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Archive for December, 2014

Escape Route

 

A cup of hot chocolate. A funny movie. A snowball fight. These are all things that can cure the winter blues. It’s easy to feel gloomy or un-energetic on dark and windy winter days. But it’s often equally as easy to pick yourself with a little physical exercise or a happy movie.

 

But what if the things that normally make you feel better don’t help?

 

If you find yourself feeling unhappy for days at a time or losing interest in the activities you once took pleasure in, you may be one of the millions of Americans who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

 

Seasonal Affective Disorder is a specific type of depression that occurs at the same time every year. Most people experience SAD during the fall and winter, though occasionally some suffer SAD episodes during the spring and summer. Symptoms may start out mild and worsen as the season progresses. SAD can be debilitating, and can have a destructive effect on sufferers’ lives.

 

Experts believe that SAD develops primarily due to lack of exposure to regular amounts of sunlight. SAD sufferers may be particularly sensitive to light, so the lack of exposure during winter months typically has a greater effect on them. There may also be a genetic aspect to the disorder — it’s often found in families with a history of SAD, alcohol abuse, or depression.

 

While cases of SAD have been reported all over the world, the disorder occurs most commonly in northern climates with shorter winter days and less exposure to sunlight. SAD appears more frequently in women, with females making up 60 to 90 percent of SAD sufferers. In America, more than 10 million people are affected by SAD.

 

Read in Full:

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/12/11/surprising-facts-about-seasonal-affective-disorder-sad/

 

Related Articles

 

Seasonal Affective Disorder(SAD): “Winter Blues” Linked to Mutation of the Eye:

https://www.aspie-editorial.com/2011/01/07/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad-winter-blues-linked-to-mutation-of-the-eye/

 

Latest on Depression: Includes Depression Myths, Iproniazid, Antidepressants on Trial, Suicidal Thoughts in Men, SAD, Disposal of Meds, Herbal Meds, Patient Rights, Overcoming Hopelessness Etc:

https://www.aspie-editorial.com/2011/01/22/latest-on-depression-includes-depression-myths-iproniazid-antidepressants-on-trial-suicidal-thoughts-in-men-sad-disposal-of-meds-herbal-meds-patient-rights-overcoming-hopelessness-etc/

 

Bright Ideas For Treating The Winter Blues:

https://www.aspie-editorial.com/2011/01/22/bright-ideas-for-treating-the-winter-blues/

 

It’s a Wonderful Life” – CBT for Depression:

https://www.aspie-editorial.com/2011/01/22/its-a-wonderful-life-cbt-for-depression/

 

Cognitive Therapy Helps All Types of Depression:

https://www.aspie-editorial.com/2011/01/22/cognitive-therapy-helps-all-types-of-depression/



 

Laughing gas, or nitrous oxide, improves the symptoms of severe depression, according to a new pilot study.

 

The research, conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is believed to be the first ever to give laughing gas to people with depression.

 

Of the 20 patients with treatment-resistant depression in the study, two-thirds were significantly improved after inhaling nitrous oxide, while only one-third improved after breathing a placebo gas.

 

Read More …

http://www.spring.org.uk/2014/12/new-depression-treatment-so-obvious-you-wont-believe-its-never-been-tried-before.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PsychologyBlog+%28PsyBlog%29



 

Dr Elisabeth Hurley, Research Officer at Autism West Midlands, will co-chair the NAS conference ‘Women and Girls on the Autism Spectrum’ in October. In the following article, she outlines some of the issues to be addressed at the conference. 


Dr Hurley has delivered a number of workshops and conference talks on women and girls with autism. She has also recently produced the book Ultraviolet Voices: Stories of Women on the Autism Spectrum, a collection of personal experiences written by women and girls with autism. 


That there are on average four or five times as many boys with autism than girls,1 is a commonly used statistic when it comes to autism. But when you dig deeper this statistic turns out to be much more complicated and reveals some interesting possibilities to consider when thinking about girls with autism.

 

Read in Full:

http://www.autism.org.uk/news-and-events/news-from-the-nas/elizabeth-hurley-women-and-girls-conf.aspx



 
The National Autistic Society has pledged support for the Justice for LB Bill. 
 
The campaign for the Bill was set up following the death in hospital of Connor Sparrowhawk – also known as Laughing Boy (LB).
 
Connor had autism and epilepsy, which sometimes caused seizures, but his family describe him as “generally a fit and healthy young man, who loved buses, London, Eddie Stobart and speaking his mind”.
 
On March 19 2013, he was admitted to an assessment and treatment unit – a type of hospital. He drowned in the bath on July 4 2013, a death which has been described as “entirely avoidable”’ as his condition meant he should have been supervised.
 
His story alongside other stories of people with a disability being moved out of their homes into unsuitable accommodation, led to the setting up of the Justice For LB campaign.
 
Organisers of the campaign have written a draft law which would give clearer legal rights to people with complex needs to have greater choice and control over where they live.
 
The law also seeks to ensure that local councils develop better support locally so people do not have to live far away from their families and the communities they know.
 
It further looks to amend the Mental Health Act so that having autism is not in itself a reason to be sectioned.

 

The campaign is seeking comments on the first draft of their Bill and we will be feeding our thoughts into the draft Bill setting out how we think it should be improved. They are also encouraging individuals, MP, members of the House of Lords and organisations to pledge their support.

 

To find out more, to comment on the draft and to pledge your support, see: https://lbbill.wordpress.com/

 

Source:

http://www.autism.org.uk/news-and-events/news-from-the-nas/justice-for-lb-bill.aspx



 

by: Mary E. Stewart, Louise Barnard, Joanne Pearson, Reem Hasan, Gregory O’Brien

 

Autism, Vol. 10, No. 1. (1 January 2006), pp. 103-116, doi:10.1177/1362361306062013  Key: citeulike:12220121

 

Abstract

Depression is common in autism and Asperger syndrome, but despite this, there has been little research into this issue. This review considers the current literature on the prevalence, presentation, treatment and assessment of depression in autism and Asperger syndrome. There are diagnostic difficulties when considering depression in autism and Asperger syndrome, as the characteristics of these disorders, such as social withdrawal and appetite and sleep disturbance, are also core symptoms of depression. Impaired verbal and non-verbal communication can mask the symptoms of depression. Symptoms associated with autism and Asperger syndrome such as obsessionality and self-injury may be increased during an episode of depression. There is a clear need to develop specific tools both for diagnostic purposes and for measurement of depression in autism and Asperger syndrome in order to help alleviate the distress caused by this treatable illness.

 

View FullText article



 

by: Jinah Kim, Tony Wigram, Christian Gold

 

Autism, Vol. 13, No. 4. (1 July 2009), pp. 389-409, doi:10.1177/1362361309105660  Key: citeulike:5393385

 

Abstract

 

Through behavioural analysis, this study investigated the social-motivational aspects of musical interaction between the child and the therapist in improvisational music therapy by measuring emotional, motivational and interpersonal responsiveness in children with autism during joint engagement episodes. The randomized controlled study (n = 10) employed a single subject comparison design in two different conditions, improvisational music therapy and toy play sessions, and DVD analysis of sessions. Improvisational music therapy produced markedly more and longer events of `joy’, `emotional synchronicity’ and `initiation of engagement’ behaviours in the children than toy play sessions. In response to the therapist’s interpersonal demands, `compliant (positive) responses’ were observed more in music therapy than in toy play sessions, and `no responses’ were twice as frequent in toy play sessions as in music therapy. The results of this exploratory study found significant evidence supporting the value of music therapy in promoting social, emotional and motivational development in children with autism. 

 

View FullText article



In the play (and movie) "Steel Magnolias," the character, Shelby, sits in a beauty salon chair while others discuss her medical condition. Autistic people often report this same type of treatment from those around them.

 

In the play (and movie) “Steel Magnolias,” the character, Shelby, sits in a beauty salon chair while others discuss her medical condition. Autistic people often report this same type of treatment from those around them.
Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

 

 

 

December 1, 2014

 

In the movie, Steel Magnolias, Shelby, following a reaction to an excess of insulin, struggles to blurt out the sentence, “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here!”

 

Autism Speaks controversial video, “Autism Every Day” features a scene where a mother briefly discusses committing suicide in her car with her autistic daughter. The girl is seen playing in the background as she says this.

 

It would seem impolite to talk about someone when they are standing within earshot, yet autistics experience this behavior on a regular basis.

 

In today’s world, a quick assessment of a person’s intelligence is often made on the basis of social skills.

 

Failure to respond in a “typical” way is equated with a failure to understand.

 

Autistics at every level of the spectrum can understand. Some with exceptionally high I.Q.s may understand a situation better than the person who is speaking to them.

 

They, simply, do not know how to respond.

 

A condition such as selective mutism, or apraxia of speech might be behind this failure to respond. A person with Asperger’s syndrome might be able to respond, but is reluctant to do so due to past social failures.

 

Non-verbal autistics who communicate with keyboards will report understanding what was being said around them, including being called “damaged” or a “burden.”

 

Many in the autistic community would call this a form of discrimination.

 

Read in Full:

http://www.examiner.com/article/autistic-person-the-room?cid=rss



Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

 

Tim Teeman

 

Alex Sharp is 25, fresh out of Juilliard, and suddenly the hottest star on Broadway, receiving raves for his role in ‘The Curious Case of The Dog In The Night-Time.’

 
If Alex Sharp is in the middle of a “dream come true,” as he puts it, he is also suffering for it. When the 25-year-old British star of Broadway hit The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time takes his seat in the midtown Manhattan restaurant what is immediately apparent is the mauve-colored bandage covering Sharp’s left palm and wrist.
 
His Broadway debut has been universally acclaimed, and audiences electrified, by his performance as Christopher, a 15-year-old English teenager with Asperger’s syndrome, who discovers a neighbor’s dead dog, and becomes determined to discover how it died.
 
The words “Asperger’s” and “autism” are never mentioned in Simon Stephens’ brilliant adaptation of Mark Haddon’s 2003 novel, in which the audience is plunged, like Christopher, into a world of clashing sounds, images, and movement.
 
Bunny Christie’s stage design—a stunning matrix of lights, tracks, maps, and grids—means Curious Incident is, as the New York Times’ rave review put it, “one of the most fully immersive works ever to wallop Broadway.”
 
The injuries are the inevitable result of Sharp’s deeply committed performance: in Marianne Elliott’s enveloping production, he clambers, jumps, leaps, crouches, literally throws himself around a stage that convincingly transforms from an English suburban street, to high-speed train, a terrifying London Underground station, and the teeming, jostling streets of the British capital.
 
All the time Sharp, wittily and movingly, takes us inside Christopher’s mind, as it struggles to impose order—and keep its owner safe—as the world around him clatters and moves. He cogitates maths problems, and sees things absolutely literally, in a world that is far from orderly and layered with meanings we are all too aware of.

 

Read in Full:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/12/07/the-brit-who-stormed-broadway.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thedailybeast%2Farticles+%28The+Daily+Beast+-+Latest+Articles%29



Raising Three Children W/ Disabilities Alone

by JTeam  |  Posted December 6, 2014  |  Chatham, Illinois

 

You think raising one special needs child can be hard. I am a single father who worked full time and raised three boys with three different disabilities. While I got divorced when the kids were 8 and 11, it was not because of their disabilities that we divorced but my wife’s mental condition that was getting worse.

 

 

My oldest son (r) has Angelman Syndrome, can’t communicate with his voice or hands, sleeps 8 hours in a 36 hour day, can’t stand on his own, feed himself, dress himself and has seizures. He is now in a group home because I locked him in his room at night for his own safety and the state felt that it was a danger to him and offered to pay for his care in a group home if I wouldn’t fight it.

 

 

The son in the middle has Autism. He can talk but most of his words are “scripted” or “parroting” what he had heard. When he was younger, he would have violent outbursts clearing off tables, shelves and hitting himself. But with patience, I have taught him how to deal with the things in life that would trigger these outbursts. He would leave the house and run off to do his own things which I also addressed and he no longer does.

 

 

And my youngest son (l) had Asperger’s Syndrome which is a social disorder in the Autistic Spectrum.. I say had because through my putting him into social situations and many discussions, we have worked on his issues and while he still has concerns about social situations, he is in college, living in a dorm and seems to be doing very well. Not a social butterfly but he has made some friends.

 

Read More …

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1194930?ref=feeds%2Flatest



Dear Friends,

 

Like me, many of you spent this past Thursday with those you care about celebrating Thanksgiving and thinking about the things in your lives that matter most. 

 

I’ve always enjoyed these moments. Aside from the food and good company, they represent an opportunity for us to take a moment and reflect both on how far we’ve come and how far is still left to go. 

 

This has been a big year for the Autistic community and the progressive disability rights movement. In January, ASAN and our allies successfully lobbied the White House to include people with disabilities in their groundbreaking executive order requiring a $10.10/hour minimum wage for workers employed under federal service and concessions contracts. 

 

Shortly afterwards, after five years of pressure, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a groundbreaking new regulation spelling out for the first time what Home and Community Based Services are – and more importantly, what they are not. Thanks to this new rule and ASAN’s toolkit on how to make it work, advocates have a new tool to move our people out of sheltered workshops and group homes and into truly inclusive environments.

 

And this summer, after years of trying, ASAN and our allies succeeded in ending the Combating Autism Act. Thanks to our allies in Congress, we are putting pressure on the administration to implement its replacement in a way that values and elevates Autistic voices. Because the national conversation on autism shouldn’t be happening about us, without us.S

 

Still, despite these steps forward, there’s much to be done. Hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities still suffer segregation in sheltered workshops and institutions. The national conversation on autism is still dominated by organizations that exclude autistic people and work to silence our voices. Even of those in our community who are included, too many face violence in schools, from law enforcement and, at times, even at home.

 

Tomorrow, December 2nd, is #GivingTuesday – a national initiative in which those who can are urged to make a contribution to a cause that matters. For those of you who can afford to do so, I’d like to ask you to make a contribution to support ASAN’s ongoing work to empower people with disabilities and our allies. If you can’t afford to make a financial contribution, consider urging your friends on social media to do so by joining our thunderclap on Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr.

 

Please consider making a contribution to support ASAN’s important work and help advance the cause of disability rights. Your support makes what we do possible and helps us invest in the next generation of disability rights leadership and advocacy.

 

Thank you for your support this year, and in the year to come. As always, Nothing About Us, Without Us!

 

Support Our Work

 

Warm regards,

 

Ari Ne’eman

President

Autistic Self Advocacy Network