Archives for February 2019

Autism & Assistive Technology

Feb 22, 2019 by United Brain Association Leave a Comment

Using Tech to Break Down Barriers

Parents of kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) know that their children have important things to say despite their difficulties with communication. Even nonverbal children with ASD can be effective communicators when they’re given the right tools. Fortunately, research into the use of technology by children with ASD shows that new high-tech tools can help kids to express themselves and better cope with the challenges of their daily lives.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Approaches

For many children with ASD, the biggest hurdle in dealing with the disorder lies in the realm of communication. The challenge of communication comes at them from a variety of directions:

Children may not be able to express themselves verbally. Some kids with ASD are nonverbal, meaning that they don’t talk at all, and others may not be able find the words to express themselves appropriately even when they are able to talk.
Children may not be able to understand others’ verbal and nonverbal communication. Words, body language, gestures, or tone of voice might not make sense to them, and they might have trouble getting meaning from what others say and do.
Children might have difficulty with the physical demands of speech. The motor skills required for speaking effectively may be beyond the abilities of some kids with ASD.

When children face these barriers, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) therapeutic approaches aim to give them ways to communicate that don’t require speaking. AAC approaches employ low-tech or high-tech tools, and research has shown that they are effective in increasing the communication and daily living skills of children with ASD.

Low-Tech AAC Solutions

Some AAC approaches use no external tools at all, relying instead on a system of signs or hand gestures for expression. These approaches can be difficult for some children with ASD to use effectively, however. A more common approach called a Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) uses picture cards that children can use to express themselves in a nonverbal way.

Even when high-tech tools are the eventual goal, AAC approaches typically begin with a system like PECS, because mastery of high-tech assistive systems is often easier when the groundwork is laid first with a low-tech system.

Speech Generating Devices

High-tech speech-generating devices (SGDs) use electronic systems to translate a child’s choice of images and symbols, which represent words and ideas, into electronically spoken communication that others can easily understand. A typical SGD allows a child to select an image on a tablet or computer touch screen, and then the tablet or computer produces the corresponding spoken words, via either recorded audio or synthetically generated speech.

SGDs have been shown to increase the communication abilities of even nonverbal children with ASD. The video below illustrates how the devices can make a significant difference in the lives of kids and their parents.

How Kids Respond to SGDs

For many kids with ASD, using a SGD is fun and relatively easy. Parents sometimes worry, though, that reliance on an electronic SGD will deter their children from developing verbal communication skills because using the electronic tool is easier than speaking. Research has shown, however, that that’s not the case. In fact, the use of an SGD often seems to encourage the development of verbal skills beyond the use of the device.

Although no one knows exactly why an SGD can improve verbal communication skills, several theories have been suggested:

Sometimes it might actually be easier for the child to use verbal communication than to use the device. The child then might learn to use spoken words in order to take advantage of the easier solution.
The SGD might make the child feel less pressure to learn how to communicate verbally. The lack of tension associated with communication might encourage the development of more verbal skills.
Using the SGD may also stimulate the development of language skills overall, and that might translate to speech skills, too.

Other Types of Assistive Technology for ASD

Communication devices are not the only kinds of technology that can be used by children with ASD to improve their daily lives. Specifically designed tools and devices can assist with a variety of goals, from improving cognitive skills to helping the child to be more independent.

Learning Aids. Computer software, multimedia tools, and even high-tech tools such as robots can be used to help a child with ASD to learn problem-solving skills and reach other educational objectives.
Sensory Aids. Technology such as noise-canceling headphones can help to moderate the sensory environment for a child with ASD.
Functional Aids. Specialized functional tools can help a child overcome motor-skill barriers by assisting with daily tasks such as getting dressed and moving around.

Thanks to ongoing research into the potential of assistive technologies, more and more effective solutions are becoming available to children with ASD and their families all the time. With the direction of professionals who specialize in assistive technologies, parents now have more options than ever for helping their children get past the barriers put in their way by ASD.

*Content published by the American Brain Society (ABS), such as text, graphics, reports, images, and other materials created by ABS and other materials contained on unitedbrainassociation.org are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the unitedbrainassociation.org.

Long Distance Caregiving

Feb 15, 2019 by United Brain Association Leave a Comment

Often times due to geography, there may be resentment towards the long-distance family members that don’t have a regular role in the day-to-day caregiving routine.

It is so important that everyone shares in the responsibility and despite the distance, there are still many ways to assist. With technology and the advancement of the Internet, it’s especially easy to stay in touch and help manage things such as bank accounts and bill paying. One can also help financially support daily aid expenses, but perhaps the most important way to show support and participation is through regular communication via phone, text, Skype, Facebook, etc., all interspersed with personal visits.

Most importantly, it’s crucial that family members are patient with one another and do not criticize those that are doing the day-to-day caregiving. Their role is without a doubt the hardest of them all, and they deserve respect for the great job they are doing. With an open heart, patience, and understanding, everyone will find that resentments are easier to prevent than straighten out.

Epilepsy and Service Animals: Finding the Perfect Companion

Feb 11, 2019 by United Brain Association Leave a Comment

The loving presence of an animal can make any day brighter, but for an epilepsy sufferer, the right service animal can be life-changing. Trained service animals, especially seizure-response dogs, can open up the world for their owners in a way that might not be possible any other way.

How Can a Seizure-Response Dog Help?

Seizure-response dogs, also called seizure-alert dogs, are professionally trained animals that have been given a special set of tools to help their owners deal with epileptic seizures. These dogs can help epilepsy patients be more independent by reducing the need for an ever-present human attendant, as well as by being a devoted, reassuring companion.

Trained-seizure response dogs have a very impressive set of skills:

Seizure dogs can get help when a seizure happens. Seizure-response dogs are often trained to bark or get the attention of other people when their owners are having a seizure.
Seizure dogs can prevent injury in the event of a seizure. Dogs are trained to lie close to the patient to help prevent injuries during the seizure. Some dogs are also trained to put themselves between the patient and the ground to help reduce the risk of injury from a fall.
Seizure dogs can deliver high-tech help. Some dogs are trained to activate alarm devices to summon help when their owners are having a seizure. Others are trained to activate medical implants that help to manage seizures.

Want to see how a seizure-response dog can make a huge difference in an epilepsy patient’s life? Check out the video below:

What Can a Seizure-Predicting Dog Do?

Stories have long circulated about dogs who are somehow able to sense that their epilepsy-suffering owners are about to experience a seizure and to alert the owner of the oncoming seizure. While the stories are plentiful, the scientific explanation for these dogs’ astounding abilities has remained elusive. That doesn’t mean, however, that the stories aren’t true, and some researchers are enthusiastic about the promise that seizure-detecting dogs show.

In a 2003 study, researchers found that of 29 epilepsy study participants who owned dogs, nine of the dogs responded to seizures once they had begun, and three of the dogs seemed to be able to predict the onset of seizures before the seizure had actually started. Three doesn’t sound like a very big number, but the fact that more than ten percent of the dogs were able to predict seizures in advance is significant.

The study’s authors concluded that some dogs do, indeed, have the ability to predict seizures, and they encouraged further research to support the identification of seizure-predicting dogs and to help develop effective methods for training the dogs and their owners.

Service Animals as Companions

Aside from the amazing abilities of seizure-predicting and seizure-response dogs, service animals can help epilepsy patients in other ways, and the animal assistants don’t even have to be dogs. Research has shown that interaction with trained therapy animals can simply make patients feel better by easing depression, anxiety, and emotional stress, and by helping the patient to avoid the social isolation that sometimes comes along with epilepsy. Often a beloved family pet is as able to do the job as a professionally trained service animal is.

Choosing a Service Animal for Epilepsy

While the science behind the abilities of seizure-predicting dogs looks promising, researchers have not yet been able to determine exactly what makes some dogs able to detect the onset of a seizure in advance. Because of this uncertainty, there is no scientifically proven method for training a dog to be consistent in its seizure detection. There are, however, widely accepted methods for training seizure-response dogs.

If you’re considering buying a seizure dog from a trainer or enrolling your dog in a training program, the Epilepsy Foundation urges you to proceed with caution. Consider your decision carefully, and think about these guidelines as you decide:

Be clear about what you want. If what you’re really looking for is a seizure-response animal, there are many training programs, some that are offered without charge, that will help you to train your animal to support you in the event of a seizure.
Be wary of bold claims. Given the early state of the science of seizure detection, you should use caution if a trainer claims a high success rate for training seizure-predicting dogs or if the cost of the training program is high.
Get the details. Find out precisely what the trainer is offering, including the wait time for an animal or the training program, the cost of the program, and any financial assistance that might be available.
Make Use of Resources. There is online support that can help you find a service-animal training facility in your area.

The ideal service animal for you or loved one with epilepsy might be only a phone call away or, if you’re lucky, right beside you already.

ADHD in the Classroom: Proven Strategies Your Child’s Teacher Should Know

Feb 4, 2019 by Dear Prudence

The classroom is a challenging place for a child with ADHD. A school classroom is teeming with potentially stressful activities, difficult-to-ignore distractions, unfamiliar social situations, and new experiences. For a child with impulse-control limitations, the expectations of a classroom environment can be almost impossible to navigate.

Fortunately, if the teacher designs the environment with effective ADHD intervention strategies in mind, the classroom can be a place where your child is encouraged to blossom.

Research-Proven Strategies

A 2016 study of the effectiveness of classroom intervention strategies for children with ADHD looked at a variety of intervention techniques in regard to their success at improving academic outcomes and reducing classroom disruptions. The study considered antecedent-based strategies (which focus on the conditions preceding the problem behaviors), consequence-based strategies (which focus on what happens after the behavior), self-regulation strategies (which give the student tools to help control his or her own behavior), and combined approaches.

The study found that all types of intervention strategies were helpful in keeping children with ADHD focused on tasks and preventing them from being disruptive. The most effective intervention types, however, seemed to be consequence-based and self-regulation strategies.

Most encouragingly, the use of these intervention techniques seems to consistently improve academic outcomes, both for the child with ADHD and for his or her peers in the classroom.

Consequence-Based Interventions

When we consider the idea of consequences for children who engage in problematic behavior, we might be tempted to think, first, of negative consequences or discipline for bad behavior. However, with children affected by ADHD, intervention strategies should involve positive reinforcement of desired behavior, too. Only after a system of positive feedback and reinforcement is in place should gentle disciplinary techniques also be applied.

With that in mind, consider these consequence-based approaches:

Verbal Feedback. Children with ADHD often respond best when they are given frequent, immediate, and specific verbal feedback. That means praising them quickly when they do things well, being sure to call out exactly what they’ve done right. They can also benefit from consistent guidance and redirection to remind them of what they should be doing.
When the child engages in problematic behavior, verbal feedback can also be helpful, but it should be gentle and focus on the specific desired behavior. “Please raise your hand before speaking” is preferable to “Don’t disrupt the class!”
Token or Reward Systems. Sometimes an organized system of rewards for good behavior can be effective in helping children with ADHD to be better at controlling their impulses. In these systems, children are given some sort of token or points when they behave positively, and they are ultimately able to use these tokens to “buy” a reward or privilege. The system can be used in the other direction, too, with the child losing points for disruptive behavior.
The challenge with token systems is that rewards tend to lose their value to the child over time, and to remain effective, the system must be updated often.
Discipline Strategies. When discipline for problematic behavior is necessary, it should be specific and immediate. Any disciplinary action that is delayed, such as being required to stay after school, is unlikely to work for a child with ADHD. Instead, the consequences should come immediately following the disruption, and they should be clearly and directly linked to the behavior.

Self-Regulation Interventions

Children with ADHD are usually best able to control their impulses when they are comfortable, when they know what to expect and what is expected of them in the classroom, and when they know when things are going to happen. Consequently, a classroom that is well-organized, with a clear-cut and explicit set of rules and a consistent schedule is a place where a child with ADHD is most likely to flourish.

To help children regulate their own impulses, try these strategies:

Post Rules Prominently. Classroom rules need to be clear and specific, and the consequences for not following them must also be clear and specific. Rules should be posted prominently in the room so that children with ADHD have consistent visual reminders of what’s expected. Frequent in-class review of the rules can be helpful, as well. For some children, posting rule reminders on their personal desks may help, too.
Keep a Consistent Schedule. The classroom day should follow a consistent, predictable schedule. It can also be helpful to schedule the most rigorous academic work earlier in the day when children with ADHD typically are best able to stay focused and on-task.
Keep Academic Activities Structured. Strive for structure and predictability even within academic lessons. Children with ADHD are more likely to be able to stay focused on an academic task when they have a clear idea of where the lesson is headed. For this reason, many children can benefit from an outline of each lesson that clearly spells out the lesson’s structure.

No One-Size-Fits-All Solution

The most important thing to remember in developing intervention strategies is that no one strategy or set of strategies works equally well for all children with ADHD. Some of these strategies will work for some children but not for others, and the needs of an individual child may change over time, as well.

Research has also shown that communication and coordination between teachers and parents is the key to successful intervention. Reinforcing good behaviors at home goes a long way toward helping a child to be successful in the classroom, and feedback from parents can help the teacher find the most effective intervention strategies at school. With a consistent, coordinated, supportive plan for intervention, any child with ADHD can improve his or her behavior in the classroom.