Healing Autism, ADD and ADHD syndrome with Moldavite

Moldavite is said to have been formed by a meteor from outer space. It has numerous healing qualities for autism. 

Moldavite is one of the rarest crystals on the planet and occurs in an black, green or olive. This is a high frequency stone for transformation that is great for very sensitive people who struggle be on earth. The crystals eases autism, epilepsy, brain imbalances and malfunctions. Moldavite is a crystal to wear if you for people who spend lots of time alone, as many with autism do, according to The Illustrated Directory of Healing Crystals: A Comprehensive Guide to 150 Crystals and Gemstones. The reason is that the crystal helps those who wear it connect to the wider universe.

The stone has emerged as one of the healing crystals most prized by metaphysical users, and hundreds of stories about its transformational properties have been told. It has been credited with innumerable powerful life changes. It can also be successfully to treat emotional distresses such as loneliness, panic and anxiety that can accompany autism.

To get the benefits of Moldavite, place it on the third-eye chakra or the crown chakra – or even both. The common wisdom is that Moldavite crystal is a catalyst for inner evolution towards one’s highest good. The changes it brings can be intense and rapid, but they are, by all accounts, significant and valuable to the individual. The healing can occur in the physical body, one’s chakra system, one’s dream life, one’s awareness of healing spirit guides and other aspects of the spiritual dimensions, one’s career, one’s relationships and just about any other dimension of life where crystal healing can be useful.

The origin of Moldavite is still under discussion, thought by many to be purely extraterrestrial; a meteorite that has fallen to earth because of its chemical composition, yet others state the mineral is the result of fusion between a meteorite and the earth upon impact to specific earthbound mineral deposits, either way the mineral is at least partly due to extraterrestrial origin.

Moldavite's 'outer space' qualities can affect the consciousness of those who connect with it, and in the cases of autistic people, they may become fascinated with the crystal's palpable mystery. Chemical Composition varies but is mostly silica glass with impurities of magnesium, iron and other elements. There are known deposits in the Czech Republic and the surrounding area, yet other locations make claims to having deposits Moldavite with hematite is a good combination for an autistic child because it facilitates both integration and grounding.

Will Your Loved One Die from Bullying? Autistic Teen Shot to Death

It is a very sad story. I covered it extensively as it unfolded last year. Trevor Varinecz went to school. Said goodbye to his mom. A regular school day for this 16 year old high school student.

Little did his mom know that was the last time she would see her son alive. Or that he would be shot to death by school officials in his high school.

Trevor's mom contacted me. You see she was a longtime reader of my newsletters. And she did not want another mom's child to die in school.

We hear about street violence, muggings, robbers…all kinds of things that might get our teenage child killed. But we don't expect him to be shot dead in the school in the office where teens turn for help. But that is what happened.

Apparently Trevor had been a long time victim of bullying. Maybe he was at his wits end. Maybe he was calling out for help. We will never know. But on one fateful day, Trevor decided to bring a knife to school. What happened next no one will ever know for sure, but at the end of the day Trevor was dead…shot five times.

Now his parents are suing the school, trying to make something good come of this tragic event. They do not believe that the school's resource officer (who carried a loaded gun) was trained to understand their son with autism.

It was well known that Trevor had autism, since he was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and got special accommodations in the school. Trevor had spoken with Marcus Rhodes, the school police officer at his Myrtle Beach high school many times. But Rhodes did not understand how those with autism think or act. He was never trained according to Trevor's parents.

And the school had severely cut back on supervision of their son without telling the parents. So when Trevor brought a bayonet into his office he shot Trevor five times at close range.

Do you want police stationed in your child's high school without proper training interacting with your autistic children?

Does it make sense for a police officer to be stationed in a high school with a loaded gun and have to deal with special needs kids without a full understanding of how they act? Should police officers who are stationed in a high school shoot five times at close range to stop a 16 year old with a knife? A student who does not communicate well and has communication issues?

Trevor's parents did not know their son was being bullied. But at his funeral, many students told Karen, Trevor's mom that Trevor has been constantly bullied. But the school apparently did nothing about it. And never informed Karen or Tom Varinecz.

Many children with autism will not turn to their parents or anyone else for help if they are bullied. This is, unfortunately a common pattern. I have advised parents repeatedly to ask their children to tell them if they are being taunted, hit or called names at school. Most kids will not tell their parents or ask for help because they do not believe it will help…or they fear it may make things worse.

If you have a school age child with autism, ASK them if they are being picked on or bullied. And follow up with the school to make sure the school is aware of it and that it stops. Prevent tragedy before it occurs.

For extensive reporting of this event and videos from local TV stations as well as my personal interview with Trevor's mom, Karen Varinecz, see my newsletter, Autistic Teen Shot to Death in School.

What do you think? We want to hear your comments.

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Coping with Autism – 6 Tips for Dealing with Uncertainty and Natural Disasters

 Helping Kids with Autism Cope with Storms
If there is one thing that is difficult when you’re coping with autism, it’s a natural disaster. Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, you name it, it’s a problem. These events affect everyone, of course, but for someone with autism and their family, it can be even more challenging.

People with autism generally do not do very well with uncertainty, and there are few things that have more uncertainty than Mother Nature. There is no way you can predict what will happen in instances of severe weather, and that lack of predictability will drive many people with autism absolutely crazy.

Fortunately, there are some things you can do to minimize this anxiety during weather related events. This can be anything from a thunderstorm for a child who can’t stand thunder to bigger events like hurricanes and other kinds of storms.

When there is a major event such as a hurricane coming, there will usually be broadcasts about it on all the news channels pretty much 24/7 for several days leading up to the event. This can make even the most rational person get a little paranoid. It’s important to keep things in perspective, so limiting intake of news about the upcoming natural disaster is a good first step. You don’t want to traumatize your child before and if the natural disaster even happens.

Also, many kids will not be able to differentiate between a video of a disaster going on at the other side of the country and one twenty minutes away. TV news broadcasting can often be hard to decipher in this way. This leads the child to potentially believe that they are in a lot more danger than they actually are.

When coping with autism during a major natural disaster, it is important to have a lot of plans in place. Kids with autism do not well with uncertainty. They will want to know exactly what will happen and what you will do in each scenario to be safe. Don’t turn them down – make sure you talk it out with them.

Have a family emergency plan. “In case of emergency, I will call XXXXX. If they are not available, I will call XXXX. There are candles and matches located in these places if the power goes out. There is a first aid kit here, flashlights here and extra batteries here.” Tell your child that if the power goes out, Mom will keep you safe. That you will get through the storm together. This is what you’ll do for food, this is what you’ll do for shelter. If you address all of your child’s questions and worries with concrete answers, it will help them get past the worry far more quickly and then if you had been dismissive of it.

Social stories are a good idea in this case. Make a social book of activities or changes of plans that you may expect will happen during the weather event (if it is something that is predicted ahead of time), and have your child read it over with you several times so you can be sure he or she understands it.

The most important thing any of us can do when we are experiencing a lot of anxiety is to distract ourselves. The same goes double for the child with autism. If he or she has a special interest, now is the time to use it. If he likes to play a particular video game, let him play it a little longer than usual. Engage him with questions about his interest, and try to get his mind off the upcoming weather event and on something he loves.

Set up an art activity, or go out for a drive if the bad weather hasn’t yet started. If the power has gone out or you expect it to, try to charge all the electric devices ahead of time. Your child can entertain himself by watching a video on a portable DVD player or play games on an iPhone. Talk about things you’re going to do after the severe weather passes, to remind them that there WILL be an after, a “later.” Kids with autism can get very stuck in emotions and forget that anything exists outside of them.

No one wants their lights to go out, but unfortunately, it does happen during many severe weather events. Make sure to reassure the child as much as possible. “The power will come back on soon, and we will be safe. We have flashlights, and plenty of food, and we have each other. We can take care of each other.” Allow your child to voice their concerns as much as possible, and be patient in listening to them. Take their concerns seriously and validate them, but then tell them that you will be able to get through this together.

To the extent that you can, try to make not having power like a game, or an adventure of sorts. Get some cards and play card games, or read a book. Allow your child to have some kind of treat they don’t usually have – perhaps some kind of candy or dessert that will make them forget temporarily that there is no power. (After all, if it’s in the refrigerator, you’re going to have to eat it soon enough anyway!)

Say you have a lot of ice cream that needs eating before it goes bad — you can have an ice cream eating party!

If your child goes to bed before you, tell them that you will check on them every so often. This will reassure them, as it’s no fun to be alone in the dark. Or have them sleep with you. It’s important not to be alone in a time of great uncertainty.

This will give your child a greater sense of control. Have him help you find the candles, flashlights, etc. Have him choose which books to take out and which games to take out — anything that involves him actively in the process of preparing for the severe weather event.

It doesn’t have to be something like a hurricane or blizzard to get your child upset about severe weather. Some kids with autism just can’t stand to see lightening or hear thunder. It scares them.

Kids take cues from their parents, however, and if you model acceptance of and calmness around the event, they may soon follow your lead. “I always thought thunderstorms made me feel safe,” said one mother to her child. “I was inside, and it was raining and thundering outside, but I knew it couldn’t get me so it made me feel cozy and good.” While it may not happen right away, this message will sink in over time and hopefully become part of your child’s arsenal of coping tools.

Parents on an autism message board posted about their experiences coping with autism and impending natural disasters.

Says one mother about a recent hurricane, “There’s one problem. Even though the storm is not supposed to come here, I have a child who is AFRAID OF WIND. It doesn’t take much wind. I think it’s because of the many years he watched tornado videos nonstop.”

It can be very challenging for a child with autism to hear about or experience a hurricane, earthquake, blizzard or other natural disaster. But if you follow these tips, you can increase you and your child’s ability to be coping with autism and get through these annoying weather events with ease.

For additional insights see the article Understanding Your Child’s Need for Routine

For details about therapies and suggestions from parents that can help both children and adults live full and happy lives see the book The Autism Survival Guide. There you will be able to sign up for the FREE Autism Newsletter as well as get additional information to help your loved one be happy and succeed in life.

SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES! Comment below and tell other moms your tips and suggestions!

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So you didn’t vaccinate your child – safe bet or a time bomb waiting to go off?

More than 150 cases of measles have been reported in the US this year already. There has also be a similar rise in measles cases in Europe. Doctors are now worried that measles will make a comeback and plague school age children as it did when I was a child.

Many think that the increase in the number of measles cases is the result of parents' fears that vaccinations can harm their children…namely by causing autism. Dr. Gregory Poland of the Mayo Clinic is urging doctors to talk to moms and reassure them that the vaccinations are necessary.

A recent review of 1,000 studies on vaccines show minimal if any danger in causing autism [Vaccines can cause inflammation of the brain, fainting, and seizures. But autism? Apparently not]. Any side effects that were identified tend to be short-lived.

A study in 1998 by a physician in the U.K., Andrew Wakefield, M.D.,  was published in the medical journal The Lancet.
Several years ago, The Lancet deleted the study from its internet archives and the British General Medical Council has concluded that the study was not just flawed by "fraudulent". Dr. Wakefield has since lost his license to practice medicine in the U.K.
But many parents still worry about vaccines and the additives such as thiomersal. Certain celebrity activists have continued to fuel speculation that vaccinations can cause autism…despite the fact that there appears to be scant, if any evidence to support this contention.

"A rising portion of the population is deciding not to immunize their children because of this controversy, and these children are now susceptible to the measles  virus," says Dr. Poland, a Professor of Medicine and director of the Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group.

Dr. Poland describes the current resurgence of measles as devastating.

"The campaign against the vaccine has caused great harm to public health across multiple nations, even though it has no scientific basis. There have been over 20 studies, spanning two decades, conducted in several countries. Not one has found scientific evidence of a connection between autism spectrum disorders and MMR vaccine," per Dr. Poland.

Many parents have decided that the safer approach is not to vaccinate their children against measles…which is a safe approach as long as no one has measles. But once measles becomes common, children who have never been vaccinated become not only a risk to themselves but to others. Find out more about doctors and health plans.

So what do you think?  Let us know by commenting below.

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How iPads Are Revolutionizing Teaching for Children with Autism

Have an iPad? Maybe you did not realize it can be a great help for autistic kids. Well one school has found a way to use iPads to help kids communicate…special needs students who would not normally be able to have the life enriching experience in school that neurotypical students have.

At the Lehmann Center, a school for special needs kids in Lakewood, New Jersey, an 18-year old student got the chance to play the guitar. He has a disorder that makes it really hard for him to speak…and he has virtually no muscle control. His name is Anthony Leuck. Anthony communicates primarily through eye gaze or by spelling out words by using his head to push on a switch on a device that allows him to type out words. But today Anthony gets to play the acoustic guitar.

Anthony slides his knuckles over the digital image of a guitar on the I Pad. As he touches the screen he creates music…and a big grin shows on his face.

Anthony and lots more students are beginning to benefit from iPad devices used in classrooms all over the country. For those of you not familiar with the Apple iPad, it was launched in April 2010 and is selling like hot cakes. Three million iPads were sold in the first 80 days.

The iPads can be customized to the particular needs of any given student. They are reasonably prices, very portable and light weight…a great combination for a device to move around from home to school or from classroom to classroom. With the iPads, a non-verbal autistic child, for example, can tap on a screen to tell his or her teacher what he wants, how he is feeling or maybe to just play a guitar.

"These children can access and enjoy everything a typically developing child would enjoy — they just have to access it differently," said Gina Shulman, a social worker working in the school. "We have that fine motor skill; we can take a finger and press all those tiny keyboard buttons and little tiny switches. Now, our children, with just a gentle touch, can color; they can play instruments."

The school system in New Jersey which Anthony attends bough 60 iPads to use to help special needs students this year after seeing the initial success from a few iPads last year.  Robert Klein, the director of special services said that an autistic student who started using an iPad last year "initiated, really, one of his first conversations ever using the iPad with staff."

Many people with autism make little if any eye contact. Making eye contact is tough to teach to a person with autism. But an application in the iPad is teaching and helping students with this challenge.

Another application allows students to express emotion…to tell us how they are feeling and what they want or where they want to go. Some of these apps are free but many cost from $200 or more.

“It’s turning out to be, really, a magical thing,” Klein said. “The disability is such that (children with autism) live within themselves. The iPads draw them out.”

A clever app allows students to type then hear what they typed spoken out loud. The opposite is also true. Students can speak into the iPad and it will type out their words as text.

Can an iPad teach organizational skills? Apparently yes. One application that is especially helpful for children with autism and Asperger's teaches organizational skills. For some reason, people with autism tend to have a great deal of trouble staying organized. Having to arrange myriad tasks in a specific order can be very difficult. Changing classrooms in school and organizing homework can overwhelm many children with autism.

To teach organizational skills, the app displays a series of bubbles on the iPad's screen which are used to organize daily activities, thoughts or homework assignments. Many children with autism are very visual. Being able to see their assignments in bubbles and move them around allows the brain to understand the organization better.

Apple offered a training session to help the school system with the iPads and applications. Schools have used technology in the past to help children with autism communicate. But these devices have tended to be much bulkier and much more expensive than the iPads which run around $500.

The special needs students who have benefited, so far, from the use of the touch screen iPads include those with autism, attention deficit disorder (ADD),dyslexia and auditory processing issues.

If you do not have an iPad, or cannot afford one, there are applications that you can use with your children that can help them that run on an iPhone or other smart phone like a Droid. While these are not practical for school use, many of these apps can be very helpful when working with your children from home, to help them communicate in the car, or to take on vacation.

We are just beginning to see the amazing advances that relatively low prices and light weight touch screen tablets, such as the iPad can do to help our children with autism. Especially for children who have limited speech capabilities, this could be a Godsend. If your school does not offer these devices, bring this to the school's attention. And check out the Apple iPad app store to find applications that may help your child communicate and learn better.

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Vaccines can cause inflammation of the brain, fainting, and seizures. But autism? Apparently not.

The Institute of Medicine
has done a comprehensive review of the studies on vaccines. They reviewed 1,000 studies and found no link between vaccines and autism and type 1 diabetes. The findings are that vaccines are generally OK. Vaccines have been a highly controversial area, especially in the autism community. Last year there was a fraudulent study; several celebrities have trumpeted the risks of vaccines.
The Institute of Medicine
gathered experts to review the studies. The Institute of Medicine, which is part of the National Academy of Sciences, is a non-profit group outside the framework of the U.S. federal government. It provides independent guidance and analysis to improve health conditions. Their review indicates that few health problems are caused by or clearly associated with vaccines.
The review committee did find that in rare cases, vaccines do cause problems including inflammation of the brain, fainting, and seizures. They also found less clear evidence that certain vaccines may impact allergic reactions and temporary joint pain. They also found convincing evidence that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine can lead to fever-triggered seizures in some…but that the effects are almost always without long-term problems.

The report disproves claims made by the British physician, Andrew Wakefield who reported in 1998 that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine contributed to autism. The U.K.'s General Medical Council in 2010 revoked Wakefield's license to practice medicine due to glaring problems with his research.

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Six Ways to Help Children with Sensory Issues

Sensory integration therapy is a way of trying to “tune down” overactive senses, or stimulate dormant ones, to help a person function in the world better. The goal for this is gentle exposure to different sensory stimuli, so that they get better incorporated into what the body can tolerate and deal with.

The central nervous system is strengthened, balanced and developed so as to enhance its repertoire of abilities.

These therapies focus on the five major senses as well as the vestibular
and proprioception senses. Therapy for each person is different depending on their unique needs. Some people have observed that occupational therapy, which is the kind of therapy that sensory integration therapy falls under, looks a lot like playing; but it is a very specific, directed form of “playing” that targets the skills that those with ASD need to work on and develop and strengthens them.
The following are some ideas suggested by professionals about how to correct specific sensory deficits that autistic kids often show. These activities can be done at home or by a trained occupational therapist; at a school or in an office.

Swinging, rocking, and see-saws can help develop a sense of the vestibular system for those with an under active sense of the vestibular system.

For those with hyposensitive issues, you can try arranging furniture in such a way that your loved one can get around the room easier; put tape on the ground to show them where they should go; and talk to them about trying to stay an arm’s length away from someone.

For your loved one who is sensitive to smells, use unscented body care products, detergents and shampoos; don’t wear or allow perfume in the classroom; and try to make the places the person stays in most, including the house, as fragrance free as possible.

Eliminate or reduce fluorescent lighting, as it is often bothersome to many people on the autistic spectrum. Have your child wear sunglasses if they are sensitive to light. Use blackout curtains to keep the light out in a room. Use curtains or space dividers to create a visual distraction free workplace.

Auditory Integration Training is a therapy developed in the 1980s. An autistic person wears a set of headphones and listens to different tones in different intensities, volumes, and patterns. The idea is to re-wire the brain and the auditory system; in effect, by listening to these sounds, chosen for very specific reasons, the system becomes more balanced.

Music therapy can also be helpful. And earplugs and a Walkman can be lifesavers for your autistic loved one in noisy situations.

Weighted blankets and sleeping bags can work great for kids who need to feel the weight of something on them.

Make sure to tell a tactile hypersensitive child if you are going to touch them beforehand.

Allow the child to brush their hair and teeth so that they can regulate how hard or fast they do it.

Gradually try to get them use to the feel of different materials and textures.

For additional insights and to better understand this special type of therapy and how it can help your loved one with autism, see Autism Treatment for Kids – What Is Sensory Integration Therapy?