonin affects the sleep patterns of children with autism. To date, the studies are encouraging but hardly all encompassing. Other reasons for an inability to fall asleep (or stay asleep) may relate to an autistic child’s sensitivity to outside stimuli or even a child’s reaction to that stimuli resulting in anxiety.

How, then, can you combat these forces which at times seem overwhelming? As any parent with an autistic child well knows, there are no easy answers. While autistic children might have similar characteristics and behaviors, and respond similarly in like situations, there is no one cure-all. However, there are quite a few techniques that might be able to help.

• Some children crave the touch of a human being. It might be worth your while to take the time to give your child a massage, beginning with the legs and arms and moving on from there.

• As mentioned before, some children with autism go to sleep more easily if they take melatonin shortly before bedtime. Consider starting off with 1 mg and working your way up. Of course, consult with your child’s doctor before giving your child any new over-the-counter medications.

• Many children with autism need some sort of stimulation to help them negate unwanted outside stimuli. To this end, you might try getting a therapy ball and bouncing him or her, or try gently rocking back and forth.

• Playing soothing music (perhaps Mozart or classical guitar) softly in the background might also help your child to go to sleep and stay asleep.

As you know, there is almost never just one panacea. More than likely you will have to do two or more of these and other little tricks to get your child to sleep well and stay asleep. Also, it is very likely that none of these tips will work immediately. You might find that you need to do each, some or all of the tips given to you over the course of 10 to 14 days to start to see the effect. Make sure that you give these tips the appropriate time needed to work for you and your autistic child.