Have you ever been to Second Life?
It's an online world where people meet, date, conduct business and travel with virtual identities and pseudonyms.
But now, the funky computer pastime has been adopted by a local brain research center for treating autism, with very real results.
Matt Kratz, a brain health center client, brags about himself in a virtual job interview, where he can practice real-world social skills.
He has Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism.
"I'm listening to the conversation, to pick up keys as to what to say and when to say it," he said.
It's part of an innovative new therapy offered at UTD Center for Brain Health, where patients interact with others as digital characters, or avatars, in Second Life - a virtual online world.
"Second Life is kind of this in between stage between what happens to him in real life, but it's beyond a therapy session, where it's kind of just role play," said director of the Center of Brain Health, Sandra Chapman.
The digital character conducting the practice job interview is a clinician in another room who's prepared to ask Kratz some challenging questions.
Asperger's patients typically have normal intelligence but some cognitive flaws involving change or social skills.
In the virtual therapy, Kratz actually trains his brain to adapt and respond.
"Of course, with the brain that's really about making new connections, so synapses or connections between nerve cells are really how behavior changes," said Kratz.
Kratz says the therapy has already helped him in real-life situations.
And the potential for this kind of therapy is broad.
"We're not only asking how's the brain working, but how do we make it work better?" said Chapman.
Training the brain using real-time conversations in a make-believe world.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
'Second Life' therapy helping Asperger's patients
By JEFF BRADY
WFAA-TV
Have you ever been to Second Life?
It's an online world where people meet, date, conduct business and travel with virtual identities and pseudonyms.
But now, the funky computer pastime has been adopted by a local brain research center for treating autism, with very real results.
Matt Kratz, a brain health center client, brags about himself in a virtual job interview, where he can practice real-world social skills.
He has Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism.
"I'm listening to the conversation, to pick up keys as to what to say and when to say it," he said.
It's part of an innovative new therapy offered at UTD Center for Brain Health, where patients interact with others as digital characters, or avatars, in Second Life - a virtual online world.
"Second Life is kind of this in between stage between what happens to him in real life, but it's beyond a therapy session, where it's kind of just role play," said director of the Center of Brain Health, Sandra Chapman.
The digital character conducting the practice job interview is a clinician in another room who's prepared to ask Kratz some challenging questions.
Asperger's patients typically have normal intelligence but some cognitive flaws involving change or social skills.
In the virtual therapy, Kratz actually trains his brain to adapt and respond.
"Of course, with the brain that's really about making new connections, so synapses or connections between nerve cells are really how behavior changes," said Kratz.
Kratz says the therapy has already helped him in real-life situations.
And the potential for this kind of therapy is broad.
"We're not only asking how's the brain working, but how do we make it work better?" said Chapman.
Training the brain using real-time conversations in a make-believe world.
WFAA-TV
Have you ever been to Second Life?
It's an online world where people meet, date, conduct business and travel with virtual identities and pseudonyms.
But now, the funky computer pastime has been adopted by a local brain research center for treating autism, with very real results.
Matt Kratz, a brain health center client, brags about himself in a virtual job interview, where he can practice real-world social skills.
He has Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism.
"I'm listening to the conversation, to pick up keys as to what to say and when to say it," he said.
It's part of an innovative new therapy offered at UTD Center for Brain Health, where patients interact with others as digital characters, or avatars, in Second Life - a virtual online world.
"Second Life is kind of this in between stage between what happens to him in real life, but it's beyond a therapy session, where it's kind of just role play," said director of the Center of Brain Health, Sandra Chapman.
The digital character conducting the practice job interview is a clinician in another room who's prepared to ask Kratz some challenging questions.
Asperger's patients typically have normal intelligence but some cognitive flaws involving change or social skills.
In the virtual therapy, Kratz actually trains his brain to adapt and respond.
"Of course, with the brain that's really about making new connections, so synapses or connections between nerve cells are really how behavior changes," said Kratz.
Kratz says the therapy has already helped him in real-life situations.
And the potential for this kind of therapy is broad.
"We're not only asking how's the brain working, but how do we make it work better?" said Chapman.
Training the brain using real-time conversations in a make-believe world.
Music critic describes life wth Asperger's syndrome
By REBECCA DELANEY
March 13, 2008 | 4:19 p.m. CST
Pulitzer Prize-winning music critic Tim Page is being brought to MU by the schools of Journalism and Music, the Thompson Center, the Center for Arts and Humanities and MU Extension’s Community Development. A story on page 1A Friday of the Missourian left out three of the sponsoring groups.
COLUMBIA — Tim Page wouldn’t wish Asperger’s syndrome on anyone.
As a kid, he fixated with feverish intensity on details the rest of the world overlooked. He immersed himself in a handful of topics — music, silent films, large chunks of the 1961 Worldbook Encyclopedia — and vigorously absorbed everything he could about them.
In spite of his zest for learning, he struggled through school. Teachers sometimes called him a genius. Then, they’d assign him failing grades.
In his career, Page said he’s angered people with his tendency to offer unfiltered opinions, a product of his perpetual struggle to recognize and decipher social cues. In his personal sphere, forging friendships and relationships has been a lifelong labor. Page has lived much of his life shouldering burdens of confusion, isolation and unhappiness.
“It’s been kind of a lonely life and remains a lonely life,” Page said. “You get the sense that you don’t have the connections with people you’d like to have.”
An estimated four to five out of every 10,000 people have Asperger’s Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder that hinders social interactions and entails intense fixation on topics that are often offbeat and “are not always productive”, said Janet Farmer, co-director of the Thompson Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders at MU.
“You might have a child who gets very interested with sea animals, air conditioners, presidents,” Farmer said. “And they sometimes have negative interactions with other people. In other words, it can be very disabling.”
Page, however, has transformed disability into ability. It’s a real-life twist on making lemonade out of lemons: When life handed Page Asperger’s Syndrome, he forged an illustrious career out of music criticism.
“Would I wish Asperger’s on anybody? No,” said Page, who was diagnosed in 2000. “On the other hand, it seems to me that a lot of things I did and am doing in my life happened because I had Asperger’s.”
At 53, Page has a formidable resume that could incite envy among journalists and music afficianados many years his senior. He will visit MU on Monday and Tuesday, offering a series of lectures and discussions about his disorder, his career and the symbiosis between them. He worked for the Washington Post critiquing classical music starting in 1995. In 1997, he won a Pulitzer Prize in criticism for his work with the Post — work the Pulitzer board called “lucid and illuminating.” He used to be the chief music critic for Newsday, penned stories about music and culture for The New York Times and was the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s artistic adviser and creative chair from 1999 to 2001.
Now, Page is a visiting professor with the Annenberg School of Journalism at the University of Southern California.
In 2009, Page will be able to pencil in “autobiographer” on his resume, when he’ll release a memoir detailing his experience with Asperger’s Syndrome. In August 2007, Page wrote a similarly themed piece for The New Yorker called “Parallel Play: A Lifetime of Restless Isolation Explained.”
After reading the article, Sandra Hodge, an associate professor at MU, contacted Page via e-mail to see if he’d be interested in visiting campus, figuring “the worst thing he could say would be no.”
Spearheaded by Hodge, bringing Page to MU was a collaborative effort among the journalism and music schools, the Thompson Center, the Center for Arts and Humanities and University Extension, Community Development. Page’s main appearance will be a University of Missouri Distinguished Lecture Monday evening.
“He’s achieved all these wonderful things in his life,” Hodge said. “I think he’s an inspiration for parents whose children may have the same syndrome. He’s met a number of challenges and has been very successful."
Finding his niche didn’t necessarily take a lot of work. When it came to music, Page said he took to it “like a duck to water.”
“Music was not something I had to learn about from middle C,” Page said. “I knew about it intrinsically from the moment I heard it and needed to learn how to deal with that, how to put that together. There’s no doubt that it had something to do with (Asperger’s) because I was extraordinarily sensitive to music from the time I was two or three. After that, I just inhaled it.”
Paired with a knack for writing, Page’s passion paved a path to success. It’s this kind of success that Farmer said can offer real inspiration to people whose lives are affected by autism spectrum disorders.
“It’s an important message about how you shouldn’t make assumptions about an individual that are negative,” Farmer said. “They may be able to find a perfect match and be very successful in life.”
Professional success aside, Page is straightforward about the obstacles he’s faced on a more personal level, citing two marriages that ended in divorce.
“Would I give up my Pulitzer for a really, really ecstatic and happy marriage?” Page said. “Yeah, I probably would, but maybe I don’t have to choose one or the other.”
Though he’s frank about its challenges, Page said Asperger’s shouldn’t be looked at as “some sort of horrible emotional death sentence.” With three sons and many friends he cherishes, Page maintains a relatively positive outlook on life.
“I’ve had a lot of the blessings that life has,” Page said. “It’s just a little complicated. Everybody’s life has some rain in it.”
March 13, 2008 | 4:19 p.m. CST
Pulitzer Prize-winning music critic Tim Page is being brought to MU by the schools of Journalism and Music, the Thompson Center, the Center for Arts and Humanities and MU Extension’s Community Development. A story on page 1A Friday of the Missourian left out three of the sponsoring groups.
COLUMBIA — Tim Page wouldn’t wish Asperger’s syndrome on anyone.
As a kid, he fixated with feverish intensity on details the rest of the world overlooked. He immersed himself in a handful of topics — music, silent films, large chunks of the 1961 Worldbook Encyclopedia — and vigorously absorbed everything he could about them.
In spite of his zest for learning, he struggled through school. Teachers sometimes called him a genius. Then, they’d assign him failing grades.
In his career, Page said he’s angered people with his tendency to offer unfiltered opinions, a product of his perpetual struggle to recognize and decipher social cues. In his personal sphere, forging friendships and relationships has been a lifelong labor. Page has lived much of his life shouldering burdens of confusion, isolation and unhappiness.
“It’s been kind of a lonely life and remains a lonely life,” Page said. “You get the sense that you don’t have the connections with people you’d like to have.”
An estimated four to five out of every 10,000 people have Asperger’s Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder that hinders social interactions and entails intense fixation on topics that are often offbeat and “are not always productive”, said Janet Farmer, co-director of the Thompson Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders at MU.
“You might have a child who gets very interested with sea animals, air conditioners, presidents,” Farmer said. “And they sometimes have negative interactions with other people. In other words, it can be very disabling.”
Page, however, has transformed disability into ability. It’s a real-life twist on making lemonade out of lemons: When life handed Page Asperger’s Syndrome, he forged an illustrious career out of music criticism.
“Would I wish Asperger’s on anybody? No,” said Page, who was diagnosed in 2000. “On the other hand, it seems to me that a lot of things I did and am doing in my life happened because I had Asperger’s.”
At 53, Page has a formidable resume that could incite envy among journalists and music afficianados many years his senior. He will visit MU on Monday and Tuesday, offering a series of lectures and discussions about his disorder, his career and the symbiosis between them. He worked for the Washington Post critiquing classical music starting in 1995. In 1997, he won a Pulitzer Prize in criticism for his work with the Post — work the Pulitzer board called “lucid and illuminating.” He used to be the chief music critic for Newsday, penned stories about music and culture for The New York Times and was the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s artistic adviser and creative chair from 1999 to 2001.
Now, Page is a visiting professor with the Annenberg School of Journalism at the University of Southern California.
In 2009, Page will be able to pencil in “autobiographer” on his resume, when he’ll release a memoir detailing his experience with Asperger’s Syndrome. In August 2007, Page wrote a similarly themed piece for The New Yorker called “Parallel Play: A Lifetime of Restless Isolation Explained.”
After reading the article, Sandra Hodge, an associate professor at MU, contacted Page via e-mail to see if he’d be interested in visiting campus, figuring “the worst thing he could say would be no.”
Spearheaded by Hodge, bringing Page to MU was a collaborative effort among the journalism and music schools, the Thompson Center, the Center for Arts and Humanities and University Extension, Community Development. Page’s main appearance will be a University of Missouri Distinguished Lecture Monday evening.
“He’s achieved all these wonderful things in his life,” Hodge said. “I think he’s an inspiration for parents whose children may have the same syndrome. He’s met a number of challenges and has been very successful."
Finding his niche didn’t necessarily take a lot of work. When it came to music, Page said he took to it “like a duck to water.”
“Music was not something I had to learn about from middle C,” Page said. “I knew about it intrinsically from the moment I heard it and needed to learn how to deal with that, how to put that together. There’s no doubt that it had something to do with (Asperger’s) because I was extraordinarily sensitive to music from the time I was two or three. After that, I just inhaled it.”
Paired with a knack for writing, Page’s passion paved a path to success. It’s this kind of success that Farmer said can offer real inspiration to people whose lives are affected by autism spectrum disorders.
“It’s an important message about how you shouldn’t make assumptions about an individual that are negative,” Farmer said. “They may be able to find a perfect match and be very successful in life.”
Professional success aside, Page is straightforward about the obstacles he’s faced on a more personal level, citing two marriages that ended in divorce.
“Would I give up my Pulitzer for a really, really ecstatic and happy marriage?” Page said. “Yeah, I probably would, but maybe I don’t have to choose one or the other.”
Though he’s frank about its challenges, Page said Asperger’s shouldn’t be looked at as “some sort of horrible emotional death sentence.” With three sons and many friends he cherishes, Page maintains a relatively positive outlook on life.
“I’ve had a lot of the blessings that life has,” Page said. “It’s just a little complicated. Everybody’s life has some rain in it.”
John Schneider promotes Asperger's Syndrome awareness
By John Morgan, Spotlight Health, with medical adviser Stephen A. Shoop, M.D.
On Smallville, John Schneider plays the father of teenager Clark Kent. In real life, Schneider is dad to his 11-year-old son, Chasen, who also has incredible abilities.
"My son has Asperger's Syndrome, which is part of the autism spectrum," says Schneider, who is best known for starring on the Dukes of Hazzard. "It's likely Albert Einstein had Asperger's, and so did Thomas Jefferson. Bill Gates I'm certain has it. With many highly motivated successful people that have done something in an obscure area, you're going to find an 'odd bird' now and then."
"Ask Chasen just about anything about baseball, and he can rattle off names, dates, statistics, you name it," Schneider explains. "He just consumes everything he can about baseball. It's his thing."
Asperger's Syndrome (AS) occupies the higher functioning end of the autism spectrum. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects early brain development, often causing communication difficulties and problems with social interactions.
Despite its identification in 1944 by Austrian physician, Hans Asperger, the syndrome was not recognized as a unique disorder until 1994. As such, the exact number afflicted is unknown. But the National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that 400,000 people have autism, making it the third most common developmental disability.
But a report by the California Department of Developmental Services estimates that the number with autism may be as high as 1.5 million. The prevalence of the autism is likely as high as 10 to 12 people per 10,000, the study shows.
The challenges faced by people with autism and Asperger's come from the same place," says Stephen Shore, a doctoral candidate in special education, concentrating on the autism spectrum at Boston University. "They just express themselves differently. For example, we see significant delays in communication for autism. There is no significant delay in verbal ability for Asperger's."
Other characteristics of Asperger's include:
* Deficiencies in social skills
* Difficulties with transitions or changes, preference for sameness
* Obsessive routines
* Repetitive motions
* Restricted interests
* Difficulty reading nonverbal cues (body language)
* Sensory issues
* Difficulty determining proper body space boundaries
By definition, people with AS have a normal to above average IQs. But while many Asperger's kids possess advanced vocabularies – often sounding like "little professors" — they can be extremely literal and have difficulty using language in a social context.
'Autism bomb'
"Chasen was formally diagnosed a couple of years ago with what they termed a form of autism," Schneider says. "Then it was refined to Asperger's. When I was a kid, we called it the 'hyperactive kid in class' – you know, the one who was the brain and had little or no social skills whatsoever. Everyone seems to need a label. My son I guess could be considered an 'odd bird.'"
So was Shore, the doctoral student.
"I was hit with what I call the 'autism bomb' and lost language skills but then started getting it back at 4 years of age," Shore says. "In 1964 I was diagnosed with strong autistic tendencies. If I were to have been diagnosed at age 12, it would have been Asperger's."
"So what happened with me is what happens with most people on the autism spectrum — I moved from a more severe end to a lighter end," Shore adds. "The challenge is to move children as far to the lighter end as possible."
The cause of autism and Asperger's remains a mystery.
"We think there's a genetic basis that is exacerbated by something in the environment," Shore says. "The question is – is the catalyst a vaccination, a virus, or something else?"
'But what we do know there is definitely something in the environment that is causing it," Shore states. "Thimerisol is being strongly scrutinized, perhaps in part due to the overlap in symptomology between mercury poisoning and autism being about 80-90%. But we're not sure."
Autism expert Bernard Rimland says he is sure.
"I've been studying this for over 40 years," says Rimland, who founded the Autism Society of America and now serves as its director. "In my opinion there is very little doubt that the increased rate of vaccinations is responsible for the increase in autism. Not only the number of vaccines but also the amount of mercury has increased. Mercury is extraordinarily toxic in small amounts, but some people are amazingly susceptible to minute amounts of mercury."
"There is a huge epidemic of autism," says Rimland, who consulted on the movie Rain Man. "A recent report examined the hypotheses as to why there is such a large increase. Migration to California does not explain the increase. The report rejected the hypothesis that there was a change in diagnostic standards. Another theory was kids were reclassified from mentally retarded to autistic. But this was not the case either. It is the vaccinations."
To support his case, Rimland says that the symptoms of mercury poisoning are "amazingly like the symptoms of autism." Boys are four times more susceptible to mercury toxicity than girls. Autism is four times as common in boys as girls.
Mercury rising
When interviewed by the ASA, Rick Rollens, who has helped with the California studies, acknowledged the possibility exists that vaccinations could be responsible. "…Since mercury containing vaccines are still in use today, including the most recent recommended addition to the childhood immunization schedule ... (of) two shots of flu vaccine for babies, it will take a few years to start seeing the effect of the phasing out of the mercury containing preservative thimerisol from childhood vaccines on the autism epidemic."
"The experts have been wrong before and the experts are wrong this time too," Rimland states. "When we were children we had three vaccinations before the age of 6. Now the kids get 22 before the age of 2. It's a little like saying if a kid can safely carry three books in his backpack, then 22 is also safe."
"The good thing from all this is they've taken the mercury out of the vaccines," adds Shore, who authored Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome. "Because you shouldn't be injecting mercury into anyone."
But Rimland urges extra caution because many old vaccinations are still being used that still contain mercury.
"The FDA has not recalled the vaccinations so the advice we give parents is if you have an autistic child in your family insist on seeing the package insert – don't take their word for it," Rimland cautions. "Read it yourself. If it says thimerisol, don't let them use it."
Schneider has his own advice.
"If your child is going along just fine and developing skills when they should and then you notice all of the sudden that his forward progression stops and begins to reverse, you need to take your child in and find out what is going on," Schneider says.
Among the treatments that can help children with autism and Asperger's:
* Behavior modification
* Special education
* Medications – though not specifically for Asperger's, anti-anxiety drugs and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors can be helpful for symptoms.
Schneider says his son has benefited greatly from social skills training as well as having used a "shadow" in school to encourage him to interact more with his peers.
"Fortunately, Asperger's is not like some of the terrible diseases we are fighting to cure through the Children's Miracle Network. It's not going to kill Chasen," says Schneider, who helped found CMN which has raised more than $ 2.5 billion for children's hospitals. "It doesn't mean it's easy for Chasen, but he's an amazing kid, and I am so proud of him."
On Smallville, John Schneider plays the father of teenager Clark Kent. In real life, Schneider is dad to his 11-year-old son, Chasen, who also has incredible abilities.
"My son has Asperger's Syndrome, which is part of the autism spectrum," says Schneider, who is best known for starring on the Dukes of Hazzard. "It's likely Albert Einstein had Asperger's, and so did Thomas Jefferson. Bill Gates I'm certain has it. With many highly motivated successful people that have done something in an obscure area, you're going to find an 'odd bird' now and then."
"Ask Chasen just about anything about baseball, and he can rattle off names, dates, statistics, you name it," Schneider explains. "He just consumes everything he can about baseball. It's his thing."
Asperger's Syndrome (AS) occupies the higher functioning end of the autism spectrum. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects early brain development, often causing communication difficulties and problems with social interactions.
Despite its identification in 1944 by Austrian physician, Hans Asperger, the syndrome was not recognized as a unique disorder until 1994. As such, the exact number afflicted is unknown. But the National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that 400,000 people have autism, making it the third most common developmental disability.
But a report by the California Department of Developmental Services estimates that the number with autism may be as high as 1.5 million. The prevalence of the autism is likely as high as 10 to 12 people per 10,000, the study shows.
The challenges faced by people with autism and Asperger's come from the same place," says Stephen Shore, a doctoral candidate in special education, concentrating on the autism spectrum at Boston University. "They just express themselves differently. For example, we see significant delays in communication for autism. There is no significant delay in verbal ability for Asperger's."
Other characteristics of Asperger's include:
* Deficiencies in social skills
* Difficulties with transitions or changes, preference for sameness
* Obsessive routines
* Repetitive motions
* Restricted interests
* Difficulty reading nonverbal cues (body language)
* Sensory issues
* Difficulty determining proper body space boundaries
By definition, people with AS have a normal to above average IQs. But while many Asperger's kids possess advanced vocabularies – often sounding like "little professors" — they can be extremely literal and have difficulty using language in a social context.
'Autism bomb'
"Chasen was formally diagnosed a couple of years ago with what they termed a form of autism," Schneider says. "Then it was refined to Asperger's. When I was a kid, we called it the 'hyperactive kid in class' – you know, the one who was the brain and had little or no social skills whatsoever. Everyone seems to need a label. My son I guess could be considered an 'odd bird.'"
So was Shore, the doctoral student.
"I was hit with what I call the 'autism bomb' and lost language skills but then started getting it back at 4 years of age," Shore says. "In 1964 I was diagnosed with strong autistic tendencies. If I were to have been diagnosed at age 12, it would have been Asperger's."
"So what happened with me is what happens with most people on the autism spectrum — I moved from a more severe end to a lighter end," Shore adds. "The challenge is to move children as far to the lighter end as possible."
The cause of autism and Asperger's remains a mystery.
"We think there's a genetic basis that is exacerbated by something in the environment," Shore says. "The question is – is the catalyst a vaccination, a virus, or something else?"
'But what we do know there is definitely something in the environment that is causing it," Shore states. "Thimerisol is being strongly scrutinized, perhaps in part due to the overlap in symptomology between mercury poisoning and autism being about 80-90%. But we're not sure."
Autism expert Bernard Rimland says he is sure.
"I've been studying this for over 40 years," says Rimland, who founded the Autism Society of America and now serves as its director. "In my opinion there is very little doubt that the increased rate of vaccinations is responsible for the increase in autism. Not only the number of vaccines but also the amount of mercury has increased. Mercury is extraordinarily toxic in small amounts, but some people are amazingly susceptible to minute amounts of mercury."
"There is a huge epidemic of autism," says Rimland, who consulted on the movie Rain Man. "A recent report examined the hypotheses as to why there is such a large increase. Migration to California does not explain the increase. The report rejected the hypothesis that there was a change in diagnostic standards. Another theory was kids were reclassified from mentally retarded to autistic. But this was not the case either. It is the vaccinations."
To support his case, Rimland says that the symptoms of mercury poisoning are "amazingly like the symptoms of autism." Boys are four times more susceptible to mercury toxicity than girls. Autism is four times as common in boys as girls.
Mercury rising
When interviewed by the ASA, Rick Rollens, who has helped with the California studies, acknowledged the possibility exists that vaccinations could be responsible. "…Since mercury containing vaccines are still in use today, including the most recent recommended addition to the childhood immunization schedule ... (of) two shots of flu vaccine for babies, it will take a few years to start seeing the effect of the phasing out of the mercury containing preservative thimerisol from childhood vaccines on the autism epidemic."
"The experts have been wrong before and the experts are wrong this time too," Rimland states. "When we were children we had three vaccinations before the age of 6. Now the kids get 22 before the age of 2. It's a little like saying if a kid can safely carry three books in his backpack, then 22 is also safe."
"The good thing from all this is they've taken the mercury out of the vaccines," adds Shore, who authored Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome. "Because you shouldn't be injecting mercury into anyone."
But Rimland urges extra caution because many old vaccinations are still being used that still contain mercury.
"The FDA has not recalled the vaccinations so the advice we give parents is if you have an autistic child in your family insist on seeing the package insert – don't take their word for it," Rimland cautions. "Read it yourself. If it says thimerisol, don't let them use it."
Schneider has his own advice.
"If your child is going along just fine and developing skills when they should and then you notice all of the sudden that his forward progression stops and begins to reverse, you need to take your child in and find out what is going on," Schneider says.
Among the treatments that can help children with autism and Asperger's:
* Behavior modification
* Special education
* Medications – though not specifically for Asperger's, anti-anxiety drugs and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors can be helpful for symptoms.
Schneider says his son has benefited greatly from social skills training as well as having used a "shadow" in school to encourage him to interact more with his peers.
"Fortunately, Asperger's is not like some of the terrible diseases we are fighting to cure through the Children's Miracle Network. It's not going to kill Chasen," says Schneider, who helped found CMN which has raised more than $ 2.5 billion for children's hospitals. "It doesn't mean it's easy for Chasen, but he's an amazing kid, and I am so proud of him."
iReport: 'Naughty Auties' battle autism with virtual interaction
By Nicole Saidi
CNN
(CNN) -- Walk into Naughty Auties, a virtual resource center for those with autism, and you'll find palm trees swaying against a striking ocean sunset. Were it not for the pixelated graphics on the computer screen in front of you, you would swear you were looking at a tropical hideaway.
David Savill, 22, lives in Gloucester, England, in real life and created this spot within the virtual world of Second Life. Residents of this digital realm can represent themselves with 3-D images called avatars and connect with each other over the Internet.
Savill has Asperger's syndrome and said he wanted Naughty Auties to serve those with autism spectrum disorders and their friends and family.
Savill, who represents himself in the virtual world using an avatar named Dave Sparrow, said one benefit is that visitors can practice social interaction and find information about the condition. The graphical representations of real people create a "comfort zone" that can coax users out of their shells and get them communicating with others, he said.
"You're on your own computer, in your own room,your own space," Savill said.
"So you're not going out into the real world meeting people, you're going meeting people online and in your own home, so you're perfectly relaxed. It's just a fantastic tool to use to bring people together."
Autism, more precisely the autism spectrum, is a range of brain disorders that can cause difficulties in social interaction, communication and behavior. Asperger's syndrome is at the milder end of this spectrum. People with Asperger's are often high-achieving but can have difficulty in social situations.
CNN learned about Savill's Second Life place from an iReporter in England who has named herself Janey Bracken in Second Life. Bracken, who prefers not to share her real name, submitted stories to iReport.com describing Savill's resource center and providing information about other places where those with the condition can turn.
"[Savill] said that his life changed when his family decided to get the Internet," Bracken wrote. "He was able to use chat rooms and soon realized that people used symbols to express themselves: the smiley signs, the angry signs, hug signs, etc., to enhance the text. He went on to say that subconsciously his brain was learning about communication from these sessions of chat."
Second Life has its own economy and social scene, and Bracken and Savill hope it could become a haven for those seeking help for autism.
While many think such computer interactions could eventually be helpful in treating autism, scientists say more information is needed to truly assess their value. Dr. Fred Volkmar, a professor in Yale University's Child Study Center, said he would want more concrete studies done before he could be sure.
"Although not much research is yet available, there is clearly considerable potential in use of new technologies for fostering social skills," Volkmar said.
To answer this need, scientists are beginning to explore the possibilities in Second Life. One such researcher is Simon Bignell, a lecturer in psychology at the University of Derby in Derby, England, who is running a project that is evaluating teaching and research in Second Life.
Bignell, known in-world as Milton Broome, said Second Life is an uncharted but promising area for new applied psychological research. Virtual reality can be used to simulate new environments for people on the autistic spectrum, he said.
"For people with autism, we've found it's a very nice way of setting up situations they might come across in their everyday lives," Bignell said. "For people who have social, emotional, communicational problems ... we can get them familiar with an environment before they actually try it out in real life."
He started the "Autism Research" discussion group within Second Life to serve as an information-sharing tool for interested parties. He also has an office within Second Life and can sometimes be found working in SL-Labs, the university's in-world psychology lab space. The lab areas contain meeting spots, informational kiosks and games. A portion of these areas contain information about autism and Asperger's.
Savill said Second Life excels at minimizing geographical separations between people and bringing people from all over the world to meet together quickly and easily.
He added that he wanted to emphasize that virtual worlds are an emerging and important tool not just for autistic people, but for the people who know them.
"It's not just to help people with autism, it's to help people whose lives have been affected by autism, be they family or friends or employees of people who have autism," Savill said. "Naughty Auties is a fantastic meeting place for people."
CNN
(CNN) -- Walk into Naughty Auties, a virtual resource center for those with autism, and you'll find palm trees swaying against a striking ocean sunset. Were it not for the pixelated graphics on the computer screen in front of you, you would swear you were looking at a tropical hideaway.
David Savill, 22, lives in Gloucester, England, in real life and created this spot within the virtual world of Second Life. Residents of this digital realm can represent themselves with 3-D images called avatars and connect with each other over the Internet.
Savill has Asperger's syndrome and said he wanted Naughty Auties to serve those with autism spectrum disorders and their friends and family.
Savill, who represents himself in the virtual world using an avatar named Dave Sparrow, said one benefit is that visitors can practice social interaction and find information about the condition. The graphical representations of real people create a "comfort zone" that can coax users out of their shells and get them communicating with others, he said.
"You're on your own computer, in your own room,your own space," Savill said.
"So you're not going out into the real world meeting people, you're going meeting people online and in your own home, so you're perfectly relaxed. It's just a fantastic tool to use to bring people together."
Autism, more precisely the autism spectrum, is a range of brain disorders that can cause difficulties in social interaction, communication and behavior. Asperger's syndrome is at the milder end of this spectrum. People with Asperger's are often high-achieving but can have difficulty in social situations.
CNN learned about Savill's Second Life place from an iReporter in England who has named herself Janey Bracken in Second Life. Bracken, who prefers not to share her real name, submitted stories to iReport.com describing Savill's resource center and providing information about other places where those with the condition can turn.
"[Savill] said that his life changed when his family decided to get the Internet," Bracken wrote. "He was able to use chat rooms and soon realized that people used symbols to express themselves: the smiley signs, the angry signs, hug signs, etc., to enhance the text. He went on to say that subconsciously his brain was learning about communication from these sessions of chat."
Second Life has its own economy and social scene, and Bracken and Savill hope it could become a haven for those seeking help for autism.
While many think such computer interactions could eventually be helpful in treating autism, scientists say more information is needed to truly assess their value. Dr. Fred Volkmar, a professor in Yale University's Child Study Center, said he would want more concrete studies done before he could be sure.
"Although not much research is yet available, there is clearly considerable potential in use of new technologies for fostering social skills," Volkmar said.
To answer this need, scientists are beginning to explore the possibilities in Second Life. One such researcher is Simon Bignell, a lecturer in psychology at the University of Derby in Derby, England, who is running a project that is evaluating teaching and research in Second Life.
Bignell, known in-world as Milton Broome, said Second Life is an uncharted but promising area for new applied psychological research. Virtual reality can be used to simulate new environments for people on the autistic spectrum, he said.
"For people with autism, we've found it's a very nice way of setting up situations they might come across in their everyday lives," Bignell said. "For people who have social, emotional, communicational problems ... we can get them familiar with an environment before they actually try it out in real life."
He started the "Autism Research" discussion group within Second Life to serve as an information-sharing tool for interested parties. He also has an office within Second Life and can sometimes be found working in SL-Labs, the university's in-world psychology lab space. The lab areas contain meeting spots, informational kiosks and games. A portion of these areas contain information about autism and Asperger's.
Savill said Second Life excels at minimizing geographical separations between people and bringing people from all over the world to meet together quickly and easily.
He added that he wanted to emphasize that virtual worlds are an emerging and important tool not just for autistic people, but for the people who know them.
"It's not just to help people with autism, it's to help people whose lives have been affected by autism, be they family or friends or employees of people who have autism," Savill said. "Naughty Auties is a fantastic meeting place for people."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)