Pacific Pediatric Supply Blog

Air Travel With Your Loved One With Autism…

Tammy Havlick — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:03:36 +0000

As Summer quickly approaches us, you might begin to plan a trip to a friend or relatives house that requires a journey on an airplane for you and your loved one(s) with Autism. Before embarking on this adventure…we have put together some tips and tools to remember and prepare with….being a little pro-active and planning ahead will make your trip an even more enjoyable event:)

Visual Prepared…ness Before the Flight

Preparing your child ahead of time is the biggest key to ensuring a safe flight that you, your child and other passengers will enjoy. For at least a week in advance, show the child pictures of airplanes, the airport you will be going to, security officers and flight personnel. Show interior photos with people on the plane. Mentally prepare your child as much as possible visually. If the child can visualize what to expect on the flight, this can greatly lessen any fears he may have and any potential meltdowns, as well.

Verbal Preparedness Before the Flight

Aside from visually preparing your child for the flight, you will also want to verbally prepare him as well. You will want to explain things as thoroughly as possible. Explain to your child ahead of time all of the procedures such as security checkpoints, waiting time to board the flight and how long the flight will take. Be as thorough as possible. Explain to your child what will be expected of him and that if he doesn’t obey the rules then the airplane will have to stop to drop him off. Be sure to explain the rules at least once a day for a week in advance. Have the child repeat the rules back to you if possible.

Show excitement for going to the airport.

Be careful of the words that you use when preparing your child for riding on an airplane. Don’t show fear of going on the airplane and be wary of telling your child to not be “afraid” of going on the airplane. Even though you are telling your child there is nothing to be “afraid” of, he may still equate the word “afraid” with something that he needs to be afraid of. Instead, use positive words such as “it’s going to be really exciting to go on the airplane!”

What Causes Sleep Difficulties in Children with Autism…

Tammy Havlick — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 01:38:14 +0000

What Causes Sleep Difficulties in Children with Autism

The most common reasons for sleep difficulties in all children are environmental influences or inadvertent behavioral shaping. For example, parents may assist a child in falling asleep by rocking or holding them and then placing them in bed while asleep. But when children awake naturally later in the night, they do not have access to the things in their environment that are associated with sleep and so are unable to get back to sleep by themselves. Another common cause of sleep difficulties is putting a child to sleep in a bedroom where he or she engages in stimulating play activities during the day.

For children with autism, there appear to be more challenges. There are studies that suggest children with ASD are more likely to have circadian rhythm (natural wake/sleep cycles) disturbances and may have abnormal melatonin regulation. Melatonin is a hormone that regulates the wake/sleep cycle. In addition, children with autism may be more anxious about the bedtime routine and may have difficulty with the social cues that signal bedtime. They are also more sensitive to sensory experiences such as light, touch or sound.

There are medical problems that interfere with sleep, and children with ASD may be more likely to experience them. For example, medical problems such as gastro esophageal reflux, allergies, sleep apnea, night terrors or seizures can interrupt sleep. Mental health problems such as bipolar disorder or severe anxiety can disrupt sleep and may be difficult to identify when a child with autism cannot communicate.

What to Do

One of the most important steps parents can take is to keep a sleep diary, keeping track of time of sleep and number of nighttime awakenings. A sleep diary allows families to become aware of patterns and environmental situations that may be inadvertently contributing to sleep problems and to monitor progress. It also is invaluable when working with experts such as sleep specialists.

What if the Pediatrician Tells Me That Some Children Just Develop More Slowly?

Tammy Havlick — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:37:10 +0000

Children do develop at different rates.Â Any parent who has had even a casual conversation with other parents on the playground knows that some children develop different skills at different ages.Â Perhaps your toddler is working gross motor skills and can throw a ball but doesn’t make much more than scribbles on paper.Â On the other hand…there are some children who are exceedingly verbal at an early age and seem to be behind in their language acquisition and use.Â Comparing children can be dangerous because no two are alike and parents can get confused or worried by engaging in a compare and contrast with other parents. Because of these differences, there are guidelines that have been put in place for measurement of “normal childhood development for birth through age 5″.Â These guidelines are merely benchmarks though and not hard and fast rules.Â Parents should familiarize themselves with theseÂ in order to determine if their child is lacking in certain areas and then bring their concerns to the attention of their child’s pediatrician.Â

What if your pediatrician tells you that children just develop differently and that some are slower than others?Â This may very well be the case as pediatricians have a vast range of experience and have pretty much “seen it all” and therefore can be expected to be reliable in their assessment of your child.Â However, there may be more to it than a simple “he’ll catch up”.Â If you ever feel like there is more going on….act quickly and always be your child’s number one advocate!Â Even though it can be difficult to question your doctors advice and recommendations, you as a parent must trust your instincts.Â You know your child better than anyone and know how he or she behaves on a daily basis and are therefore the ultimate expert! In the case of developmental delays, including autism, early and appropriate intervention can make a world of difference and sometimes this starts with you…don’t beÂ affraidÂ to push for additional testing, referrals or a second opinion.

The Amazing Spin Disc, Formally Knows as the Gym Spin, is now here!!

Tammy Havlick — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:45:35 +0000

The Spin Disc

Formally Known as the Gym Spin…is now available at PacificPediatricSupply.com…So Many of our customers have been waiting for it’s arrival!!!

Product Features:

A rotational platform that spins freely on a fixed angle.
Ideal for children ages 4-11 years of age, up to 125 pounds.
Great Indoors and Outdoors
Stimulates the vestibular system and builds trunk muscles.
Ideal Sensory Integration tool.
Made in the USA out of durable plastic (26â€wx24â€) 14lbs.

Product Description:

Spin into FUN with our amazing Spin Disc!Â This ideal Sensory Integration Tool is a must have for children with sensory and balance issues.Â Great indoors or outdoors, this toy will help stimulate the vestibular system and build trunk muscles to increase postural stability. Recommended by both parents and occupational therapists, this spinning aid rotates left or right freely on a fixed angle.Â The sitting area is large and easy for children to sit comfortably on with their legs folded.Â Ideal for Home, clinic and schools!Â Come full assembled and ready to go!

Asperger Syndrome

Tammy Havlick — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 17:36:23 +0000

Asperger’s Disorder is one of five Pervasive
Development Disorders (PDDs), which also includes Autism, Rett’s Syndrome,
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and PDD-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS).
PDDs are a category of neurologically-based disorders that have a range of
delays in different developmental stages.Â What distinguishes Asperger’s Disorder from autism is the severity of the symptoms and the absence of language delays. Children with Asperger’s Disorder may be only mildly affected and frequently have good language and cognitive skills. To the untrained observer, a child with Asperger’s Disorder may just
seem different.Â Children with autism are frequently seen as aloof and uninterested in others. This is not the case with Asperger’s Disorder. Individuals with Asperger’s
Disorder usually want to fit in and have interaction with others; they simply
don’t know how to do it. They may be socially awkward, not understanding
conventional social rules, or may show a lack of empathy. They may have limited
eye contact, seem to be unengaged in a conversation, and not understand the use
of gestures.Â Interests in a particular subject may border on the obsessive. Children with
Asperger’s Disorder frequently like to collect categories of things, such as
rocks or bottle caps. They may be proficient in knowing categories of
information, such as baseball statistics or Latin names of flowers. While they
may have good rote memory skills, they have difficulty with abstract
concepts.Â One of the major differences between Asperger’s Disorder and autism is that,
by definition, there is no speech delay in Asperger’s. In fact, children with
Asperger’s Disorder frequently have good language skills; they simply use
language in different ways. Speech patterns may be unusual, lacking inflection
or having a rhythmic nature. Speech may be formal and too loud or high pitched.
Children with Asperger’s Disorder may not understand the subtleties of language,
such as irony and humor, or may not understand the give and take nature of a
conversation.Â Another distinction between Asperger’s Disorder and autism concerns cognitive ability. While some individuals with Autism experience mental retardation, by
definition a person with Asperger’s Disorder cannot possess a “clinically
significant” cognitive delay. This does not imply that all individuals with
autism have mental retardation. Some do and some do not, but a person with
Asperger’s Disorder possesses average to above average intelligence.Â While motor difficulties are not a specific criteria for Asperger’s, children
with Asperger’s Disorder frequently have motor skill delays and may appear
clumsy or awkward.

What Role Does Inheritance Play in Autism?

Tammy Havlick — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:07:32 +0000

Twin and family studies strongly suggest that some people have a genetic predisposition to autism.Â Identical twin studies show that if one twin is affected, there is up to a 90 percent chance the other twin will be affected.Â There are a number of studies in progress to determine the specific genetic factors associated with the development of ASD. Â In families with one child with ASD, the risk of having a second child with the disorder is approximately 5 percent, or one in 20.Â This is greater than the risk for the general population. Â Researchers are looking for clues about which genes contribute to this increased susceptibility.Â In some cases, parents and other relatives of a child with ASD show mild impairments in social and communicative skills or engage in repetitive behaviors. Â Evidence also suggests that some emotional disorders, such as bipolar disorder, occur more frequently than average in the families of people with ASD.

How is Autism Diagnosed?

Tammy Havlick — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:04:27 +0000

ASD varies widely in severity and symptoms and may go unrecognized, especially in mildly affected children or when it is masked by more debilitating handicaps.Â Very early indicators that require evaluation by an expert include:

no babbling or pointing by age 1
no single words by 16 months or two-word phrases by age 2
no response to name
loss of language or social skills
poor eye contact
excessive lining up of toys or objects
no smiling or social responsiveness.

Later indicators include:

impaired ability to make friends with peers
impaired ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others
absence or impairment of imaginative and social play
stereotyped, repetitive, or unusual use of language
restricted patterns of interest that are abnormal in intensity or focus
preoccupation with certain objects or subjects
inflexible adherence to specific routines or rituals.

What Are Some Common Signs of Autism?

Tammy Havlick — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:01:02 +0000

The hallmark feature of ASD is impaired social interaction.Â As early as infancy, a baby with ASD may be unresponsive to people or focus intently on one item to the exclusion of others for long periods of time.Â A child with ASD may appear to develop normally and then withdraw and become indifferent to social engagement.Children with an ASD may fail to respond to their names and often avoid eye contact with other people.Â They have difficulty interpreting what others are thinking or feeling because they canâ€™t understand social cues, such as tone of voice or facial expressions, and donâ€™t watch other peopleâ€™s faces for clues about appropriate behavior.Â They lack empathy.Â Many children with an ASD engage in repetitive movements such as rocking and twirling, or in self-abusive behavior such as biting or head-banging.Â They also tend to start speaking later than other children and may refer to themselves by name instead of â€œIâ€ or â€œme.â€Â Children with an ASD donâ€™t know how to play interactively with other children.Â Some speak in a sing-song voice about a narrow range of favorite topics, with little regard for the interests of the person to whom they are speaking.Children with characteristics of an ASD may have co-occurring conditions, including Fragile X syndrome (which causes mental retardation), tuberous sclerosis, epileptic seizures, Tourette syndrome, learning disabilities, and attention deficit disorder.Â About 20 to 30 percent of children with an ASD develop epilepsy by the time they reach adulthood.Â

Tactile Sensory Stimulation

Tammy Havlick — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:58:12 +0000

Tactile sensory stimulation involves the sensation of touch and texture. Autistic children with tactile sensory issues may have difficulty tolerating the sensations generated as they dress or groom themselves, or even as they chew food. People with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias benefit through the sense of touch.

Therapists work with tactile-sensitive individuals to desensitize them to unavoidable textures and touch sensations. This is accomplished gradually over time usingÂ therapy brushes, sand and water activity tables, therapy balls and rolls, and blankets which provide propioceptive feedback, gross motor control, and muscle movements.

Tactile Paths enhance a child’s dynamic balance, motor planning and coordination. Pacific Pediatric Supply has a full menu of Tactile Stimulating tools to choose from includingÂ many wavy, curvey and straight paths that can be used indoors and/oroutdoors.

Our New Special Moments Journal….

Tammy Havlick — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:34:04 +0000

â€œSpecial Momentsâ€ Journal

Journaling for kids is a wonderful way to open up new horizons. A Journal can be a friend, a confidant and a mentor.Â Our Special Moments Journals come in a set of 6 themes: Ocean Lives, Under the Sea, Rain Forest, Farm Animals, Wild Animals and Dinosaurs.

Each Journal is hard bound with a beautiful outlined scene that your child can color in and creatively add their special finishing touches to.Â Inside they will find 28 pages, 14 sheets of blank 8-1/8â€ x 11-1/2â€ special constructed white paper that are suitable for crayons, watercolor markers, colored pencils and/or any other writing and coloring materials your little clever thinker chooses to explore with.Â Â

Let these empty pages be your childâ€™s safe place to escape with their creativity and writing capabilities.Â A perfect tool for sorting through feelings and emotions, these journals can become extremely useful in play therapy groups giving your child a way to explore who they are now and who they want to be.

Absolutely perfect for documenting special events such as fieldtrips, summer camps or family vacations.Â What a priceless gift one of these would make for a grandparent or close friend once your little artist has filled it up with their unique pictures, stories or poems.

Our Special Moments Journalsâ€¦.let your imagination flow.