Students who have autism

MaryAnn · Post by **MaryAnn** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 11:47 am

Well, this comment will make the other camp say Good Grief (or worse,) but here goes.

I think ADD has become much more common. If you hang out in the alternative medical field instead of the Big Pharma field, you learn that our diet has changed drastically to include high levels of trans-fatty acids, manufactured (hydrogenated) fats that we would not be ingesting even 50 years ago. The body doesn't know what to do with them and takes them in as if they were omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. The brain is composed mostly of fats; these weird back-asswards fats get taken into the brain and then it doesn't work right any more. We, as a society, are deficient in the omega 3 fatty acids, badly, and showing the brain malfunctions due to that.

The correct approach is not to drug away the symptoms of the poisoning/deficiency, but to change what we ingest so that we don't poison ourselves. However there is huge money behind the food industry and it will be hard to force a change in a healthier direction.

If you don't believe me, research it yourself. Note that some major cities, including NYC, are considering passing a law that prohibits the use of trans-fatty acids in restuarant food.

Autism may be due to pollutants or heavy metal concentrations in the mother, or heavy metals given in the increasing number of infantile required innoculations.

MA

Brassworks 4 · Post by **Brassworks 4** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 12:21 pm

MaryAnn wrote:The correct approach is not to drug away the symptoms of the poisoning/deficiency, but to change what we ingest so that we don't poison ourselves.MA

***-whipping isn't the correct approach either.

The change-of-diet approach has been around quite some time and does give results in certain individuals. Thanks for bringing that up. I'm not convinced its a solution/partial solution to autism however, but there has been/will continue to be studies on the subject. I think joining a medical forum to futher this discussion will bring more light on the subject.

Back to teaching tuba to kids with ASD - sit back and enjoy them, they may even teach you a thing or two.

(its not easy - don't misunderstand me - whew!)

TubaRay · Post by **TubaRay** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:07 pm

Brassworks 4 wrote: Back to teaching tuba to kids with ASD - sit back and enjoy them, they may even teach you a thing or two.
(its not easy - don't misunderstand me - whew!)

This is true.

ThomasDodd · Post by **ThomasDodd** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:49 pm

Brassworks 4 wrote:
MaryAnn wrote:The correct approach is not to drug away the symptoms of the poisoning/deficiency, but to change what we ingest so that we don't poison ourselves.MA
***-whipping isn't the correct approach either.

The change-of-diet approach has been around quite some time and does give results in certain individuals. Thanks for bringing that up. I'm not convinced its a solution/partial solution to autism however,

Not that MA suggested it was. She was refering to "ADD/ADHD".
Interesting point by the way Mary Ann.
Sttill not sure why that got lumped into a thread about autism either

I've not seen much on suspected causes of "ADD/ADHD", but it seams to be diagnosed a lot. I'm with Doc in many respects too. Is it really that much more common, or is it just being misdiagnosed by those hamstrung to control the kids by the partents/system or lazy parents. Maybe just misinformed parents? Spare the rod, spoil the child? There are a lot of spoiled childrenm that have never dealt with the rod. Is it the solution to all of the issues, no. But firmer discipline would go a long way.

A lot of what is called "ADD./ADHD" now was just "boys being boys" previously. Notice how rare it is for a girl to be diagnosed with "ADD/ADHD"? I think a lot of male traits are being discouraged by society.

I was diagnosed as "hyperactive" in the 70s. I got a stimulant for it, caffine. Started drinking coffee when I was 2 years old. I shudder to think what would have become of me had I been born in the 90s instead.

Brassworks 4 · Post by **Brassworks 4** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 6:10 pm

Trust me - if children are diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed stimulants you will know very quickly if the diagnosis is correct. If a child who does not need the medication takes it, he'll be bouncing even more. Therefore medicating a child is not an easy out in dealing with hyperactivity. Often times the child psych. prescribes it more as a diagnostic tool. You may think this is a sad approach, but if that child's synapses aren't firing properly, you won't know unless you try it. I'm not saying drug every child who is hyper - there are many, many factors that are calculated in before any good doctor would take the diagnostic step of prescribing the drug. Its not easy being the parent and giving permission to administer these kinds of scheduled drugs.

As for caffeine - yes, it can be used for a little boost when the medication is wearing down a bit. For us "normal" people, it stimulates us the same way Ritalin or any other stimulate would - the same drug working opposite depending on the body's need.

Now back to teaching tuba to kids with ASD....

ThomasDodd · Post by **ThomasDodd** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 6:41 pm

Brassworks 4 wrote:Trust me - if children are diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed stimulants you will know very quickly if the diagnosis is correct. If a child who does not need the medication takes it, he'll be bouncing even more....
As for caffeine - yes, it can be used for a little boost when the medication is wearing down a bit. For us "normal" people, it stimulates us the same way Ritalin or any other stimulate would

Funny you use "us 'normal' people" on a board full of tuba player like any of us are normal.

My point being, I was given caffeine not a stronger stimulant like Ritalin. To this day I still consume large amount of caffeine, and it has a very different effect on me. It surely doesn't keep me awake. So, I guess I'm not one of the normal people you speak of.

Brassworks 4 · Post by **Brassworks 4** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 6:47 pm

ThomasDodd wrote:Funny you use "us 'normal' people" on a board full of tuba player like any of us are normal.

I KNEW someone would comment on that! At least we aren't all full blooded trombonists.....

ThomasDodd · Post by **ThomasDodd** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 7:04 pm

Brassworks 4 wrote:
ThomasDodd wrote:Funny you use "us 'normal' people" on a board full of tuba player like any of us are normal.
At least we aren't all full blooded trombonists.....

Ain't that the truth

I tried to get in to a discussion over on the OTJ Forums (trombone.org) recently. Was looking for some bone advice (local instructor helped set the place up) and browsed the off-topic, anything-goes section. Made realize how much I missed this site. Hence my return after a prolonged vacation

BTW, I wish Sean would bring back the politics section. It was nice to discuss politcs with, mostly, rational people.

Brassworks 4 · Post by **Brassworks 4** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 12:31 am

This article came out today and thought I'd share it with those in the discussion of autism.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/10/16/au ... index.html

Its pretty interesting. I attended a workshop on Asperger Syndrome (high functioning autism) just last week. There is so much work being done to pinpoint the gene (which won't be found by ***-whipping) and hopefully find a cure.

How are the lessons going with the autistic student?

Brassworks 4 · Post by **Brassworks 4** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 9:59 pm

Well, folks, please excuse a political request - but since we were on the subject of autism here in this thread and it seems that many of you are interested I thought this would be a good place to ask.

Would you mind making a quick, 1 minute call to Rep. Joe Barton (Texas) ??

817-543-1000

This representative has the Autism bill tied up in the House of Rep. Its already passed the Senate (unanimously). This individual wouldn't let it even go to a vote. His reason is he wants it tied to the NIH bill - saying that everything in the Autism bill is funded in his NIH bill. This is NOT true. Only 3/10 of 1% of NIH money goes to Autism Research.

I just called and it literally took less than a minute. As soon as you call, tell them you'd like to leave a message for Mr. Barton. She will ask if it is related to the Autism Bill - and then she will take your name and state. That's it!!

Please make the call ASAP.

THANKS!

geomiklas · Post by **geomiklas** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 10:25 pm

I just saw this thread and am very interested in looking at each and every reply in it before my next reply to it. Let me say though, that I just recently finished a master's degree in special education. My clinical practicum project turned out to be teaching the tuba to an 8 year old boy with severely low-functioning autism, but was the highest functioning in his classroom of otherwise non-verbal autistic students. I can share my final powerpoint presentation that I prepared for the practicum. I am now dual certified in Music and Special Ed. Send me an email, and I will give you my redacted version.

George

minnesotamike · Post by **minnesotamike** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 8:08 pm

I have taught one child with aspergers. His problems are, as described in other posts, hearing pitch and complex counting (I guess we all have this problem, or at least I do).

I found he learned very well if I played along on another tuba. This allowed him to use a wide variety of sensory inputs to learn the horn. So far it has worked well.

I notice some confusion between ADD, ADHD, and autistic spectrum disorders on this post. ADD and ADHD are different, although they may accompany autism. There are also other issues that can be comorbid with autism, like sensory integration issues.

TubeNet

Students who have autism

Teaching one child with Aspergers