Behaviors and Self-Determination

Some people struggle with developing skills because of particular behaviors developed from influences over the years. When they struggle with pre-structured behaviors or genetically related behaviors it often makes it a harder struggle to build self-determination. Usually with some help, a good mentor, counselor, etc, the person can develop skills. It may take longer, but it is worth the wait. 

 

A person's behavior towards a situation could also affect the way others see them. Their attitude towards others could also affect their behavior as well. One’s attitude needs to be adjusted for one to develop and change their self-determination. A person could be assessed in any situation so as to understand what they are going through for one to understand them in any way. May be a sort of group therapy may also help so as the teacher can pick up on any feelings you may have when discussing matters. Some people may feel better if they converse about things first to others and listen to others and their issues or problems they may have or problems they seem to face in everyday life. In a child it could be something that has happened to them emotionally or mentally. No one knows unless these issues are raised. If a child has a problem at home maybe the child feels better telling a complete stranger i.e., Counselor so as they can understand from the way they may see things rather than talk to a relative. There may be a lot the person may want to say and may be a bit overwhelmed when talking to someone they know. They may have a lot to say and feel nervous in front of someone. For example, you may want to feel less anxious or tired and therefore a session in counseling may be of help to you in some way or another. Counseling may also help in other ways if need be.

 

Considering the cognitive approach, motivation sometimes crosses over the lines of theory. For instance, implicit motives can set in motion or cause someone unknowingly to react to something when the person is unaware of his or her intentions. By training the mind to learn while focusing on the objective, you can help one to reform unconstructive behaviors. Sometimes counselors will use priming methods to measure the patient’s contained memory. The process involves scrambling letters. Once the letters are jumbled the entity is asked to choose some words from the letters. The letters in the first instance should relate to success while in the second instance it should relate to relationship. 

During these tests, patients that chose the success often showed higher degrees of motivation than those that were confined to relationships. Each party during these tests is often prepared with success-related terms or words. You might try the priming methods at home to see if your child can progress and build his or her motivation. 

 

Aside from the priming method, you have other methods to consider to help your child develop motivation and self-determination. It is a proven fact that we often develop behaviors whether consciously or not, and in time unconscious influences that enforced the behaviors upon us will display themselves in our behavior. We must constantly stay on guard to defend our human rights and to make sure that others are not influencing our behaviors. 

 

Another good strategy that you can use is the pro and con measurement test. This test will help your child see the benefits of balance, good skills, motivation, etc, and see the consequences of the cons. It is an effective therapeutic strategy that works.

 

Helping Children Recognize Their Self-Worth

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” We know that our self-talks and much of our low self-esteem comes not from what is said to us, but what we say to ourselves.

 

Have you ever had that experience where something someone says to you during the course of the day seems to repeat itself in your mind? Does it affect you as you go about your everyday business and make you feel unworthy and perhaps even interfere with your relationships? 

 

 Most of us have this experience on a regular basis and it’s not easy to forget the comments because our mind plays the words and eventually, we believe it ourselves. We may even convince ourselves of something that was not intended by the person who spoke the words to us.

 

We may not like to admit it, but we allow the words of others to affect us. We recite the child’s poem “sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” Yet we know they do! Most people would agree that long after broken bones heal, the pain of negative words lingers on. 

 

As children, we were often hurt by the negative talk of those who were the significant people in our lives. Even if we didn’t realize how those words affect us, we carried these negative thoughts into our adult years. We tend to filter what others say to us through the filer of our experiences. It is difficult to change our own perceptions, but for our children, it’s not too late. 

 

As parents and adults, we can help our children to develop strong self-esteem by thinking about the words we use when we talk to them. Teaching them to recognize their own self-worth is essential to helping them develop a strong self-esteem. Significant adults in children’s lives must give them lots of praise and help them to recognize their achievements. However, it is equally important to ensure that a child can recognize their own self-worth and to maintain strong self-esteem even when may need to be disciplined for things they do which may not be praiseworthy. 

 

As adults, we learn to hear praise and reject it consciously or subconsciously. When we learn to praise ourselves appropriately, we own the praise. Teaching a child to praise its own accomplishment teaches a child an important resource that will greatly help them in the future. 

 

What Language Do You Speak?

We live in a time of ever-increasing uncertainty and anxiety levels are on the increase. Adults and children alike are experiencing a sense of bewilderment as they try to balance the many things happening in their personal lives and in a world that is experiencing turmoil and disaster on unprecedented levels. 

 

In such a world, it is easy to slip into a language of negativity, yet it doesn’t need to be this way. We can learn to speak the language of optimism and help those around to learn it too. When you learn the language of optimism, you are learning to experience life by embracing and acknowledging the things that go right and shrugging your shoulders, and moving on from the things that go wrong. 

 

Teaching this essential skill to our children is extremely important for all parents, teachers and caregivers to understand and appreciate. As we practice recognizing our own achievements and acknowledging them in the home, we are role modeling to our children the importance of doing their best and then having the pleasure of others and ourselves showing appreciation for the things achieved. A pessimistic perspective however would look at the situation surrounding the achievements and focus attention on them, rather than on the people attaining them. 

 

When a child (or an adult) leans to speak with optimism, they are able to take failure and turn it into potential for growth. Instead of seeing failure pessimistically and dwelling in grief on the cause of the failure, the optimistic person can focus on the failure being a learning curve and will use the opportunity to turn this failure into an opportunity to learn new skills or to develop a new understanding of the way things work. 

 

The optimistic thinker is able to see the problem as a temporary setback, it doesn’t affect their self-worth or self-confidence and they keep trying until they achieve their goals. The pessimistic approach would see this problem as more of a permanent problem Over time, as all problems become “bad or big”, the person eventually begins to see them all in a pessimistic way, gradually losing all sense of self-esteem and self-wealth.

 

Children learn from their parents. They often mimic their parent’s behavior. As you teach your children to become successful and well educated, they will display optimism in their own lives. They will learn to see life from the perspective of self-worth and self-esteem and even if this over exaggerated, it gives them the hidden courage to say" no" to peer pressure.

Factors that Bring about Self-Development

There are two main factors which affect personal development and they are environment and genetics or heredity. Over the years researchers have tried to prove whether it is our genes or our environment. The only answer that has been gotten so far is that both of them contribute greatly in shaping us. This is when we tend to weigh nature with nurture. In the real sense, it is a fact that there are forty-eight chromosomes, male has got twenty-four chromosomes whereas the female is made up of twenty-four also. When these chromosomes combine, they make up a human being and that is why you will find that some of us will have our fathers’ nose or our maters nose. 

 

These chromosomes however are the ones which carry our mothers and our fathers’ genetics and therefore passed onto us. But there are also those genetic traits which are not passed on to the children directly but go to the grandchildren or the next generation. This is what we call genetic gap. This is the reason why we tend to look more like our grandparents but not our parents. This is what we call hereditary factor. The other key factor that is very important and contributes greatly on self-improvement and personality development is capability and capacity.

 

There is a difference between aptitude and ability. Aptitude is basically a series of qualities that are important in discovering a task. Ability on the other hand is implementing whatever you have discovered or learned. Aptitude is passed on but not your skills in something like for example swimming. Moreover, it can be inherited to learn the skill. The ability however cannot be inherited but rather practiced. 

 

When it comes to environment factor, we have an example of the behavior of a child. A child will tend to learn from whatever is around him or her, be it the things around or the people around him. Other social activities that he has to learn are the likes of eating, walking and talking just like the other people. However, the people he will be spending time with are the ones who will determine his personality in due time whether positively or negatively.

 

At our tender age, our parents and any other close relative are the ones who will make us who we will be by the time we reach five years. When we reach that age of going to school then our personality development will come about from our classmates and the people we spend most our time with, The group that we hang around. 

Feeling Down—What Is Your Diet Like?

For a long time, the effect of diet on children’s moods has been the subject of debate. Child Psychologists suggest that diet modification may be an effective way of helping to improve children’s behavior. The effect of diet on an adult’s well-being is being increasingly understood. 

 

Many adults feel depressed or have no energy to do the things they want to do. People blame their children, their heavy workload, and their lack of sleep. Most people don’t consider their diet as either a cause of their feelings of negativity or a way to reduce stress and understanding this can help many people find some relief from the stress related negative feelings. If you are struggling with negative thoughts and feeling tired and stressed try these diet changes and see if they help you.

 

1.  Green tea has been identified as an extremely effective stress relieving drink. Drinking green tea in preference to drinking caffeine may help to reduce the effects of caffeine as a stimulant. Reducing Caffeine intake and drinking green tea are both useful strategies to reduce feelings of stress and tension.

2.  One of the reasons why people instinctively reach for sweet and savory foods when they are feeling down is due to low serotonin levels in the body. Sweet and savory foods can create a sharp sudden spike in feelings of well being and then drop suddenly. They stimulate the production of a hormone called serotonin, which reduce stress and create a feeling of contentment and well-being. 

3.  A better option is food high in good carbohydrates eaten with a protein source. Eating adequate quantities of both carbohydrates and proteins provide the body with optimum opportunity to produce adequate sustained serotonin levels. Some of the best foods to produce high serration levels are flaxseed, turkey, dark chocolate, fish and seafood, flax seeds, cherries and bananas. 

4.  Restrict the amount of sweet foods in your diet and don’t go follow a low carbohydrate diet. Easting sweet foods and certain starchy foods create and immediate feeling of well-being that quickly disappears and leaves a feeling of fatigue and tiredness. 

 

Taking control of your diet and choosing to exercise regularly helps you regain a sense of control in your life. This can reverse the negative feelings that are associated with poor eating choices. Positive thinking can be the result of feeling in control, even as feeling out of control can create negative thinking. When a person feels in control, anxiety and stress levels and negative self-talk and thinking usually decreases.

Health of Body and Health of Mind

What does it really mean to be healthy? If you are fit and can do all your work reasonably well, then does it mean you are healthy? Is fitness health? 

 

Most people equate health with health of body. This is not exactly wrong, because until some years ago, that was the concept and meaning of health that we had in mind. We thought that health of body means that you are healthy. People believed that if you are free from disease, it meant they were healthy.

 

But these are old notions. In today’s world, it is not just enough to be free from disease to be healthy. The view has definitely widened.

 

Today, health has various aspects to it. Experts speak about the physical, the mental, the spiritual and even the social aspect of health. Health is no longer just absence from disease, but you have to be free from any mental, psychological and social disorders too to be counted as healthy.

 

Think about a criminal. A person who does something against society does so because they are not well in the mind. Though they may not have any disease hounding them, they are definitely not healthy. They need to be cured; and hence even corrective methods used by governments and law agencies are modes of treatment.

 

There are so many signs of ill-health that parents completely ignore in their growing children. They see things like sickness and disease, but they completely ignore their mental grown and development. A child who lies needs to be corrected. A child who finds happiness in troubling their parents and teachers need some kind of help. These are not issues of the body; they are issues of the mind. They need to be tackled early on, because like any other disease, they can grow to serious proportions.

 

In the past, health was something that was individual. If you did not take care of your health, it was only you who suffered. But, with this widened definition for health, the scope has definitely increased. If you don’t take care of your health now, it won’t be just you who suffer. Think about the child whose habits are difficult to control. Such a child probably grows up and becomes a torment to society in some way or the other.

 

Health and wellness do not mean the same thing as they did a decade ago. In fact, even medical practitioners include various interpersonal and social methods of treatment. It is all a part of a much larger game. 

Kids Birthday Parties Theme Ideas

Among the most gratifying parts in preparing for a youngster’s birthday party is coming up with the motif. Normally, the theme of the party will depend upon the age of the youngster. For those who are younger children, ages 1 to 2, it might be best to come up with motifs where almost all youngsters can connect. For tots and older youngsters who are able to decide what they'd want for their parties, it's best to base the theme on their pet cartoon characters and the like. 

 

It may be difficult to decide on a theme that will suit their youngsters best. If you're one of those who are having a difficult time picking what theme to use, here are some hints for you: 

 

Do research. This may be done by studying kiddie magazines that have birthday themes for each age group or may be done by browsing the net and look for sites that offer themes for youngsters’ birthday parties. Here, you'll have a wide range of choices for your youngster. 

 

Recognize the most popular ideas for birthday parties now. This is the most dependable way to go about picking a theme since your youngster’s party will be cutting-edge. You can get updates on the popular motifs by also checking it on the net. 

 

Pick a basic theme and make your own versions. There are so many basic ideas for youngsters’ birthday parties these days. But if you prefer to be unique, you can do your own variations to suit your kid’s personality. You can likewise mix 2 or more themes and come up with a fresh one that will certainly be a surefire hit to the guests no matter their ages. 

 

Choose a theme that would suit your youngsters’ personality. As a parent, you know what your child's personality is like. To make certain that he or she will love the party, pick a theme that will match his or her identity. 

 

Make certain that the idea of the party is suited for the youngster’s age and gender. This is really crucial. 

 

For boys, the most common ideas include a "Sports party", the "Pirate party”, and a "Farm party".

 

For little girls, the most popular themes are the "Princess Party”, "Pop star party”, or an "Arts and Crafts party”.

Youngsters Birthday Parties Tips

For parents, their youngster’s birthday parties are one of the most significant events in their parenthood. This is because they get to demonstrate to their youngsters how much they love them by making something for their own day. 

 

Just like in a lot of affairs, planning is the chief key to make any endeavor successful. To guarantee that your youngster will be having a pleasurable and trouble-free birthday party, make certain that you plan way before. 

 

Experts state that planning for a youngster’s birthday party ought to begin as early as one moth prior to the exact date of the party. This is because the more time one has, the better she or he may dream up ways to make the party more successful and fantastic. If you plan this early, you are able to have the best location, the better cake, and the verification of the guests who you plan to invite.

 

Consider a theme. If your youngster is old enough to choose a theme for the birthday party, allow him to her to do so. This is crucial to guarantee that the child will enjoy the party. This is likewise one great way of asking help from the youngster in the matters that require preparation. For younger kids, pick a general theme that youngsters of all ages may relate to like fairies and castles for girls and pirates for boys. If you've a theme this early, there will be more time for you to pick decorations and even costumes for the party. 

 

Choose a venue and band the time. To do this, you are able to get a consensus from the guests you're planning to ask over. It's a must that you think about their various schedules so you can come up with one that's handy to all of them. The same goes when choosing a venue. Don’t pick a location where parents and other invitees will have a hard time finding. 

 

Send birthday party invitations as soon as possible. Once you've a theme, location and time, you're ready to make the invitations. You can make your own invitations depending upon the theme of the party or you can simply buy readymade ones to save some time. It's a must that you get an RSVP so you'll know how many guests to anticipate.

Kart Racing For Novices

Kart racing is a sort of motorsport and among the cheapest ways to go fast on 4 wheels and race around in competitive surroundings. It utilizes open-wheeled vehicles that are powered by little engines that weigh only about 160lbs without the driver. With that small weight to haul about, even utilizing diminutive engines, these things can attain speeds in excess of 100mph. That’s fast. 

 

Equated to other forms of motorsport, the hardware in kart racing looks entry-level, and really it is. Engines are less complicated in these vehicles, and don’t call for that much maintenance like in bigger, more expensive engines. The body construction of karts are of tube steel, which holds the engine and drive train parts in place, as well as serving as the suspension system, since karts don’t have springs or dampers to make certain that the tires put the force on the ground.

 

There are a couple differences in constructs when it comes to body design, as since the steel tubes likewise serve as the vehicle’s suspension system, then it needs to be adjustable, so that traction and vehicle behavior may also be corrected according to track conditions.

 

In carting, as it's a form of racing that has good speed, close contention, and intense preciseness due to its little size and maneuverability, the driver element of the race is higher compared to other sorts of motorsport. So a great deal depends on the driver because of the fact that it hinges upon the judgment of the driver to drive as close to the apex of a corner as possible. This translates to just centimeters on track, and it likewise takes a fair amount of bravery to take a vehicle to its boundaries, and have a track barrier that close to you. 

 

Due to the cheap nature of the sport, carting is likewise utilized as a tool to teach wishful drivers the basics of racing methods, because much of the fundamental concepts of racing karts apply also to other sorts of motorsports and this is a form of racing that may exemplify the importance of great technique more than any other sport. Many drivers have used carting as a stepping stone to continue to higher forms of racing. 

Personality Development at the Stage of Childhood

The main factor that pressures or brings about personality development is in place and very much functional when the babies is still in the mother’s womb, however the doctors oppose to this. The people who do psychiatry have come up with their own theories which state that the personality of a human being grows in particular progressive period the minute we are born. They are however exploratory and not definite in the real sense. These phases are not there the way the psychiatric theories claim. The supposed personality periods hypothetically come about in ways related to physical stages of growth like crawling, walking and running. However, our bodily development stages look suitable but this is not exactly what happens when it comes to our personalities.

 

Let us first talk about how personality starts. It begins to evolve when we are still in our mothers’ wombs. The main factors that power personality is finely reinforced before one gets to early childhood. Every person’s intention, attitude, way of thinking, feelings, actions and the way he reacts influences one’s personality growth negatively or positively. There are two major ways that a person develops his personality. One can develop his personality with the right choice or the second one is that he can develop with the wrong choices. This will greatly determine your personality which people will use to describe you. You will find that those people who are mean develop poisonous personalities within no time due to numerous ongoing, self-centered, wrong, deceitful and immature choices. 

 

On the other hand, positive and fit personality is made with many ongoing, kindness, right, love, honesty, and admirable dependable choices. You will find that most of us mean people have made a choice to look at life in either angry way or in a fearful way. The particular way becomes the basic way that we inconsiderately control as we try to get whatever we want or to evade what we do not want in many circumstances and relations. And so you will find that whether you are fearful or basically angry, that is how your personality will bring about itself.  

 

The next thing that we are going to look at in personality development is learning. There are numerous theories which claim that learning is the main factor in development of personality and manners. It is obvious that there are many mental and physical activities that need to be learned. This however does not apply in personality development and characteristics. These are two very different things. You should note that personality does not rely on learning and neither is it innate at conception it only grows at the early stages of childhood.

Breastfeeding 101: Find The Perfect Breast Pump For You

Breast feeding is said to be the best nutritional choice for feeding your new new-born baby, but it also has proven health benefits for moms as well. You can lose that pregnancy weight quicker by breastfeeding because it burns extra calories and lowers your body fat content - without exercise! Breastfeeding also releases a hormone called oxytocin which will cause your uterus to contract and return to its normal size more rapidly. It reduces the amount of postpartum bleeding and also improves the storage of minerals in your bones which lowers the risk of osteoporosis. Breast feeding can also help in preventing ovarian and breast cancers. And of course, it’s a wonderful way to bond with your new baby.

 

So if you are a new mom, or mom-to-be who has chosen breast feeding instead of the prepared formula method, you are probably interested in using a breast pump. Breast pumps are especially great for moms who work outside the home or who can’t be available at every feeding time for their new-born. They come in several designs and the two options for usage are either manual or electric.

 

As in most situations, there are pros and cons each method. Following are some details on these two types of breast pumps to help you make an informed decision and prepare before you buy - or rent.

 

Manual pumps are preferred by lots of new moms who say that they appreciate the convenient size. They are simple to use because you control the suction manually. Hand pumps are also more affordable, lighter and quieter than electric pumps, and many new mothers say it is a more natural feeling - closer to how it feels when the baby is feeding directly from your breast. 

 

For busier and working moms, an electric pump might be a better choice than the manual kind because they are much faster at pumping and some models even have the option to pump both breasts at the same time. 

 

Breast pumps are widely available for purchase and you might also like to know that many hospitals offer the option of renting a top-of-line model directly from them. You’ll have to estimate the cost per day in comparison to the price you would pay if you purchased your own though to make sure that it will work out for you financially.

 

Being a new mom can have its share of challenges, so be nice to yourself and look for a breast pump that best suits your lifestyle. By comparison shopping online or polling some moms who have been though the experience, you’ll save yourself both time and effort that you’ll be able to share instead with your new bundle of joy.

A Visit To A Jewellery Store

I think that one of the most exciting times in a little girl’s life is her first visit to a jewellery store. Then again, I think that a lot of women never grow out of that feeling of excitement either! There is something magical about looking at all of the sparkling pieces glittering in the jewellery store window, even if you cannot afford to buy everything that you see.

 

My youngest daughter’s face lit up when she saw all of the lovely children’s items when I first took her to a jewellery store. When we went inside she felt like a princess being able to try on all of the bracelets and necklaces with cute designs and the jewellery store workers seemed to enjoy the experience of watching her almost as much. When we left the jewellery store with her new bracelet safely wrapped up she was clinging onto the bag as if it was the most precious thing in the world. She still has that bracelet even now, although it has long since gotten too small for her to wear, and it reminds me of that first trip we took to the jewellery store together.

 

Of course, a jewellery store can also be an extremely romantic place. Sound strange? Well, think about it. How many couples go to a jewellery store together to pick out their wedding rings? I know how electrifying it felt when my fiancé and I went to choose our wedding rings and finally found a jewellery store that had the perfect ones in their window. When we went inside we both had a feeling that this was going to symbolize the start of our new life together and the jewellery store played an important part in that.

 

I guess it doesn’t matter what you buy in a jewellery store they always seem to have an air of something special about them. It might be the fact that there are a lot of expensive items around and everything is shimmering with that newly-cleaned look that only jewellery store workers seem to be able to achieve!

 

Sometimes it is easy to feel a little underdressed, especially when you enter some of the more exclusive types of jewellery store that you have to ring a bell to be let into but I love them all the same. I must admit that I am not a big jewellery wearer but I do like to have a couple of nice pieces for special occasions and often take a look around the local jewellery store when I need cheering up. It might sound silly but maybe you should try it too - all that brightness around me certainly seems to rub off and raise my spirits.

 

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Autism Spectrum Disorders Explained

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) cover a variety of behaviours and abilities and are caused by abnormal brain development. While ASDs begin when the individual is a child, they will last throughout the individual’s life. Most individuals with ASDs will display a lack of social skills, as well as communication skills. While these individuals with ASDs may have a variety of different behaviours, each individual is unlike another. While the symptoms may be severe in one individual, they may be very mild in another. The following are some common behaviours emitted by individuals diagnosed with an ASD.

 

Generally, individuals diagnosed with ASDs will not want to socialize with others. Some things you may notice are a lack of eye contact with others, preferring to do activities by themselves, and they may not want to be touched. Depending upon the severity of the symptoms, some individuals may not even notice when others speak to them or are trying to get their attention. In mild cases, it may be that an individual will simply not understand how to relate to others and in case of a young child, they may not know how to play with other children.

 

When it comes to communication skills, more often than not, individuals with ASDs will show lack of development in these areas, as well. Many children that have been diagnosed with ASDs do not talk at all. Some may display a repetitive speech, such as echolalia, where they repeat the words that are said to them. Instead of answering a question, they’ll simply repeat what was asked of them. A child with ASDs may be able to talk and then at a later date, stop talking altogether.

 

Other communication behaviours may be a flat tone to their voice and they may not be able to control how loud or softly they talk. They may have a hard time sticking to a topic of discussion for a long time and they may also show a lack of listening skills. Some may stand too close to someone they are talking to, as well as talking a lot and not letting someone else get a chance to talk.

 

Individuals with ASDs may also display repetitive actions. It might be that they have to line their items on their nightstand up perfectly before going to bed or it may be they simply have to stick to a certain routine. Any change in this routine may upset them badly and throw them off kilter. These repetitive behaviours become very important to them.

 

The fact is that children who have been diagnosed with ASDs simply develop differently than those without ASDs. While they may exhibit motor skills that are similar to other children their age, their language and social skills may be severely underdeveloped compared to others. Children with ASDs might be able to put together a very intricate puzzle, but have a hard time making friends.

 

The symptoms of ASDs may become less severe over time or perhaps become more pronounced. Again, while there are many symptoms associated with ASDs, each individual that is diagnosed will display varying degrees of each one.

Autism - Living With Autism

Do you know children affected with autism find it difficult to communicate and to become socialized? There are two notions about the existence of autism. One thought is that autism is due to a bio-chemical imbalance, and the other notion is it is a psychological disorder. The autism-affected children seldom communicate with others except to fulfil their needs.

 

Autism spectrum disorders can be called an umbrella term since it covers classic autism, pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), and Asperger’s syndrome. Autism can be termed a spectrum disorder as the intensity and the number of the symptoms of autism differs from person to person. Autism causes impairments in the people in three areas: social relationships, communication, and restricted patterns of behaviour. The spectrum of autism can be classified as severely affected, less able, and dependent on others. This also includes persons with above-average intelligence and independence, but lacking social skills.

 

Autism sufferers lack a proper response to social and environmental stimulations. The affected child would be in a separate world. The child’s communication will be very minimal and he will not be able to communicate his emotions and feelings properly.

 

Malabsorption is the most common problem noticed in autism. Autism sufferers experience structural compromise and chronic gastric inflammation in the digestive tract. The intestinal absorption is delayed due to intestinal inflammation. The specific symptoms of autism are restricted behaviours and interests and this is even seen towards the food choices. Self-limited and restricted diets are highly noticed in the autism condition, which may cause deficiency in one or more essential nutrients.

 

The commonly occurring deficiencies in the children suffering from autism are Vitamin-A, Sulphate deficiency, calcium deficiency, B12 deficiency, High copper: zinc ratio, etc.

 

There are numerous treatments available to cure the autism condition in children. Initially, nutritional supplements are offered to the child suffering from autism. This might be followed by behavioural training. In general Vitamin B12 is given as a supplement. The behavioural change noticed in autism can be improved by giving suitable educational therapies, where the child is motivated to give good response to the environmental and social changes promptly.

 

Although it is easy to say that educational therapy is good for autism patients, the children found difficult in learning the task, and they will intercept the process and show aggressive behaviour to other people to avoid learning any new task.

 

In order to improve the autism behaviours, Magnesium in the form of injections are given to the autism sufferers. Within 2-4 weeks of administration of Vitamin-B12, autism behaviours can be reduced within 2 to 4 weeks. It can take more than 3 months for some children to respond with Vitamin-B12. The autism child with speech problems can be treated with Dimethylglycine (DMG) for better results. DMG will improve the immune system of one’s own body. Moreover, this improves frustration tolerance and eye contact.

 

For negative attention-seeking behaviours of autism, it is advisable to eliminate the behaviour by giving attention to desired behaviour rather than the negative behaviour.

Autism - Is There A Link With Immunizations?

Autism is a neurological, developmental disorder, which can inhibit the normal developmental growth of individuals. Symptoms of autism include impairments in social skills, as well as communication skills, repetitive behaviours, and poor speech patterns. Because the severity of the symptoms will vary, some individuals diagnosed with autism may be able to live on their own, while others become totally reliant on someone to care for them. While there have been theories that autism may be caused by immunizations, there has been no scientific data found to link the two together.

 

Research has been conducted to find a connection between autism and immunizations and research will be continued to discover what causes this damaging disorder. However, none of the data collected, from the research conducted so far, has been able to prove this theory. The National Childhood Encephalopathy Study was investigated in 1997. The study was to find a connection between neurological function and the measles vaccine. Researchers did not find any connection between the two and if anything, only confirmed that the measles vaccine did not contribute to any neurological disorders or dysfunction.

 

Several other studies done over the course of the next nine years were also conducted to find the link between immunizations and autism. Again, none of these have shown as strong link between the two. One of these studies, conducted in 1998 by Wakefield and colleagues, suggested that the MMR vaccine caused intestinal abnormalities and developmental regression in children within a few weeks of receiving the MMR.

 

However, this study had its problems, including the fact that only 12 children were used in the study, they did not use any healthy children for control subjects, and at least 4 out of the 12 children involved had behavioural problems before they experienced any symptoms of bowel abnormalities. Due to the fact that so much was wrong with the research, many of the researches retracted their opinions of the results and none of the results gained can be used as supporting evidence.

 

What does all of this mean? Generally, for any theory to be proved, scientific data must point one toward the answer. None of the research conducted in trying to find a link has been proven. Many studies are going on that are following the theory that autism is linked to a genetic abnormality.

 

Recently, a study was conducted on over 30,000 Japanese children, born in Yokohama between 1988 and 1996, that has really taken hold as proof that there is no connection between the MMR and autism. Basically, what this study shows is that even after the MMR was replaced with single vaccines, the number of children diagnosed with autism has continued to rise. What this means is that parents should no longer be worried they are putting their children in danger when they get the MMR.

 

The fact is that throughout the years of research, not one study can prove that there is a link between the triple immunization, MMR, and autism. The research will continue, however, for the cause of autism in the hope that we will not just find a cause, but a cure, as well.

Asperger’s Syndrome - General Information

Asperger’s Syndrome is a type of Autism, however, the symptoms are usually much milder and less distressing to those people around them. However, it is still a serious condition which affects 1-2 people in 2000, of which, more tend to be boys than girls.

 

Asperger’s Syndrome wasn’t widely recognized by parents and professionals as recently as in the 1990’s. Autism itself was first diagnosed in 1943.

 

Despite what could be seen as a significant problem for the sufferers of Asperger’s Syndrome, many people with this condition lead very successful and productive lives.

 

Autism is a neurological disorder. Nobody knows exactly what causes it although there does seem to be a high degree of evidence which suggests that it may be genetic. In many cases, where one child in a family has autism or Asperger’s Syndrome, there is a significant chance that any other children will also have this condition either to a lesser or greater degree.

 

It is possible that there are other factors which may cause this condition either before during or after the birth of a child. At this present time, we don’t know the answers to this question although hopefully after much research, the answer will be found.

 

There is no simple test to diagnose Asperger’s Syndrome or Autism, the diagnosis is done by taking a developmental history and observation of the patient.

 

There isn’t any cure for either Asperger’s Syndrome or Autism either. However, with a lot of hard work, many sufferers of Asperger’s live ordinary lives with few difficulties.

 

Asperger’s symptoms include:

 

• Deficiency in social skills
• Difficulty with accepting changes to their environment
• They may be very pre-occupied with a specific topic and study it and talk about it incessantly, becoming very proficient in it.
• Find it difficult to read non-verbal communication signals and tend to have poor body space i.e. they will invade other people’s space unknowingly.

 

Despite these symptoms, many sufferers from Asperger’s live normal lives and in some cases, probably due to their obsession with a particular topic, may become very successful.

Acid Reflux Disease in Infants

Some medical conditions have no respect for age; the young or the old, and Acid Reflux, also known in medical terms as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) seems to be one of them.

 

The lower end of the oesophagus is protected by a valve called the Lower Oesophageal sphincter (LES). This valve opens to allow food from the oesophagus into the stomach and then closes up to protect the oesophagus from the acid content of the stomach. Several conditions can compromise this valve, allowing gastric content into the oesophagus. As in adults, infants also suffer from heartburn on occasions. This is mainly attributed to the fact that infants consume essentially liquid and soft foods, which tend to be rich in diary proteins. The most unfortunate part of infant acid reflux disease is that, unlike in adults, it is very difficult to determine if an infant has developed chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease. An infant is most unlikely to be able to complain of heartburn or any symptoms of the disease.

 

Acid reflux in infants is always as a result of a lot of factors, however, most of the causative factors tend to be aggravated by the fact that infants, spend a great deal of their days lying on their back or in a supine position and consume mostly liquid food. The tendency for liquid food to cause regurgitation, when combined with the pressure lying in a supine position exerts on the lower oesophageal sphincter (LES) constitutes a greater risk of reflux acid incidence in infants. The incidence, however, could also be attributed to some other factors like, the anatomy of the infant's stomach, improper or incomplete development of the lower oesophageal sphincter during foetal growth, poor diet, overweight, food allergies and a host of other factors.

 

Because infants, unlike adults, cannot complain of symptoms or explain how they feel, it is always very difficult to know when an infant is suffering from acid reflux. The best bet is to consult a paediatrician. Nevertheless, there are signs and clues that you may look out for in your infant that could suggest the presence of the disease. Some of these clues are:

 

• Sleeping problems
• Coughing
• Weight loss 
• Lack of appetite 
• Spitting up frequently 
• Apnoea
• Unusual irritability
• Chest pain
• Sore throat 
• Bad breath
• Crying

 

Acid reflux disease can also cause respiratory problems including pneumonia, strictures and ulcerations on the oesophageal wall, and malnourishment. Although, these signs don't always mean your infant is suffering from acid reflux disease, but they constitute a good enough reason to go see your paediatrician.

 

Of course, there are a few things you could do to help your child avoid acid reflux. Simple things like changing the child's food, keeping him/her upright for some time, especially after eating, keeping an eye on the child for any sign of chest pain or heartburn and a host of others. This extra attention could be all your child really needs.