Here's A New One (I think), Snowdrop

[Davros]

I have just read a review of a book called "Autism: A Guide to Understanding and Helping your Child". It says that Snowdrop's treatment programmes are based on the work of Russian Psychologist Lev Vygotsky....... Snowdrop's treatments lie in the theory that conditions such as autism are caused by brain injury..... The book is written by, and reviewed by, Andrew Brereton who is the father of a child with some sort of SN. There is no contact info, website etc but it says that this info is available in the book! Anyone know anything? Anyone interested?

Thank you for posting this link, Davros. It sounds very interesting - will order the book to find out more.

Jimjam. No I have never thought of emotion and interaction quite like that. I do know that we attach an emotional tag via the limbic system to everything we perceive, (I only have to think of my mother in law to prove that to myself).

I see sensory processing as one piece of the jigsaw, but a vital piece. If we don't percieve the world correctly, then it will not be possible to respond to it correctly. That feeds in to all sorts of behaviours (but not all) that we see in children with autism. I see the emotional reaction (or lack of it) as being subservient to a child who is in a sensory world, which he either finds excruciating, threatening, bewildering, or at the other end of the scale he seems unable to experience.

I know that the sensory issues do not explain everything by a long chalk, for instance another area which I find fascinating is the lack of imagination which many children with autism display. They tend not to engage in pretend play, or to develop 'theory of mind.' There are therapeutic possibilities there which I am exploring.

It would be great to meet sometime.

cyber. - We are on the same page, abnormal brain development / brain injury. We agree on a brain which is not functioning as it normally would? So brain dysfunction? I was reading some very interesting reasearch the other day, which might bring us even closer together. www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/uow-bc061208.php

Faulty brain connections? Now brain connections are modified by environmental experience, - this is constantly occurring in all of us, it is called 'Long term potentiation,' (where connections are strengthened) and 'Long term depression.' (where connections are weakened). We know this to be the case. Consequently, if we can provide the correct developmental environment for a child (in some cases it may be a highly enriched sensory environment, in others it might be a dampened sensory environment), we can have an effect upon these processes. That is the focus of my work!

nice to talk to you.

Im not sure I agree that they tend not to have theory of mind. Certainly individuals with HFA/AS have trouble with false belief tasks, but very little is known about the understandings of severely autistic kids- although it has at times been assumed they must be incapable of almost anything. My research shows severely autistic children taking account of all sorts of shared knowledge and using shared understandings in their interactions. These are children who are untestable in terms of Sally-Anne tests etc I'm hoping to start looking in detail at teasing by severely autistic children soon- and some sort of ToM is essential to tease effectively. Have you come across Vasudevi Reddy's work on typically developing infants? She's published a book recently. She gives examples of babies doing things they're supposedly not capable of, but in fact do with ease. I'm finding the same with the severely autistic kids I'm working with.

Here's a good introduction to the way that Greenspan uses affect.I think his emphasis on movement difficulties is really important in severe autism as well. Certainly if you read the things written by adults/children who are non-verbal but can type this is what they talk about.

"She gives examples of babies doing things they're supposedly not capable of"

By which I mean things like teasing pre- supposed age of development of ToM. Not physical stuff