Author Mark Ferdinand - Autism Books, Tiki Books, and Reptile Stories: May 2019

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Autism and Eye Contact

Most people take for granted the role eye contact plays with social interaction. To the child on the autism spectrum, however, the value or understanding of eye contact may prove elusive. It is a factor that has an interesting effect on the lives of children and families.

One of the first warning signs that can alert parents to the possible presence of autism is poor eye contact. This is of particular concern for young children after 2 years of age. The first instinct of many parents is to presume that the child has a hearing problem. The child may not respond to his name until after several attempts. Following an autism diagnosis, parents come to understand how eye contact is used or avoided by the child.

At first parents will adapt and work around the eye contact issue. Eventually many children can be taught to use eye contact when speaking. This is a good practice for life skills, but the child will make it known either verbally or in other ways if he is not interested in eye contact at certain times.

Eye Contact

Eye contact, among other factors, also comes into play as the child gets older. Other children will be encountered at a park, school or public event. The typically developing child that approaches the autistic child in an attempt to make friends is likely to feel snubbed. This occurs through a combination of eye contact avoidance and little or no verbal response from the autistic child.

Parents and therapists will need to develop eye contact skills the best way they can. This can be through motivational or reward techniques. The child may eventually learn to equate speaking with eye contact and respond accordingly. This of course depends on the severity of the case of autism and traits of the individual child.

In the case of my son, his eye contact has improved greatly over the years. Regardless of improvements, there most likely will always be certain moments that he resists eye contact. It is simply an uncomfortable thing for him to do at times. Ultimately the goal will be for him not to enjoy eye contact, but to use it as a life skill when social situations arise.

Autism themed books by Mark Ferdinand. Fiction and nonfiction:

Fortune on the Spectrum

Denny was diagnosed with autism at three years of age. Autism gave him the gift of obsession. This gift made him the youngest, self-made millionaire in Texas history. Autism also made him vulnerable to the forces of the outside world, of both society and nature. Fortune on the Spectrum is the journey of an unstoppable young man, destined to succeed and challenged to survive. Denny's story takes you through struggle, humor, love, finance and danger from the voice of an atypical mind. Autism Fiction. Texas Novel.

Autism Novel

The Autistic Prankster: Enjoying the Fun Side of Autism

We know about all the challenges. These stories focus on the fun and the funny side of autism. While he may not have typical communication skills, surprisingly this can be an asset in the humor department. Funny autism-related moments are a daily occurrence with this young character, and this book is a collection of the most memorable.

Funny autism stories

Books by Mark Ferdinand

Beyond paperback Mark’s books can be purchased for Kindle, Android, and Apple devices.

Friday, May 17, 2019

Echolalia and Autism

Echolalia

Echolalia is the involuntary repetition of words or phrases spoken by others or heard through some type of medium. Echolalia is a phenomenon that is common among children with autism. While the typically developing child develops speech through imitation, these imitations quickly evolve into creative use of words to form language. For the child with autism and echolalic traits, this process may take much longer if it even happens at all.

Echolalia can be either immediate or delayed. In the case of immediate echolalia, the child repeats what is heard from others immediately. For example, the parent may ask, ‘How was school today?’ and the child repeats ‘How was school today'? In the case of delayed echolalia the child is repeating phrases he has been exposed to after hours, days, months or even years. For example, a child may repeat a phrase from a commercial that he finds interesting.

A different form of communication

These repetitions can serve a variety of purposes to the child. In the case of immediate echolalia it may give the child more time to process a question or comment. In the case of delayed echolalia, certain sounds or phrases may be associated with certain emotions or experiences. During stressful times, repeating certain phrases may provide comfort. Other phrases may be repeated simply because they provide a combination of amusement and stimulation.

Many children with echolalic traits are fortunate to have them in comparison to those on the severe end of the autism spectrum. Echolalia can sometimes be a foundation for the ability to develop functional communication later in life. While these expressions may not make sense to most people, parents learn that it is still communication and need to adapt to its nuances. Over time they end up interpreting each phrase and the motivation and emotions associated with it.

Autism themed books by Mark Ferdinand. Fiction and nonfiction:

Fortune on the Spectrum

Autism Novel

The Autistic Prankster: Enjoying the Fun Side of Autism

Fun autism stories

Books by Mark Ferdinand

Beyond paperback Mark’s books can be purchased for Kindle, Android, and Apple devices.

Thursday, May 16, 2019

Autism and Obsessions

Shortly after our son turned three years old, he took interest in “advertising” to a new level of dedication. It started with a unique interest in commercials on television. It seemed unusual for such a little toddler to find them so interesting. Any kind of commercial would come on the screen and it would capture his interest. When the logo and tagline were finally shown, he would get giggly and touch the television screen.

“OK, he really seems to like commercials”, we thought. It seemed neat that he had such a fascination with something adult-oriented as opposed to Teletubbies or Barney the dinosaur. Little did we know at the time that this was a sign of being on the autism spectrum.

Our son was a late talker to be sure. After our move to Texas we were happy to know that he was making more of an effort to sound out words. At three years old, however, we had not yet brought him to a doctor to be diagnosed. We were still holding out hope, but after much Googling and research on “late talking” our suspicions were there.

Intel commercials and the associated chimes of “Bom... bom-bom -bom BOM!” were what made him happy. This was among his first serious vocalizations combined with a word. If an Intel commercial came on TV he would run to the screen and enjoy the anticipation of what was to come. When the logo and jingle finally came he was in heaven and chimed along. He would repeat the word "Intel" and sing the lovely chimes throughout the day. This, however, was the extent of his conversation skills.

Obsession Evolved

Logos of all kinds soon captured his interest. The satellite television company would come out with a new list of channels with tiny versions of their logos printed on a sheet of paper. He carried that sheet of paper everywhere as a typically developing child would carry their favorite toy. He took care of it, and if eventually it became worn or torn, we would have a backup from the Sunday paper. We were pleased that he had something that interested him and often joked that he had a future in advertising. There was a sense, however, that this was unusual behavior in a child.

More research on the web led to an understanding that with autism there is often unusual obsessions with seemingly mundane objects or occurrences. It was not long after this period of time that we took the step of bringing him in to the doctor’s office to see what they could make of it all.

Since this time our son has expanded his interests. He has passed his Intel phase. He still (and likely will always) have his obsessions, but we have seen them change over time. Even though it brought him a lot of pleasure, we are pleased that he has finally discarded the logo sheet. It is our hope that we can aid in channeling his interests and obsessions into something that gives him not just joy, but productivity and purpose in the future.