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Posts Tagged ‘cerebral’

Autism Spectrum Disorder: Managing Behavioral Difficulties in ASD Children

Posted in daily writings and musings of the psychologist, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 10, 2021| Leave a Comment »

We regularly get queries from young parents asking for support to understand the behaviour of their wards suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorder and the behaviour difficulties faced by the affected children.

Children suffering from ASD have behaviour issues which are quite common. These issue relate to more about their communication, social interaction,working within the structured schedule and processing of the sensory information.However if parents are trained and equipped with the appropriate strategies , much of the stress and strain can be reduced bringing relief to the family and the child.They can often be managed through effective activity and behavior management.

There are many difficulties, ASD children face in their behaviour. These issues can be identified as difficulties in communication, issues of  sensory processing, social interaction, and physical balance issues that can make active play more difficult for these kids. Parents and caregivers need to understand that  such behaviours as appear inappropriate are in reality symptoms of the difficulties the child with ASD is facing in his her day to interaction and communicate with others .

Understanding the Causes of Inappropriate Behaviour

The main causes of behavioral difficulties are generally as follows:

Difficulties with communication: Children with ASD struggle with both verbal and expressive language, understanding what is being said to them, and comprehending non-verbal communication cues. This can, become quite frustrating for both the communicator and the child .The child may not be into problem behaviour but to the other person it would appear so ,which causes frustration at both ends.

Difficulties with social situations: The difficulties presented by social situations for a person with ASD are much more than mere communication; people with ASD struggle to understand others’ points of view and grasp the “unspoken rules” of social interaction that state when to, begin and when end a conversation. They are in no position to get the emotional nuances of social communication. Due to all of this, children with ASD may avoid social contact, and they are more likely to experience being harrassed and feel overwhelmed by unnecessary intervention by others in their life .

Difficulties with unstructured time: People with ASD have a hard time dealing with situations where there is no set schedule, as their brains have a hard time sequencing activities on their own out of the given timetable and schedule. Due to this some of the children with ASD are more likely to act out during the period which is not scheduled earlier eg.free period or suddenly declared break times, as they feel confused and frustrated.

Difficulties processing sensory information: Those with ASD often have over or under-sensitive senses, leading to a tendency to get overwhelmed or to seek attention to such a degree that it becomes embarrassing for the accompanying parent and the person interacting with the child.. ASD affected child may react strongly to an unwanted touch, be very selective and particular food eater, get largely disturbed and irritated by loud noises ( be it a noise coming from far off .The child feels unable to concentrate on account of background noise and reacts adversely.

Additionally, one should always remember that people with ASD do not easily adapt to change.Parents managing their ASD ward should be aware of the changes being brought about in their environment or schedule that can trigger problem behaviours.A sudden bout of Illness (especially seizures, which ASD individuals may be prone to) can also trigger adverse reactions as the child with ASD cannot give verbal expression to his or her pain. Doctors advise parents to use picture posters or diagrams to help children express where they are feeling pain.

Dealing with Problem Behaviour

It’s key to understand that the child is using these behaviours to try to communicate something to you, or to achieve some specific function. It’s vital to look under the surface of these behaviours so as to discover the unaddressed needs below. Try to asses what you child is trying to tell you, rather than reacting to the behaviour itself (resist “punishing”; few ASD children actually understand the cause and effect implied by it). It’s also advised to keep a “behaviour diary” or chart so that one can identify patterns in a child’s behaviour and from there, isolate what’s triggering the child’s episodes. One can then develop strategies to avoid or manage the triggers (be sure to introduce these slowly, as sudden changes in routine will do more harm than good). Likewise, expect the child to initially resist the change; stay patient and be consistent with it regardless, and make sure that other family members, teachers, and caregivers are also keeping consistent with it.

One should also develop supportive therapies to help the child shed his or her frustration; these typically include: exercise, brief time out periods in a quiet, darkened space, and relaxing activities. Set achievable treatment goals and don’t push too hard for rapid improvement, as people with ASD can struggle to integrate new knowledge and change behaviours.

To get the best out of a child with ASD, it’s often helpful to employ the following strategies:

  • Speak clearly and precisely (and use short sentences) in order to work around the difficulties that arise with complex verbal communication.
  • Use visual supports. Many children with ASD process visual information more easily than other forms of information. Timetables can be helpful to assist children in understanding schedules.
  • Create “social stories”. These are brief descriptions (using words and images) of situations, events, or activities that help tell a child with ASD what to expect during an upcoming social situation.
  • Help the child identify his or her emotions. This is often challenging to a child with ASD; use visual aids (such as “stress scales”) to help the child quantify what he or she is feeling and how intensely, and help the child learn via physical associations, such as showing him or her that anger connects to a reddening of the face, stomach pain, the urge to cry, etc.
  • Help them learn to relax. Children with ASD find it hard to relax, and can be very “intense” and obsessive in their interests. Try to work relaxing activities or some quiet “alone time” into his or her daily routine.
  • Make their environment more soothing. As children with ASD can become overwhelmed by sensory information, it’s important to ensure their environments are as free as possible of sensory irritants. Flickering lights, devices that give off background noise, scented candles, etc., should be removed.
  • Give praise, in the form your child likes best. Praise is as important to an ASD child’s learning as it is to most children’s learning, but depending on their unique needs, praise may have to be modified to suit the child. For example, some may not like hugs, some may not recognize verbal praise. Often visual cues like stickers on charts or time doing a favourite activity as a reward are effective forms of praise. Praise should be as immediate as possible so that the child can assess cause and effect.

Seeking Help

 If your child’s behaviour is placing him or herself at risk, or others at risk, you should seek professional help by a psychologist or psychiatrist, rather than trying to handle the situation on your own.

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Learning Disability- Special Mansik Pramarsh Management Programme

Posted in daily writings and musings of the psychologist, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 18, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Learning Disability:What is learning disability?Learning disability is a misnomer as a difficulty that can be overcome should not be labeled such strongly.  Hence we will call it Learning Difficulty. ‘Learning difficulty’ is a general term that can be applied to different conditions with varying symptoms and severity e.g., dyslexia dysgraphia or even dyscalculia and dyspraxia or ADHD.  The underlying symptoms of the learning difficulty conditions though in all labeled situations are inter-related and are present from birth.

We at Mansik Pramarsh focus on the  all these many labels that exist as a common cause and concentrate on each person and treat their individual difficulties with a highly personalized regular  exercise Program of learning skills, counseling skills , meditation and cerebral development.

The cause of learning difficulty: a common factor in many of these conditions is a part of the brain called the cerebellum, which links to nearly all the major centers of the brain.

The cerebellum is key to the learning process, making learning; understanding skills become automatic through practice. But if the cerebellum is not working efficiently then it is very likely the child will struggle with one or more of the following – poor reading and writing, concentration, co-ordination or social skills.

Mansik Pramarsh medication-free Program consists of daily learning skills, counseling skills, preksha meditation and Kayotsarg aim to improve memory, learning ability, retention balance, cerebral and physical co-ordination, concentration and social skills.

Dyslexia

Dyslexia refers to a learning difficulty that causes problems with learning language-based skills. It is a neurological condition that affects around 10 – 20% of the population to some degree.
People who have dyslexia or dyslexia symptoms generally have trouble with their reading, writing and spelling. It can also affect: concentration, short term memory, math, and coordination and communication skills, incapable of paying attention for long periods of time, finding it hard to make friends, being prone to tantrums. Children seemingly insensitive to other people’s feelings are also indicative of a dyslexic condition.  Dyslexia has no reflection on the child’s intelligence – it is about the access to his or her intelligence. Being dyslexic doesn’t mean that a person can’t read, nor does it mean that their intelligence is impaired, but it can make learning very challenging, depending on the degree of the problem. Unless these challenges are addressed it is very likely that people will avoid anything to do with reading, writing and spelling, joining in and socializing.

Mansik Pramarsh Programme: Many of the symptoms associated with learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD are believed to be linked to poor cerebellar efficiency. Through our daily exercises focused on   preksha meditation, memory development , Kayotsarg,  cerebral balance, eye tracking, retaining capacity built up  and  cerebrum-physical coordination our special  Program aims to improve the performance of the cerebellum, the ‘skill center’ of the brain which makes every day learning and performing  automatic.

Dyspraxia or Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)

Dyspraxia is an alternative name for Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Dyspraxia mainly causes issues with coordination resulting in clumsy type behavior on account of problems with motor skills.

Fine motor skills require precise movements like Writing, Threading beads, Tying shoelaces, Doing up buttons, Using cutlery etc.
Gross Motor skills relate to balance and coordination including: Catching and throwing, Riding a bike
The kids who have the debility often  avoid participating in sport. The signs of Dyspraxia vary with age and development. For example, young children often show delays in achieving developmental skills (e.g. tying shoelaces, buttoning shirts, zipping pants/trousers) and can appear quite clumsy. Older children often have problems with fine motor control; doing puzzles, building models or playing ball games. Many children do not show difficulties with the early milestones of sitting and crawling but show later difficulties with more complex activities – those which require the involvement of the cerebellum.
Other Dyspraxia symptoms may show in:
Coordination and balance
Awkwardness
Behavioral issues
Some have issues with noise and feeling
Extreme cases with speech impediments
These skills take longer to develop in children with dyspraxia tendencies.

Mansik Pramarsh Programme

Many of the symptoms associated with learning difficulty such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD are believed to be linked to poor cerebellar efficiency.  Our regular daily preksha meditation, science of living, Kayotsarga, exercises focus on balance, eye tracking and coordination. The program aims to improve the performance of the cerebellum, the ‘skill Centre’ of the brain which makes everyday tasks automatic.

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