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Childhood Obesity: Is it abuse? How’s that for a controversial headline? It certainly got my attention. Abigail Darwin’s article in the July-August issue of Children’s Voice explores a difficult question with no simple answers: when a child’s weight endangers his or her health, who is accountable? “One issue is whether children whose weight poses serious dangers to life or health are properly considered neglected,” Darwin writes, and continues that, if so, “is it proper (for the state) to remove these children and place them in foster care?” As obesity reaches epidemic proportions, cases are starting make their way through the courts, some resulting in removal of the child from the home, probation for the negligent parents and even termination of parental rights. Like any special needs category, a complex issue like children obesity requires a team approach. Darwin explores the parallels between income level and access to high-nutrition foods, health education and family counseling. Like any special needs category, the earlier the intervention, the better. Excerpt: “The ramifications of obesity are arguably more severe for children than for adults. Indeed, obesity deprives youngsters of many of the social and physical activities that comprise meaningful childhood. Also, obese children must also endure excessive teasing, social stigmatization and discrimination by their peers and teachers...obesity, with all its attendant social and physical maladies, tends to be a lifelong affliction if it is not curbed early in a child’s life.” Read the article here [PDF] and email voice@cwla.org to share your thoughts: should childhood obesity be considered a form of parental neglect? Daily life: A-hunting we will go Not to worry. This is not a Second Amendment soapbox. I’m talking about scavenger hunts, a great educational tool for all kids, but especially for our autism kiddos. A major difference between the autism way or thinking and the neurotypical way of thinking is the manner in which brains categorize information. As neurotypicals, we take in information and our brains automatically sort it into categories and sub-categories, cross-referencing as we go. For many children with autism, it is quite the opposite: they are not able to generalize specific information, and their brains do not readily sort information -- until they are taught do so. For myself and for many parents, our child’s inability to generalize information is one of the larger challenges of autism. Scavenger hunts are a fun, active way to promote categorizing and generalizing skills. There are as infinite ways to scavenge, all of them valuable to your child or student on many levels. Autumn is a glorious time to hunt outdoors, but hunts can be indoors, in magazines or in books. Hunt solo, in pairs, in groups. Animal, vegetable, mineral. Colors, shapes, sounds. Check items off a list, photograph items, cut out from magazines or collect actual items. Here’s a list to get you started.
Safety first: whether your hunt is indoors or out, set clear boundaries for the area in which children are allowed to search. Adult supervision should be present at all times. And keep it fun. If the purpose of the hunt is educational or developmental, forget any competitive aspect, such dividing kids into teams and naming a winner based on who finds the most items. Emphasize cooperation and discovery. Happily ever after – in real life
It feels particularly important because we were often not sure we would get this far. The statistics argued against it. Not only is divorce pervasive among our generation, but the added stresses of raising special needs children shatter many more. We came close, very close. For a long time, I thought I would never write about it. Too painful. But a couple of years ago, when I realized that we finally had made it full circle, back to a place of happiness at being together, I did write about it. If our story inspires even one couple on the edge to stay in the race, I’ll be sorry I didn’t write it sooner. Read What We Leave Unsaid. And being unsentimental, our only planned celebration is a party for two. But I couldn’t resist needling my bridegroom just a bit. I asked him, do you want to do the thing where we renew our vows? His response: don’t I do that every day? So, happy anniversary, boyfriend! I don’t wanna “do it all over again,” but I’m definitely on board for whatever comes next.
Submissions should be 1,200 words or less, and may be edited for space. Please include references and not personal experiences. Senior writer Patricia Sullivan says, “We will fit in as many as we can and save others for future issues. We want to present a wide a variety of articles as possible. I hope it is our best and most informative issue ever.” The deadline for submission is January 31, 2009. Email to: patricia.sullivan@kidspeace.org . Please include a brief bio and headshot photo. Browse the Spring-Summer 2008 issue here: http://www.kidspeace.org/uploadedFiles/24_healing_ss08.pdf Quick stuff, updates, tidbits: About.com’s autism blog editor is requesting your advice for upcoming holiday-themed articles: what are the best autism-related products available? Lisa Jo Rudy says: “I’m planning to write a few articles that recommend ‘top’ autism gifts for various different groups of people (kids with autism, adults with autism, parents of children with autism, teachers, therapists). What autism-related products have you purchased or used that you would highly recommend to others? What products have you purchased or used that you would NOT recommend? What autism products (including toys, books, DVDs, clothes, etc.) are on your wish list?” ******
****** American presidential candidates’ positions on autism and health care: Barack Obama and John McCain have responded to ASA’s request for statements on autism and health care. Read their statements here. ****** Please vote. I’m proud of my 35-year record as a non-affiliated voter (“I was a NAV before NAV was cool.”); it means I get to beat up on everyone who doesn’t turn out to vote, regardless of persuasion. My political slogan has not changed in all those years: “If you don’t vote, don’t complain.” No matter how discouraged you may be feeling this political season (who isn’t?) please vote. In this country we have one great privilege. When a thing gets to be absolutely unbearable the people can rise up and throw it off. That's the finest asset we’ve got--the ballot box. ~ Mark Twain ****** I always answer my email. But we live in a world of imperfect servers, aggressive spam filters and power outages. If you’ve written to me and I haven’t answered, please try resending your message with a different subject heading. ****** Newsletter archive on my website: if you are new to our newsletter community, please visit the newsletter archive on my website and browse some popular past features.
Excerpt: Meltdowns are frequently part of the landscape when you have a child with autism in your classroom or home. Understanding that this behavior is almost certainly a result of a sensory or emotional overload, not deliberate or malicious sabotage, is the first step toward constructive handling of a meltdown. Having a plan in place when one hits is essential to minimizing the impact of these events to both child and environment, whether classroom or home. Father Robert Tywoniak was no stranger to dealing with crisis when Hurricane Andrew hit his Florida community in 1992. As CEO of Catholic Charities Child Welfare Division, his agency was a frontline responder. They were able to save hundred of lives per day, track all children in the devastated area, rebuild and come back as a stronger agency that before the storm hit. The key to his success? “Good leadership, strategic planning, rehearsal and doing it all together.” A child with autism in the midst of a meltdown is a little hurricane unto himself... Autism Asperger’s Digest This month in Sydney’s Child
Excerpt: It seems like it should be such a simple thing, teaching your child or student to say “I’m sorry” when an apology is called for. But far beyond simply repeating a conditioned response, truly understanding the nature of an apology and being able to deliver one sincerely requires a level of social competence that many adults find difficult, let alone your child with autism. Parents are puzzled and frustrated when their child fails to offer apologies when appropriate, either benignly or seemingly willfully. Breaking that “simple” apology down to understandable increments goes a long way in helping our child with autism understand and apply this critical interpersonal skill. Plus, related articles in this issue: Building a spectrum of support: early intervention improves outcomes for children with autism...Identifying Asperger’s...Going gluten-free http://www.sydneyschild.com.au/ Ancestry Autism Asperger’s Digest Children’s Voice
Book excerpts on the website are all new as of September, a great opportunity to take a test drive: Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew Ten Things Your Student with Autism Wishes You Knew 1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders The Autism Trail Guide: Postcards from the Road Less Traveled If you’ve read my books and feel inclined to share your thoughts with others, please consider posting a review on my book pages at www.amazon.com. It’s easy to do and you don’t have to post your real name. Please forward this newsletter to anyone you feel might share an interest in our kids with autism. New subscribers can sign up at my website. If your spam-blocking software is particularly aggressive , you may want to add our email address <emailme@ellennotbohm.com> to your “white list” of senders. We take your privacy very seriously, and do not share our mailing list addresses or information with any other entity or business. ©2008 Ellen Notbohm | Third Variation Strategies, LLC |
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The gal with the goofy ‘80s hairdo in this photo is me, the Robert Redford look-alike is my husband Mark, and this month we are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. Neither of us has ever been sentimental about our anniversaries, but we confess to being excited about this one. We are both history buffs, and we feel like real like historical landmarks. 
Earlier this year, many of you took advantage of my posted link to explore Healing, a wonderful child advocacy magazine to which I’ve been a regular contributor for several years. Now Healing has plans for an all-autism/Asperger’s issue in 2009 and is looking for contributions from clinicians, medical doctors, family members and people with autism themselves.
Autism Speaks has launched an online School Community Tool Kit designed to help school administrators talk with staff about how students with autism can best be supported and included in the school community. The 203-page kit is available for free download at 
Storm Troopers: A Team Approach to Handling Meltdowns
Learning to say ‘sorry’: encouraging the development of empathy in children with autism