Jewel Autism Centre

Visual perception refers to using a picture or other visual item to communicate with a child who has difficulty in understanding or using language. Visual perception can be photographs, drawings, objects, written words or lists. Research has shown that visual supports work well as a way to communicate. Visual perception Visual perception is used with children who have  Autism Spectrum Disorders  (ASD) for two main purposes. It helps parents communicate better with their child and it helps their child to communicate better with others. Children and adults with Autism have a great need for structure and safety. They may anxious or act out when their routine changes or they are in unfamiliar situations. Visuals can help them understand what to expect, what will happen next and also reduce anxiety. Visuals can help them pay attention to important details and help them to cope up with changes. Advantages of Visual Schedules: – It uses visual strength and therefore provides a rec

According to recent research by Paediatric Academic Societies Meeting (2017) children who use handle screens- smart phones, tablets and electronic games- before they begin to talk may be at higher risk for  speech delays . Each 30 minute increase in handled screen time translated into a 49% increased risk of expressing speech delay. Each 30 minute increase in handled screen time translated into a 49% increased risk of expressing speech delay. Introduction Children learn to talk and communicate through interaction with other people. That’s the way it has always been and that’s the way it will continue to be, despite any new technology that comes our way. The first several years of life are crucial for your child’s language development. It is when their brain is the most receptive to learning new language and is building communication pathways that will be with them for the rest of their lives. Ones that window is closed, it is difficult for someone to learn and develop langua

Children who experience social acceptance from peers are more likely to succeed as preschool   and elementary school students and to have positive transitions through childhood and adolescence. Having friends has been associated with children’s positive self esteem and reported experience of emotional security and social support. Friendship can support adaptive social processing skills including perspective taking and the development of social skills too, which is important for interacting in many social environments. Social participation with peers Friendship can lessen the tendency for negative, uncomfortable and distressing emotions that accompany stressful peer experiences and as a result support emotional regulation. Emotional regulation refers to the ability to take action by changing behavior to modify feeling status for the purpose of accomplishing interpersonal friendship.  It requires new demands on young children’s social skill as friendship is different in content, co

Down’s syndrome is a chromosomal disorder caused when an error in cell division results in an extra 21 st  chromosome. There can be impairments in cognitive ability and physical growth, mild to moderate developmental disabilities. Through a series of screenings and tests Down’s syndrome can be detected before or after birth. Causes Down’s syndrome happens when there is an extra copy of gene goes on 21 st  chromosome. Every cell in the body contains genes that are grouped along chromosomes in cell nucleus. There are normally 46 chromosomes in each cell, 23 inherited from the mother and 23 from the father. When some or a person’s entire cells have an extra full or partial copy of chromosomes 21, the result is Down’s syndrome. Characteristics People with Down’s syndrome often have distinct physical features, unique health issues and variability in cognitive development. The physical characteristics includes: – Almond eyes. Low muscles tone. Small stature and short neck. F

According to a study by Boston University, about 30 % of kids diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder are non-verbal or minimal verbal. Some non-verbal kids may develop the ability to use a few words in a meaningful manner but are unable to speak up there needs in a significant conversation. Here are some tips to help a non-verbal child to speak: – First, work on comprehension level and generalise it outside the situations. Work on imitation skills – Imitation is the ability to copy novel movements and behaviours. The concept of imitation is “doing the same”. The goal is teaching a student to clap when I clap, to stand when I stand, and to sit when I sit. Use the scrap book which depicts the pictures of high interest. Show videos of environmental sounds and make them too imitate. If possible try to make rote memory. Rote learning is a memorization technique based on “Repetition” like: – A for Apple, B for Ball, C for Cat. Please make them to fill there interested rhymes (v

Imitation is the ability to copy novel movements and behaviors.  The concept of imitation is “doing the same”. The goal is teaching a student to clap when I clap, to stand when I stand, and to sit when I sit. Imitation is mastered when you say “do this” with a brand new behavior and your child does it. Many kids learn how to imitate without being specifically taught to. However for some children with developmental disabilities, the skill of imitation may not come naturally and may require direct instruction. Before you teach imitation there are some prerequisites: – Stay seated Sit face to face Always sit with happy face Arrange the materials before going to teach imitation Give reinforcement How to improve imitation skills Children with autism exhibit significant deficits in imitation skills which impede the acquisition of more complex behaviours and socialization. Here are some tips to take the learning to the next level. Now it’s time to focus on improving child’s

Listening is the ability to attend our self to the sound messages we require the most and ignore or protect ourselves from unnecessary or unwanted messages. Listening plays a fundamental role in auditory processing and attention span both, which is essential to the acquisition of receptive language. When we talk about autistic children, these children tend to have difficulty with blocking away the unwanted background noise. This protection issue is probably the most disabling aspect of autism. Unable to protect herself / himself from the unwanted stimuli, the child is over-stimulated and overwhelmed by outside stimuli which keep startling and ‘aggressing’ her / him. Hypersensitivity to sound and tactile defensiveness is common in autism. These are the two aspects of this protection issue. The only option left out for these children is to build up a shell around them or cocoon state, as you can call and lock them up. The problem is that this state of withdrawal creates a barrier f

Visual Perception –  Visual perception refers to, brain’s ability to make sense of what the eyes sees. Good visual perception skills are important for many daily activities such as reading, writing, completing puzzles, cuttings, drawing, completing math problems etc. Without the ability to complete these everyday tasks, a child’s self-esteem can suffer & their academic and play performance can also be compromised. Visual perception abilities are important component of many cognitive skills that is related to success in school, finding one’s way in the environment & performing simple dressing tasks. Building blocks necessary to develop Visual Perception  Sensory Processing –  Accurate registration, interpretation of response to sensory stimulation in the environment & child’s own body. Visual Attention –  It is the ability to focus on important visual information & filter out unimportant background information. Visual Discrimination-  The ability to determi

Sensory Discrimination- Sensory Discrimination refers to, individual’s ability to interpret and differentiate between the spatial and temporal qualities of sensory information or “where is it” and “when did it occur” response. Each sensory system has discriminative functions that contribute to the individual’s knowledge of sensory input and preparation for a response. Therapeutic Intervention-  Many techniques are used for intervention in sensory modulation. To help a child develop appropriate tactile discrimination, child may discriminate size, shape, texture, location and quality of variety of tactile stimuli to various areas of the body with & without vision. E.g. Finding toys hidden in the bin of rice, guessing objects without seeing them and finding a particular object in a container with other objects. Providing a child with opportunities to encountering rich and varied stimuli to the skin. Textured materials, while the child is performing motor actions. Stepp

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a term used to describe a problem with movement and posture that makes certain activities difficult. CP is a group of conditions characterized by brain damage that creates neurological and motor defects in a developing child. CAUSES CP does not have a single cause An unborn child may have – Brain injury Injection Abnormal development of brain tissue. Risk factors for developing CP Premature (Early) birth Low birth weight Blood clotting problems Prolonged loss of oxygen during the birthing process Severe jaundice shortly after birth SYMPTOMS Exaggerated reflexes Floppy or rigid limbs and involuntary motions Difficulty in walking, difficulty with bodily movements Problems with coordination Stiff muscles Paralysis of one side of the body Speech delay in child Difficulty in swallowing, drooling Seizure Tremor etc. CP AND TREATMENT CP cannot be cured; treatment will often improve a child’s capabilities. Many children with ce

Autism spectrum disorder  is a developmental condition which in characterized by impairment in social interaction, verbal and non verbal communication along with repetitive behaviours. Researched studies revealed that the parts of brain which control and coordinate communication, social interaction and sensory skills are not functioning properly in children with autism. By intensive training we are helping other parts of brain to take one these functioning. For the effective intervention methods it’s important to do a proper assessment and grouping of children according to their behavioural characterisation. Group therapy and it’s benefits What is group therapy? Group therapy is mainly focused on teaching social and communication skills in children with autism. These groups are small groups consisting of 2or more kids, who will be directed by a trained therapist. We have to group the children according to there age, linguistic skill and social- emotions aspects. How group the