Friday, September 17, 2010

Activities for Autistic Children

Parents, teachers, and other caregivers often get so caught up in educating and providing structure to the lives of autistic children that they forget that, above all, he or she is a child. Like any other child in his or her age group, your autistic child wants to have fun. While some activities may not be suitable for those suffering from autism, there are a number of fun games to play with autistic children, many of which can get them involved with others or help them further develop motor or social skills while just focusing on having a good time.




Autistic children in the elementary school age range can benefit greatly from song. Even children who do not verbally communicate with words can learn to hum along or play simple instruments, such as tambourines or whistles. Using sounds that are repetitive and with educational lyricshelps autistic children learn school lessons but also gives them an outlet for some of the sensory stimulation they need, such as yelling. Play follow the leader with the instruments to help the children focus their attention and improve socialization skills.



Depending on how mature your child is, he or she may also not only be able to participate in regular childhood games, but greatly benefit from them as well. These activities, including tag and other games, can be learned more easily than you think. Stick with games in which the autistic child is not forced to have close physical contact with other children, as this may be hurtful for autistic individuals. Also, remember to play to your child’s strengths or what he or she wishes to learn. If he or she has a problem with yelling inappropriately, for example, encouraging him or her to be involved with a game of hide and seek may help curb this behavior.



Autistic children often wish to be included in games with non-autistic peers, and so this may help with the learning process. At home, focus on games that involve closer contact with trusted family members. For example, make it a game to get across the room without touching the floor. Perhaps the only route in some instances is to be carried. Remember that each child is different developmentally, so stay in tune with how challenging the activities should be.



As your child matures, he or she may want to be involved with organized sports. This should be encouraged, but choose your sport carefully. Golf, baseball, and other sports that do not involve strong personal sensory stimulation may be better for your child than something like tackle football. However, be open to all possibilities. Be sure the team’s coach understands your child’s disability and is willing to work with him or her.



At this later developmental stage, also continue encouraging learning activities. Sensory games work well to further teach these children, and as they mature emphasize the importance of appropriate behavior as you are playing these games. Using things like water balloons in games your child already enjoys is often as fun for children with autism. Also realize that an autistic individual has trouble seeing things from another’s point of view. Therefore, they may be less likely to enjoy games in which something must be kept a secret from another person (like go-fish).



Overall, you and your child need to grow together. Remember that although he or she has many special needs, sometimes your child needs to simply be a kid as well. Encourage play along with work, and realize that games and activities for autistic children may fulfil two key elements, socialization skills for life and learning to enjoy playing with their peers.

There are many more resources and information about diagnosing, controlling and treating Autism in, The Essential Guide To Autism

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Tips to Help Quit Smoking

Deciding to Quit Smoking is a very brave and tough decision, as smoking is an addiction, so like any other addiction, will take a strong person to quit without problems. Quitting smoking takes a huge amount of willpower,


Some of the top tips to help you quit smoking are:



1. Make a definite plan of action; fix the day you will start and inform everyone around you; family, friends, work colleagues.

Let them know your plans and get their help and support. They need to be aware of what you are about to go through and to expect mood swings and irritability at times. While you have to use strong willpower to Quit Smoking, you will also need the support and understanding of those closest to you.



2. Fill your cupboards at home and your desk, briefcase etc with healthy snack items, like nuts, grapes, cherries, cherry tomatoes, (any bite sized fruit is great, as easy to 'pop' into your mouth as candy, but any fruit is good too) oat cakes, cereal bars, carrots and celery. Gum or candy should be sugar-free, as you want to avoid weight gain where possible and prevent rotting your teeth! Keeping snacks at hand will make it easier when cravings hit, to take something else as a substitute.



3. Find a hobby or pastime you can do to keep your hands busy. Most smokers say apart from the addiction to nicotine, they find themselves reaching for cigarettes when they have idle hands; so keep those hands busy! At the workplace nowadays no one can smoke, so there's a start to your Quit Smoking plan, but in your leisure time or on breaks is where the fun begins! Anything which keeps your hands busy and your mind occupied will help immensely. Try a handheld video game, a manual dexterity puzzle, sketching, doodling, knitting, crossword puzzles, or writing, are good. Best of all, keep a diary or journal; writing each day about your trials and successes will not only keep your hands and mind busy, but keeping a record will give you something to refer to for encouragement.



4. Make yourself an exercise plan; whatever your fitness and usual routine allows, from a brisk walk morning and evening, to a full workout plan at the gym. Swimming and bike riding are good too; exercise releases endorphins which keep the heart healthy, reduce stress and anxiety, while generally helping with internal harmony. Those who already have a fitness routine should increase levels considerably when trying to quit smoking.



5. Remove all smoking related items from your home, car and workplace. Not only cigarettes, but lighters, ashtrays, anything which will make you think of smoking. Surround yourself instead with bowls of nuts, seeds and fruit, as well as your hobby items; puzzles, pen & paper, journal etc. When cravings hit, (and they will, frequently) take something to chew on and pick up whatever you need to keep hands and brain occupied.



6. Last, but by no means least; keep a glass of water at hand at all times. Instead of reaching for the cigarette on the ashtray, reach for the water glass and take sips. Water will not only keep you hydrated, but stave off nicotine cravings, while at the same time helping your stomach feel full, so you will be less likely to compensate with food.



These are the top tips to help you Quit Smoking, but there are obviously many other ideas, and especially devised plans to help you in this tough time. The best way to quit smoking is to find the right plan for you, which you will find easiest to follow and give you the best results. Good luck!

We Recommend the Quit Smoking Today System that will help you quit smoking in 38 minutes and 13 seconds

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Enhance Your Ability to Remember

Certain mental techniques can enhance your ability to remember. Have a go at experimenting with some of the below to see what works best for you.
Learn How To Focus, Control Your Emotions, And Improve Your Memory. Subscribe to Brain Academy Now!
Acronyms
Create a phrase using the first letter of a series of items you’d like to remember.
For example, to remember to pick up milk, eggs, bread, cereal, Nutella, and avocados, one might create the phrase:
My Entire Book Collection Needs Attention (M.E.B.C.N.A); bizarreness can add to memorability.

Chunking
Breaking down a long series of units into easy-to-remember groupings can make things more manageable and help improve recall. This is the reason why phone numbers are typically grouped into three and four digit units. We suggest this technique for Lumosity’s Monster Garden, Memory Matrix, and Moneycomb exercises; think of clusters of stimuli in terms of what recognizable shapes they make, e.g. “L” or “T” shaped is easier to remember than “three long by two wide”.

Caffeine
In moderation, caffeine can temporarily boost your memory and shorten reaction times. A couple of cups of coffee or a few cups of tea also provide antioxidants for bodily health.

Visualizing
Creating detailed imagery and associations can help with solidifying memories over the long term. The more creative you can get with your imagination, the better: if you meet someone named Nick, perhaps envision him with a white beard and think of him as St. Nick.

Napping
Taking power naps, from 10-20 minutes, can help consolidate memories and learning. Sleeping longer, however, can end up making you groggy.

Memory Jogs
Writing down reminders and strategically placing them in your home, car, and workplace is a good way to jog your memory about important tasks or events.

Brain Training
By strategically exercising your brain it is possible to improve working memory along with other cognitive abilities. Supercharge Your Brain, Reverse Memory Loss, and Remember What Matters Most, read the Memory Rescue kindle book
Enrich Your Environment
Enriching your environment through engaging people, media, and new experiences can improve learning, cognitive reserve and even reinvigorate faded memories. Go on a day trip or work in a volunteer setting!

Catching ZZZZs
Getting enough sleep at night helps consolidate learning and the formation of new memories from the day’s experiences. People typically do best with 7-9 hours a night.

Breathing
Deep, slow breathing can de-activate the “flight or fight” side of your nervous system, protecting the brain from the damaging memory effects of excessive stress.

Hydration
Proper hydration boosts the speed of neuronal firing. Unfortunately, most people are chronically dehydrated, due in large part to the prevalence of alcohol, caffeine, sugar and high protein foods. Eight glasses of water per day is ideal.

Sugar
Consumption of concentrated sugars can spike insulin levels, resulting in fatigue and compromising cognitive functioning. Keeping to complex, instead of simple, carbohydrates helps slow and balance sugar absorption, resulting in more stable energy levels. Complex carbohydrates generally include those in wholegrain form.

Breaking a Sweat
Periodic cardiovascular exercise has been shown to reduce the toxic effects of prolonged stress and stimulate the production of new hippocampal neurons (important for learning and the formation of new memories).

Green Leafies
Vegetables such as kale, collards, chard and spinach have high levels of anti-oxidants which help protect your brain from daily wear and tear.

Dark Chocolate
Eating dark chocolate, the darker the better, also helps protect the brain. This is because chocolate has one of the highest anti-oxidant contents of any food. Keeping it dark minimizes the negative impact of excessive fat and sugar.

Being Social
Engaging people exercises diverse areas of the brain, keeping your cognitive processes active and fit.

Dancing
Dancing is not only a great way to reap the benefits of being social, but it also involves balancing and coordinating movement, all of which are good for your head.

New Languages
Learning a new language pushes the limits of your knowledge and contributes to cognitive reserve. This helps to prevent and slow the effects of mental decline.

Rhyming
Incorporating what you’d like to remember into a rhyme can help with later recall. A common example of this used for plumbing is “righty tighty, lefty loosey”.

Associations
Associating what you’d like to remember with an environment, feeling, or person will help recall on demand. Association is generally used to describe any learning process aside from simple habituation.



Relaxing
Excessive stress can cause brain damage. Your hippocampus (responsible for consolidating new memories) is especially sensitive.

Game Playing
Playing games, whether online or otherwise, can stretch the mind and help build adaptive neural networks.

Rehearsing
Rehearsing new information to yourself, or aloud to others, helps reinforce associated neural networks and learning.

Meditation
Periodically calming and focusing the mind has been shown to help with attention, processing speed, and response times, in addition to relieving stress.

Paying attention
Good attention is the foundation of good memory. Pay special attention next time someone introduces himself, or when you need to remember something else specific, and notice how this affects your later recall.

Supercharge Your Brain, Reverse Memory Loss, and Remember What Matters Most, read the Memory Rescue kindle book