In this webinar, Rebecca Shaffer guides us through the importance of having a routine, including providing predictability and lowering anxiety, and how to create and build your own for you and your child.
Thanks to FORWARD — the Fragile X Online Registry With Accessible Research Database — plus standardized clinician- and parent-reported data from 25 Fragile X clinics, we now have access to samples large enough to include a breakdown of findings by age groups.
Most children who come to see me have a combination of developmental delays, communication challenges and symptoms of anxiety, resulting in frequent tantrums. It is common for parents to share details about their daily struggles.
Halloween can offer challenges for children with Fragile X syndrome. Here we present activity ideas for you to consider, but the important point is to find what works for your family—and maybe it will lead to a new tradition.
Leading pediatric occupational therapists, Tracy Stackhouse and Sarah Scharfenaker, provide an overview of the concept and use of sensory diet including a downloadable sensory diet template, and an example of a completed template for a sample patient.
Limited social skills, social anxiety, and an often narrow range of interests contribute to the difficulties of making new friends.
I have found these 10 time-out “rules” to be the keys to success. They are based on the fundamental principles and incorporate adaptations for children with Fragile X syndrome by accommodating repetition, consistency, and predictability.
Several strategies can help in guiding a successful transition. Though if the student changes schools, neighborhoods, or programs, additional support is required.
I learned pretty quickly that visits to a dentist were going to be a challenge for my son, Ian. I demonstrated the process over and over again. I helped him brush his teeth, encouraged him to brush his own teeth, tried different toothbrushes and toothpaste. I needed Bonnie.
Mantras, like positive affirmations, really do have power. Mantras are short, positive, instructive statements full of action words. We use them to quiet the mind and focus on thinking and action.
The challenges of toilet training can be magnified for families of children with Fragile X syndrome. It's not simply that toilet training is delayed, it often requires specific behavioral techniques that address their physical and behavioral phenotypes.
Let's discuss verbal perseveration (VP), a very typical and pervasive aspect of language in Fragile X syndrome. Does VP interfere with daily living and activities? You bet your boots it can!
Behavior management continues to be of tremendous importance to parents and professionals and understanding the etiology of behavior in people with Fragile X syndrome is critical when creating proactive strategies to successfully manage that behavior.
Visual supports help translate the environment and expectations to an individual with FXS without requiring direct processing of language. This type of information can be processed quickly. Visual supports remain present, so they can be referred to more than one time, whereas verbal directions might be heard and then forgotten. Learning to use visual supports can help alleviate anxiety for the person with FXS and frustration for the person providing support.
Children with and without Fragile X syndrome learn to maneuver their environments in order to survive and thrive. In order to discern whether a behavior is oppositional, or merely a reaction to anxiety, pay attention to your reaction.
