Good Night's Sleep: Guide for Parents!

Any underlying problem may be affecting sleep: from allergies, environmental intolerances, to the medications the child takes.

Most parents have difficulties with their children at bedtime. In children, the problems for sleeping are a common phase in their development. But, if these problems persist, they can have adverse effects on the child, the parents, and even other family members. Children with ASD seem to have these problems for sleeping more frequent and even more intense than neurotypical children. Bedtime can become a daily challenge for parents.

First of all, you should identify the reason for the child having trouble sleeping. Consider allergies or food intolerances, gastrointestinal problems, and seizures, or even the environment. All of these can occur in people with ASD. These problems may also be caused by medications and their side effects.

Environmental Variables

Maybe the environment where your child sleeps is being uncomfortable for him or her. You may need to make some adaptations, so the child can relax at bedtime.

• Temperature. Consider if the child is very hot or cold. Examine the temperature of the room, sleeping clothes or bed.

• Noise. Consider noises that may be affecting your child. In the process of sleeping, the sounds that your child hears can be impossible to ignore. Some children within the autism spectrum disorders may prefer dark places during the day, but that’s very different from sleeping in a large dark room at night. Street lights, the moon, or car lights that illuminate the room at intermittent intervals can affect your child's sleep.

Bedtime Routines

Establishing a bedtime routine is a good way to generate a positive pattern in the child's sleep. However, the children with ASD they are extremely critical.

If you set a fixed time to go to bed, your child will benefit from that. Choose a reasonable time for your child and you to begin to apply a routine sleep system.

A bedtime routine can help the child to calm down, relax and prepare to rest. This routine should include activities that are pleasurable and relaxing, as well as special and individualized that fit the needs and interests of your child. Read a story, go to the bathroom, put on the pajamas, brushing teeth, have a glass of water, sing a favorite song or pray, listen to relaxing music or participate in a relaxed sensory integration activity.

In children within an autism spectrum disorder, it’s very common to have problems with sleeping. These bad sleeping habits are easily created and difficult to change. It can take time to solve this problem, but the family must do their part, so these routines and these changes have good results. A priority that deserves effort!

Routines and bedtime rituals are essential for most children to establish positive patterns in sleep, but they are extremely critical for children within the autism spectrum disorder.

---

Facebook: Autism Soccer

Instagram: Autism Soccer

Twitter: Autism Soccer

15165 NW 77 Ave Suite 1005 Miami Lakes FL 33014

Autismsoccer.org

Sensory Diet: Is It Important for the Child?

This will help the child with sensory difficulties to perform better in the environments in which they interact.

A sensory diet is not a diet, but an individualized program of activities or environmental modifications that help the child with sensory difficulties to perform better in the environments in which they interact: at home, at school, in the park, in the supermarket, thus allowing its finality and participation.

To understand better: a sensory diet is another tool in the child's treatment, composed of activities and environmental modifications to keep the nervous system organized and calm in the daily routines of the child.

Activities or modifications within sensory diets may include:

• Adequate alert level. Activities that help the child by introducing reassuring activities to help him if he’s very hyperactive or offering stimulating activities if the level of the alert is low.

• Stimuli. Supports so that the child learns to recognize his own level of alertness and is able to self-regulate. Visual strategies are a great strategy to use together with these.

• Sensory breaks. Times in which the child can rest or stop to self-regulate.

• Sensory shelter. Place where the child can go and calm down when he has received a lot of stimulation and showed signs of overload.

How to make a sensory diet?

The occupational therapist, the other professionals, and the family have to form a team to determine together the possible adaptations to be made. On the other hand, it’s not about filling the child's routine with activities, but about analyzing the child, its context and from there using the available tools to improve their autonomy. Registering the adaptations we make will be a good idea, as it will help us to verify its effectiveness. If after a few days we don’t see the expected results, we will decide if it’s necessary to change the strategy.

Why use a sensory diet?

Sensory diets aim to help the child to be in the best disposition to face the different routines of his day to day, to improve his attention, learning and to be self-regulated.

The sensory diet provides the child with opportunities to receive the sensory stimuli he needs in his daily basis.

---

Facebook: Autism Soccer

Instagram: Autism Soccer

Twitter: Autism Soccer

15165 NW 77 Ave Suite 1005 Miami Lakes FL 33014

Autismsoccer.org

Boys and Girls: The Difference between Them

And, inversely, girls have ways of showing their autism that is unique to their sex.

When the word autism is mentioned, the image that comes to mind is an introverted child with difficulty communicating. Indeed, the condition is four times more common in boys than in girls, but experts are evaluating in more detail how the disorder affects the two genders differently.

The way in which autism affects females and males differently has become a subject of great debate in the area and could lead to new techniques to diagnose and treat the condition.

Is really important to understand how autism occurs differently between genders.

Differences

-In general, girls with ASD have a more significant learning disability and more problems with schooling than boys.

-Many girls with ASD have better social skills than comparable boys which makes it even more possible for them not to be diagnosed.

-Both boys and girls with ASD, usually have an obsessive subject, a recurring interest but girls tend to look at things like drawings, ponies, dolls, princesses, which are very common passions among neurotypical girls. Boys, on the other hand, tend to focus on less usual activities such as putting building blocks in line or playing with sand, things that need more focusing. The result is that although parents express their concerns, some doctors may think that, when it comes to girls, this is not a symptom, but taking a normal hobby to an extreme and is not something that should be treated as a possible ASD.

Girls with ASD differ from boys in key symptoms and behaviors, particularly in social interaction. The less recognizable symptoms in girls are leading not only to a delay in diagnosis but to problems in identifying the condition.

The more we know about the differences in ASD among boys and girls, the more we will know about autism and its manifestations.

Boys will be boys, and girls will be girls; no matter what condition they live with.

---

Facebook: Autism Soccer

Instagram: Autism Soccer

Twitter: Autism Soccer

15165 NW 77 Ave Suite 1005 Miami Lakes FL 33014

Autismsoccer.org

Risk of Autism by Metal Exposure

There might be a way to isolate genetics from environmental contributors to ASD.

It is not yet know what causes autism, but researchers believe that a complex interaction between environmental factors and genetics are responsible for this condition. Dividing these factors can be a major challenge. But a recent study may have found a way to isolate genetics from environmental contributors to the disease, allowing researchers to focus on the link between metal levels and autism risk.

Previous studies

This new study explores a new factor that may contribute to the risk of developing ASD: the concentration of heavy metals in a child's body. There have been previous studies investigating the relationship between metals, essential nutrients and the risk of having autism, but these studies were very limited due to the imperfect means of assessing metal concentrations, authors of the new study explained.

Such studies have had to approximate the toxic metal exposure based on the metal concentration in the bloodstream. But this estimation was done after children were already diagnosed with the spectrum, rather than before.

For researchers, separating environmental factor from genetic ones in the development of autism is a challenge. Some of these studies were not able to account for a genetic factor that influenced the results.

New study

However, the method used in this new study manages to bypass many of the previous limitations. Researchers explain, by looking at naturally shed baby teeth they have access to information that goes as far back as a baby’s prenatal life. And by studying twins, researchers were able to separate genetic influences from environmental ones.

Researchers used a laser to analyze the growth ring on the babies’ teeth to determine how much metal the babies’ bodies contained before and after birth. Laser technology allowed the scientists to extract specific layers of dentine.

The scientists compared the teeth of 32 pairs of twins and studied the teeth of 12 individuals from twin brothers. They observed tooth metal concentrations and development patterns in pairs of twins in which only one had ASD, in groups in which neither of them had ASD and pairs that both had the spectrum.

It was revealed in the study, that children with ASD had much higher levels of lead throughout their development. The notable difference between lead levels in kids with the spectrum and kids without it was during the period after birth. On the other hand, zinc levels showed a more complex pattern. During prenatal period, children with the spectrum had low levels of zinc, but these levels increased to higher after birth. Manganese was found to correlate with ASD as well. Children with the spectrum seemed to have less manganese than children without autism, both pre and postnatal.

In conclusion, this recent study suggests that either prenatal exposure to heavy metals, or the body’s ability to process these metals, may influence the chances of developing autism spectrum disorder.

Get to know more about other information and studies about autism spectrum disorder checking out our blog. Find more information on our social media networks located at the end of this entry.

There have been previous studies investigating the relationship between toxic metals, essential nutrients, and the risk of having ASD, but these studies were limited.

Facebook: Autism Soccer

Instagram: Autism Soccer

Twitter: Autism Soccer

15165 NW 77 Ave Suite 1005 Miami Lakes FL 33014

Autismsoccer.org

4 Places for Children to Relax

Big places without excessive noise such as parks or playgrounds are good for children to relax and enjoy a good time outdoors.

For parents in general, a calm and relaxed place usually means to be at home: nothing compares to be on your couch watching TV or reading the news with a warm coffee nearby. Children enjoy the calmness of being at home as well, where they can feel free to be themselves and enjoy the commodities their house brings. But you and your children just cannot stay at home all day; there must be alternatives as your kids cannot be staying at home all day.

Children need to see different places and interact with others during their growth; this will prepare them accurately for the world outside. This doesn’t mean you’ll take your children just anywhere; there are places best suited for children to enjoy and discover. Whether your kids have special needs or are non-autistic, check these four places for your children to relax:

• Museums: If your children love being surrounded by numerous artifacts of different natures, the museum is the best place for them. Museums are usually very calm with many displays of objects, both historical and cultural. This is the best place for them to know about the world and have fun in the process.

• Beaches: The perfect choice for sunny days! Give your children and yourself a chance with beaches. You could just enjoy sightseeing while watching your kids play on the shore or join them in the creation of amazing sandcastles.

• Arcades: Nothing like an old-school experience to show your kids the way games were played decades ago. Show them how to catch the ghosts in Pacman or challenge them with a racing game. Arcades are a bonding opportunity for both, take advantage of those timeless games.

• Playgrounds: The standard choice for parents who want their children to have fun safely and inside a structured environment. Playgrounds are just perfectly made for children to be free and just play happily.

These places are just perfect for children to discover how much fun there is when going outside. Choose between those depending on your kids' interests and ask them their preferences before making plans. The importance of selecting a befitting place for your children resides on the positive effects it will have on them, you’ll get a smile at the end of the day as a reward. Autism Soccer is a place you should consider as well; they have the best environment for special needs children to develop many skills needed in their early growth.

If they're comfortable in the place they're in, they might even end up playing with other kids as well.

---

Facebook: Autism Soccer

Instagram: Autism Soccer

Twitter: Autism Soccer

15165 NW 77 Ave Suite 1005 Miami Lakes FL 33014

Autismsoccer.org