http://www.wellspring.com/blog Wellspring Blog Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:01:47 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Recently the American Psychiatric Association (APA) announced plans to change autism diagnostic categories in the newest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.  What is most significant about this is that a broad category of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been proposed that will include Asperger Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental ... http://www.wellspring.com/blog/index.php/autism-treatment/aba-still-the-best-treatment.php One of the most commonly asked questions about autism is what are the earliest signs of the disorder? Researchers from the University of California-Davis MIND Institute have found that the earliest symptoms of autism, such as lack of eye contact, smiling, and communicative babbling, are not present during the first ... http://www.wellspring.com/blog/index.php/symptoms-of-autism/faces-of-autism.php For all those families who are looking for something FUN for your child to do that allows them to interact with their peers in a safe, community environment, Wellspring is sponsoring playgroups at universally accessible playgrounds in the San Fernando Valley, Calabasas and Thousand Oaks for children who have Autism ... http://www.wellspring.com/blog/index.php/uncategorized/announcing-a-new-meetup-for-wellspring-playgroups-for-kids-with-autism.php Earlier this month, a study that linked the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism was retracted by the British medical journal the Lancet. The Lancet issued the retraction one week after Great Britain's General Medical Council ruled that the lead physician on the study, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, had falsified data and ... http://www.wellspring.com/blog/index.php/autism-treatment/retraction-of-autism-study.php I had the chance to watch the HBO movie Temple Grandin. If you haven’t seen it you should.  It’s been said that Temple Grandin is the most recognized person in the world with autism and has done great things for the autism community.  She is also a well-known animal behaviorist ... http://www.wellspring.com/blog/index.php/autism-treatment/peering-into-the-mind-of-temple-grandin.php Teaching a child with special needs self-advocacy skills can have a tremendous impact on a child’s future success in all aspects of his/her life. Self-advocacy involves knowing when and how to approach others in order to negotiate special accommodations that are needed to achieve maximum success. For a child with ... http://www.wellspring.com/blog/index.php/uncategorized/teaching-self-advocacy-to-a-child-with-special-needs.php On February 4th, Wellspring will host a free lecture in Calabasas, CA titled  “Challenging Behaviors in Autism: How, What, and Why” By Dr. Ann Simun, PsyD. Dr. Simun will speak about common triggers of undesirable behaviors, why they occur and what a parent can do about it. She will also answer ... http://www.wellspring.com/blog/index.php/behavior-disorders/free-lecture-on-challenging-behaviors-in-autism.php Did you know that in addition to providing world-class treatment for children on the autism spectrum, Wellspring has also established a first of its kind network to make autism treatment easier for all involved? The Wellspring Autism Network is a national consortium of like-minded providers that specialize in the treatment ... http://www.wellspring.com/blog/index.php/uncategorized/did-you-know.php Last week Wellspring sponsored the first in a series of monthly playdates for children with autism held at Brandon Village in Calabasas, CA (Ventura County).  Thanks to the dedicated staff at Wellspring, as well as all our Twitter followers who helped us publicize the playdate, the event was an overwhelming ... http://www.wellspring.com/blog/index.php/autism-treatment/wellspring%e2%80%99s-autism-playdate.php A report released in this month’s issue of Pediatrics states that there is no proof that special diets help or don’t help children with autism.  The study was conducted by a panel of 28 experts made up of professionals from 12 scientific disciplines, including child psychiatry, pediatric allergy, pediatric gastroenterology, ... http://www.wellspring.com/blog/index.php/autism-treatment/no-proof-autism-diets-work.php