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Understanding & Managing Feeding Disorders

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 18:09:32 GMT

Feeding Disorders can manifest in various ways, affecting children's ability to eat or their willingness to try new foods. Common types include: Picky Eating,Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), Difficulty Swallowing (Dysphagia0, Food Texture Aversion, Anxiety Around Eating--to name a few. Kathleen Fitzgerald MS/CCC/SLP is our SLP Feeding Disorder Specialist and has been a speech/language pathologist for over 25 years.

Cognitive Disorder or Impairment

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 16:01:53 GMT

A cognitive disorder or impairment (also known as an intellectual disability) is a term used when a person has certain limitations in mental functioning and in skills such as communication, self-help, and social skills. These limitations will cause a child to learn and develop more slowly than a typical child. It is diagnosed through the use of standardized tests of intelligence and adaptive behavior. It can be caused by injury, disease, genetic condition, or a brain abnormality. This can happen before a child is born or during childhood. For many children, the cause of their intellectual disability is not known.

How will this affect my child?

Children with intellectual disabilities may take longer to learn to speak, walk, and take care of their personal needs such as dressing or eating. They are likely to have trouble learning in school. They will learn, but it will take them longer.

Signs of cognitive impairment in children include:

Delayed motor skills, like walking later than other children

Delayed speech or difficulty speaking

Difficulty learning at grade level

Poor memory

Difficulty understanding consequences

Poor problem-solving skills

Difficulty with social rules

Lack of age-appropriate self-help skills

Cognitive impairment can be caused by a number of factors, including injury, disease, genetic conditions, or brain abnormalities. For many children, the cause is unknown.

Cognitive impairment is diagnosed through standardized tests of intelligence and adaptive behavior.

Treatments

At Stonebridge Behavior Services, early intervention and consistent support can help your child thrive. While there is no cure for intellectual disability, our programs and services and at your child’s school can help your child learn at his or her own speed and gain the skills he or she needs to lead a satisfying life. Yet, your child may require services such as speech or occupational therapy, special education and transition care as he or she gets older.

Key Points to Remember

Children with intellectual disabilities have limits on how much they can learn and function. They may be slower to learn, speak, walk and adapt to social situations than other children.

With an accurate and early diagnosis, your child can make better strides to a satisfying life.

There is no cure for intellectual disability, but your child can benefit from many resources available in your community as well as from strong support from all caregivers.

Autism Signs & Symptoms

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 12:29:46 GMT

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can vary in severity of symptoms, age of onset, and the presence of various features such as language and intellectual ability. The manifestations of ASD can differ considerably across individuals. Even though there are strong and consistent commonalities, especially in social interaction, there is no single behavior that is always present in every individual with ASD, and no behavior that would automatically exclude an individual from diagnosis of ASD.

How can I tell if someone I know has autism?

Individuals with ASD interact with others differently. They often appear to have difficulty understanding and expressing emotion and may express attachment in a different manner.

Many individuals with ASD do not develop effective spoken language and rely upon other methods of communicating, such as pointing to pictures or using a tablet computer with special language applications. Others have echolalia, the repeating of words or phrases over and over. Individuals with ASD often have difficulty understanding the nonverbal aspect of language such as social cues, body language, and vocal qualities (pitch, tone and volume).

Individuals with ASD often have a great need for routine and order, which can make them upset if objects in their environment or time schedules change. Children with ASD may not play with toys in the same manner as their peers and may become fixated on specific objects. Persons with ASD have a different reaction to sensory stimuli by seeing, hearing, feeling, or tasting things with more or less intensity than others.

Children with ASD often have a different rate of development, especially in the areas of communication, social, and cognitive skills. In contrast, motor development may occur at a typical rate. Sometimes skills will appear in children with ASD at the expected rate or time and then disappear.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a lifelong disability that is generally diagnosed before the age of three years old. However, children are often misdiagnosed or not diagnosed until later in life. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests parents consider the following questions:

Does your child…

-Not speak as well as their peers?

-Have poor eye contact?

-Not respond selectively to their name?

-Act as if they are in their own world?

-Seem to “tune others out?”

-Seem unable to tell you what they want, preferring to lead you by the hand or get desired objects on their own, even at risk of danger?

-Have difficulty following simple commands?

-Not bring things to you simply to “show” you?

-Not point to interesting objects to direct your attention to objects or events of interest?

-Have unusually long and severe temper tantrums?

-Have repetitive, unusual, or stereotypic behaviors?

-Show an unusual attachment to inanimate objects, especially hard ones (e.g., flashlight or a chain vs. teddy bear or blanket)?

-Prefer to play alone?

-Demonstrate an inability to play with toys in the typical way?

-Not engage in pretend play (if older than 2 years)?

What to do if you think your child has autism?

Autism Spectrum Disorder affects each individual differently and at varying degrees, which is why early diagnosis is so crucial. ASD is a lifelong disability, but early intervention often contributes to lifelong positive outcomes.

Get a diagnosis. If you're concerned, see a doctor who's familiar with ASD. Don't assume the child will catch up.

Get help. Education, intervention, and speech therapy are often critical. Contact Stonebridge for supportive services, 508.287.8692

Know your rights. Children with autism can be eligible for early intervention and special education services that are free starting at age 3. Your health insurance may include coverage for the medical services your child needs.

Autism Statistics & Facts

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 14:01:46 GMT

•1 in 36 children in the U.S. have autism, up from the previous rate of 1 in 44.

•1 in 45 adults in the U.S. have autism

•In the U.S., about 4 in 100 boys and 1 in 100 girls have autism.

•Boys are nearly 4 times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.

•Autism prevalence is lower among white children than other racial and ethnic groups:

◦White – 2.4%

◦Black – 2.9%

◦Hispanic – 3.2%

◦Asian or Pacific Islander – 3.3%

These changes reflect an improvement in outreach, screening and de-stigmatization of autism diagnosis among minority communities.

*The CDC autism prevalence estimates are for 8-year-old children across 11 monitoring sites in the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network in 2020.

Diagnosis and early intervention

Source: National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) (2016-2019)

•Autism can be reliably diagnosed by a specialist by age 2, but the average age of autism diagnosis in the U.S. is 5 years.

•The average age of first intervention in the U.S. is 4.7 years.

•The average age of diagnosis for children in lower income households is 4.7 years compared to 5.2 years in higher income households.

The average ages of diagnosis and first intervention vary widely between states. See how your state compares.

Special Education

Source: U.S. Department of Education (2018-2019)

•74% of autistic students in the U.S. graduate with a diploma, versus 86% of all students.

•19% of autistic students in the U.S. graduate with a certificate.

•8% of autistic students in the U.S. don't finish high school, versus 5% of all students.

View graduation rates in your state.

Employment

Sources: U.S. Department of Education (2014-2016), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022)

•Only 21% of people with disabilities, including autism, are employed.

•Nearly 60% of people with autism in the U.S. are employed after receiving vocational rehabilitation (VR) services. These are state-provided services that help autistic individuals explore possible careers, find a job and secure needed accommodations in the workplace.

•70% of eligible autistic individuals in the U.S. receive VR.

•50% of autistic youth in the U.S. who receive VR begin those services in high school.

Dig deeper into VR outcomes across the U.S.

Healthcare Costs

Source: FAIR Health Inc. (2021)

The average costs of common autism services in the U.S. are:

•Adaptive behavior – $82.25

•Developmental screening – $165.95

•Emergency department – $1,397.22

•Physical therapy – $74.99

•Psychiatry – $253.40

Speech/Language – $174.80

•Therapeutic behavioral – $175.44

Source: Autism Speaks https://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-statistics-asd

How is Autism Diagnosed?

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 14:13:12 GMT

How is Autism Diagnosed?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children be screened for autism at their 18 and 24-month well-child checkup. If you're not sure if your child has been screened, you can ask for a screening. You can also complete the online autism screener print the results, and bring them to your healthcare provider to discuss your concerns.

If the screener shows that your child may have a greater chance of having autism - it is not a diagnosis. You should speak with your child's healthcare provider about getting a full evaluation from a qualified medical specialist such as a neurologist, behavior pediatrician, or psychiatrist, who can provide a diagnosis.

In the meantime, you don't need to wait for a diagnosis you can access these services free of charge through your state's Early Intervention program (ages birth - 3) or your school district's Special Education Office (age 3 - 21). Research shows that early intervention can provide the best outcomes.

Even if your child is receiving services through early intervention or your school district, and their screening indicated an increased risk for autism, you do want to get a full evaluation. That evaluation may result in a diagnosis If you get a diagnosis of autism, you want to contact your early intervention provider or school district and let them know. The diagnosis may help to provide access to autism specific treatments and most often, is covered by health insurance.

How do I Get My Child Screened for Autism?

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 14:08:44 GMT

How do I Get My Child Screened for Autism?

Does your child show signs of autism? Do you wonder about his or her development?

We encourage you to get your child screened promptly.

You can request an autism screening anytime from your doctor or your state’s Early Intervention Program .

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children get screened for autism at their 18- and 24-month exams – and whenever a parent or doctor has concerns.

Meanwhile, you can complete the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers-Revised (M-CHAT-R™) . It takes just a few minutes to assess the likelihood of autism. And you can take the results to your doctor.

Talk with your healthcare provider. Screening doesn’t diagnose autism. It flags behaviors often associated with the condition. After screening, your doctor can refer you to a specialist for a diagnostic evaluation.

Importantly, you don’t need to wait for a diagnosis for your child to receive services. Federal law requires states to provide therapy whenever screening identifies developmental delays or learning challenges. Yet, a diagnosis is necessary for health insurance coverage.

Benefits of ABA Therapy

Thu, 29 Aug 2024 14:01:45 GMT

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy offers several benefits for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), focusing on enhancing skills and managing behaviors.

Here are some key benefits:

1. Skill Development

• Communication : ABA helps improve verbal and non-verbal communication skills. This can include developing basic language skills, enhancing conversational abilities, and using alternative communication methods if necessary.

• Social Skills : Therapy can enhance social interactions by teaching appropriate social behaviors, understanding social cues, and developing friendships.

• Daily Living Skills : ABA can assist with learning daily routines and self-care tasks, such as dressing, eating, and personal hygiene.

2. Behavior Management

• Reducing Challenging Behaviors : ABA is effective in identifying the causes of challenging behaviors (e.g., aggression, self-injury) and implementing strategies to reduce them.

• Increasing Positive Behaviors : The therapy encourages the development of desirable behaviors through reinforcement, helping individuals learn new and appropriate ways to interact with their environment.

3. Individualized Approach

• Customized Plans : ABA therapy is tailored to each individual’s unique needs, strengths, and goals, ensuring that interventions are relevant and effective.

• Adaptive Strategies : Therapists adjust strategies based on ongoing assessment and data collection, making the therapy responsive to the individual's progress and changing needs.

4. Structured Learning

• Clear Goals and Objectives : ABA therapy involves setting specific, measurable goals that provide a clear roadmap for progress.

• Systematic Instruction : Techniques such as discrete trial training (DTT) break skills into smaller, manageable parts, making learning more structured and accessible.

5. Data-Driven

• Ongoing Monitoring : Continuous data collection allows therapists to track progress, evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, and make data-informed decisions to optimize outcomes.

• Evidence-Based : The therapy is grounded in scientific principles and research, providing a structured approach that has been shown to be effective for many individuals.

6. Family Involvement

• Parent Training : ABA often includes training for parents and caregivers, equipping them with strategies to support their child's development and reinforce skills at home.

• Family Support : The therapy emphasizes collaboration with families to create a supportive environment that extends beyond therapy sessions.

7. Functional Independence

• Enhanced Independence : ABA can help individuals gain the skills necessary for greater independence, including vocational skills, problem-solving, and self-management.

• Community Integration : By improving functional skills, ABA supports better integration into community and educational settings.

8. Generalization of Skills

• Application in Various Settings : ABA aims to ensure that skills learned in therapy are generalized to different environments and situations, such as home, in our Stonebridge Center, school, and community settings.

9. Positive Reinforcement

• Motivational Strategies : ABA uses positive reinforcement to encourage desired behaviors, which can enhance motivation and engagement in learning.

ABA therapy has been shown to produce significant improvements for many individuals with ASD, though the effectiveness can vary depending on factors such as the intensity of therapy, the individual's specific needs, and the quality of implementation. It's important for therapy to be delivered in a respectful and supportive manner, considering the individual's preferences and promoting their overall well-being.

Stonebridge Parent Support Group Meeting

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 18:09:37 GMT

Parent Support Group at Stonebridge Behavioral Services

August 26th, 2024.

Hello and Welcome,

We're thrilled to announce the launch of a new parent training and support group this Fall! In these sessions, families will receive training on various ABA topics while connecting with other parents facing similar challenges. Topics include enhancing independence in the community, fostering relationships, toilet training, and more!

The group sessions will be scheduled biweekly, and will last for 1 to 1 ½ hours. The meetings will provide valuable information you can use to assist you and your child at home and some time to chat about and get suggestions related to challenges you’re having with your child at home. Group support meetings will begin MONDAY 9/23 AT 10AM AT PANERA IN MASHPEE COMMONS and also at the STONEBRIDGE CENTER ON THURSDAY 9/26 AT 7PM . The meetings will be conducted by 2 experienced BCBA’s Maggie Orner M.Sc., BCBA, LABA for families wishing to meet on Cape Cod and by Hailey Yakavonis M.Ed., BCBA, LABA for families who would like to meet at the Stonebridge Center in Pembroke. Light refreshments will be provided at the meetings. You do not need to be a client of Stonebridge Behavioral Services or even have a child with with a disorder; we know that even parents of typical children experience challenges with their children and you are more than welcome to join us for some behavioral insights, solutions, and networking with other parents. If you're interested in joining us, please fill out the survey link below for specific dates and times. We look forward to having you onboard!

Sincerely,

Maggie and Hailey.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SGFCBSR

30 Facts to Know about Autism Spectrum Disorder

websitebuilder@thryv.com — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 08:32:08 GMT

30 Facts about Autism

-Lurie Center for Autism

Autism spectrum disorder affects 1 in 36 children.
Boys are nearly 5 times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with ASD. Girls are often underdiagnosed with autism and misdiagnosed with other conditions.
Autism spectrum disorder is one of the fastest-growing developmental disorders in the United States. ASD is more common than childhood cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined.
Autism spectrum disorder affects all nationalities, all creeds, all religions, all races and both sexes. It doesn’t differentiate or affect only one group.
Self-Advocacy is an important skill that is especially important for autistic individuals. In order to be a great self-advocate, people first must know what their strengths are as well as what accommodations serve them the best. With that knowledge, they can be their own best advocate with family, school, or community.
Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disability that often presents with challenges before the age of 3 and lasts throughout a person’s lifetime.
Early identification, treatment, and support matters! Many important outcomes for children's lives are significantly improved with early diagnosis and treatment.
Early behavior-based interventions have positive effects on some children with autism spectrum disorder and less note-worthy effects on other children. Early services need to be based on individual children's needs and learning styles. Services for adults with ASD must be carefully individualized.
There is currently no medical detection blood test or cure for autism spectrum disorder.
Parents do not and cannot cause autism spectrum disorder. Although the multiple causes of ASD are not known, it is known that parental behavior before, during, and after pregnancy does not cause ASD.
Many individuals with autism spectrum disorder have difficulties with communication. For some people this can look like significant challenges with spoken language and for others it can look like challenges with social communication.
Autism spectrum disorder is not a disorder that gets worse with age. Individuals with ASD can learn and build new skills with the right support, and are most likely to improve with specialized, individualized services and opportunities for supported inclusion.
Being nonverbal at age 4 does not mean that a child with autism will never speak. Research shows that most will learn to use words and nearly half will learn to speak fluently.
Children and adults with autism spectrum disorder often care deeply but struggle to spontaneously develop empathic and socially connected typical behavior. Individuals with ASD often want to interact socially but lack the ability to spontaneously develop effective social interaction skills.
Supporting an individual with autism spectrum disorder costs a family $60,000 a year on average. The cost of lifelong care can be reduced by 2/3 with early diagnosis and intervention. According to a recent study, the lifetime costs of autism average $1.4 million to $2.4 million.
Co-occurring medical conditions in autism spectrum disorder are common and may include allergies, asthma, epilepsy, digestive disorders, feeding disorders, sleep disorders, sensory integration dysfunction, cognitive impairments, and other medical disorders.
Children and teens with autism often have lower bone density than their peers.
Up to a third of people with autism spectrum disorder also develop seizure disorders—the rate of seizures in people with ASD is 10 times higher than in the general population.
About 10% of people with autism spectrum disorder also have another genetic, neurological, or metabolic disorder.
Each person with autism spectrum disorder is a unique individual; people with ASD differ as much from one another as do all people. Children and adults with ASD may speak or interact with others. They may have good eye contact. They may be verbal or non-verbal. They may be very bright, of average intelligence or have cognitive deficits.
Hyperlexia, the ability to read above one’s age or grade level in school, commonly accompanies autism spectrum disorder.
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder may be very creative and find a passion and talent for music, theater, art, dance, and singing quite easily.
Children with autism are 160 times more likely to drown than typical children. Therefore, it is very important to teach them to swim and to keep an eye on children around water.
Researchers and clinicians hypothesize that symptoms of autism spectrum disorder in males and females may differ, leading many females to be diagnosed later than males. Females with autism spectrum disorder are often an understudied group in research.
Gender differences in symptoms have been found within the areas of social understanding, social communication, and social imagination.
About 50,000 individuals with autism spectrum disorder will exit high school each year in the United States. Many services required by law end abruptly after high school, leaving young adults under-supported.
35% of adults with autism spectrum disorder have not had a job or received postgraduate education after leaving high school.
Employers are recognizing that creating a neurodiverse workforce is fundamental for success. Companies that recruit, retain, and nurture neurodivergent employees gain a competitive advantage in the areas of productivity, innovation, culture, and talent retention, to name a few.
There is no federal requirement for providing supportive services to people with autism in adulthood. This leaves many families navigating these types of services on their own.
Many people with autism spectrum disorder are successfully living and working and contributing to the well-being of others in their local communities. This is most likely to happen when appropriate services are delivered during the child's educational years.