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Top Picks: Self-Soothing Items for Kids on the Autism Spectrum

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Below are our top picks for products that can be used to calm your child whenever he or she is frustrated, angry, over-stimulated, or about to "meltdown." However, we recommend that your child not be granted free access to these items, rather they should be reserved for those times when he or she is beginning to have strong emotions and needs to "self-soothe" as a result. Relieves Stress and Increases Focus - Bundle Sensory Twisted Squeeze Fidget Toys Set (15 PACK) Blue Weighted Compression Vest - Small (5-8) - Helps With Mood & Attention, Sensory Over Responding, Sensory Seeking, Travel Issues Sensory Sox Body Socks - For Sensory Processing Issues - Deep Pressure Simulation Body Blanket Great for Dynamic Movement 5 lb Children's (for 50lb individual) 36"x48" Navy Blue and Gray Weighted Blanket with Dotted Minkey Cover. Fall Asleep Faster - Perfect for kids with Anxiety, OCD, Stress, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Diso...

How to Help Aspergers and HFA Teens Transition to High School

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Young Aspergers (AS) and High-Functioning Autistic (HFA) teens entering high school look forward to having more choices and making new and more friends; however, they also are concerned about being picked on and teased by older students, having harder work, making lower grades, and getting lost in a larger, unfamiliar school. As these "special needs" teens make the transition into high school, many experience a decline in grades and attendance. They view themselves more negatively and experience an increased need for friendships. By the end of the 10th grade as many as 6% drop out of school. For middle school students, including those who have been labeled "gifted" or "high-achieving," the transition into high school can be an especially unpleasant experience. Research has found, however, that when middle school students with AS and HFA took part in a high school transition program with several diverse articulation activities, fewer students wer...

Should You Consider Giving Your Child CBD Oil?

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CBD oil is gaining traction among parents of kids on the autism spectrum. As one parent states, “Our son is almost completely weaned off of drugs since beginning CBD treatment. He is more focused in school, able to stay on task, understand and follow classroom multi-step directions, complete school work, and is no longer at a ‘plateau’ and able to grasp new concepts. His eye contact is better, his language is more thought-out and he is able to create meaningful sentences and his annunciation is clearer. He also seems happier, in general.” Why should you consider CBD oil for your Asperger’s or High-Functioning Autistic child? Well, first we need to look at the Endocannabinoid System (ECS).  Many of the symptoms that children on the autism spectrum experience are directly related to the functions of the body’s ECS. This system is the largest regulatory system in the body and controls appetite, memory, mood, motor control, pain, pleasure and reward, sleep, temperature regula...

Promoting Different "Special Interests" in Kids on the Autism Spectrum: Top 10 Picks for Education Toys and Games

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Children's Calendar Wall Chart 4M Solar System Planetarium Educational Insights Design & Drill Activity Center Reality Based Globe   Educational Construction Engineering Building Blocks Educational Insights GeoSafari Jr. My First Microscope Highly Stimulating Brain Teasers - Challenging IQ Games Learn to Tie a Shoe Educational Toy Helps to Teach Early Math Circuits Games & Gadgets Electronics Lab

Why Kids with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism May Be Labeled As "ODD" by Others

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==> Specific Parenting Techniques for Children and Teens on the High-Functioning End of the Autism Spectrum

Helping Your Teenager with ASD to Eliminate Thinking Errors

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"How can I help my teen with autism (high functioning) to not be so negative? He tends to view everything EVERYTHING through the lens of defeat. His self esteem is a big fat ZERO... no confidence whatsoever!!!" Many children and teens with Asperger’s (AS) and High-Functioning Autism (HFA) experience “thinking errors,” largely due to a phenomenon called “mind-blindness.”    Mind-blindness can be described as a cognitive disorder where the child is unable to attribute mental states (e.g., emotions, beliefs, desires, motives) to himself or others. This ability to develop a mental awareness of what is in the mind of another person is known as the “Theory of Mind .” Generally speaking, the “Mind-blindness Theory ” asserts that young people on the autism spectrum are delayed in developing a Theory of Mind, which normally allows developing kids to “put themselves into someone else's shoes” (i.e., empathy) and to imagine their thoughts and feelings. Children and teens...