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Vegetable Salicyclates Content List

Information extracted from http://www.zipworld.com.au/~ataraxy/Salicylates_list.html   Vegetables
Negligible	Low	Moderate	High	Very High
Bamboo Shoots Beans-dried Cabbage Celery Lentils-brown Lentils-red Lettuce (iceberg) Peas-dried Potato (white peeled) Swede	Bean – green Brussels sprout Cabbage-red Chives Choko Leek Mung bean sprouts Peas-green * Shallots	Asparagus Beetroot Broccoli * % Carrot Cauliflower % Chinese vegies Lettuce (other) Marrow Mushrooms * % Onion Parsnip Potato (new and red pontiac) Pumpkin Spinach % Snow Peas Snow Pea sprout Sweet corn * Sweet Potato Turnip	Alfalfa sprouts Artichoke Broadbean Chilli Cucumber Eqgplant % Radish Tomato * % Water chestnut Watercress Zucchini	Capsicum Champignon * % Chicory Endive Gherkin Hot pepper Olive % Radish Tomato Products * %

 

 

Fruit Salicylate Content List

This article is extracted from http://www.zipworld.com.au/~ataraxy/Salicylates_list.html

Salicylates are highest in unripened fruit and decrease as fruit ripens.  They are often concentrated just under the skin of fruit and vegetables and in the outer leaves of vegetables. All fruit and vegetables should be ripe and thickly peeled.

Do not eat the outer leaves of leafy vegetables.

In the table below foods high in glutamates and amines are marked as follows:

*        also high in naturally occurring glutamates or added MSG

%      also high in amines

A more complete list of amine contents can be found in the http://www.zipworld.com.au/~ataraxy/Amines_list.html

The following amounts are equivalent:

• 1 serve from the MODERATE group
• 1/10 serve from the HIGH group
• 1/100 serve from the VERY HIGH group

1 Serve = 1 Cup = 250 ml

Fruit
Negligible	Low	Moderate	High	Very High
Banana % Pear (peeled)	Apple-golden delicious Paw paw or Papaya % Nashi Pears	Apple-red delicious Custard apple Fig % Lemon % Loquat Mango Pear (with peel) Tamarillo %	Apple-Granny Smith Apple-Jonathan Avocado % Grapefruit Kiwi fruit % Lychee Mandarin % Mulberry Nectarine Passionfruit % Peach Pomegranate Sugar Banana % Watermelon	Apricot Blackberry Blackcurrant Blueberry Boysenberry Cherry Cranberry Currant (dried) Date % Grape * % Guava Loganberry Orange Pineapple Plum Prune Raisin (dried) Raspberry Redcurrant Rockmelon Strawberry Sultana (dried) Tangelo Tangerine Youngberry

 

 

Autism Screening Checklist

Autism Screening Checklist
Name:					Age:
						Yes/No
Does not respond to his/ her name.
Cannot explain what he/she wants.
Has language skills or speech that is delayed.
Does not follow direction.
At times, seems to be deaf.
Seems to hear sometimes, but no other.
Doesn’t point or wave bye-bye
Use to say a few words or babble but not now.
Throw intense / violent tantrum.
Has odd movement.
Is hyperactive, uncooperative or oppositional.
Doesn’t know how to play with toys.
Doesn’t smile when smiled at.
Has poor eye contact.
Get ‘stuck’ on things over and over and
can’t move on to other things.
Seems to prefer to play alone
Gets things for him/ herself only.
Is very independent for his/ her age.
Does thing ‘early’ compared to other children.
Seems to be in his/ her ‘own world’.
Seems to tune people out.
Is not interested in other children.
Walks on his/ her toes.
Shows unusual attachments to toys object or
schedules (e.g. always holding a string or
having to put socks on before pants).
Spends a lot of time lining things up or
putting things in a certain order.   More than 8 ‘YES’ , please consult child psychologist or professional special educator

Fine Motor Ability

* 因為時間的限制, 我無法用雙語呈現每一個博文, 如有需要, 讓我知道我再翻譯給您. 謝謝                                                                                                                                                        Due to time constraint, please pardon me for not able to translate every single entry into Mandarin version. Let me know if you need translated copy.

Many children have difficulty with fine-motor skills.  Fine motor activities require the use of small muscle groups for controlled movements.  These skills are essential for the child to successfully engage in cutting, coloring, writing, grasping, and manipulation of objects.

Fine motor ability should be developed during infancy stages, and it should continue be cultivated throughout the toddlers and childhood stages. I always advice parent to allow their child to eat by their own when the child reaches 1-year-old. Allow them to play with scissors (round head, plastic scissors) when they are around 16 months old. Children should not be over-protected or over-pampered, it is essential for them to have a chance to explore the environment. Minor injuries or cuts/bruises are unavoidable; as long as it is not severe, why not just sit back and relax to witness the development of the child.

Hand/Finger Strengthening

Some children just do not have the finger or hand strength needed to complete these tasks.  Thera-putty is sometimes used to help with finger and hand strength.  This putty is kind of like play dough only harder to squeeze.  Children practice squeezing and finding small objects in this putty.  This helps to strengthen the hand and to develop a pincer grasp.  We also have children practice tearing paper, crumbling paper, cutting on various thicknessess of paper, squeezing tasks, etc.  

Please refer to the post: Hand/Finger Strengthening Strategies

Cutting

Some children have difficulty cutting.  They may snip instead of actually cutting, or they may not be able to perform the open and close actions.  Other children have trouble rotating the paper while cutting, or staying on the lines.  Occupational Therapists can assist in this area in many different ways.  Some adaptations an OT might do is draw a darker, bigger line for them to cut on, use adaptive scissors, or have them practice cutting straight lines instead of curved lines.

Grasping and Manipulating Objects

Occupational Therapists also work on picking up small objects and manipulating them.  Some common objects children may pick up and manipulate are: puzzles pieces, coins, toys, and pencils.

Handwriting and Coloring

An Occupational Therapist can also assist in handwriting and coloring skills, by working on fine motor activities and writing programs (example: Handwriting Without Tears).  These handwriting programs make it easier for some children to learn to write.  For example, Handwriting Without Tears uses a dot to represent the starting point for each letter.  Occupational Therapist work with children on using their wrist and fingers to write or color, instead of their whole arm.  They may also work on pre-writing strokes, such as making slanted lines, crosses, or tracing.  Adaptive pencil grips, slant boards and special paper can be given to help improve handwriting.

父母眼里的珍寶

孩子在父母眼里是一種珍寶, 比自己性命更珍貴的寶貝. 所以,從小就無微不直的照顧, 深怕孩子受傷, 深怕孩子跌倒, 深怕孩子吃不抱, 穿不暖. 當孩子學會翻身的那一刻, 大多數的父母會覺得萬分高興; 當孩子在爬行是, 不是根據一般發展模式, 比如說8個月了, 孩子還不爬; 爬了,却是用臀部向前移動. 1歲多了, 還不會站立. 3歲了, 還無法說話. 大多數的父母也許無法察覺, 孩子發展模式緩慢的訊息, 基本上認為, 長大就會了; 大一點就會好了. 結果, 一等,一晃, 一年一年就過了…

許多孩子都在所謂‘完美’的環境裡成長的. 但是這完美是父母單純相信的完美, 是孩子成長需要的完美麼? 孩子的活動量包括爬跑跳走的足夠性決定了這下來的能力; 試想想孩子需要大量的爬行(地板時間), 但是卻被父母困於習步車中, 因擔心地板細菌多, 害怕孩子會受傷. 這就是完美的環境麼? 爬行對孩子的平衡感, 雙側協調, 集中力, 視覺追蹤能力起了很大的作用; 但是父母偉大的’愛’ 却無形的剝奪了孩子的學習機會. 孩子需要大量的和父母互動, 需要聽聽父母的聲音,父母的愛撫. 但是有多少父母為了讓孩子不吵鬧, 讓孩子沉溺在電視的世界; 和電視溝通交流. 當孩子進入了學習說話的年齡, 却無法和別人溝通, 無法表達自己的情感. 父母急了. 但是卻無法好好的反省自己如何剝奪孩子發展的機會.

孩子入學了, 但是卻無法和同擠學習, 無法好好的排隊, 無法和別人分享玩具. 問題是甚麼? 隨著雙薪小家庭的崛起, 鄰居之間的互動少了, 串門子不再出現, 從小孩子就和四面牆接觸, 女傭千依百順的遷就造就了一個個被寵壞的少爺, 小姐. 孩子上了小學, 無法抄寫, 無法專心, 無法閱讀. 開始被冠上懶惰, 調皮的稱號. 有沒有正視孩子面對的問題, 事單純的壞蛋? 還是隱藏著許多的失調.

從小, 孩子就應該在能夠發揮發展能力的環境裡成長; 要讓孩子發揮能力, 併不需要龐大的資金, 簡單的環境, 父母的用心就可以營造的. 草地, 沙地, 大樹, 風, 水,地板都是孩子的最佳玩伴, 最佳的環境. 孩子不會覺得骯髒, 擔心骯髒的是父母. 就請父母不要以自己的想法, 認為不好不行, 却忘了自己曾經也在大自然中成長.

父母認為好的, 對的是一廂情願的認為還是站在比較客觀的角度, 以孩子的成長為出發, 不要在間接的導致孩子失調, 這有多可惜?

Visual Perception treatment for Autism

Autism effects every child differently, so it is difficult to find the exact treatments your child needs to cope with his or her symptoms. One thing that effects some autistic children (though, not all) is problems with visual perception. By using some standardized methods to help improve visual perception, you can give your child the ability to see the world more clearly, making learning and comprehension easier and possibly curbing some behavior problems as well.
Autistic children mainly have problems with sensory overload and distortion. These are some of the same problems many people not suffering from the disorder develop, and so many treatment options have become available. Individuals with autism often find, however, that the sensory overload of the world due to light, colors, contrast, shapes, and patterns, is too much to handle, causing them to act out or shut down in general. This is sometimes a genetic condition that is simply enhanced by the autism, so if the child’s parents have trouble with reading or have been otherwise treated for visual perceptive problems, there is a good chance that the child needs help as well.

The Irene Method is one effective way to treat visual perception disorders. This method uses color to create a more harmonized world. You may have heard of these methods if anyone has ever suggested using a color filter over the page when reading to be able to read better and more quickly. This method is proven to work, and if your autistic child is at the maturity level of reading, you may want to try these color filters to see if there is a difference in speed and comprehension. However, it is more likely that your autistic child will benefit from color filters during the entire day, not just when reading. Special glasses have been made using colored lenses to conquer this problem. Not every child responds the same way to every color, so it is a process of trial and error to find out which color is the one blocking the harmful light. You can also choose to use colored light bulbs in your home to help autistic individuals with their visual perception problems.

This method mainly helps children in 4 areas: depth perception, social interaction, learning, and physical well being. The colors help the child determine how far he or she is from an object, and the world becomes more three-dimensional, helping depth perception. Social interaction also improves because the child feels as though he or she is in a calmer world and can more clearly see and interpret facial expressions. The colors make it possible to learn, especially when reading, and overall, the child will feel better, because it helps reduce headaches and dizziness. By testing this technique and others to help visual perception problems, you can help your child better cope with the world and his or her autism.

Importance of Coordination Ability

A deficit in coordination skills will impact motor abilities.  Some children do not have the required balance to sit in a chair for long periods of time; this makes more physically demanding activities even harder.

Bilateral Coordination-  Coordinating both sides of the body together at the same time.  Examples of activities OT’s may engage children/students in to improve bilateral coordination include:

– Drawing circles on the board with both hands at the same time.

-Jumping jacks, skipping, or animal walks

-Play games like twister or Simon Says

The ability to coordinate the right and left sides of the body and to cross the midline of the body is an indication that both sides of the brain are working well together and sharing information efficiently. Coordination of the two body sides is an important foundation for the development of many gross and fine motor skills. It is essential to the development of cerebral specialization for skilled use of a dominant hand. A child with poor coordination of the two body sides may adjust his body to avoid crossing the midline (Please refer to the previous post for more activities on enhancing crossing the midline). He may not be able to coordinate one hand to move while the other hand is acting as an assist to stabilize the project. He may switch hands during a fine motor task because he is experiencing frustration with skillfully using his hands together.

Good coordination of the two body sides is an important foundation for writing with pencils and cutting with scissors. Children learn to coordinate their body sides when they manipulate toys such as pop beads and legos, and when they skip, gallop, play rhythm games, jump rope, or ride a bike.

The Importance of Pretend Play

By Ellen Booth Church

Source: Scholastic Parents

Young children learn by imagining and doing. Have you ever watched your child pick up a stone and pretend it is a zooming car, or hop a Lego across the table as if it were a person or a bunny? Your child is using an object to represent something else while giving it action and motion. But this pretend play is not as simple as it may seem. The process of pretending builds skills in many essential developmental areas.
Preschool and kindergarten classrooms usually have a well-equipped dramatic play area, and this is quite intentional. Research has shown that pretend play provides children with a microcosm for life that encourages them to take the skills they have learned in classroom lessons and apply them to meaningful life activities. It is believed that this process of application helps your child not only develop a skill, but learn how to use it in life.
Pretend Play Builds Social and Emotional Skills
When your child engages in pretend (or dramatic) play, he is actively experimenting with the social and emotional roles of life. Through cooperative play, he learns how to take turns, share responsibility, and creatively problem-solve. When your child pretends to be different characters, he has the experience of "walking in someone else’s shoes," which helps teach the important moral development skill of empathy. It is normal for young children to see the world from their own egocentric point of view, but through maturation and cooperative play, your child will begin to understand the feelings of others. Your child also builds self-esteem when he discovers he can be anything just by pretending!
In the early years, children are just beginning to understand the difference between fantasy and reality. Imaginative play and acting out both familiar characters (such as family members) and fictional ones helps children internalize this important distinction. For example, your child can grasp the difference between her real mommy and the mommy she sometimes pretends to be when playing house. She will then apply that experiential knowledge to other situations.
Pretend Play Builds Language Skills
Have you ever listened in as your child engages in imaginary play with his toys or friends? You will probably hear some words and phrases you never thought he knew! In fact, we often hear our own words reflected in the play of children. Kids can do a perfect imitation of mom, dad, and the teacher! Pretend play helps your child understand the power of language. In addition, by pretend playing with others, he learns that words give him the means to reenact a story or organize play. This process helps your child to make the connection between spoken and written language — a skill that will later help him learn to read.
Your child also builds vocabulary when she engages in pretend play. You and your child’s teachers can introduce theme-specific words. For example, if your child loves to play with her toy dinosaurs, she will quickly learn the very big words for their names if you point them out. Often children like to pretend to do the things that you do around the house. Consider providing magazines, books, paper, and pencils to her collection of dramatic play props at home. Your child will be using pre-reading and pre-writing skills to mimic real-life situations. For example, she can "read" to her dolls and stuffed toys, "write" letters, make lists, and even pretend to take telephone messages with a toy phone!
Pretend Play Builds Thinking Skills
Pretend play provides your child with a variety of problems to solve. Whether it’s two children wanting to play the same role or searching for the just right material to make a roof for the playhouse, your child calls upon important cognitive thinking skills that he will use in every aspect of his life, now and forever.
Does your child enjoy a bit of roughhousing? Great! Some researchers in early brain development believe that this sort of play helps develop the part of the brain (the frontal lobe) that regulates behavior. So instead of worrying that this type of activity will encourage your child to act out or become too aggressive, be assured that within a monitored situation, rough-house play can actually help your child learn the self-regulation skills needed to know how and when this type of play is appropriate.
Pretend play also promotes abstract thinking. The ability to use a prop (such as a block) as a symbol for something else (such as a phone) is a high-level thinking skill. Eventually it will enable your child to recognize that numbers represent quantities of things, and that combinations of letters represent the words she speaks, hears, and reads.
Nurture the Imagination
Not enough pretend play at your house? Consider creating a prop box or corner filled with objects to spark your preschooler’s fantasy world. You might include:

• Large plastic crates, cardboard blocks, or a large, empty box for creating a "home"
• Old clothes, shoes, backpacks, hats
• Old telephones, phone books, magazines
• Cooking utensils, dishes, plastic food containers, table napkins, silk flowers
• Stuffed animals and dolls of all sizes
• Fabric pieces, blankets, or old sheets for making costumes or a fort
• Theme-appropriate materials such as postcards, used plane tickets, foreign coins, and photos for a pretend vacation trip
• Writing materials for taking phone messages, leaving notes, and making shopping list

Is my Child Autistic? 我的孩子有自閉症嗎?

Autism is gaining more popularity in today’s community; more peoples are aware of Autism, the behavior characteristics of Autism and to question whether their child is Autistic. Most of the parent believe that there is nothing wrong with their child. Then they watch a news report, or hear someone talking about a child that has Autism and they start to question their own child.

The symptoms of Autism are many, and they vary in each child. Just because you see some symptoms of Autism in your child does not mean they are Autistic. There are other medical conditions that have the same symptoms. Some children are late on their developmental milestones. Each child develops at their own rate. Just because your child is not talking by the time they are does not mean for certain they have Autism. For example, a feverish person could be developin the symptoms of Dengue Fever, however he/she should not be diagnosed as one without proper blood test.

If you have concerns about your child’s development speak to their health care provider. They can tell you if further testing should be considered. A lot of parents try to self diagnoses their children. This can be a big mistake. It takes several qualified medical professionals to diagnose a child with Autism. This will not be done with one appointment at the pediatrician. You will have a team of health care providers evaluating your child. The earlier you have your child evaluated the better the chances of treatment helping the child.

Try not to compare your child with other children. Each child is an individual. They grow and develop at their own rate. While they may be late at some milestones, they may excel at others. Sometimes a parent has a gut instinct that tells them there is something wrong. If you feel that your child is having problems and the doctor does not agree, get a second opinion. Parents have to be the voice for their child. However, some parents can be self-deceiving as they are the one who cannot accept the problems of the child. They hope that those problems can be out-grown when the child grows older. Such attitude will only lead to more severe and complicated problems.

Finding out if your child is Autistic can take time. It can be a life changing experience for both the child and the parent. Once you find out if your child is Autistic you should accept this fact and begin the process of treatment, or finding out what is causing your child’s problems if it is not Autism.

Signs that your child needs to be evaluated further include.
1. No eye contact
2. No communication. This can be sounds, or words.
3. Shows no emotions.
4. Does not pretend play.
5. Uses repetitive movements.
6. Have a hard time with schedule changes.
7. Do not respond to you when you are talking to them. This can be with looks or words.
8. Does things over and over again.
9. Loses skills they knew.
10. Develops an attachment to a certain food, or smell. These are sensory issues.

If you see these behavior characteristics of Autism in your child, talk to the doctor about them. Getting a diagnosis and treatment plan are very important. At the same time do not worry over every little thing. Some children just take a little longer to reach their milestones.