Tagged: autism spectrum

This week we’ll be taking a closer look at autism.

A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control found that about 1 in 88 children are diagnosed with autism or a related disorder – a significant increase in diagnosis.

Dr. Richard Solomon is a Medical Director of the P.L.A.Y Project at The Ann Arbor Center of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

Dr. Solomon says there are three factors to consider when defining autism, "One, you have a delay in language. Two, these are children that don't interact very well, they tend to want to be by themselves. And three, when they are by themselves they tend to have a lot of repetitive stereotyped behaviors that absorb them and take them out of social circulation."

Kids with autism struggle with reading non-verbal cues, like facial expressions. They also have a tough time knowing the right words to say. That’s why there are social skills clubs for kids with autism.

One such club meets regularly at Bel-Mark Lanes in Ann Arbor. There are three different groups based on age, and this particular group includes kids in junior high and high school.

After a little bowling, and cheering each other on, everybody heads back to a side room.

Two Michigan psychologists have created a smart phone app to help kids with autism develop better social skills. Kelly Bowers and her husband Mark are both psychologists who work with kids. They watched their patients learn social skills in workshop settings, but noticed the kids had a harder time applying those skills to real-life situations.

So the Bowers created a phone app. It helps kids monitor the volume of their speech and it has an option that translates common expressions into literal terms. Kelly Bowers says the app can help kids while they’re interacting with friends, family, and at places like school.

“I think kids who want to make connections, who are unable to do so, should be given tools that can help them.”

Supporters are pushing the Michigan legislature to pass a bill that would expand health care coverage for autism treatment before the measure dies at the end of the lame duck session. The bills would force health insurance companies to offer coverage for behavioral therapies for autism.