WAUPUN — It’s a room built for solitary confinement, but it’s not a cell at Waupun State Prison. It’s a ‘time out’ area at Rock River School, just a few blocks away.

“It`s a very common thing to have in public schools,” Donald Childs, Superintendent of the Waupun Area School District said.

Teachers call it the ‘Quiet Room.’ The mother of an autistic child calls it ‘the box.’

“It’s a boxed roof. It’s an enclosed box,” Mandy Rennhack said. “It’s not a box. It is a room,” Childs counters.

It’s a room that Childs says is vital for calming children down who are out of control, but the superintendent was hardly eager to have FOX6 News show it to viewers. When FOX6 Investigators asked to see the room, the superintendent flatly answered, “No.”

Why not?

“Because I am not going to allow the media into the classroom and into the building. This is a school, not a circus,” Childs said.

Childs eventually changed his mind and allowed FOX6 Investigators to see the room after school hours. That’s when FOX6 discovered that Superintendent Childs had never actually seen the room himself.

Rennhack first saw it last September when her nine-year-old son, Tyler, ended up inside.

“It`s built as though you built it to cage a child in there,” Rennhack said.

Tyler has Asperger’s Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder characterized by social difficulty and occasional, but intense, emotional outbursts.

“I want to really educate a lot of people about Asperger’s and autistic kids because they’re not naughty,” Rennhack said.

Last fall, Rennhack got a call from Tyler’s father. Tyler had a meltdown at school. “He told me there were two cops and he was locked in a plywood box,” Rennhack recalls.

The next day, Tyler’s mom demanded to see where the school had been holding her son. She says a teacher first led her to a regular classroom. Rennhack insisted on seeing “the plywood box.”

“She walked me to the back of the classroom and it is hidden behind a concrete wall,” Rennhack said.

When Dr. Childs led FOX6 Investigators to the “Quiet Room,” we saw exactly what Rennhack had described — a temporary room built of plywood. It measures seven feet deep by five feet wide, and stands just under eight feet tall. It is a chairless room with padded walls, a tile floor, no ventilation and a handle that locks when you hold it.

When Rennhack first saw the room, she says, “I cried.” Rennhack asked if she could take pictures, but says the school told her no. “They’re ashamed of it,” Rennhack said.

FOX News 6

Please share your reaction! Give your opinion by filling out the form below.

Share this news with friends, family, or colleagues by clicking on the shortcuts below:

Researchers are studying the nature of human eyes, which move three to five times every second. They say this could be a key factor in helping teens behind the wheel.

“We’re helping them acquire that skill in an environment that is more conducive for them to learn,” said Dr. Daniel Cox, a professor of psychiatry at UVa. who is helping with the study.

UVa. partnered with the University of Iowa and the Department of Defense to make more strides in research of autism driving safety with the use of eye tracking. The DoD is providing $350,000 for the eye tracking study and the University of Iowa is considered one of the nation’s leaders in driving simulation.

“This is the first time [the research] is really going to be integrated with driving, so that we can tell where the driver is or is not looking,” Dr. Cox explained.

NewsPlex 19

Please share your reaction! Give your opinion by filling out the form below.

Share this news with friends, family, or colleagues by clicking on the shortcuts below:

KELLER – It took awhile for 5-year-old Tristan to do something as simple as say “hello,” but with the help of music therapy, he learned to say “hello” and “goodbye.”
In fact, the repetition of songs helps children with autism learn to talk. That’s something Tristan couldn’t do at age three.

“He could produce sounds that you were making,” said Kristy Hill, Tristan’s mother. “He could copy you and say ‘mom,’ but he didn’t know what that meant. He couldn’t tell me that he was thirsty or hungry.”

Like most moms, Hill thought her son had a speech problem. But, early intervention at Keller Early Learning Center led to the diagnosis of autism.

The speech therapist determined Tristan was nonverbal and they went to work. Three years old is the earliest they’ll take kids who have autism, and specialist Stacey Callaway says early intervention is key.

“I would say as soon as you see the symptoms of autism is the best time to jump in,” she said. “I know that at 18 months is when doctors are starting to see the autism.”
Callaway is the autism program specialist at the center.

“What we know is as soon as we can get in and intervene with any disruptions that they have in learning then that’s going to give them the opportunity to capitalize on skills they already have,” she said.

Tristan came to the center knowing how to count. He had a fascination with numbers. The Keller Early Learning Center taught him how to use those numbers appropriately.

WFAA

Please share your reaction! Give your opinion by filling out the form below.

Share this news with friends, family, or colleagues by clicking on the shortcuts below:

BATON ROUGE, LA – A bill that gives children with autism greater health benefits has received final passage.

The bill, by Rep. Franklin Foil, expands mandatory autism coverage from 14 years of age to 21.

“It’s huge,” said Foil. “Unfortunately, a lot more children have autism in this state and what this bill does is it’s insurance coverage for more children and more children get the services they need at and early age and that gets results.

9 WAFB

Please share your reaction! Give your opinion by filling out the form below.

Share this news with friends, family, or colleagues by clicking on the shortcuts below:

Families with children attending the LEARN Foundation in East Fremantle were told this morning the centre had gone into liquidation.

Parents approached the Minister, Helen Morton, on the steps of Parliament, calling on the Government to step in.

“This centre doesn’t need to close, why does it need to close?,” they asked.

“Your Government will spend a million dollars sending police to the north of the state to protect Woodside, but what about protecting us?”

Ms Morton says she only heard about the closure this morning.

She says the organisation has refused to go through the proper process needed to access state funding.

“Over three years we’ve wanted this organisation to come through that process, to enable that to happen and for whatever reason, that’s not been possible,” she said.

Devastated
Parents say they received a text message from the CEO of the centre at 6:30 am telling them that the centre had been closed.

They say they are devastated it is shutting its doors.

Peta Kennedy, whose three year old son attends the centre, says the State Government needs to step in to save the crucial facility.

“Come down, meet with us, let’s look at what we need to do to support parents who are getting their kids back into mainstream schools,” she said.

“Basically let the families continue on with the amazing, amazing work that’s being done down here.”

Please share your reaction! Give your opinion by filling out the form below.

Share this news with friends, family, or colleagues by clicking on the shortcuts below:

CUMMING, Ga. — The number of kids with autism in Georgia’s schools is rising so quickly, educators are trying to find ways to deal with it.

It’s not just the students with autism they worry about, but the perceptions of the other students who go to school with them.

A new film is trying to change how teenagers, in particular, look at kids with autism. It debuted last October at the ReelAbilities ALT Disabilities Film Festival.

The film’s message is powerful not only because teens with autism speak candidly on camera about their disorder, but because teenagers produced the documentary at a level they knew their peers would understand.

The film begins with a young man standing in the middle of the hallway as dozens of teens pass by him and don’t acknowledge him.

“Every day you walk down the hall not really thinking about anything in particular,” stated the film’s narrator. ” And, you don’t realize the student walking next to you is autistic.”

The film asks the question: “Are You Aware?” and, appropriately, that’s the film’s title.

It’s written, produced and directed by Kaden Ochocki and Trevor White, seniors at West Forsyth High School.

“I wanted to convey that making fun of these kids is not OK,” Kaden Ochocki said. “They’re just like everybody else. We shouldn’t treat ‘em differently. Stare. Anything like that.”

11ALIVE

Please share your reaction! Give your opinion by filling out the form below.

Share this news with friends, family, or colleagues by clicking on the shortcuts below:

Au début du visionnage, j’ai eu comme un sentiment de malaise, avec la peur que le comportement de ce jeune autiste soit mal interprété, parce que la musique peut être excessivement anxiogène pour un enfant autiste, et puis, par la suite, j’ai finalement vu cet enfant qui se collait à cette guitare et qui semblait fasciné.

Il faut dire que ses parents lui font écouter beaucoup de musique et qu’il est lui-même propriétaire de nombreux instruments dont une guitare.

Merci aussi à Tyler, le musicien, qui a laissé simplement cet enfant venir et se coller à lui tandis qu’il continuait de jouer et de battre le rythme avec ses pieds.

Vous avez du collyre ? J’ai encore ma poussière dans l’œil…

Lire l’article

Partagez votre opinion! Donnez votre avis en remplissant le formulaire ci-dessous.

Partagez cette nouvelle avec vos amis, famille, collègues en cliquant sur les raccourcis ci-dessous:

L’association Signes de sens a présenté, lundi, au Centre ressources autisme (CRA) du parc Eurasanté, les résultats d’une étude menée auprès d’enfants présentant des troubles de la communication. Spécialisée dans la production d’outils pédagogiques pour permettre l’accès des personnes sourdes à la culture et aux savoirs, l’équipe cherchait à savoir si ses supports pouvaient être utilisés auprès d’enfants autistes ou déficients intellectuels, par exemple. Et il semblerait que oui.

Psychologues, assistantes sociales, orthophonistes, éducatrices spécialisées, enseignante référente pour les élèves handicapés ou éducatrice de jeunes enfants. Elles étaient une quinzaine, réunies lundi au CRA, pour découvrir l’étude menée par Signes de sens de décembre 2011 à février 2012 auprès de 123 enfants souffrant de difficultés de communication et des professionnels qui les suivent.

Toutes étaient demandeuses de supports multimedia adaptés à leur travail auprès de ces enfants. Et il semblerait que les résultats aillent dans ce sens.

Comme l’a indiqué Aurélia Fleury, qui pilotait l’étude : « 70 % des enfants observés se sont dits contents, voire très contents, de cette expérience. Et les professionnels interrogés estiment que nos supports seraient utiles pour stimuler l’intérêt, la curiosité et favoriser les échanges et les interactions chez les trois quarts de ces enfants. » Entre autres bénéfices, Aurélia Fleury a également relevé un effet apaisant pour la moitié d’entre eux, ainsi qu’une plus grande capacité de concentration après le visionnage des vidéos.

La langue des signes pour point de départ

Simon Houriez, président fondateur de l’association, développe depuis 2005, avec son équipe, une pédagogie visuelle pour les jeunes sourds basée sur la langue des signes, les mimes et des clips animés, utilisée notamment dans des livres-DVD. Cette démarche de médiation culturelle vers un public sourd a été « validée par les associations représentatives et par les partenaires institutionnels », précise-t-il.

Lire l’article

Partagez votre opinion! Donnez votre avis en remplissant le formulaire ci-dessous.

Partagez cette nouvelle avec vos amis, famille, collègues en cliquant sur les raccourcis ci-dessous:

La ‘biblia’ de los psiquiatras, el llamado Manual Diagnóstico y Estadístico de Trastornos Mentales (DSM), está siendo actualizado y se cree que la nueva edición podrá incluir muchas nuevas conductas adictivas que afectan hoy en día al ser humano.

Los expertos están trabajando en una nueva definición de lo que es una adicción, y en el futuro podrán ser clasificadas como enfermedades la adicción al sexo, al juego, a internet, e incluso a las compras.

La nueva edición del DSM, la número 5, reemplazará a la actual edición que fue por última vez revisada en el año 2000 y se espera que refleje los grandes cambios de la última década en las conductas de la sociedad y los avances en el diagnóstico de enfermedades.

Aunque el Manual es redactado por la American Psychiatric Association(APA)(Asociación Psiquiátrica Estadounidense), es un libro influyente en toda la comunidad psiquiátrica mundial porque permite a los médicos evaluar los síntomas del paciente y definir el diagnóstico de su enfermedad.

Esta semana el panel de la APA encargado de revisar la actualización presentó en Filadelfia los cambios propuestos que durante los próximos meses estarán abiertos al comentario público y de especialistas.

La tarea de actualización del DSM está siendo llevada a cabo por 13 grupos de trabajo, que trabajan en trastornos mentales divididos en 20 categorías y está siendo coordinada por los doctores David Kupfer, de la Universidad de Pittsburgh y Darrel Regier, director de investigación de la APA.

Más información

Por favor, comparta su impresión! Denos su opinión ya sea por medio de Facebook o rellenando el formulario que se encuentra en esta página.

Comparta estas noticias con sus amigos, familiares o colegas por medio de la siguiente página del sitio:

El presidente de la Diputación, Nemesio de Lara, ha participado esta tarde en el salón de actos de la Agencia de la Fundación ONCE de Ciudad Real en la presentación de un estudio sociodemográfico sobre la población con Trastorno Generalizado del Desarrollo (TGD) en la provincia, realizado a iniciativa de la Asociación Regional de Afectados de Autismo y otros Trastornos del Desarrollo (AUTRADE), entidad que contado con Matilde de la Banda para realizar el trabajo.

De Lara ha calificado de “magnífico” el estudique ha hecho De la Banda y su equipo, así como el comité que encargado de la investigación, que ha calificado de “interesante”. “Es una publicación integral a modo de guía o manual que va a venir muy bien a los profesionales, encontrarán hasta datos enciclopédicos de la región y de la provincia”, ha dicho De Lara antes de comentar que ha sido ponente de tres de las leyes a las que se hace referencia. “Ahora mismo podríamos decir que hay suficiente legislación, pero otra cosa es que las administraciones la cumplan. Es aceptablemente buena, pero sería papel mojado si no se cumpliera”, ha precisado remarcado.

Ha hecho referencia De Lara a que en el estudio aparece un censo de 143 afectados de Trastorno Generalizado del Desarrollo y ha añadido que “son pocos los diagnosticados”, porque, tal y como aparece en las conclusiones, “estudiar casos de este calibre es complejo”.

Ha suscrito a continuación la propuesta de creación de un equipo multidisciplinar en los ámbitos social, educativo y sanitario antes de manifestarse abiertamente en tiempos de “intenso debate” por el modelo de Estado protector. “No estoy a favor del Estado que deja al individuo a la intemperie”, ha afirmado.

Considera que el asociacionismo “es más necesario que nunca” y que serán necesarios los grupos de autoayuda. Ha asegurado, asimismo, que será preciso “que se conviertan en grupos de influencia ante las instituciones y ante el sistema y si no nos movemos acabará con aquello que nos ha costado tanto tiempo conseguir”.

Más información

Por favor, comparta su impresión! Denos su opinión ya sea por medio de Facebook o rellenando el formulario que se encuentra en esta página.

Comparta estas noticias con sus amigos, familiares o colegas por medio de la siguiente página del sitio: