And surprisingly, it comes to us from the autistic children themselves. We are listening like never before, as it seems the autistic community are teaching themselves through art. There have been many inspirational testimonials from autistic children ages 12 and up that are truly stunning. Through their creative art the autistic child is able to express their feelings, though non verbal and any expressions which they find difficult to express verbally. It seems this very safe way to express their feelings and it is actually working.

There is much literature available resounding this new finding and some of it is even written by autistic children themselves. So by teaching autistic children through art it demonstrates its effectiveness, thereby indicating that it may be a clinically-sound safe treatment option. There is much that can benefit an autistic child through this art therapy such as an increase of self awareness, developing problem solving strategies, giving them their own creative thinking knowing they are in a safe environment. There may be many changes of behaviors and development of social skills. So the benefits are many and they may not come all at once or maybe they come slowly but it’s certainly worth a “look see”.

Teaching autistic children through art can be taught by art therapists, and in large centers, group sessions are offered. But it seems the goals that parents want for their autistic children are the same as any therapist:

• Opportunity for creative expression with different art techniques whether abstract or imagination. Therapists can design individual art techniques for certain needs.
• Art therapy provides safe and enjoyable sensory integration through exploration of the art. It’s a nurturing relationship giving the art a way to create product and meaning with self accomplishment.
• Communication awareness for those autistic children who have difficulty expressing themselves, giving them a safe forum for emotion and self –expression.
• Art is a visual activity and with integration can be so much fun which helps in social skills and expressions, giving a strong form to peer support.
• Leisure, Recreation go along with social skills and can be developed through observing and learning from others whether a therapist or group or family. It’s a strong form of support.

With the building of trust you can provide directives to encourage communication to the child which will reap great rewards. Teaching Autistic Children through Art whether it is a pencil, clay, collage, paint, or any crafts that may glue, the main key is safety. There may be a favorite crayon or pencil that will keep their art coming but always be there with them seeing it’s going in and on the right place! Depending on the child’s age and what their interests are you will know what goals they may reach.

I must say, my autistic 11 year old grandson and I had quite a good time laughing when we were drawing together. He loves cars and trucks, so he drew lots of roads and forests and bridges and a house he wanted to live in along with road. It wasn’t great drawings but I made up a story as he went along, he loved it. There was a lot of interaction with everything he drew and his eyes were shining. We had a wonderful afternoon.

Finally,   when Alex was around 2 years of age he was diagnosed with autism.  Alex was put on a waiting list for a special school and years later when finally he was admitted (as there is a long waiting list) they taught him many things plus toilet training (which he still is working on). He is working on his colors, numbers, shapes and some key words. He is doing very well and we are so proud of him.  He loves playing with trucks and cars and anything mechanical and knows all the noises and sounds they make and makes them himself loudly and repeatedly. He is a good helper (if he wants to be).

He has an older brother who is trying to cope with not having a brother to throw a ball around with or just have a conversation with.  He has loving parents who want the very best for both their boys and try to divide their time and energy equally between both as best they can.   Alex goes to a special class for autistic children and is coming along nicely though he has his moments when he melts down.  Then its “I’m done”, “I’m done” he shouts loudly and agitated over and over and over.  His words are sometimes garbled and few but he can be understood with repetition. He keeps everything in a straight line including my chesterfield cushions and any nic nac that’s on the table plus all his cars and trucks.

Autism is a complex developmental neurological disorder that affects the function of the brain, in the areas of social, interaction, communication and cognitive function.  The spectrums disorders of autism are many and varied.  Understanding and coping requires patience, patience and more patience and just as much understanding and support from the whole family.

There have been celebrities stating they have a cure.  There are teachers and doctors who think they have a handle on the disorder. But, each child is unique in their individual area of so many classes within classes, and they are just that; “Individual”.  There are some similarities but in end “Individual”, just like anybody else.

Is there a case for use of vaccines being the cause?  Is low Vitamin D the cause? Is allergic reaction the cause? Research continues…Education and Information are the key to understanding.

It’s been a long  journey with Alex but he is a happy child and is able to cope with life in his own world. He has certainly come a long way with respect to his speech and his ability to communicate thanks to his early detection and the numerous special programs that he has been through. For the first time Alex will be attending a public school full time. What the future will bring, we don’t know, but with the love he gets he will be just fine.

As grandparents to an autistic child is was our duty to find out as much as we could about autism. In our research into autism we have discovered a great book  on autism that we would like to share. This book is written by a person that has done considerable research into autism and is titled the Autism Symptoms and Treatment. This book is extremely well written an we highly recommend you check it out by clicking the link above or over on the side to find out more information regarding this fabulous book on autism.

In diagnosing autism there are a list of 12 probable symptoms stated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.   For the diagnoses of autism, 6 or more symptoms are needed, though having fewer than 6 symptoms can be classified as developmentally disabled with autistic like behaviors.

Outsiders blame the parents when they see a “melt down” of a child with autism in any social situation.   They don’t understand by looking at the child who seems perfectly healthy that there could be anything wrong with them.

Well known symptoms of autism may be:

• Failure to develop mile stones in early development
• Lack of emotional or social response
• Lack of use in many non-verbal behaviors
• Lack of shared interest and social/communication with others

As the autistic spectrum is wide and then again divided into many subtypes, it is important to understand the Signs and Development of the related disorders.  Social cues or body language and behavior are not picked up by autistic children so the sooner diagnostic treatment can begin the better.  Early intervention is imperative to help them deal with these situations.

To deal more effectively as adults’ early intervention is needed for support in all facets of living and in some cases eventually hold jobs or relationships.

There is much educational information available to get informed for the autistic child.  Find a doctor that will work for your child, find a teacher willing to give proper care and attention to your child.  Be a part of it and be informed.

For the parents of autistic children there is a big concern in the food in their child’s diet. It is hard enough for parents to get all the food groups in the Childs’ diet plus vitamins, plus worrying about behavior, and now diet has to be monitored as well. There is now evidence that 50% of children with autism have gastrointestinal problems which include, Crohns Disease or colitis.

To improve a child’s behavior there is now conflicting data in some areas whether certain food groups should be eliminated.    Some conflicting data asks, was the good behavior brought on by improved toilet habits or from the elimination of gluten in their diet.

There does seem to be a case for removing gluten from the diet.  Gluten which is found in wheat, barley and rye and casein which is found in dairy products, when eliminated from the Childs diet leads to remarkable improvement in their autistic children.   As the body cannot digest these glutens properly it leaves undigested and poisonous proteins leaching into the circulatory system.  This in turn tends to aggravate or irritate autism symptoms.

Some of the improvement noted is better eye contact, longer attention spans with a less aggressive behavior.  There are some doctors and many in the community that do see results and many changes in the autistic child.  But then again there are those in the medical family that are skeptical among the popular diet among many autistic children called GFCF or Gluten-Free Casein-Free diet.

So many autistic children are finicky eaters already so it is not always easy to find a nutritious substitute for ice cream, or peanut better and jam.  Find a safe food or favorite drink to replace the gluten free food, but it is suggested to eliminate them slowly.  Some of the gluten foods may be the child’s favorite and they may have a craving for them so it may be difficult to wean the child.  It is always advisable to visit your pediatrician for the utmost safety and well being of your child.

You will have dedicated personal physician and therapists to help you who work outside the school system.  Through testing of your autistic child you will find out which interventions and programs are best suited for your child with possible special health care needs.  So there is help, and I repeat, there is help along the way.

There will be a lifestyle commitment of Parents, Teachers and Caregivers who will accept this understanding on both parts.  Pointing out characters in pictures and story books, i.e. ball, car, wagon is a good way to get reaction from a very unresponsive autistic child. In this way he can be involved and not withdraw into himself, but he may be interested in a certain toy in the picture. By pointing out things in books and pictures he is also developing personal interaction skills which are so important.

Having a tantrum or “melt down” is telling you he may not understand what is expected of him.  We all have our own way of doing things, things that work for us and only us, and so it is for the autistic child.  All the steps have to be given to him to learn, i.e. ask him to go to the table, see the book, pick up the book, and bring the book to you.

Noise and commotion along with many people may over stimulate and be overwhelming to the autistic child, so Parents, Teachers and Caregivers need to be made aware of this. The repetition of words or one word in a loud voice is their very own set of rituals.  By making learning fun he will respond best with visual material in his learning of human and social behavior.   Computer learning can be helpful when they see what they should be doing.

• playing
• bathing
• toilet training
• eating at the table with a fork
• bedtime

Non stimulating sports and simple musical instrument for them to hum along also are good learning tools.