Parents talk and sharing session for the National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM)

Parents talk and sharing session - Fatigue and stress management for caregivers by Hiro Koo

The eighth annual World Autism Awareness Day is April 2, 2016. Every year, autism organizations around the world celebrate the day with unique fundraising and awareness-raising events.

This is how I spent my day:)

I am honored to have this chance to share the emotional and stress coping techniques for the parents.

Autism is a developmental disability that remains with a person for his or her whole life. This condition affects the brain's functions. The first signs usually appear before a child is three years old. People with autism often:

• Find social interaction difficult.
• Have problems with verbal and non-verbal communication.
• Demonstrate restrictive and repetitive behavior.
• Have a limited set of interests and activities.

Autism affects girls and boys of all races and in all geographic regions and has a large impact on children, their families, communities and societies. The prevalence is currently rising in many countries around the world. Caring for and educating children and young people with this condition places challenges on health care, education and training programs. 

Yes, Autism Awareness Month is a time to educate your community about autism and Light It Up Blue!

Thanks NASOM for the contribution!

You guys are the best! 

[Event] Walk for Autism 2015

I will be there, how about you?

We will offer a brain assessment session FOR FREE during Walk for Autism 2015, at Citta Mall. Come and join us!

Anyone who makes a donation of RM40 can participate in the Walk and be entitled to the T-shirt which they are required to wear on the day of the walk. All donations will be issued a tax exempt receipt. Detail of the event as follows: Walk for Autism 2015, Sunday, August 16th at 7.00 AM, Venue: Citta Mall, Ara Damansara in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

For more information or to register, kindly email your name, T-shirt size and proof of payment to [email protected] or [email protected].

Payment details are as follows:
NAME : THE NATIONAL AUTISM SOCIETY OF MALAYSIA
BANK: CIMB BANK
ACCOUNT NO: 860 054 9806

Source:

http://www.nasom.org.my/event/walk-for-autism-2015/

[Event] Public health talk: Alternative treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at LPPKN

We have been invited to give a talk about alternative treatment for Autism. 

Special thanks to Lembaga Penduduk dan Pembangunan Keluarga Negara (LPPKN) for the invitation.

Today psychologists know that autism is a problem in the way the brain works, not in how people are raised. That discovery has led them to develop medical, educational and behavioral approaches to treatment. Autism is a brain disorder that often makes it hard to communicate with and relate to others. With autism, the different areas of the brain fail to work together. Most people with autism will always have some trouble relating to others. But early diagnosis and treatment have helped more and more people who have autism to reach their full potential.

Yes, EEG Biofeedback is very useful for ASD.

Reports from caregivers of people with autism suggest people have witnessed improvements in a variety of areas including speech and irritability after EEG biofeedback training. A few scientific reports have highlighted that a demonstrated increase in social interaction may be seen in child with autism following treatment. One study suggested that parents who noticed an improvement continued to see the benefits for at least a year after EEG biofeedback. We know from other studies that the brainwaves of children with autism may well be different in many ways to the brainwaves of their non-autistic peers (www.psychologytoday.com).

Other kind of therapies include:

Occupational Therapy, Sensory Integration Therapy, Speech Therapy, Complementary and Alternative Treatments such as special diets, Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA), acupuncture, homeopathic medicine etc.

You can contact us now for a free brain assessment session:

[email protected]

World Autism Awareness Day 世界自闭症觉醒日 2015

"World Autism Awareness Day is about more than generating understanding; it is a call to action. I urge all concerned to take part in fostering progress by supporting education programmes, employment opportunities and other measures that help realize our shared vision of a more inclusive world."

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Message for the World Autism Awareness Day 2014

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that manifests itself during the first three years of life. The rate of autism in all regions of the world is high and it has a tremendous impact on children, their families, communities and societies.

Throughout its history, the United Nations family has promoted the rights and well-being of the disabled, including children with developmental disabilities. In 2008, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities entered into force, reaffirming the fundamental principle of universal human rights for all.

The United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared 2 April as World Autism Awareness Day (A/RES/62/139) to highlight the need to help improve the lives of children and adults who suffer from the disorder so they can lead full and meaningful lives.

今日四月二日是世界自閉症覺醒日，你“藍”了嗎？
　聯合國基于全球自閉症的數據一直上升，為此于2008年開始將每年4月2日訂為世界自閉症覺醒日，藍色則是自閉症的代表顏色，為此，在這一天，育有自閉兒的家長都會特別穿上藍色的衣服，或是別上藍色的緞帶，提醒大家關注此症。
　許多人對自閉症是既熟悉又陌生，由于數據越來越高，這症已成為了極為普遍的病症，一個家庭即使沒有這樣的孩子，也會聽聞親友的孩子有這樣的問題。
　美國的數據顯示，50名孩童有1人是自閉症；中國已確定超過160萬人患有自閉症。大馬沒有正式的統計數字，但在小學的啟智班，自閉兒是所有學習障礙類別中，比率最高的。
　這些孩子一般有學習障礙，另外也伴隨許多奇奇怪怪的動作、言語，又過動、天真、不懂禮節、不會掩飾，也因為語言障礙，表達能力差，難交到朋友，也難以讓人理解，盡管學習成績還好，卻依然難以被學生及師長接受。
　這類孩子的挑戰最大的，其實是社會對他們的接受度低。許多家長最擔心的就是孩子離開學校后的謀生問題。不少家長費盡心思，努力訓練孩子掌握最基本的技能，然而這些孩子依然面對許多挑戰，他們就如外星來的孩子，怎樣也無法融入地球的生活；他們長不大的心靈，也永遠搞不懂複雜的人際關係及種種利害關閉，也因為如此，許多父母都很擔心自己比孩子先一步離開這個世界，因為孩子的下場可能非常可憐。
　然而，這類群人已越來越多，他們也有權融入社會，過著自己想要的生活。為此，社會對這些孩子越瞭解、越包容，並在適時的情況下給予幫助，這不但幫助到這些孩子，也能減少這些孩子對社會帶來的負擔。
　如果你願意更瞭解這些孩子，請在這一天穿上藍色衣服，上網或通過書籍查詢有關自閉症的訊息，並在他們有需要的時候，請別只是斥責他，而是試著瞭解他、幫助他。

How newmindcentre.com can help you?

Neurotherapy is essentially a way of teaching a child how to self-regulate their own brainwaves. Reports from caregivers of people with autism suggest people have witnessed improvements in a variety of areas including speech and irritability. A few scientific reports have highlighted that a demonstrated increase in social interaction may be seen in child with autism following neurotherapy treatment. One study suggested that parents who noticed an improvement continued to see the benefits for at least a year after neurotherapy. In November 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics approved biofeedback and neurotherapy as a Level 1 or “best support” treatment option for children suffering from ADHD. Interestingly, we know that many children with autism may also have these symptoms similar with ADHD. It has been suggested that 1 in 3 children with autism may also have ADHD.  

FYI, I am a certified neurotherapist too. Contact me for more information. 

5 Genetically-linked Mental Disorders

By LARAE LABOUFF 

It turns out that bipolar disorder has a genetic link to at least four other mental illnesses: autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), major unipolar depression and schizophrenia. Since depression is part of bipolar disorder, it’s not surprising that unipolar depression might be related and any search for bipolar disorder is going to bring up schizophrenia. The others came as more of a surprise. The surprising thing is that there seems to be this same group of genes present in those of us with these mental illnesses that is responsible for these disorders and the one you end up with is dependent on how they express. Basically, roll the mental illness dice and see what comes up! Okay it’s not at all that simple, but when I first read about this, that’s what I felt like.

Let’s review. There are several potential causes of mental illness. We haven’t figured out exactly what does cause mental illness but the main theories currently involve genetics, brain structure, environment, and traumatic experience, among others.

• With genetics, it’s more likely that multiple family members will have mental illnesses.
• Imaging has shown that brain structures in those with mental illness do not function quite the same as those of the general population.
• Environment is, unfortunately, an incredibly broad category. It can stem from an uncontrollable, in-utero occurrence, to drug use or exposure later in life.
• Traumatic experience is fairly self-explanatory. It can be physical, social or psychological. An important thing to remember about trauma is that it is perceived trauma. If two people have the same experience, one may not experience the same level of trauma as the other. This doesn’t mean one person is stronger or better than the other. It’s just how the brain processes events at the time.

Back to genetics for a minute. If you have one of these psychological disorders in your genetic bloodline, you’re more likely to inherit a disorder, but it may not be the exact same disorder. It could be one of the other four. In fact, just because you have the gene doesn’t mean you will have a disorder at all! There has to be a stressor. Stressors go back to what I was talking about with environment and trauma. Basically, something has to happen in order for the gene to activate. There’s no real way to know, but I’m almost certain my stressor was the death of my grandfather. I’d had problems before that, but it really felt like everything went downhill from there.

It really isn’t just a role of the dice to see which of these disorders will present if the stressor is triggered. Pinning down the diagnosis is hard as it is. Most of the time, diagnosis for these disorders is a long process. They do have some overlapping symptoms, but they can be very few and more subtle. This link blurs the lines further.

Fortunately, (well, fortunately may not be a great word for anything related to this topic) there are correlations between the different illnesses and which ones may show up in other family members. Autism and ADHD are less likely to present than the others. However, ADHD is linked to childhood bipolar disorder. The earlier the onset of ADHD symptoms, the more severe the bipolar disorder. If bipolar disorder expresses in late childhood to adolescence, the severity of ADHD is lower.

The highest linked disorders are schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, meaning if someone in your family has schizophrenia you are more likely to develop bipolar disorder than major depressive disorder. If you have major depressive disorder, your children are more likely to develop ADHD than some of the others. Schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder have the weakest link.

Research on this is still being done. Research on mental illness in general is huge. We just don’t know enough about the brain and how neuropsychology works. Findings like these genetic links are helpful. They are a step in the right direction, but we still have a long way to go.

Source:

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/bipolar-laid-bare/2015/03/linked-disorders/

Autism Therapy in Malaysia - Neurofeedback

Research on autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) shows that neurofeedback (EEG biofeedback) can remediate anomalies in brain activation, leading to symptom reduction and functional improvement. This evidence raises the hopes for a behavioral, psychophysiological intervention moderating the severity of ASD. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a lack of appropriate eye contact, facial expression, social interaction, communication, and restricted repetitive behavior.

Research on autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) shows that neurofeedback (EEG biofeedback) can remediate anomalies in brain activation, leading to symptom reduction and functional improvement. This evidence raises the hopes for a behavioral, psychophysiological intervention moderating the severity of ASD. 

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Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a lack of appropriate eye contact, facial expression, social interaction, communication, and restricted repetitive behavior. ASD represents a group of disorders, including Autism, PDD-nos, Rett’s Disorder, Child Disintegrative Disorder, and Asperger’s Disorder. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) reported the prevalence of ASD as 2 to 6 per 1,000.

Research has shown that related symptoms of ASD are the result of brain dysfunction in multiple brain regions. Functional neuroimaging and electroencephalography research have shown this to be related to abnormal neural connectivity problems. The brains of individuals with ASD show areas of both excessively high connectivity and deficient connectivity. In other words, some areas of the brain are chatting excessively with themselves, while failing to communicate normally with other relevant regions.

In one 2006 study using connectivity-guided neurofeedback, pre-post analyses showed a 40 percent reduction in autistic symptoms, enhancement of function between the brain and behavior, and reduction of hyperconnectivity. These results begin to verify the theory that interhemispheric, bipolar neurofeedback montages can lead to reduction in hyperconnectivity based on the reward band trained.

Neurofeedback seems capable of remediating connectivity disturbances when these data are considered as part of therapy planning. Connectivity-guided neurofeedback is capable of significantly remedying these anomalies and reducing autistic symptoms. Hyperconnectivity seen in patients with ASD can be remedied with coherence training and other neurofeedback approaches.

The research is reviewed in a new article published in Biofeedback.

In Malaysia, we provide neurofeedback therapy for children with autism and special kids. 

Contact us now for more information. 

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226185848.htm

Your Gut Microbes Can Affect Your Health in Numerous Ways

Your Gut Microbes Can Affect Your Health in Numerous Ways

In recent years, it’s become increasingly clear that the microbes in your gut play a much more vital role in your health than previously thought possible. In fact, probiotics, along with a host of other gut microorganisms, are so crucial to your health that researchers have compared them to "a newly recognized organ." Besides research implicating gut bacteria in mental health and behavior, other research has shown that your microbiota also has an impact on:

1. Immune system function: Biologist Sarkis Mazmanian5 believes bacteria can train your immune system to distinguish between "foreign" microbes and those originating in your body. His work is laying the groundwork for new therapies using probiotics to treat a variety of diseases, particularly autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's.
Mazmanian and colleagues were recently awarded the MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" for identifying an organism that originates in the human body (opposed to a fermented food) that has demonstrable health benefits in both animal and human cells. The organism has been namedBacteroides fragillis, and is found in 15-20 percent of humans. His group hopes to one day be able to test this body-originated bacteria in human clinical trials.
2. Gene expression: Researchers have discovered that the absence or presence of gut microorganisms during infancy permanently alters gene expression. Through gene profiling, they were able to discern that absence of gut bacteria altered genes and signaling pathways involved in learning, memory, and motor control. This suggests that gut bacteria are closely tied to early brain development and subsequent behavior. These behavioral changes could be reversed as long as the mice were exposed to normal microorganisms early in life. But once the germ-free mice had reached adulthood, colonizing them with bacteria did not influence their behavior.
In a similar way, probiotics have also been found to influence the activity of hundreds of your genes, helping them to express in a positive, disease-fighting manner.
3. Diabetes: Bacterial populations in the gut of diabetics6 differ from non-diabetics, according to a study from Denmark. In particular, diabetics had fewer Firmicutes and more plentiful amounts of Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, compared to non-diabetics. The study also found a positive correlation for the ratios of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes and reduced glucose tolerance. The researchers concluded:

"The results of this study indicate that type 2 diabetes in humans is associated with compositional changes in intestinal microbiota."

4. Obesity: The make-up of gut bacteria tends to differ in lean vs. obese people. This is one of the strongest areas of probiotic research to date, and you can read about a handful of such studies here. The bottom line is that restoring your gut flora should be an important consideration if you're struggling to lose weight.
5. Autism: Establishment of normal gut flora in the first 20 days or so of life plays a crucial role in appropriate maturation of your baby's immune system. Hence, babies who develop abnormal gut flora are left with compromised immune systems and are particularly at risk for developing such disorders as ADHD, learning disabilities and autism, particularly if they are vaccinated before restoring balance to their gut flora.
To get a solid understanding of just how this connection works, I highly recommend reviewing the information shared by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride in this previous interview.

Source: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/06/20/gut-brain-connection.aspx 

New Treatment (Biofeedback and Clinical Hypnosis) Capitalizes on Autism’s Unique Characteristics

An innovative method to treat children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder attempts to turn their symptoms into strengths.

Dr. Laurence Sugarman, a pediatrician and researcher at Rochester Institute of Technology has developed a treatment method that teaches affected children how to control their psychophysiology and behavior using computerized biofeedback and clinical hypnosis.

The methods are tied to learning to self-regulate the autonomic nervous system —including the fight or flight mechanism — that, for many people with autism, is an engine idling on high.

“Teaching kids with autism spectrum disorder skills in turning down their fight or flight response and turning up the opposite may fundamentally allow them to be more socially engaging, decrease some of the need for cognitive rigidity and repetitive behaviors and, more importantly, allow them to feel better,” said Sugarman.

Sugarman’s model is presented in an article, “Symptoms as Solutions: Hypnosis and Biofeedback for Autonomic Regulation in Autism Spectrum Disorder” published in the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis.

The model underlies three ongoing projects at the center involving different age groups: teaching coping skills to students with anxiety or autism; developing a computer-based role-playing game using autonomous biofeedback for teenagers; and creating a new service and research program for family members with autism.

The latter, called the Parent Effectiveness Program, began this fall and will repeat in the spring. The study trains parents of young children diagnosed with autism and measures results of their training on the behaviors of their affected children.

Sugarman developed his method in response to the rise in autism spectrum disorders over the last 30 years. Instead of trying to change the symptoms associated with autism, his approach recognizes the symptoms as an effort to self-regulate inner turmoil.

The treatment integrates autonomic biofeedback and clinical hypnosis into his therapy. Sensors attached to his patients measure respiration, perspiration, heart rate and variation, and blood flow/circulation.

Children with autism learn to correlate the signals and visual representations displayed on the computer screen (the “Dynamic Feedback Signal Set”) with their emotions.

During therapy sessions, the children practice changing their feedback response and learn to manipulate their own internal wiring.

Sugarman uses clinical hypnosis to generalize and internalize feedback techniques —discerning situations and controlling their responses — into their daily lives.

“Hypnosis is a 250-year-old Western study of how social influence and internal physiology can be changed,” he said. “Mindfulness is a slice of this.”

“We think we can make a big difference for young people with autism spectrum disorder,” Sugarman said. “The need is there.”

Source: Rochester Institute of Technology

All retrieved from http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/11/26/new-treatment-approach-capitalizes-on-autisms-unique-characteristics/62535.html

过目不忘的小超人

“一目十行,过目不忘”并不神奇!
过去的我一直以为这是超人或电视里会出现的夸张情节。
然而，如今我在这位小超人的身上看到了！
大眼睛，挺鼻子，长睫毛的她非常漂亮可爱！

每一次看见她，护士们的嘴角都会扬起。
她一见到我，都会说：“要听英文歌”。
她脸上灿烂的笑容非常真切，我都告诉护士们这是天使才会拥有的笑容。

她超强的记忆力让我觉得哗然。
自闭症孩子都有些习惯性的动作和蛮好的记忆力。
但这孩子的记忆力却十分惊人！
虽然平时她都听中文儿歌，但来到这里听英文儿歌一回后，下次回到中心就可以完整的哼出曲目来。
每次她还真的都会给我们一些惊喜！

我都会和护士们说，这孩子她根本就是传说中过目不忘的小超人嘛！

International Seminar On Autism Malaysia 2014

Brain Trainer (Neurotherapy) has proven to be a very effective treatment methodology for autism and sensory disorders in children and adults.

Yes, we run a booth there.

 We coordinate the highest quality health care for everyone.

If you want to find out more about neurotherapy, make an appointment with us now.

Source:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkGQ9MNJxQw

Video clip about our services for people with Autism.
Video taken from Astro Arwani News:
http://www.astroawani.com/videos/show/buletin-awani/malaysia-tubuh-pusat-permata-kurnia-30136

World Autism Awareness Day 2014

"World Autism Awareness Day is about more than generating understanding; it is a call to action. I urge all concerned to take part in fostering progress by supporting education programmes, employment opportunities and other measures that help realize our shared vision of a more inclusive world."

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Message for the World Autism Awareness Day 2014

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that manifests itself during the first three years of life. The rate of autism in all regions of the world is high and it has a tremendous impact on children, their families, communities and societies.

Throughout its history, the United Nations family has promoted the rights and well-being of the disabled, including children with developmental disabilities. In 2008, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities entered into force, reaffirming the fundamental principle of universal human rights for all.

The United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared 2 April as World Autism Awareness Day (A/RES/62/139) to highlight the need to help improve the lives of children and adults who suffer from the disorder so they can lead full and meaningful lives.

How newmindcentre.com team can help you?

Neurotherapy is essentially a way of teaching a child how to self-regulate their own brainwaves. Reports from caregivers of people with autism suggest people have witnessed improvements in a variety of areas including speech and irritability. A few scientific reports have highlighted that a demonstrated increase in social interaction may be seen in child with autism following neurotherapy treatment. One study suggested that parents who noticed an improvement continued to see the benefits for at least a year after neurotherapy. In November 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics approved biofeedback and neurotherapy as a Level 1 or “best support” treatment option for children suffering from ADHD. Interestingly, we know that many children with autism may also have these symptoms similar with ADHD. It has been suggested that 1 in 3 children with autism may also have ADHD.  

FYI, I am a certified neurotherapist too. Contact me for more information. 

Help us Light Facebook Up BLUE!!

Share, share, share!!

Sources:

http://www.un.org/en/events/autismday/

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/spectrum-theory/201306/brainwave-neurofeedback-autism-can-it-help

The signs of Autism

Autism is a lifelong problem that affects the way a person communicates and relates to people around them. Children with autism have difficulty relating to others in a meaningful way. Their ability to develop friendships is generally limited as is their capacity to understand other people's emotional expression. Some children, but not all, have accompanying learning disabilities. All children with autism have impairments in social interaction, social communication and imagination. This is known as the 'triad of impairments'.

Some children may be diagnosed as having Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism. Children with Asperger syndrome have fewer problems with language than those with autism, often speaking fluently, though their words can sometimes sound formal or stilted. People with Asperger syndrome do not usually have the accompanying learning disabilities associated with autism; in fact, children with Asperger syndrome are often of average or above average intelligence. Many will enter mainstream school and, with the right support and encouragement, can make good progress and go on to further education and employment.

It is important to realise that each child with autism is different from the next so the descriptions in this information sheet should only be taken as a general guide. Nevertheless, the common problems affecting social interaction, communication and imagination and the repetitive behaviour are common to all.

All retrieved from : http://www.autism.org.uk/working-with/education/early-years-and-autism.aspx
Contact us now, Our cutting-edge brain based training able to help your child!

[治疗小插曲]自闭症能用爱沟通

除了睡眠问题，忧郁症和过动症，现在陆续开始有自闭症的孩子到我中心进行治疗了。
我的中心除了我，还有针灸，顺势疗法，物理治疗师与其它自然疗法；可以说是一站式的自然疗法中心。

老实说，我一个人应付不来自闭症的孩子，

因为大部分的孩子无法正常沟通，所以会无法安定下来进行疗法。

庆幸我的中心有蛮多护士的，每次有需要帮助，我都可以安排他们来协助我。

在他们协助下，我的疗法得已更快速和顺利的进行。

前几天，有位无法沟通的自闭症小孩还亲吻在治疗期间照顾着他的护士呢！

只要你真心去爱这些孩子，他们是感觉得到的，

虽然他可能无法在言语上跟你沟通。

但你能用爱和他们沟通。

* 以上案例已获得顾客许可为醒觉与教育用途。

[治疗小插曲]你身边的特殊儿童

[治疗小插曲]
如果你身边有被诊断为特殊儿童的孩子，或许你不会想错过这段影片。

最近有位被诊断为自闭症的孩子来到我的中心,以肉眼判断，这孩子不是很严重的自闭症小孩，但症状和其他自闭症孩子差不多一样。他是父母唯一的宝贝，是独生 子。父母说孩子小时候疑似因女佣疏忽而跌到多次，他们怀疑这和孩子现在的状况有关。他们带孩子去过很多地方看诊，专业人士以其孩子的行为评断其为自闭症。 但孩子不曾接受任何针对脑部进行窥探的检测。

在播放这段影片给这两位父母看时，
场面是非常感动的，当你看到他们对孩子的爱和不愿放弃的精神。
此时，我又不争气的落泪了（但没有被家长发现）。

很庆幸我们拥有该项技术。
接下来，我们将安排其孩子进行影片中的大脑检测。
相信这对这孩子有非常大的帮助。即使这孩子是真的是自闭症，我们也可以针对其大脑特定部位进行训练，让他们生活得更美好。

* 以上案例已获得顾客许可为醒觉与教育用途。