Kyle at age 3, and Kyle today

Kyle’s Treehouse, originally a resource about autism, has evolved into a community, where hundreds of thousands of visitors learn from each other every year. So, join in the conversation and welcome to Kyle’s Treehouse.

Getting Prepped for Flying

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Wings for AutismSummer is just about here, and for a lot of us that means trips to celebrate graduations, weddings, family gatherings, and just good ole’ vacations are on the near horizon. You could be considering flying to your destination, but may be understandably hesitate if you’re concerned how your child/grandchild may do on the plane. Airports and planes can be a source of distress – due to long lines, going through security, plane noises, etc. With that in mind, some airports are hosting programs that will let you ‘practice’ flying – allowing your family to go through the process of flying without actually taking off. This way, your child/grandchild can get a feel for everything in a comfortable environment. Here are some of the programs currently underway, and more are being created in various airports across the country.

Have you tried any of these programs? If so, let us know how it went!

Lynsey, Community Manager

Prom Date

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Prom Photo

I really love this story and wanted to share it with all of you (in case you haven’t seen it).  Nineteen-year-old Jon Larson, who has autism, was able to do something his parents never thought was a possibility – he attended his junior prom. His date for the evening was Maddi Colbeth, a fellow student at Clear Lake High in Wisconsin. Jon and Maddi met through a school club that, as noted in this article, encouraged friendships between disabled students and those without disabilities.

After Maddi joined the club she noticed that Jon was eating lunch alone and started eating with him–and they’ve had lunch together every day since. When it came time for Jon’s junior prom (Maddi is a senior), she asked Jon if he wanted to go and said, as that same article notes, “I knew he wouldn’t have gotten the chance if it wasn’t for me asking him, so I thought he deserved the chance to go. I thought he would enjoy that.”

And it seemed he did – they prepped in advance for the dance, even visiting the restaurant they would eat at ahead of time to get familiar with everything. At the prom, Jon danced and had a good time.

The friendship between these two teens is a wonderful thing to see, and I’m so glad Jon’s dad shared this story on Facebook. My hope is that more schools take on a similar club so others can benefit from such special bonds and experiences.

Lynsey, Community Manager

Study Connecting Placenta to Identifying Autism Risk

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It seems like a study comes out every other day regarding the potential cause of autism, or even what may put children more at risk for developing autism. We’re still very much in the dark, it seems, about what is the cause of autism, with researchers leaning mostly toward a genetic link.

Even in the past month or so there’s been studies suggesting everything from an antidepressant that may cause autism, to an epilepsy drug taken during pregnancy posing a higher risk for autism, to excessive multivitamin use causing autism in young children.

However, one study that has been widely covered recently is about early detection of autism. The study, published in Biological Psychiatry, looked at placentas at birth to determine the chance of being at risk for autism. Researchers looked specifically at women who already had children on the spectrum and found their placentas (following the delivery of their newborns) were different than others. The difference identified were abnormal folds and abnormal cell growth in the placenta. As noted in this WebMD article, the placentas from the at-risk pregnancies (meaning they already had children with autism, putting them at a higher risk for having additional children on the spectrum) were eight times more likely to have two or more of these abnormal folds than samples from not-at-risk deliveries.

Check out this NY Times article for additional details.

Lynsey, Community Manager

Stand Clear of the Closing Doors

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A much buzzed-about film coming out of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival is “Stand Clear of the Closing Doors.” It’s a story about a young Mexican-American teen (“Ricky”) with autism who runs away from home and escapes into the NYC subway system where he is put out of his element and faces tough obstacles like hunger, among other things. While at the same time, above ground, his mother and family are in a desperate race to find him.

Stand Clear of the Closing Doors The story, which is based a true story about a 13-year-old autistic boy from the Bronx who rode for the subway by himself for three days last year, delves into the struggles that families touched by autism can face, while also, as it’s described, it tells a story “about community, family, togetherness and the undeniable human desire to reach across the daunting chasms that divide us—to connect.”

To get a little more insight into the creation of the film, here are some excerpts from an interview that the film’s director, Sam Fleischner, did with the Wall Street Journal:

On casting the lead role of Ricky, played by Jesus Sanchez-Velez, who is autistic:

“I wasn’t interested in working with a child actor and trying to tell him what it’s like to be autistic. I don’t really know what it’s like to be autistic. I really wanted to cast a kid that was actually on the spectrum.” (Production found Jesus through autism blogs.) He went on to say, “ Jesus looked the right amount like Andres (who played his mother) and he’s a very patient and hard-working kid.”

On being inspired by the real-life story of a 13-year-old autistic boy who rode the subway for three days last year, and learning that the situation is not unique:

“That introduced me to the phenomenon they call ‘eloping.’ Something like half of all autistic kids run away at some point. Specifically in New York, they are often attracted to the subway system.”

To see the full WSJ article, click here.

And to see more info on the film, check out http://www.standclearclosingdoors.com.

Lynsey, Community Manager

Games & Toys

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Parade recently put out an article identifying top six toy picks for children with autism. They asked two experts to provide their thoughts on toys that can help autistic children learn and development much-needed skills, such as play and social interaction. Here’s what their list looked like:

Caves & Claws

  1. Board Games – The experts note that simple games can help teach skills like following directions, and they also involve social interaction. They recommend games where players work together as a team, such as Caves & Claws and Sleeping Grump.
  2. Sports Equipment – For younger kids, these experts suggested a simple ball could do the trick because it creates an opportunity for social play, communication and eye contact. For older kids, they suggest a skateboard, which can be a tool for social activity since kids get together at skate parks and skate in groups.
  3. Musical Instruments – For smaller children, a musical toy like a whistle could be used in an imitation game- you play a tune and have your child repeat it. For older children, playing an instrument could be a good for peer interaction, as the experts note.
  4. Construction Sets – The experts say toys like Legos are good to help children learn to follow directions in order to build objects.
  5. Tool Kits – They say that even a general toolbox with a hammer and nails can help build fine motor skills and a sense of accomplishment.
  6. Books – Books have many benefits, one of them, as noted by the experts, is a chance to teach socially appropriate behavior for younger children. Some of the books they call out are Me First and Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink.

Check out the full article here.

Would love your input as well – any toys or games you’ve found to be particularly helpful? Share them with us.

Lynsey, Community Manager

Wise Words by Pat Philpot

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This was written by Pat Philpot on his Facebook page…nuff said!

Keyper had yet another stellar day at school. I love what his teacher did today. Combined Keyper’s love of the iPad, with a few pictures of the other kids in the class and something that each kid likes. For example one of the boys likes cars. So she wrote the boys name on the paper and that he likes cars. So each kid had their name and what they like on a separate sheet of paper. Then, she would scroll through the pictures and have Keyper select the correct identity. What a simple, yet brilliant way to help Keyper not only learn names, but something about each person…..

“Rockstar” ( teachers nick name) was surprised that he learned them all in one day. I was not surprised.

I also love listening to the teacher/instructors talk about how amazed they are at K as they are learning more about him. Laura & I just smile because we know how brilliant he is.

Also, and for me this was the best part of his day……when they returned from recess, Keyper announced as he came in the door, ” I made a friend”!

His name is Ahmen, ( not sure of spelling) and he likes to ski.

On the drive home, he asked if Ahmen could come over and play sometime?

BAM!!!

Seriously peeps, I need to take a short break and celebrate, dance, sing my song. I am sending out to the Universe my appreciation & Gratitude for these amazing triumphs & experiences. Be back in a few.

Wow, better. I was getting a little misty eyed there.

I used to think that I would give just about anything to wake up and find that miraculously, in the night, a miracle happened & my beautiful autistically inclined boy had recovered. Then one day I realized being “on the spectrum”, or having Autism is an important part of who Keyper is. I don’t want it to define him, but it is indeed part of his beautiful makeup & components.

Just like his infectious smile, his brown hair, his amazing vocabulary and ability to read faster than anyone i know, I would not want to change any part of who he is.

As I came into this awareness and let go of the resistance that at some level he needed to be different, or recovered, or normal, or better, or more flexible so we could do things as “other” families do etc, he began to let go too of his resistance.

The more at ease I become, the more I celebrate who he is, the more dancing I do, the more singing I do, the more I let go of old beliefs, the more I seek for the good & the happy, the bigger I make the itty bitty little things that are so easy to take for granted, the better and better life becomes. And the better and the better life becomes the more of what I want starts showing up. It is the Law of Attraction in action… ( I use the terms of dancing and singing metaphorically, I mean, I do dance and sing and boy do I celebrate, but it is about just different ways of showing joy, there are a million ways to show joy and appreciation ) The more I am in the moment, that is when life begins to flow. And it is flowing down stream right now like never before.

For me, Autism is an opportunity set before me to be an expression of unconditional love at its best. It is a beautiful opportunity for personal growth and awareness. It is an opportunity to experience something I never would have willingly chosen, yet I can easily say, Autism has been the road less taken and it has made all the difference.

It is with the greatest gratitude, appreciation and love, that I Thank YOU Mr ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) for this amazing experience.

WOW,

BAM

Top Apps for Autistic Children

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Your iPhone or iPad may just be the most coveted item in your household—according to your children, at least. Some of the apps out there can be both fun and educational—as well as shown to help those with autism. With so many apps out there, we’ve sifted through to find the ones that have been recognized:

The Huffington Post calls out six ‘awesome’ apps, a few of them include:

Go Go Games

  • Go Go Games is designed to help children with ASD learn to quickly notice multiple features of objects in the world around them.
  • Hidden Curriculum for Kids uses real-life situations to spur conversations about the “unwritten social rules” that we encounter every day that may cause confusion and anxiety.
  • Speech with Milo: Interactive Storybook was created as a speech therapy tool for children that features an interactive storybook and the ability to record your own story.

While The Stir identified five other apps in its ‘best apps for autistic children’ piece. One of them is Dr. Panda-Teach Me!, which helps children with skills like counting, memory, and colors. Another one is Talking Larry, which helps develop language skills and features a talking bird friend.

Also, while we’re on the subject of apps, in honor of Autism Awareness Month, Kindergarten.com has made all of their apps free—which includes a collection of apps focused on speech and language, self-care skills and receptive and expressive identification.

Which apps do you use and recommend?

Lynsey, Community Manager

Chili’s Act of Kindness Goes A Long Way

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Sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference. Case in point – there’s a great story circulating on the web about a young girl’s experience at a Midvale, Utah Chili’s restaurant, shared by her sister, Anna MacLeane, on Facebook. Anna took her sister, Arianna, a 7-year-old with autism, to Chili’s to get her favorite – a cheeseburger. When her cheeseburger arrived, Arianna didn’t want to eat it. When Anna asked her why, Arianna replied “It’s broken. I need another one that’s fixed.” Then it occurred to Anna that it was “broken” because it was cut in half. Although it was the restaurant’s intention to make it easier to eat by cutting it in half, this threw things out of order for Arianna.

Arianna at Chili's

When their waitress came to check on them, Arianna explained the situation and asked for another cheeseburger. Their waitress, Lauren, was sweet and played along, saying to Arianna, “I brought you a broken cheeseburger?! You know what, I’ll have them cook you a new one!” Then the manager came over and did the same thing, which made things a lot easier. Arianna was very happy when her new “fixed” cheeseburger arrived – so much so, that she gave it a big kiss – which Anna was able to snap a picture of.

This simple act of compassion and kindness that Anna and Arianna received should be a great lesson. For Anna and Arianna, that broken cheeseburger could have impacted the rest of their day – but, instead, it turned into a really amazing experience. I hope to hear more stories like this one.

Click here to view Anna’s full Facebook story.

Lynsey, Community Manager