Please find them at own risk. They ARE NOT listed alphabetically, due to a low number of words listed in the glossary.
AUTISM
Autism is a neural, developmental disorder of the brain which Is marked by limited verbal and nonverbal communications, deficits in social interactions, and repetitive behaviors, such as, rocking, head banging, hand flapping, clapping hands in front of face, etc.
Autism is a neural, developmental disorder of the brain which Is marked by limited verbal and nonverbal communications, deficits in social interactions, and repetitive behaviors, such as, rocking, head banging, hand flapping, clapping hands in front of face, etc.
MENTAL RETARDATION
Mental retardation is any severe mental impairment of a person, such as reading, learning, talking, socializing, etc. More than half of America's autistic children have some form of mental retardation with only half of the 50% that have M.R. show some improvement in their skills. Not all autistic individuals have mental retardation, although autism is described as a mental disorder, in some cases. Some autistic people can be highly intelligent, and can live long, productive lives.
AUTISTIC SAVANT
An autistic savant person with autism in which they have relatively higher skills in one area of memorizing than a person that is not autistic. For example: Stephen Wiltshire, an autistic artist who can draw a landscape after seeing it just once.
Above, Stephen Wiltshire, an autistic artist, drawing the city of Rome, Italy, after flying over the city in a helicopter just once.
ASPERGER'S SYNDROME (as- per - gers) - An extremely mild form of autism, except that a person with AS can do daily things like dress and feed themselves, and can take care of their daily needs. However some AS patients also have little or no trouble with speaking. Also, people with Asperger's Syndrome have difficulties with communicating, as well as other behavioral problems associated with autism, however some with AS can have normal to extraordinary intelligence in some areas.
AUTISTIC BEHAVIOR- Any behavior that is related to the symptoms of autism.
REGRESSION - a situation when an autistic child typically develops but then loses speech and social skills, typically between 15 to 30 months of age, and is subsequently diagnosed with autism.
AGNOSIA- Loss of ability to interpret sensory stimuli, such as sound or images.
PROSOPAGNOSIA- A disorder of face perception, in which the person has the inability to recognize faces.
TANTRUM-
Any emotional outburst that is associated with distress,frustration,and even agitation. Children with tantrums may scream, cry, rant angrily, and even defiance. In autism terms, an autistic person or child could have a tantrum during an "autistic meltdown".
MELTDOWN
A meltdown is any type of tantrum that is associated with autism or Asperger's syndrome that does not just include anything associated with tantrums, but also includes physical abuse to themselves ( see SELF-INJURIOUS BEHAVIOR ), somebody else, or an object. An example would be an autistic child having a meltdown in which they scream and throw objects at someone. These behaviors can last for up to several hours.
SELF- INJURIOUS BEHAVIOR
Self-injurious behavior is any behavior that involves the person trying to injure themselves through physical harm. Many autistic children/persons may administer self injury when they become upset or during a meltdown or tantrum. Some hit themselves because they may become frustrated, or as a way to communicate. Examples of self-jury in autistic individuals include but are not limited to: head-banging, punching or slapping oneself, hand-biting, picking a scab, cutting oneself on purpose, etc.
STIMMING
Stimming or self-stimulating s a stereotype, repetitive movement that many autistic individuals have that helps them with thinking, and concentration. Stimming is also used when an autistic person tries to bleed off excessive excitement about something. Stimming is usually caused by another disorder that is usually associated with autism that may also be caused my stereotypical movement disorder. There are six categories of stimming. They are visual, auditory, tactile, vestibular, taste, and smell. Examples of visual stimming are: hand flapping, blinking, moving fingers in front of eyes, or staring repetitively at a light. Examples of auditory stimming include: making vocal sounds, snapping fingers, repeating phrases another person around the child is saying. Tactile stimming includes: scratching, or rubbing the skin with ones hand or with an object. Vestibular stimming includes: moving body in rhythmic motion, rocking back and forth and side to side. Taste stimming includes: licking body parts or licking an object. Smell stimming includes: smelling an object or hands, repeatedly, or smelling a person. Autistic individuals stim to increase their abilty to remain calm, reduce the likelihood of having a meltdown, increase tolerance to challenging sensory situations, increase their focus, attention span, and ability to manage tasks. People with autism may also stim to accept themselves as a person with autism. Stimming may also be accommodated by use of sitting on a therapy ball in the case of wiggly people on the spectrum. There are many toys on the market that accommodate an autistic person's stimming behaviors. Examples include but are not limited to; stress balls, bracelets, chew necklaces, therapy balls, beanbags, or even Play-Doh TM for those with sensory needs. Some autistic individuals may use stims that are harmful to them, such as head-banging, which can be discussed with their therapist. The therapist may replace for example. banging the head, with vigorously shaking the head. Head-banging normally occurs when an autistic individual become frustrated or when they are having a meltdown or sensory overload. Some people may take precautions while head-banging, whereas some may injure themselves as a result of head-banging.
If you have a child who is banging their head on the wall or floor, I recommend using a bike helmet or even a big pillow for those with severe forms of autism who to prevent self-injury as a result of head-banging.
If you have a child who is banging their head on the wall or floor, I recommend using a bike helmet or even a big pillow for those with severe forms of autism who to prevent self-injury as a result of head-banging.
FACILITATED COMMUNICATION,
Facilitated Communication is a type of communication for individuals that cannot speak, or have an impairment with speaking, which involves the use of a special, talking keyboard. Some individuals with severe autism that are non-verbal may be able to learn to use facilitated communication to communicate with others. Autistic people also need to be motivated in order to do this type of communication to work.
VERBAL, NON-VERBAL, and SEMI-VERBAL and SEVERITY OF AUTISM.
Verbal - The ability to speak. Half of the autism community are verbal, and half of them are non-verbal or semi-verbal, as with people with mild to moderate forms of autism.
Non-verbal - An autistic person that is not able to speak, as with severe autism. Some non-verbal autistic people may be able to utter a few words, like: "yes", "no", "hello, "bye". Some do not speak at all.
Semi-verbal - An autistic person that is able to speak, but has severe difficulties with trying to get out what they want to say. These people may stutter very often, and may require speech and social interaction therapy to help them improve their speech. This is found in some people with moderate to severe autism.
The severity of autism does not mean whether your child will grow up verbal or non-verbal, as not all people with severe autism are non-verbal. It depends on the vocal wiring of their brain. You could even have a severely autistic child that may be talkative. Other problems, besides speech may be a factor, such as sensory issues, behavioral issues, and even social issues. There are some autistic people that may able to talk, but are not able to communicate, which can lead to bad outbursts, and even self-injury, caused by frustration of the inability to communicate.
Non-verbal - An autistic person that is not able to speak, as with severe autism. Some non-verbal autistic people may be able to utter a few words, like: "yes", "no", "hello, "bye". Some do not speak at all.
Semi-verbal - An autistic person that is able to speak, but has severe difficulties with trying to get out what they want to say. These people may stutter very often, and may require speech and social interaction therapy to help them improve their speech. This is found in some people with moderate to severe autism.
The severity of autism does not mean whether your child will grow up verbal or non-verbal, as not all people with severe autism are non-verbal. It depends on the vocal wiring of their brain. You could even have a severely autistic child that may be talkative. Other problems, besides speech may be a factor, such as sensory issues, behavioral issues, and even social issues. There are some autistic people that may able to talk, but are not able to communicate, which can lead to bad outbursts, and even self-injury, caused by frustration of the inability to communicate.
QUIET HANDS
A demand that suppresses autistic individuals' stims.
Tip: NEVER demand "Quiet Hands" to suppress your autistic child's stim, unless they are engaging in stims that are self-injurious, such a head-banging, or hand biting.
Tip: NEVER demand "Quiet Hands" to suppress your autistic child's stim, unless they are engaging in stims that are self-injurious, such a head-banging, or hand biting.
AUTISTIC SHUTDOWN
An occurrence when an autistic child or adult becomes withdrawn, disoriented, and becomes disassociated, where they begin to talk, and communicate less. Autistic shutdowns are usually caused by meltdowns (or tantrums/outbursts ), and sensory overloads, and autistic burnouts. They are also called regressions. Unlike regression in an autistic child, when an autistic person experiences a shutdown episode, they become withdrawn, they become less social, and make less eye contact, and they may speak less, if they even speak at all. They may isolate themselves, they may cover themselves up with a blanket, cover their face with their hands or objects, they may start crying when they are talked to, or may not answer the other person, or respond to what the other person is saying, if at all. My experience with a shutdown can also be explained on my blog.
An occurrence when an autistic child or adult becomes withdrawn, disoriented, and becomes disassociated, where they begin to talk, and communicate less. Autistic shutdowns are usually caused by meltdowns (or tantrums/outbursts ), and sensory overloads, and autistic burnouts. They are also called regressions. Unlike regression in an autistic child, when an autistic person experiences a shutdown episode, they become withdrawn, they become less social, and make less eye contact, and they may speak less, if they even speak at all. They may isolate themselves, they may cover themselves up with a blanket, cover their face with their hands or objects, they may start crying when they are talked to, or may not answer the other person, or respond to what the other person is saying, if at all. My experience with a shutdown can also be explained on my blog.