The Joy of Autism has been in operation since 2005 with over 500 posts written.

because finding joy doesn't come without struggle;
because the point is to find it;
because if an autistic person calls autism their way of being, not an illness, then it is;
because every human has value and is a joy;
because despite inhumane acts, I believe in humanity;
but most of all, because of my son Adam.

THIS BLOG HAS MOVED TO www.esteeklar.com.







This blog's articles are only down temporarily as the site will be redesigned. This blog has been given numerous awards, as well as listed in the top 10 autism blogs as well as the top 100 health blogs. My hope is to refine the blog and you can help me do so. The old posts which have been used for academic purposes, will be up again in an archive.

Please, if you have some time, fill out the poll below to help me with the new format. I would also appreciate your comments if you have anything extra to add.

The Joy is Adam

The Joy is Adam

This blog is being redesigned. What did you enjoy most about The Joy of Autism blog?

Thursday, November 6, 2008

First Project of the Inclusion Initiative in Toronto

As part of our goal to give the tools for inclusion, Patrick Schwarz will be coming to Toronto this weekend. Please see the dates and locations below.

Also, we're still improving this site. Stay tuned for archived posts from The Joy of Autism and things that are new!


1. Date: Sunday Nov. 9 at 7pm
Location: Zareinu Educational Centre:
7026 Bathurst Street, Thornhill
Ph: 905 738-5542
Topic: COLLABORATION: TEAM BUILDING, ACTIVE LISTENING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING
Collaborative schools utilize processes to promote successful
instructional teams with all members actively involved. Tools for
success include team building, active listening and problem-solving. In
this dynamic workshop, participants will learn about each of these
processes and interactive application exercises will illustrate how
they can be applied to participants' own schools and individual learning
situations.


2. Date: Monday Nov. 10
Time: 9:15- 12:30

Location: Paradise Convention Centre
7601 Jane Street (Jane & Hwy 7)
905-669-4680

Topic:
UNIVERSAL DESIGN, ACCOMMODATIONS AND DIFFERENTIATION
Universal design is having curriculum planning, strategy and materials
in place in advance to meet the needs of all learners. Accommodations
are technology, materials, sequences and procedures to help a learner be
successful in the classroom. Differentiation is when all of these
strategies are applied to the instruction for all learners in the
classroom. In this session, planning processes and examples will be
provided and applied to participants' classroom, teaching and learning
situations.
Suitable for grades 3-6


3. Date: Monday Nov. 10, 2008

Time: 1:30- 3Pm

Location:Paradise Convention Centre
7601 Jane Street (Jane & Hwy 7)
905-669-4680

Topic: FROM DISABILITY TO POSSIBILITY KEYNOTE
Using real life stories - from womb to tomb - of individuals with
possibilities, Dr. Patrick Schwarz will illustrate what supports are
successful and what else is needed for effectiveness in education and
human services for all people. These compelling examples will motivate
participants to re-imagine and support individuals in new and inventive
ways. Be prepared for something fun and different!
Suitable for: Special Ed teachers Grades 3-7

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think that when the one above places us here on earth, he gives us all individual tasks to do. He gives some more than other, but the ones he takes from, he slips in a little extra somethin somethin..
I see autism as a blessing. If a child has autism then you can see the joy and inocense in their smile, in their face when they are happy. Its just a joy to be around them special guys! :)

Anonymous said...

SIDS, Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Plagiocephaly, etc. are all
conditions that the medical profession is trying to treat.
The SIDS back sleep (Supine) sleep recommendations began in 1992
The SIDS "Back to Sleep" campaign began in 1994.
In 1996 the AAP SIDS Task Force, led by Dr. John Kattwinkel recommended the supine sleep position and not the side(lateral) or front(prone).
THe Netherlands began their SIDS Back to Sleep Campaign in 1987.
Sleep is necessary for memory consolidation, declarative learning, and procedural learning.


The following are useful articles which discuss many of these issues indepth:
American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Infant Positioning and SIDS. Positioning and SIDS. Pediatrics. 1992;89:1120-1126
Hogberg U, Bergstrom E. Suffocated Prone: The Iatrogenic Tragedy of SIDS. American Journal of Public Health. 2000;90:527-531
National Infant Sleep Position Household Survey. Summary Data. updated: 10/16/08 Website: http://dccwww.bumc.bu.edu/ChimeNisp/NISP_Data.asp
Kattwinkel J, Hauck F.R., Moon R.Y., Malloy M and Willinger M Infant Death Syndrome: In Reply, Bed Sharing With Unimpaired Parents Is Not an Important Risk for Sudden. Pediatrics 2006;117;994-996
Buzsáki, G. 1989. Two-stage model of memory trace formation: A role for “noisy” brain states. Neuroscience 31: 551–570.
Hasselmo, M.E. 1999. Neuromodulation: Acetylcholine and memory consolidation. Trends Cogn. Sci. 3: 351–359.
Wierzynski DM, Lubenov EV, Gu M, Siapas AG. State-Dependent Spike-Timing Relationships between Hippocampal and Prefrontal Circuits during Sleep. Neuron 61, 587-596, February 26, 2009
Walker MP, Stickgold R. Sleep, Memory, and Plasticity. Annu. Rev. Psychol. 2006. 57: 139-66
Gais S, Born J. Declarative memory consolidation: Mechanisms acting during human sleep. Learn Mem. 2004 Nov-Dec; 11(6): 679-685
Davis BE, Moon RY, Sachs HC, Ottolini MC. Effects of sleep position on infant motor development. Pediatrics. 1998 Nov; 102(5):1135-40.
Skadberg BT, Markestad T. Consequences of Getting the Head Covered During Sleep in Infancy. Pediatrics 1997;100;e6
AJ Williams, RD Jitendra, JB Phillips, Y Lin, T McCabe, FC Tortella. Neuroprotective Efficacy and Therapeutic Window of the High-Affinity N-Methyl-D-aspartate Antagonist Conantokin-G: In Vitro (Primary Cerebellar Neurons) and In Vivo (Rat Model of Transient Focal Brain Ischemia) Studies1
Stradling JR, Thomas G, Warley AR, Williams P, Freeland A. Effect of adenotonsillectomy on nocturnal hypoxaemia, sleep disturbance, and symptoms in snoring children. Lancet. 1990;335 :249 –253

Also see:
The ‘theory of mind’ (ToM) hypothesis of autism. Tom was an hypothesized published published in 1985.

Data:
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Data website:
http://www.ideadata.org/PartBChildCount.asp
Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) sleep position data:
http://www.cdc.gov/prams/2002PRAMSSurvReport/MultiStateExhibits/Multistates16.htm
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Birth Data:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm
2006 Median Income Data: - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
NOTICE PDR-2006-01

Autism Spectrum Disorders, Asperger's Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorders - Not Otherwise specified (PDD-NOS)
Gastrointestinal Disorders also known as GER is a common comorbidity
Autism patients tend to have minicolumn abnormalities and increased amounts of white matter
Casanova MF, van Kooten IA, Switala AE, Ven Engeland H, Heinsen H, Steinbusch HW, Hof PR, Trippe J, Stone J, Schmitz C. Minicolumnar abnormalities in autism. Acta Neuropathol. 2006 Sep; 112(3); 287-303.
Mostofsky SH, Burgess MP, Larson JCG. Increased motor cortex white matter volume predicts motor impairment in autism. Brain (2007), 130, 2117-2122

Maternal smoking decreased significantly between 1990 and 2002
Infant suffocation deaths increased 14% per year on average between 1996 and 2004
Centers for Disease Control. Smoking & Tobacco Use - Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs) – Smoking During Pregnancy – United States, 1990-2002 – October 7, 2004 / Vol. 53/ No. 39 http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/MMWR/2004/mm5339_highlights.htm
Shapiro-Mendoza CK, Kimball M, Tomashek KM, Anderson RN, Blanding S.US Infant Mortality Trends Attributable to Accidental Suffocation and Strangulation in Bed From 1984 Through 2004: Are Rates Increasing? Pediatrics 2009;123;533-539

Here is a good article on diagnosing this:
Filipek P, Accardo P, Ashwal S, Baranek G, Cook E, Dawson G, Gordon B, Gravel J, Johnson C, Kallen R, Levy S, Minshew N, Ozonoff S, Prizant B, Rapin I, Rogers S, Stone W, Teplin S, Tuchman R, Volkmar F. Practice parameter: Screening and diagnosis of autism Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society NEUROLOGY 2000;55:468–479 http://internet.dscc.uic.edu/forms/medicalhome/AutismRef.pdf