17 May

How Autism Is Different in Girls vs. Boys

Read on in the link below to see the summary from this Yale research project which not only gives insight into the difference between girls and boys on the Autism Spectrum but also helps us understand the quality of eye gaze and its importance to social interactions.

Read More...

CHANGES TO ASPERGER'S DIAGNOSIS:

The revision of the Diagnostic Manual 4 used by Psychiatrists in the US has been approved.

There will no longer be an Asperger's Disorder, or PDD.NOS otherwise unspecified instead there will be a single diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Children on the Autism Spectrum  experience a wide range of developmental difficulties involving communication, socialization, thinking, cognitive skills, interests, activities and motor skills (Goldstein, Naglieri, & Ozonoff, 2008).  There is a continuum of presenting needs and there is more awareness now of the challenges in areas like attention regulation sensory sensitivity as well as the atypical behaviours and social communication differences.

American Psychiatric Association (APA) (2000).  Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4^th ed. – text revision). Washington, DC: Author.

American Psychiatric Association (APA) (in Press). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5^thEdition).  Washington, DC: Author).

POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION:

A primary component of successful behavior management is to support parents and staff to work together and  integrate skill development with managment. Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs) are used to develop Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) that focus on proactive strategies.

Parents and Teachers can feel inadequate when facing a child with behavioural challenges.  It is hard to be objective when a child is passively refusing to participate or having a major meltdown.

Come and Join us!

NEW SERVICES

We have a few new programmes this term that we are excited about. 

ATOC has launched a new branch to bring to Thailand a range of Special Education Resources. Called ATOC-R, for ATOC Resources, there will be a full range of professional development items for parents, teachers, learning supporters, counsellors and other professionals. Visit the website for more information.

Email: resources@atocbkk.com

Tel:      +66 02 711 7156-8

Our new Speech and Language Pathologist will be organising social language groups and language based literacy classes in the new term and is happy to meet with parents to discuss the format by appointment.

SLP Classes More information

Autism Awareness in the general public has improved significantly in Thailand in the past few years making  early identification more common.  For more information on the typical signs to look out for and programmes available in Bangkok for individuals on the Autistic Spectrum please contact info@atocbkk.com:

Reference: Autism Awareness Information