losing speech
Deborah V. Good
> I would not deny any parent the right to try anything that they consider
> might be able to help their child.
Carolyn, I agree with you somewhat about parents being the best
advocates for their children regarding treatment. However, I
interpreted the developmental opthamologist's reply that our 6 yo was
too young for patterning to mean that she believed patterning would be
counter-productive at that particular time of his development. I
personally have not done any reading on Delacatto (spelling?)'s method.
I picked up the topic of patterning here on the net. Without knowing
anymore about patterning, it would not be in my sons's best interest for
me to push for a treatment which he may not be developmentally prepared for.
> Could you tell us a little more about your son? Why was he diagnosed PDD rathe
r
> than any of the other more explicit terms available? What sort of symptoms
> does he have? What age was he when you first noticed these differences? What
> are your 'concerns about how he perceived things'? etc.
I wasn't aware that there were any other more explicit term available
for his diagnosis. We and his teachers use PDD or High-Functioning
Autistic somewhat interchangeably. The doctors who diagnosed him felt
he fell in the PDD range.
Now that I look back on it, James was different from the day he was
born, but it was nothing we could put our fingers on until he was
diagnosed at 4.5 yo. Our biggest concern was his language delay, and it
was at an eval at our community Scottish Rite Language clinic that
autism was preliminarily diagnosed. As a baby, he was very alert and
very healthy.
He was also very fussy, but my mother-in-law had told me stories of how
cranky my husband was as an infant so we accepted that. He crawled,
walked, stood up, drank from a cup, etc., at an average rate so we had
no concerns there. However, we noticed that even though he was capable
of holding a cup to drink from at 12 mo., he was very agitated about
doing so. As an infant, he crawled on his fists, but never seemed
tactilely defensive until he got a bit older. He would become very
agitated if he fell (and he did a lot) outside. He hated to touch the
ground with his hands. His language began at approximately 14 mo. and
he continued to add words, but he never took off with talking. He loved
to drape beads on chairs and move them minutely, step back and observe,
and repeat until the beads would fall. We tried him once in a baby
swing, and he was terrified so we never attempted it again.
He didn't seem interested in playing with other children at home or at
his day care. He was a very cranky kid until about 4 yo, and we
attributed that to an immature nervous system. We had him checked by a
different pediatrician, language therapists, and a child psychologist
(who saw only us initially and deduced we were asking too much out of
our child). He is an only child so we didn't have another sibling to
compare him to. And, since we was a very much planned, beloved child
the thought never entered my head that there could be anything seriously
wrong with my child! We knew James was different, but accepted his
differences since he seemed normal in other ways - and because we loved
him.
My husband and I were mistaken in our
understanding that all autistic kids were mute. Further, I might add we
pored over "baby" books and there is not much out there in traditional
baby care books about developmental delays and autism so we were able to
talk oursevles into the notion that he was ok.
Our son has a significant language delay with delays in other areas of
his development. He has echolalia and some pronoun reversal. He receives langu
age therapy twice a week, and in
school he receives OT and PT assistance. We started him on sensory
integration therapy twice a week as well on the recommendation of the
psychologist who evaluates his progress as well as from other parents,
especially Lisa Lewis. He has known his alphabet (lower and upper case) since 3
.5 and can
count quite easily up to 100. He is doing a little bit of reading. He
has known all of the letter sounds and enjoys a clue game with us,
giving us clues about an item with the beginning letter for us to guess.
Last year he was mainstreamed in a private kindergarten with 12 other
kids. This year he will be mainstreamed into a public school
kindergarten with an aide, and attend the afternoon session of
kindergarten at the private school with more pull-out time.
His fixations are mainly on signs and mail boxes on poles and license
plates.
He used to
fixate on cars and trucks - actually anything with wheels - but that has
subsided a bit.
Re: vision testing with the developmental opthamologist. James can pick
out items in a very busy field at times, but at other times he can't
"see" items. For instance, we'll ask him to get his boot, he'll open up
the closet door, and wail, "But I can't find my boots!" Of course, the
boots are right there, or one just has to move one item and the boots
are in sight. For him, it's a processing problem, which we're hoping to
improve with sensory integration. Plus we're also working on the
motivation and high level of frustration; since he's failed so much in
the past, his motivation to repeat a task is low. We're working on
strengthening the foundations of his strengths so he won't feel the
frustration and so he'll enjoy motivation to do new things.
We were hoping this doctor would have some tips on presenting materials
to James in such a way so that he would consistently process better.
We've heard of some LD kids having school work presented on yellow paper
which has made a difference in their comprehension of the printed
material. As a matter of fact, she didn't have any tips. She was able
to report our son's eyes are very healthy. There is an optomotrist in
our community who does definitely work with kids with processing
problems, and we will be sending the opthamologist's report to her to
see if she has any recommendations.
Sorry it took so long to reply. I've been really swamped at work. I've
enjoyed and appreciated the information that has been shared. Deb
LN...@cc.newcastle.edu.au
I'm no expert in this field, but you're son certainly sounds HFA to me.
I don't suppose it really matters how he is diagnosed (which label is
attached) so long as he receives appropriate treatment and correct information
about his condition is available to you and his teachers.
Light sensitivity is often hard to diagnose until the child is a lot older and
often is not properly understood by opthalmologists or optometrists.....my
optometrist reckoned that my Irlen lenses were a waste of money. I'd like her
to be able to look through my eyes just for half a day and then tell me the
same thing. I was surprised though that you mentioned that certain people
working with LD children were using yellow paper - for me that's worse than
white paper......blue paper is my preferred writing material.
Carolyn
Anne Pemberton
frequently a stressor that pushes marriages "over the edge".
Most
of my students are in single parent families, but those in
intact
families are often the ones with enough self-confidence to
conquer the odds and become "success" stories.
Deborah Good: I've tried printing materials for my LD students
on colored paper. Some kids like it better, but there was no
noticeable difference in grades. One student VASTLY improved
his reading by putting a blue overlay over the page; for the
rest it made no difference, or made it difficult to read. One
time, when I printed a test on goldenrod (deep yellow) paper,
one student had such a difficult time with it, that I gave
him the white paper original to read from, and he used the
goldenrod to mark the answers on.
The overlay films that are sold to schools for this purpose are
VERY expensive (one of the other special ed teachers' mother
sent us the blue ones; I don't have any other colors to try),
so if anyone knows where to get a small supply of a variety of
colors, it may be helpful to share the information. Seems they
should be available in office supply places, but I haven't
found them yet.
Anne
RJK...@suvm.bitnet
For other colored overlays, I am often someone who goes in the strangest
places to find something that seems totally unrelated. I often find alot
that way that in another form costs alot more.
There used to be colored film, like what used to be put on Easter baskets.
I haven't looked for it for quite a while, but it seems it used to be sold
in rolls like wrapping paper at stationary or gift shops. Might give it
a try.
Thanks,
Ray Kopp
Syracuse, New York
Internet:rjk...@mailbox.syr.edu
Bitnet:RJK...@SUVM.BITNET
Daniel Mont
Ray's idea about the colored cellophane rolls works well if you stretch it
taught and attach it to a cardboard frame. Otherwise it crinkles easily
and gets harder to see through.
Daniel Mont
FARB...@spcvxa.bitnet
If the colored cellophane Ray is referring to is too dark,
you might want to try Reynold's wrap.It comes in various pastel
colors now.It might not be as durable but the amount on one roll
should compensate.Also the DLM company which specializes in
learning materials for the special child might have something
that you could use.I don't have a catalogue at home but I'm
sure there will be one waiting for me at school.I will be returning
there in a few short weeks(!!!!! can't believe it!!!!) and can get
that info if you need it.
Rosanne
Anne Pemberton
Thanks for the help on the overlays, esp Dan. The problem
with the acetate is not only will it need a frame, and be
hard to handle with textbooks (and clumsy kids), but also
it tends to be very shiny, sending back a glare that
will make it difficult for the kids to see around with
the flourescent lighting in the classroom. The blue overlays
I have are at most, moderately shiney, and do not cause
a problem with glare. Also, I suspect that buying rolls of
each color will end up costing close to the $100 the guy
in Calif wants for the set of "special scotopic overlays"
and I simply don't have that kind of money to spend.
Any other ideas? Would there be such a product in art
supply stores?
Anne
Anne Pemberton
Thanks, I, too, am innundated with catalogs in the fall. DLM
is not a company that generally has stuff I can use or afford.
The only "Reynolds Wrap" I'm familiar with is the aluminum foil
we wrap the grill in....
Having a large quantity is NOT the problem, but having a
small quantity in a variety of colors is. Judging from the
success of the blue (one student benefited out of 60 students
it was tried with over 2-3 years), I don't think I'll need
much of any color - 3/4 sheets max. It was handiest to cut
an 8x11 sheet in half so it would fit inside typical HS texts
easily so the student could use it without looking wildly
"different" from peers. (MOST important with adolescents)
Anne
LN...@cc.newcastle.edu.au
There are two groups of children who may be helped by using overlays - those
who are photophobic and those who have the condition described as 'scotopic
sensitivity' (I am both photophobic and scotopic sensitive) and I believe
that both of these conditions are directly connected to HFA. With photophobia
glare reduction may be all that is necessary...turning off artificial lights
or allowing the child to wear 'glare' glasses.....blue overlays help this
group as well by reducing the contrast between the print and the page and
preventing light reflection by white paper. Scotopic sensitivity, on the
other hand, is sensitivity to particular wavelengths of light which can
occur in any part of the spectrum. I prefer to use blue overlays or blue
paper......I find the blue paper best....no matter how clear the overlay there
is always some degree of distortion.
Perhaps rather than trying to handle the cost of overlays yourself, you should
seek help from the parents of the children you suspect of having either of
these conditions to see if they are willing to provide their children with
these aids. I believe the majority of parents (even the single ones) will go
out of their way to help you help their child. Three of my family wear Irlen
lenses and I have never regreted their expense.....I couldn't use this
computer at all if I didn't have them. Both Tony and Helen have also been
helped enormously by wearing them. Tony grades immediately showed a marked
improvement...he wouldn't have reached Year 12 without them (how he survived
8 years of schooling without being able to read anything written on the
blackboard, really amazes me) and I doubt Helen could have attained her
high reading level without them either.....I have never had to insist that she
wear them....she chooses when she wants to wear them herself. Her teachers
told me that she has been wearing them in the classroom most of the time lately
(I suspect that because it is winter here, they are using the fluorescent
lights more often during class, whereas in summer the indirect sunlight does
not cause her too much trouble, so she often leaves her glasses off).
What is the lighting situation like in your classroom? Is there any way you
could make it more subdued? That may be all that is necessary to help these
children.
Carolyn
FARB...@spcvxa.bitnet
The Reynold's wrap I was referring to is a plastic wrap.I'll
keep you in mind while looking through catalogues for things
I don't have money to buy!!!
Rosanne
FARB...@spcvxa.bitnet
I can also understand adolescents not wanting to look "wildly
different".Perhaps a business supply company would be a better source.
I'll check with my husband's office and other friends and relatives
who might have access to the overlay material you mentioned.
Rosanne
FARB...@spcvxa.bitnet
Could you elaborate on Irlen lenses? Diagnoses made?Symptoms
that would appear to indicate the need of such lenses?
Is there a correlation betwwen eye color and sensitivity?
Rosanne
LN...@cc.newcastle.edu.au
No, there doesn't seem to be any connection between eye color and sensitivity.
I have amassed quite a collection of articles on the subject, but as I don't
have access to a scanner and I am a little too financially embarrassed at the
moment to send these to you by snail mail, I'll endeavour to summarize them.
The article HOW DIFFICULT CAN READING BE? NEW INSIGHT INTO READING PROBLEMS
by Paul R. Whiting (Sydney College of Advanced Education), which appeared in
"The Teaching of English" Vol. 49, October 1985, suggests that some of the
symptoms are:
> They skip lines unintentionally
> They skip words unintentionally
> They repeat the same line
> They exhibit eye strain symptoms; headaches; red and sore eyes (often
> observed rubbing or shading their eyes); etc.
> They move their head across the page as they read
> They use their finger to keep the place
> They confuse similar letters like m/n, i/l, p/b/d/q and so on
> They read word by word, or even in small units if the words are long words
They report that black words on white paper are too dazzling and that the
white spaces between the lines resemble 'little rivers'.
> Seeing double images, words appearing to spread apart, letters or symbols
> appearing to move about, and symbols blinking on and off.
They also have difficulty sustaining focus (and tense the muscles around their
eyes in an effort to do this). The adults tested have a restricted span of
focus and report problems with depth perception......catching balls;
unsteadiness going down staircases; difficulty with entering or leaving
escalators; uncertainty judging the distance of oncoming traffic, and
other distance-related problems. They also report difficulties when trying to
work or read under fluorescent light, of a need to wear sunglasses outdoors
(and even indoors in some cases), of being bothered by lights when driving
at night, of having trouble adjusting from bright light to darkness, or from
darkness to bright light.
A study done by the Los Angeles County Office of Education - POOR READERS
WHAT DO THEY REALLY SEE ON THE PAGE? by Laurel Adler and Marie Atwood, suggests
some compensatory strategies for these students.
> - tinted lenses
> - colored overlays
> - colored paper
> - elimination of fluorescent light
> - use of tape recorder
> - tutor and/or reader
> - magnifying bar
> - non-timed tests
> - oral or essay exams ( no true-false or multiple choice)
> - student projects as opposed to written reports
Dr. Greg Robinson of our Special Education Dept. at the Uni. tested Helen,
Tony and me, after I had gone to see him on another matter. During the
course of our conversation, he interrupted me to ask why I was still wearing
my sunglasses inside....I hadn't even been aware that I was....that was five
years ago. He asked if I would mind letting him run me through his battery
of tests - that was how it all started, I had known nothing about his work
before that. The first test involved reading aloud to him - starting with
large print material and moving through gradually diminishing size of print....
this was the 'fluency' test - the smaller the print got, the less fluent was
my reading, until I couldn't discriminate anything on the page at all. The
next test required me to count the number of squares (without using my finger)
across the top of a cube (subdivided into 11 x 11 squares) - I lost count
around 6. There were a few other tests, but I don't remember details of them
now, and loads of questions concerning what I perceive when I look at a page.
After that first session he gave me a coloured overlay to use for a week and
then I went back for further testing, which this time was conducted using
various tinted lenses. I finally chose a teal and rose combination with
ultraviolet screen.....my left eye required a darker shade of teal than the
right. Tony was the next to be tested and not surprisingly he chose a very
similar combination to mine without any forknowledge of my choice. As soon
as Helen could communicate her preference, she was retested (the initial
testing at age 4 showed that she had the problem but she was too young for
us to be able to determine which colour was best for her....as a stop-gap
measure I had a pair of sunglasses made up for her tinted to a shade
approximating the colours that both Tony and I had chosen, which she wore
during Kindergarten). Helen independently chose my right-eye colours. Neither
Chris nor Tim would go to be tested, but Chris, after working on a computer
screen that had a blue overlay pasted over it only a few weeks ago, thinks he
might now.
One suggestion that Dr. Robinson made that I haven't seen in the literature is
to allow the child to wear a tennis shade or baseball cap in class to shield
his/her eyes from overhead lights - that in combination with the coloured
paper might prove helpful.
Carolyn