In our book on healing eating disorders we emphasize the benefits of a holistic approach to the treatment of issues such as disordered eating, body dissatisfaction, related mood disorders and more.  Action methods which involve the body as well as the mind, heart, and spirit are particularly effective and lend themselves to collaboration with several other modalities which we explore in our book:  art, music, mindfulness, Reiki and other energy work, acupuncture, yoga, and more.  Case studies and a variety of examples illustrate a number of creative options.

In a recent 90 minute workshop given at a yoga studio, I combined action methods, education, mindfulness, poetry, art and yoga so participants could experience the power of integrating these modalities.

Following introductions and group guidelines (confidentiality, self-care, freedom to choose one’s level of participation and an overview of class, and so on), I introduced the class to the concept of “the Witness Role”—the part of the self that can step back and observe thoughts, feelings, and behaviors without judgment and with compassion.

Prior to class, I had blessed the room with Reiki and placed a selection of artistic photograph cards (spring landscapes*) along the window sills.  Group members were invited to select a card that could “ . . . hold the Role of the Witness for you throughout today’s workshop.  Share the card and reasons for choosing the card with one other person in the room whom you do not know.”  Then, cards were placed somewhere in the room where each card could “hold the role of the Inner Witness” for the time of the workshop.

Then, returning to our circular seating arrangement, class members were instructed to look in their folder for a copy of a poem which I selected related to the theme.  After reading, members shared verbally which lines of the poem resonated with them.

Following this, was the teaching of basic yoga principles specifically as they apply to issues around making peace with food and the body and developing “the Self-Care Role”.  Topics included “Yamas” of non-harm to self and others; truthfulness to self and others; being authentic; discerning the difference between needs and wants; moderation; and releasing attachments to outcomes.  Next, the “Niyamas” for cultivating a healthy inner life:  external and internal purity; “the body is a temple of the spirit”; practice of contentment and maintaining equanimity—responding to life with love and faith, not from fear; cultivating passion for health rather than obsession with weight or appearance; practice of self-observation (i.e. Inner Witness Role) by taking time to pause and breathe to understand one’s reactions and triggers; and the practice of surrender.

Next, ways of incorporating these into life were explored, beginning with the breath and the experience of noticing one’s breath mindfully followed by yoga breathing.  Following this was meditation on and off the mat, both with movement and in stillness.  And following was brief teaching about the power of positive affirmations; journaling; the necessity of movement balanced with stillness; getting support and practicing gratitude.

All teaching points were covered in handouts including the research supported benefits of Hatha Yoga such as the elevation of serotonin, helping alleviate depression, ADHD, anxiety and yoga’s multiple physiological benefits.

The class drew to a close with members each returning to the space where “the witness card” had been placed.  “Take the role of your witness and look at ‘yourself’ (envisioned on the mat or bolster where they had been seated) and in a few sentences from the Witness Role, tell yourself what you observed and the ‘take home’ message from the workshop.”  After each participant did this, the circle re-formed and each person stated his/her name with a hand on heart re-affirming the pledge of confidentiality and self-care.  For closing, the word and gesture, “NAMASTE” which is a slight bow, hands held in “prayer pose” by the heart, meaning “The Light in me honors the Light in you.”

The workshop feedback forms showed a consensus of the group members’ experiences as:

“ . . . inclusive, thoughtful, gentle, non-judgmental . . . loved the learning and the helpful reminder of how to incorporate yoga into my recovery . . .”

*Thanks to Landscape photographer and poet Alma Nugent for providing these.

For more information or to buy Healing Eating Disorders with Psychodrama and Other Action Methods, please visit our website.

Click here to sign up for a free copy.

Customers in the US who request a copy of the catalog before May 31, 2013 will also receive an email voucher good for a 10% discount which can be used to order the books in the catalog. This is an excellent opportunity to pre-order a copy of Tony Attwood’s forthcoming book, From Like to Love for Young People with Asperger’s Syndrome or Mild Autism, to check out Jennifer Cook O’Toole’s latest bestseller, The Asperkid’s Launch Pad, or to get hold of Elle Olivia Johnson’s Parent’s Guide to In-Home ABA Programs which was called “required reading” by Library Journal.  

You can also use the discount to augment your library of JKP’s top 12 best selling books for working with children and young people on the autism spectrum, including:

• Freaks, Geeks and Asperger’s Syndrome by Luke Jackson
• Kids in the Syndrome Mix of ADHD, LD, Asperger’s, Tourette’s, Bipolar and More! by Martin Kutscher
• The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome by Tony Attwood
• My Social Stories Book by Carol Gray and Abbie Leigh White
• Everyday Activities to Help Your Young Child with Autism Live Life to the Full, by Debra S. Jacobs and Dion E. Betts

To request a copy of our Children with Autism Spectrum Conditions catalog, please click here. The catalog will arrive shortly in the mail. You will receive your 10% discount voucher via email at about the same time.

If you are already on our mailing list and would like to take advantage of the 10% discount, please feel free to request an email voucher by sending a request directly to orders@jkp.com

Click this link to see our full listing of books on Asperger Syndrome, Autism and other Syndromes.

‘Remembering Yesterday, Caring Today.’

This week is Dementia Awareness Week in the UK, so we thought it would be the perfect time to share an extract from one of our classic books on using reminiscence to improve the quality of life for people with dementia.

This excerpt has been taken from the book Remembering Yesterday, Caring Today  by Pam Schweitzer and Errollyn Bruce, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Schweitzer and Bruce – ‘Remembering Yesterday, Caring Today’ - extract

Visit our website to get additional information or to order a copy of Remebering Yesterday, Caring Today by Pam Schweitzer and Errollyn Bruce.

Egg donation—how did it all begin? There are published records from as early as the late 1800s of experiments conducted on women who lost their ovaries at young ages. However, it was not until the arrival of in vitro fertilization in 1978 that physicians had a means for enabling a woman to become pregnant with another woman’s eggs. The first child born through egg donation was born in Australia in 1983.

In its early years, egg donation, though possible, was not readily available. The first donors were either sisters or cousins (of their recipients) or they were infertile women who were undergoing IVF. Since cryopreservation of embryos was not available to all, some of these women had “extra eggs” for which they had only two options: discard or donate to other infertile women. Another group of early egg donors were women seeking tubal ligation who were invited to donate their eggs in exchange for the cost of their procedure. Either way, donated eggs were relatively few and far between and for the most part, came from women whose donation was based more on practicality or expediency than on an affirmative decision to help an infertile couple. The scarcity of eggs made the experience challenging for would be recipients who had little way of knowing if and when donated eggs would become available to them. One mother of a now 23-year-old through egg donation recalls taking medications over an extended period of time to ensure her uterus was ready for implantation should a donated egg come along. She was literally “on call” for news that an egg was available. When the call came, there was no asking about who the donor was or what her genetic history revealed. The recipient was instructed to go immediately to the fertility clinic, where she underwent a full laparatomy (a surgical incision in the abdominal area) and a gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT procedure). The donor’s eggs were mixed with the recipient’s husband’s sperm and placed in her tubes.

Much has changed. Not only has IVF fully replaced GIFT as a vehicle for egg donation, but beginning in the late 1980s, women were actively recruited for voluntary egg donation. This began in medical clinics, some of whom continue to recruit donors. However, in the United States, independent “Egg Donor Agencies” rapidly replaced medical programs as the main source of donated eggs. By the late 1990’s it was common to see adds like the following in college newspapers:

“Make a dream come true. Help a childless couple become parents. If you are under 34, healthy, a non-smoker, please consider donating some of your eggs. You will be compensated for your time and effort.”

The arrival of these programs transformed egg donation from something extremely difficult to arrange to something that, with financial/health insurance resources and access to medical treatment, can be launched with a few visits to internet web sites. One need simply type in “Egg donation” to be connected to agencies with names ranging from “Precious Wonders” to “Tiny Treasures” to “An Angel’s Gift” to “Peas in a Pod” and “Our Fairy Godmother.” As of this writing, there are 94 Egg Donor Agencies listed on the website of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Most have tantalizing websites that offer hope to infertile couples many of whose journey to parenthood as so far been filled with only disappointment and loss. They also offer the promise of financial and emotional reward to young women who are invited to undergo ovarian hyperstimulation and egg retrieval.

Just as there have been changes in the availability and accessibility of donors, so also have there been shifts in the way people think about egg donation. In the early years there was a real sense that the science was advancing far more rapidly than our understanding of what it means for a person to be physically born to three people. Instead of taking note of what a seismic shift this marked in human reproduction, physicians presented egg donation as a treatment for female infertility. In so doing, they missed the opportunity to examine, make sense of and ul†imately celebrate what egg donation means for identity formation and our understanding of kinship. Sadly, egg donation was pushed into the shadows, spoken of in hushed tones and burdened by secrecy.

The experiences of parents through egg donation, their children and their donors changed significantly with the arrival of the Donor Sibling Registry in 2000. This US based worldwide registry was founded in 2000 by Wendy Kramer and her son, Ryan, who was conceived via sperm donation. The registry helps people connect with donor relations.  In the 12 years since its founding, the DSR has helped connect over 9200 individuals with their donor relations. Wendy Kramer reports there are on average two new matches every day. For egg donation families, this has meant that parents have connected with donors, donors with offspring and as the name of the DSR suggests, offspring with other offspring.  As word of the DSR has grown and with it, people’s appreciation of the significance of genetic connections, families have been turning to the DSR in new ways. As of this writing, there are several egg donor agencies in the US that include the DSR in their donor-recipient contracts, making it possible for people who want anonymity (or at least to start out with no identifying information) to remain in touch and share photos and updated medical and social information.

Where Are We Today?

Looking at egg donation today we see a very different picture from what we saw even as recently when we prepared our 2005 edition of Having Your Baby Through Egg Donation.  In addition to the changes noted above, we see changes in the way ED parents feel about their path to parenthood. The secrecy that prevailed in the past has lifted and been replaced with honesty and privacy. True, there are some ED parents who still feel they have something to be secretive about, but increasing numbers are treating their child’s story as an open but private matter. They don’t go around saying “my egg donor baby” etc, but acknowledge donor conception when there is a reason to do so. In talking about it in a natural and appropriate way, most find that others are fully accepting of and comfortable with egg donation. Accompanying this more open approach to egg donation in general has been increased comfort with the donors.  As one mother through egg donation put it,

“When I first heard about egg donation, I did not want to meet my donor because I thought that I would see her face in my child and it would upset me. Now I feel the opposite. I have twins and one looks just like the donor. I love it because it is a constant reminder of the remarkable woman who helped make us a family.”

With increased comfort and familiarity with egg donation has come increase use of this option. Or perhaps it is the reverse—as more people have become parents through egg donation, more of them have become comfortable speaking openly about it. Either way, the use of egg donation is on the rise. In 2010, the most recent year for which the SART (Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology) statistics are available, there were 9, 321 transfers using donated eggs. Over 55% of these result in live births. This is the official SART number. Wendy Kramer of the DSR found, in surveying parents through egg donaton, that 42% were never asked to inform their clinic whether they had a live birth. Some did so voluntarily and others did not. If we add in the pregnancies that resulted from frozen embryo transfers, there were over 8,000 births in the US alone (in 2010) from donated eggs.

So egg donation in the US is accepted. It is also common. And it is available. All that said, it can still feel overwhelming to embark on a path to egg donation. Recipients must identify a medical program that they have confidence in, figure out how they will afford the medical treatment and often, donor and other fees and they must find and secure a donor.  All of this is do-able but it takes time, wherewithal, money, stamina and information.

Although egg donation has enjoyed widespread acceptance and relatively little scrutiny in the United States, this is not the case throughout the world. In Italy, for instance, a law was passed in 2004 completely banning oocyte donation, banning as well use of donor sperm and helping women past childbearing age becoming pregnant via ARTs. The road to this law started in 1994 when Italy made headlines when Dr. Severino Antinori used donor eggs to get 63 year old Rosana Della Cortes pregnant. Robin Marantz Henig’s New York Times article (2004) states,

“We are learning the wrong lessons from our earlier misadventures. Things got a little out of hand, yes, but that is because governments around the world adopted a hands-off policy towards the whole affair. It was too complicated to reach consensus about what steps were too intrusive, about when human life begins, about what risks were worth taking for the sake of having one’s own biological child. So governments turned their backs on reproductive technology and allowed the field to be taken over by cowboys.”

Still, unable to come to a consensus about exactly what should be accepted and what should not as far as egg donation, countries like Italy, Austria, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland have also nearly eliminated ovum donation. While such strict laws serve to call everyone’s attention to the potential for ethical abuses in egg donation, they also create new social problems. There now exists what has been termed “fertility tourism”—people living in countries that ban oocyte donation are traveling to other countries to obtain eggs.

Visit our website to get additional information or to order a copy of Having Your Baby Through Egg Donation 2nd edition by Ellen Sarasohn Glazer and Evelina Weidman Sterling.

Practical Mathematics provides a set of simple, hands-on strategies and tools for teaching key mathematics concepts to children with an autism spectrum disorder and other developmental delays. With an emphasis on the importance of incorporating a child’s special interest into learning Adkins and Larkey strive to make maths fun for all children on the spectrum. Topics covered include colours, shapes, categories, numerals, sequencing, addition and subtraction and using money, and the book includes worksheets and activities for incorporating mathematics into daily living skills.

We have 5 copies to give away to anyone interested in writing an online or offline review.

If you’re interested add a comment to this post saying why you want to review this book.

We will get in touch.

Chris Mitchell author of Asperger’s Syndrome and Mindfulness considers how mindful thinking can reduce recurring episodes of depression and feelings of low self esteem.

Many adults with Asperger’s Syndrome, including myself, have obtained their diagnosis following a period of depression. An Asperger’s Syndrome diagnosis is a starting point in gaining a stronger understanding of who you are. It may take a little more time and patience though at the point of diagnosis to accept who you are as you are, as well as for those around you, especially your family. Initial relief and acceptance of the diagnosis though can then become clouded by anxiety of how the condition may affect one in their future, including in situations which they may be yet to experience. This is where adults with Asperger’s Syndrome may be liable to relapse into depression.

In this sense, depression is effectively present in a continual now within many people with Asperger’s Syndrome in that one can relapse into it at any point throughout their life. As those who have experienced depression will be familiar, some of its effects may also include high-level stress and anxiety. Often treated with anti-depressants, these are only effective if one keeps taking them. While it is not possible to cure or eliminate the possibility of relapsing into depression, including through medication, one can change their relationship with it so that one doesn’t become trapped by depression.

Simply noticing when you are relapsing into depression, as well as noticing its effects, is a good starting point in coping with it. Obsessive compulsive tendencies characteristic with Asperger’s Syndrome though may make it difficult to let go of feelings and thought patterns that arise during depression. Feelings that the mind may find itself lost in when depression recurs can include the mind forming comparisons of where we would like to be or how we would like it to be.

A person with Asperger’s Syndrome in adolescence or in adulthood may experience low self-esteem feeling that they have missed on things in life that appears to be the norm for their contemporaries, with the mind painting a picture that they are ‘inferior’ to others around them.  One’s natural tendency to cope with such feelings may be either to allow them to take hold to the extent where one’s actions and behaviour is controlled by them, which can potentially result in dangerous habits such as self-harm. Alternatively one may also try to cope by suppressing or banishing negative thoughts. This method though often only leads to higher levels of stress and anxiety when such thoughts keep coming back.

The next stage of coping effectively with depression, however, involves being able to notice that how you feel isn’t how it actually is, with our perception and reality being two different things as well as our thoughts and assumptions as to how things around us appear not necessarily being facts. When one is able to notice this, it enables one to work with depression rather than finding themselves trapped in it. Increasingly being recognised as a tool to help cope with anxiety and depression, including by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), mindfulness practice, including meditation and related breathing exercises can give one control over depression through being able to acknowledge and accept negative thoughts and emotions, allowing them to arise and pass.

When hearing the term meditation, one may immediately think of sitting still in an uncomfortable cross-legged position, but the mindfulness practice offered by the NHS in a secular rather than spiritual context and delivered over an eight-week period is surprisingly flexible and much more accessible than one may perceive. What has been one of the most simple, accessible and effective practice for me to help cope work with negative thoughts and emotions has been the three minute-breathing space, which can be practiced at just about any time of day.

Over time, with a little patience and effort, mindfulness practice can enable people with Asperger’s Syndrome to reduce recurring depression and take more control over their lives, including being able to make the most of the strengths their condition may present.

 For more information about NHS Choices’ mindfulness programmes, see the following link http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/Pages/mindfulness.aspx

Chris Mitchell is currently raising money for the Daisy Chain project in Stockton-On-Tees. Daisy Chain is a charitable foundation that provides support services to the autism community, including animal therapy and arts therapy projects. To find out more about Daisy Chain and Chris’s fundraising events visit. www.justgiving.com/Chris-MitchellGNR

Asperger’s Syndrome and Mindfulness, Taking Refuge in the Buddah (2008) by Chris Mitchell is published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Jo Adkins and Sue Larkey authors of ‘Practical Mathematics for Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Developmental Delays’ (2013)  explain their successful three step approach to making maths fun for young learners.

It is a myth that all children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are good at mathematics. Mathematics is a skill that needs to be taught just like reading, spelling and any other skill. Although some children with an ASD are great at mathematics and often have a special interest in numbers, this is not enough. Many have rote learnt mathematics skills and have gaps in understanding key mathematical concepts. Our mathematics resource seeks to fill those gaps by engaging children in simple and enjoyable maths activities that can be completed at home with parents or in school.

Practical Mathematics has been designed to provide a sequential order of learning because like many other skills, mathematics cannot be taught fully until pre-requisite skills have been taught and achieved.   Children with an ASD learn best through repetition and our programme provides lots of fun activities that children will want to do ‘over and over again!

Each section of the book is divided into three simple steps to ensure the child has consolidated each skill and can generalise the mathematics concepts in everyday situations.

Step 1: Where to start – Direct Teaching

The first step in teaching mathematics is using direct teaching. This involves one on one instructional teaching with an adult and child. Generally, this work is done at a table or on the floor – wherever the child can sit for a length of time and focus with minimal distraction. As your child’s attention to task and concentration span develops move to other environments.

Direct Teaching tasks can include matching card games, sorting colours, number lines and photo sequencing.

Step 2: Creating Opportunities to Practice

The second step in teaching mathematics is to create opportunities to practice those skills being taught in direct teaching. This involves creating opportunities to use the skills learnt in step 1 of a particular skill – whether these be engineered situations, or incidental teaching seizing the opportunity, where possible, when events occur during the child’s day.

Engineered Situations is where you deliberately set-up situations to teach; e.g. when dressing give your child only one sock so they need to request two or more; only give one of their favourite foods and get them to request a specific number more; or when watching a DVD, if you know they want a specific scene, get them to tell you which number.

Incidental teaching is where you follow your child’s lead; responding as situations occur during the day. For example, count food as you give to the child – “one, two, three shape biscuits”; verbalise activities – “Mummy wants three biscuits”; and general observations – when pushing a floor button in lift say “I want five”.

There are lots of situations during your everyday when you can count ‘how many’, ‘how long to wait’, ‘match shapes/colours’ or point out ‘what is different’. These are all very important mathematics concepts and the more you incorporate in everyday situations the quicker the child will learn and generalise.

Use Activity Based Instruction to learn mathematics skills across a number of activities – in different environments, with different people. In the book we give many examples of activity based instruction where you can teach mathematics skills through lots of different everyday activities such as Schedules, Music, Eating Times, Bath Time, etc. The key to knowing a child has learnt a concept is when they spontaneously use the concept or point it out to you, “Look a triangle” or ask for “three chips”.

Step 3: Assessing and Moving On

On-going assessments will help you identify any areas where the child may be struggling and some ideas on what to do to enhance skills and when to move on to next steps.

***

Practical Mathematics is designed as a starting point for introducing key mathematical concepts to young children. The programme is suitable for children from 2-8 years but also works well as a resource for older children who need to re-visit mathematical concepts in order to boost their understanding. Once the child has learnt the early mathematics concepts in this book, they should be able to access the normal school curriculum and preschool programmes – although this may be at varying levels.

Practical Mathematics for Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Developmental Delays by Jo Adkins and Sue Larkey (2013) is published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

If you’d like to print off a copy of the booklet, simply click here to download and print.

As part of my job, it is my privilege to work with many children with ASD who work hard to cope with life in a mainstream setting. Sometimes their best efforts are thwarted because of an inability to control their temper. The idea for a ‘Red Beast thermometer’ came from a wonderful Special Ed teacher, called Rose.  Rose emailed, all the way from the USA, to see if it was possible for Haitham (Al-Ghani, illustrator of Kay’s books) to produce a set of pictures of the Red Beast in his various stages of growth. Haitham was happy to do this and Rose produced many wonderful visuals, one of which was the thermometer. Haitham adapted Rose’s prototype to produce this downloadable resource. I have tested it in many schools and it has been a resounding success.

This is James, with his brilliant INA, Dan. They are relaxing in James’ ‘safe place’. James is a big fan of Super Mario. Whenever he feels angry he retires to this place to practice some Red Beast calming techniques, and he is now able to regulate his temper and express how he feels, by grading Super Mario on this thermometer.

I think you will agree it was a Super Mario of an idea. Thank you, Rose!

You can download your own copy of the Red Beast thermometer here along with some ideas for classroom activities.

To receive a free copy of the catalogue, please sign up for our mailing listand we’ll get one out to you right away. You may also request multiple copies to share with friends, family, colleagues and clients–simply note how many copies of the catalogue you would like (up to 20) in the ‘any additional comments’ box on the sign-up form.

We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to get more information about our outstanding new titles such as Dementia – Support for Family and Friends by Dave Pulsford and Rachel Thompson and Can I tell you about Dementia? by Jude Welton. The catalogue also features information on bestselling titles such as Leadership for Person-Centered Dementia Care  by Buz Loveday and Playfulness and Dementia by John Killick, as well moving personal accounts of the experience of dementia such as Dancing with Dementia and  Who will I be when I die?  from Christine Bryden.

Click this link to see a listing of new and recent titles from Jessica Kingsley Publishers’ Dementia list.

To request a copy of the JKP catalogue of books on Dementia and Elder Care, please click here to fill out our sign-up sheet. Please be sure to click any additional areas of interest as well. You should receive a copy of the catalogue within two weeks.