Happy New Year 2019
////Merry Christmas
//Dear colleagues and friends,
As we are coming to another year’s end, we want to thank you all for your collaboration in supporting MSSA vision. 2018 has been an important year for the Macedonian Scientific Society for Autism agenda in the region and as well.
The new year 2019 brings new and exciting challenges and opportunities. We look forward to these and to many more exciting developments ahead.
We wish you and your families a joyful holiday season and a Happy New Year!
MSSA Team
#AutismPCP kick-off meeting realized in Patras
//Dear colleagues,
I want to inform you that we realized the first meeting of #AutismPCP priject from December 11th to December 12th in Patras, Greece. Twelve participants from 6 partners countries (Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romaina, Italy and Macedonia) attended there. Participating Organisations were:
- D.A.D.A.A (Association of Parents, Legal Guardians & Friends of Children & Adults in Autism spectrum disorders and Aspergers’)
- MAENDELEO FOR CHILDREN APS
- Scoala Gimnaziala Smaranda Gheorghiu
- CYCLISIS
- SHIPCON LIMASSOL LIMITED
- PARVI NATIONALEN CENTAR PO DYSLEXIA
- Macedonian Scientific Society for Autism.
Partners have presented their organizations. Than presentation of project design, work plan, time table, distribution of tasks and responsibilities, were discussed. Also dissemination plan, further dissemination activities/specific tasks, website, social media, leaflet, logo, were subject of this meeting. Autism Life Planning Tools and Intellectual Output with focus on O1 were topics as well.
Next transnational meeting will held in Romania in May 2019.
President of MSSA
Higher Plasma Concentration of Food-Specific Antibodies in Persons With Autistic Disorder in Comparison to Their Siblings
//Stress that parents of autistic children and parents of children with cerebral palsy face with
//Natasha Mateska1, Vladimir Trajkovski2
1unemployed special educator
2University “Ss. Cyril and Methodius”, Faculty of Philosophy, Institute of Special Education and Rehabilitation, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
Introduction: Autism is a diagnose that affects every member of the family in different ways. Parents should focus a bigger part of their attention toward the autistic child, which can cause a stressful effect in the family as well as outside the family.
Aim of the study: To determine the stress that parents of autistic children face with compared to parents of children with cerebral palsy.
Methodology: The entire sample includes 90 respondents, of which 45 parents of autistic children and the rest 45 parents of children with cerebral palsy. The survey was conveyed using a questionnaire and methods of descriptive and comparative analysis were used. The comparison of the groups of surveyed was analyzed by using χ2 test and Fisher Exact test. The differences that were taken into consideration were on the level of significance p<0.05.
Results: Parents of autistic children compared with parents of children with cerebral palsy, statistically show significant difference for following variables: support from close community (χ2=7.57, df=1, p=0.006), stigmatization by family and community (χ2=5.4, df=1, p=0.02), isolation by the community (χ2=10.3, df=1, p=0.001), change in the relationship between spouses (χ2=7.53, df=1, p=0.006).
Conclusion: The parents of autistic children are faced with bigger stress in managing the everyday activities and control of life, compared with parents of children with cerebral palsy.
Key words: stress, parents, autism, cerebral palsy
Citation: Mateska N, Trajkovski V. Stress that parents of autistic children and parents of children with cerebral palsy face. Book of abstracts ‡ 9th International Scintific Conference – „Special Education and Rehabilitation Today“. Belgrade, September 25-27, 2015; 31.
Plasma concentration of immunoglobulin classes and subclasses in children with autism in the Republic of Macedonia: retrospective study.
//A multimodal intervention for children and adults with autism spectrum disorders: ‘ReAttach’
//Paula Weerkamp-Bartholomeus, Ph.D.1, Prof. Dr. Vladimir Trajkovski2
1ReAttach Therapy Institute, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, e-mail: info@reattach-therapy-institute.com
2Institute of Special Education and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Philosophy, University “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” Blvd. Goce Delchev 9A, 1000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, e-mail vladotra@fzf.ukim.edu.mk
Abstract
Introduction: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication and restricted and repetitive interests/behaviors, which has considerable impact on daily life functioning. ReAttach is an intervention based on attachment, arousal regulation and training multiple sensory integration processing.
Aim: investigate the effectivity of ReAttach in terms of improvement of daily life functioning.
Method: Eight therapists were trained to perform ReAttach with a group of participants (N=58). Comparison of the mean scores on the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) was conducted with a paired sample t-test.
Results: In this study we have explored the potential of 5 sessions of ReAttach to significantly improve the ATEC scores of participants diagnosed with ASD within a short period of time. The results revealed significant decreases of problems (p<0.001) in the subscales: I. Speech (t=9.96, df=57, p=0.000), II. Sociability (t=13.72, df=57, p=0.000), III. Sensory Cognitive Awareness (t=11.91, df=57, p=0.000), IV. Health / Physical / Behavior (t=11.64, df=57, p=0.000) and total scores of the ATEC (t=15.23, df=57, p=0.000).
We made comparison of mean total scores in various diagnosis within the whole ASD group: Autistic disorder (N=6, age M=18.67, SD±6.92, males were 100%) t=4.78, df=5, p=0.005; Asperger syndrome (N=24, age M=27.75, SD±12.88 males were 70.83%) t=10.56, df=23, p=0.000; PDD-NOS (N=24, age M=22.17, SD±11.68, males were 83.33%), t=9.26, df=23, p=0.000; ASD and Intellectual Disability (N=4, age M=26.75, SD±16.17, males were 75%) t=4.40, df=3, p=0.022.
Conclusions: This study confirms that ReAttach has a positive impact on daily life functioning. Practical research confirms the hypothesis that this intervention has a positive effect on various developmental areas described in the ATEC. The results further suggest that people within the entire range of ASD can benefit from ReAttach and the method itself might provide important clues to efficient ASD treatment.
Keywords: autism, innovation, treatment
Citation: Weerkamp Bartholomeus P, Trajkovski V. Multimodalna intervencija za decu i odrasle sa autističnim spektrom poremećaja: „Reattach“. Zbornik rezimea ‡ IV stručno-naučni skup sa međunarodnim učešćem „Aktuelnosti u edukaciji i rehabilitaciji osoba sa smetnjama u razvoju“. Beograd, 24-25 oktobar, 2015; 19.
#AUTISM PCP – A hollistic approach of person-centred planning for people with Autism
//AUTISM PCP‘ is an innovative cross-sectoral partnership project with strong European
added value; as such, ‘AUTISM PCP’ addresses important horizontal as well as sectoral priorities
for the European Union, such as ‘social inclusion, adult learning policies and Early School
Leaving (ESL).
The main objectives of ‘AUTISM_PCP’ are:
– Empowerment of individuals at risk of social exclusion and more specifically empowerment of ASC
individuals
– Strengthening of the overall effort for social inclusion and integration of ASC individuals at
mainstream education & society at large
– Enhancing competences of professionals and all those individuals, such as family members & relatives, etc., involved in the life of ASC individuals
– Raise awareness to the general public with regards to social inclusion of pupils with Autism
Source: http://www.autismholistic.eu/
WHAT CAN REATTACH DO FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH AUTISM?
//Let’s take a few minutes to explain the impact of the multimodal approach of ReAttach:
- ReAttach trains Multiple Sensory Integration Processing
- ReAttach trains coherent concepts
- ReAttach trains complex social cognitive skills and we start at a very low entry level
- Our therapists use cognitive bias modification to practise new neuropsychological patterns and new thinking strategies that might be very useful in situations that are quite complicated
This results in:
- The ability to learn from new experiences (problems with transfer disappear)
- The ability to understand social concepts and read the non-verbal cues and social rules and behaviours that are not explicitly explained
- Self-awareness and behaviour control
- Improvement of executive functioning
- Sensory overload decreases or disappears because sensory information can be processed quicker and better in a coherent way (by multiple sensory integration processing)
- The development of new skills such as: imagination, expressing emotions, showing empathy, theory of mind, mentalization, reading your own body signals
With pre-verbal children or adults with autism ReAttach can achieve this:
- Multiple Sensory Integration Processing
- Coherent concepts of the self and others
- Differentiation between the self and others
- Echolalia changes into communication addressing to the self and the other
- Exploration and play.
In the Netherlands we already provide the ReAttach for Autism intervention in institutions for Mental Health, private practises and institutions for people with cognitive disabilities. In WTA March 2015 a case study was published in Dutch.
The method has been presented at the World Autism Organisation Conference in 2014 and 2016 and at the Autism Challenges and Solutions Conference in Moscow, April 2016.
The practical research has been published in Clinical Neuropsychiatry, a peer-reviewed journal for treatment evaluation. It has been rewarded with a nomination of the Clinical Neuropsychiatry Award.http://clinicalneuropsychiatry.org
Prof Dr Vladimir Trajkovski has presented this autism research paper in Belgrade last year and represents us in the Balkan region.
In Prof Dr Michael Fitzgerald’s book Autism Recent Advances there is a chapter on ReAttach about a case study with a patient with Asperger syndrome. http://www.intechopen.com/books/autism-spectrum-disorder-recent-advances/reattach-the-exciting-development-of-a-promising-intervention-for-autism-spectrum-disorders
Availability
International training courses are scheduled to deliver the ReAttach for Autism in the upcoming year to: Belgium (Gent, Leuven, Antwerpen), Singapore, United Kingdom (London), Germany (Keulen, Mannheim, Muenster), Italy (Rome), Vancouver BC, Australia (Sydney, Melbourne,) and New York.
For more information you may contact ReAttach Therapy Institute
info@reattach-therapy-institute.com
Source: AutsimEye
FAMILY ANALYSIS OF IMMUNOGLOBULIN CLASSES AND SUBCLASSES IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISTIC DISORDER
//Bosn J Basic Med Sci. 2009 Nov; 9(4): 283–289.
doi: [10.17305/bjbms.2009.2789]
PMCID: PMC5603683
PMID: 20001993
Abstract
Autistic disorder is a severe neurodevelopment disorder characterized by a triad of impairments in reciprocal social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and a pattern of repetitive stereotyped activities, behaviours and interests. There are strong lines of evidence to suggest that the immune system plays an important role in the pathogenesis of autistic disorder. The aim of this study was to analyze quantitative plasma concentration of immunoglobulin classes, and subclasses in autistic patients and their families. The investigation was performed retrospectively in 50 persons with autistic disorder in the Republic of Macedonia. Infantile autistic disorder was diagnosed by DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria. Plasma immunoglobulin classes (IgM, IgA, and IgG) and subclasses (IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, and IgG4) were determined using Nephelometer Analyzer BN-100. Multiple comparisons for the IgA variable have shown statistically significant differences between three pairs: male autistic from the fathers (p = 0,001), female autistic from the mothers (p = 0,008), as well as healthy sisters from the fathers (p = 0,011). Statistically significant differences found between three groups regarding autistic disorder (person with autistic disorder, father/mother of a person with autistic disorder, and brother/sister) independent of sex belongs to IgA, IgG2, and IgG3 variables. Multiple comparisons for the IgA variable have shown statistically significant differences between children with autistic disorder from the fathers and mothers (p < 0,001), and healthy brothers and sisters from the fathers and mothers (p < 0,001). Comparison between healthy children and children with autistic disorder from the same family should be tested for immunoglobulin classes and subclasses in order to avoid differences between generations.
Keywords: autistic disorder, immunoglobulin classes, immunoglobulin subclasses, family analysis
Source: PMC