Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here:
Cookie Policy
Veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have access to the Veterans Health Administration and Defense Department, which acts as a center for research, data, and services for combat-related PTSD treatment.
Â
But for the millions of non-veterans suffering from PTSD, treatment resources are far less comprehensive and accessible, according to a new study published in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry.
Â
“For the other people affected by PTSD — victims of sexual assault, child abuse, and natural disasters — there really isn’t an organized body of research that generates guidance for how they and their caregivers should deal with their PTSD,†said lead author Dr. Judith Bentkover, professor in the Brown University School of Public Health.
Â
“The best PTSD treatment model we have can be found within the VA,†Bentkover said. “Kids have PTSD. Women have PTSD. It’s not just a disease of veterans, although they are a very important and poignant cohort of people who have it. Sexual assault victims, abused children, survivors of natural disasters do not necessarily have a VA to go to. What do they do?â€
Initial steps have been taken to determine if 10,000 lux light therapy can be used as a legitimate way to treat depression – not seasonal depression – but full blown major depressive disorder.
Â
The results of this JAMA study were provocative, to say the least.
•Light therapy beat Prozac. • Light therapy beat sham light therapy (placebo). • Prozac did NOT beat placebo. • A combination of Prozac and light therapy beat sham light therapy and sham Prozac (placebo combination) as well as light therapy alone.
Â
Often used to help with seasonal affective disorder, ultraviolet light is known to help with the production of serotonin, noradrenalin and dopamine.
17.12.15. The National Autistic Society is concerned about the impact the sudden closure of St Christopher’s School in Bristol will have on its students.
Â
St Christopher’s School is an independent special school and children’s home that caters for children with complex needs. The school’s trustees recently announced that it will close in March 2016 because of financial difficulties, which they say make it ‘economically unviable’.
Â
Parents are worried about what this will mean for their children and have launched a campaign to draw attention to the closure and its impact. They’ve told us that the closure may mean their children have to travel long distances to get the right support and that, given the short notice, they may spend time out of education.
Â
The law is clear – councils which have placed children at this school must act quickly to make sure they find suitable alternative provision which meets the students’ needs.
Â
Autistic people rely on routine to navigate what can be a confusing world, so big changes like moving school can be extremely stressful. It’s important that the local authorities involved work closely with parents and potential schools to resolve the situation as fast as possible and make sure the children are prepared carefully for the transition.
Â
We’ve contacted the school to see if we can help and would encourage any parents looking for information or advice to contact our Education Rights Service on 0808 800 4102.
Â
The closure puts a spotlight on the national challenges parents face in getting appropriate provision for children with complex needs. In the recent Spending Review, the Government announced investment in additional school places for children with special educational needs. We will be looking at the proposals carefully to hep make sure that the investment means that children across the autism spectrum can get the right help and flourish.
Â
The vast majority of autistic children are in mainstream schools, but those with more complex needs may require specialist support to achieve their potential. When we talk to parents about the types of schools they want for their child, they tell us they would like a range of provision, but that the most important thing is that the staff supporting their child have knowledge and skills to teach their child effectively.Â
“I left ACI with a sense of competence I didn’t have before. [This came from] being around people who accepted the way I work for what it is and not judging me negatively for that, as well as being given tools for doing community work. That experience has helped me set aside some insecurities that get in the way. I feel more capable of doing the things I want to do.“Â
–ACI 2015 graduate
Â
Hi,
Â
My name is Julia Bascom, and I serve as ASAN’s Deputy Executive Director. I want to tell you about my favorite part of ASAN’s work.Â
Â
Last June, 17 Autistic college students descended on Washington, D.C. For many, this was their first time in an Autistic space; by the end of the week, they were marching confidently into Congressional offices and advocating with poise and skill for our community. Those 17 students are back on their campuses now, working hard to bring systems change to their colleges, local communities, and states.Â
Â
We’ve held ACI for 4 years now, and in that time we’ve been able to train 64 Autistic self-advocates in grassroots organizing, disability and Autistic history, and policy advocacy.  We do this because ASAN’s motto is that old disability rights slogan: nothing about us, without us! It is not enough for Autistic people to have a place at the table; we demand a place of leadership. We’ve been hard at work creating a pipeline of self-advocate leaders who can represent our community with confidence and skill.
Â
We don’t stop at ACI, either. We’re building a network, just like our name says: a deeply connected and highly skilled group of advocates from all across the country who believe that disabled people are people, with rights to be advanced and lives to be valued. You can learn more by taking a look at our annual report, but the takeaway is: we want to build a world where every autistic person can live a life assured of our rights, in our own communities, safe from harm and confident in our future. And we can’t do it without you.
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is a small organization with a large mission: empowering Autistic people throughout the country and helping our community stand up to those who want to silence us.Â
Â
That’s a hard task, but it has to be done. Without a strong, Autistic-led voice defending our rights, many of the advances the Autistic community has made over the last several years wouldn’t be happening. This has been an important year for ASAN’s work.
Â
When an Autistic teenager was kicked off a flight due to her disability, ASAN led the response, securing new guidance from the Department of Transportation protecting the rights of Autistic airline passengers.
Â
When people with disabilities are segregated in sheltered workshops and kept out of the workforce, ASAN fights back. We’ve successfully worked with our legislative champions to introduce bi-partisan legislation, the Transition to Independence Act, which will reward states for increasing the number of people with disabilities in integrated workforce.
Â
When people with intellectual disabilities face discrimination in allocation of scarce medical resources, ASAN is there, working to secure equal rights. This year, we passed a new law in Maryland prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities in accessing organ transplants.
We’re not just responding to crises as they happen. We are working pro-actively to set the stage for long term change for Autistic people and our families. This year, with the help of our generous supporters, we continue to push forward the disability rights movement.
Â
We have worked with state advocates to promote new laws to keep people with disabilities out of guardianship and help create structures for decision-making support that don’t take away the legal rights of those who need assistance.
Â
We have continued our leadership development programming, supporting the training of a new generation of Autistic and disabled leaders on college campuses and local self-advocacy groups.
Â
We have launched new resources on improving housing, education and healthcare opportunities for Autistic children and adults, and worked with local advocates to make them available across the country.
It’s the last thing you want to do when you’re anxious — that is, to be kind to yourself. After all, you’re anxious for no good reason. Again. And this is the third time today that you’ve felt your stomach take a nosedive and your entire body shake.
Â
Having anxiety is incredibly frustrating. Our first impulse might be to lash out at ourselves. But what’s more helpful is to be kind, instead — even though it might feel unnatural at first. Because lashing out only boosts our anxiety, worsening our symptoms (not to mention it also sinks our mood). Self-compassion, on the other hand, calms us. It means soothing ourselves when we need it most.
Â
“Kindness comes in infinite forms,†said Lea Seigen Shinraku, MFT, a therapist in private practice in San Francisco. Sometimes, kindness is taking a walk or talking to a friend or watching your favorite TV show to distract yourself, she said.
When the scattered afternoon sunlight seeped its way into a restaurant in the heart of Mackay, Nekea Blagoev’s creativity, widely splashed across the walls, came to light.
Â
According to Nekea, the first milestone in her life did not involve walking or talking.
Â
Instead, her earliest memories involve painting and drawing.
Â
“Mum was always constantly painting the walls because I was always drawing on them,” Nekea said.
Â
“It was more of a hobby when I was a kid, and it just developed into something bigger than I could have ever dreamed of,” she said.
Â
It was not until five years ago that Nekea decided to take her creative side seriously.
Â
She has since gone on to showcase her artwork around the world, and one of her artwork designs was recently used on a stamp in the United States for Autism Awareness Month.
Â
Most recently her accomplishments have led to the Mackay artist being named the 2015 Individual Achievement winner at the Autism Queensland Creative Futures Recognition Awards.
Â
“[I was given the award] for my achievements and being an inspiration and role model to my fellow community members, and my artwork on top of that as well just goes hand and hand with each other,” she said.
Chubby Santa’s, twinkling lights, parties, the aroma of pies and cookies baking in the kitchen, champagne bubbles, family feasts and gifts piled high greet each year’s holiday season. Holidays are happy times, right? Not necessarily. The advent of the holiday season is not always a time of joy. It is a time when we mourn those whose presence is missed. It is a time when frenzied activity adds to the burden of life’s already hectic schedules. It is a time of excess—spending too much, eating too much and drinking too much. How can we put in the obligatory time with family which may prove toxic as old habits and unresolved issues resurface?  How can we enjoy the holiday season when coping with our usual stressors requires us to use all of our inner resources? Here are some.
*Develop a shopping list and spending plan. Resist impulse buying and extravagance.
*Remember that there is no reason to expect that difficult relationships will have improved since last year—so why get aggravated.
*Pace your activities. Accept invitations to those events that will not overburden your life and cause next day exhaustion. Feeling tired and frantic is not good for your physical and mental health.
*If food and drink are an issue—try moderation (more easily said than done—think January when you will want to undo the results of binge indulging)
*Choose parties and events you really care about, avoid day after day of obligatory activities.
*Set aside some time just for yourself—do something that you enjoy, makes you smile and reduces your sense of being on a treadmill.
*Chose someone you really care about and spend some quality time, even if it’s only a quick lunch somewhere.
*Make plans for January and February to do something special—give yourself something to look forward to during the coldest, darkest winter months.
*Buy yourself a gift, something that you really want that no one else is going to get for you.
Put the holiday into perspective—the excitement, the scenery, the parties, friends and family. Recognize that changes in routine can be stressful but that’s just part of the season—enjoy and happy holidays.
Â
“Remember that our expectations will create our reactions, and expectations are often too idealistic if guided by the hallmark holiday image.â€Â  -Mark Sisti, Ph.D
Â
“Have the freedom to change traditions, based on what works and what no longer works.â€-Constance Salhany, Ph.D.
Christmas can be an exciting and fun time, but it can also be stressful.
People with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) may be confused or
distressed by all the new activity within the household at Christmas and
this can be upsetting for the rest of the family. Hopefully this information
sheet will provide some tips which might help. The word ‘child’ will be used throughout however some of the tips will be useful for adults too.
Â
Preparation
As Christmas approaches, you may want to highlight this holiday period on the household’s or child’s calendar. We would suggest that you check when the school starts work about Christmas, and perhaps you could introduce the idea at a similar time. This will help to ensure consistency. However, if this time frame does not leave enough preparation time for your child, then you should adjust it as appropriate.
You may only want to emphasise Christmas Day on the calendar. Or you might want to indicate when the school term ends and starts again, to show that the child will be at home during this holiday. You could name this period on the calendar: ‘Christmas Time’ might be appropriate. Highlighting this on the calendar will help your child to prepare for the time spent away from school, and therefore the change in routine. You can start talking to your child about ‘Christmas Time’ and what this means. This will differ for each family. You could produce a booklet on Christmas with pictures of relevant items, for example Christmas trees, the sorts of decorations you use and the food you might eat. However, remember that if your child is very literal you will need to be careful as they may become anxious if your Christmas does not appear exactly as the pictures.
On your calendar you can mark the days that you will buy and put up the Christmas tree and decorations, as well as any other changes which will occur. Do not forget to include the day when relatives or friends will arrive to stay. Although a lot can change during this time, it is important to continue your child’s routine to some extent. If you use visual timetables with your child (see our ‘Visual supports’ information sheet, available free from the Autism Helpline), continue to use them to show what they will be doing during this period.
You should include your child with an ASD in the Christmas process. You may want to take them shopping for the tree and decorations, or show them where they are kept in the house before you bring them out for the holiday. This will help your child to become familiar with these items, even if they saw them the year before. Your child should also be involved in putting up the decorations, even if they are just in the room when it occurs. This will hopefully prevent any negative reactions to these new items being placed in a familiar environment.
If your child does want to be included then you may like to give them a particular job to do which they can focus on. This may help them to feel included and less anxious about the changes around them. You may even want to decorate the house over a few days if your child finds change particularly difficult. For example, you could place the tree in position, leave it for a few days and then start to decorate it, adding any house decorations later on.
The Autism Helpline is often asked about suitable toys or gifts for a child with an ASD. These will vary from one person to another. However we would suggest that for some children with an ASD having a huge number of presents from friends and family might be too overwhelming. Perhaps a set amount could be given, maybe one from mum and dad and one from grandparents. Any other family members who would like to buy a gift could perhaps put the money in a trust fund to be used for the child at other times. Alternatively, perhaps giving the child one gift a day might help to reduce any anxiety.
Suitable gifts
The Autism Helpline is often asked what toys might be suitable for children with an ASD. Therefore we have compiled a list (in no particular order):
1) Trampolines
These come in lots of different sizes, but make sure it’s strong. They are good for using up energy.
2) Sensory toys
There are many types of these, some examples are:
*bubble tubes/columns, all different sizes and colours
*fibre optic plumes that change colour and can be safely brushed with the hand
*bubble-making machines.
3) Board games
*’The Socially Speaking Game’ is a social skills board game for seven-year-olds+ from LDAlearning (www.ldalearning.com)
*Battleships/Guess Who? are both turn-taking games.
4) Music
*on tape or CD
*instruments.
5) Bikes/tricycles
6) Water toys
7) Books
Read-along ones, perhaps accompanied by a tape of the story; for example The Hungry Caterpillar.
These are just a few examples, there are many more. Please remember that every child is different so not every child will like the same toys.
If your child is becoming obsessive about Christmas, you will need to try and set boundaries around this obsession. Please see the Obsessions, repetitive behaviours and routines information sheet for further information.
If you would like any of the information sheets mentioned in this article (Visual supports; Obsessions, repetitive behaviours and routines) please contact the Autism Helpline 0845 070 4004.
Fledglings A charity which helps parents and carers of a child with special needs of any kind to find simple, affordable solutions to practical problems.
Sells toys, trikes and other products for children with disabilities
Tel: 0845 458 1124
Email: enquiries@fledglings.org.uk
Website: www.fledglings.org.uk
KidsOut
National charity providing fun to children with special needs, including play equipment and grants
Tel: 01525 385 232
Email: kidsout@kidsout.org.uk
Website: www.kidsout.org.uk
National Association of Toy and Leisure Libraries
Tel London office: 020 7255 4600
Tel Scotland office: 0131 664 2746
Tel Wales office: 02920 566 333
Website: www.natll.org.uk
Please note the above organisations are not connected with The National Autistic Society in any way; we cannot recommend any of the above organisations.
References/recommended reading
Newson, J. and E. (1982). Top twenty toys for handicapped children in Living and working with autism. Section 5. The National Autistic Society.
This article is a little old-fashioned in its use of language. However many of their recommendations will still be applicable today. Copies are available from the Autism Helpline on 0845 070 4004.
If you require further information about autism and related issues, please contact the NAS Autism Helpline, open Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm:
