Stella Waterhouse
Official Guide
Author specializing in Autism, Asperger's syndrome & sensory disorders Expert
Stella Waterhouse Quick Facts
- Main Areas
- Autism & Asperger's Syndrome with a special interest in sensory disorders
- Best Sellers
- Why does he do that? A Guide to Autism & Asperger's Syndrome; A Survival Guide - Positive Parenting for Children on the Autistic Spectrum; The Problem is Understanding - A Teacher's Guide to Autism, Whoops! A Teacher's Guide to Dyspraxia.
- Career Focus
- Author
Stella Waterhouse is a writer and therapist who has worked children and adults with a variety of learning differences since the late 1960’s.
In the mid 1980s Stella worked at a residential home for approximately 40 adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD), where she became Deputy Principal.
In the 1990’s Stella set out to write a short book on the role of anxiety in autism., which at that time received little attention. Her research led her to investigate the causes of ASD as well as role of sensory disorders - particularly those of an auditory or visual nature.
The original ‘short’ book evolved into a much larger project and has so far spawned two full length books including A Positive Approach to Autism - Jessica Kingsley Publishers, plus a series of short books for parents and teachers all of which are currently available as e-books.
Short books include:
Why Does He Do That?
A Survival Guide
The Problem is Understanding
Whoops! A Guide to Dyspraxia
Stella is currently completing her new series The Autism Code.
Free Articles & Book Excerpts
Stella Waterhouse Books
The Problem is Understanding - A Teacher's Guide to ASD
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Problem-Understanding-Disorders-Approaches-ebook/dp/B00GB8CP12/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1392737445&sr=1-3&keywords=stella+waterhouse
A Survival Guide - Positive Parenting for Children with ASD
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Survival-Guide-Positive-Parenting-Children-ebook/dp/B00FA29TGO/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1392737445&sr=1-2&keywords=stella+waterhouse
Whoops! A Teacher's Guide to Dyspraxia
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Whoops-A-Teachers-Guide-Dyspraxia-ebook/dp/B0071PM0YG/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1392737445&sr=1-4&keywords=stella+waterhouse
Articles by this expert
SelfGrowth articles and saved writing connected to this expert.
Article
***TAKING THE MYTH AND MYSTERY OUT OF THE HISTORY: Part One: A Brief History of Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
Many myths and fallacies are attached to ASD but perhaps one of the strangest is the idea that it only actually began in the 1940s, when Leo Kanner in the US and Hans Asperger in Austria both wrote papers on the subject; describing similar but apparently different symptoms which gave rise to the terms 'autism' and 'Asperger's syndrome' both of which now come under the umbrella term 'autistic spectrum disorders'.
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***EXPLORING THE AUTISTIC SPECTRUM
I was always told that if you want to learn something you should 'ask an expert' and so when I set out to write a short booklet on anxiety in the late 1980s, I decided to begin my research by reading books and articles by or about people with ASD themselves.
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***TAKING THE MYTH AND MYSTERY OUT OF THE HISTORY: Part Two: ASD in the 19th Century
The 19th century too seems to have had its fair share of children who might fit the criteria for ASD today: children who, in keeping with those times, and depending on the severity of their problems were often classified as fools, idiots or imbeciles.
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THE AUTISM WARS Part One: War Of The Worlds
Regrettably the past two decades have seen the rise of the autism wars. One such battlefront is linked to the idea that autism is triggered by some 'exte al force': an idea that has led many parents to buy into the idea that 'curing' autism would return to the child to 'normal' and one that has also encouraged numerous organizations to look for and/or advocate a cure.
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***THE AUTISM WARS - Part Two: Battlefronts
Another battle in the autism wars began with the apparent increase in ASD in the late 1980s, which some people believed - as some still do - was really the beginning of an epidemic. And that is where we find the first battle: a hotly debated argument as to whether the increase is/was real or not.
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TAKING THE MYTH AND MYSTERY OUT OF THE HISTORY - Part Three: ASD from the late 19th Century
One of Dr Down's contemporaries was Dr Isaac Kerlin, then considered a leader in the field of 'mental retardation'. He was the superintendent of the Pennsylvania Institute for Feeble-Minded Children in the US for many years: a school whose pupils included those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (some of whom also fit the criteria for ASD) alongside those with minor behavior problems and even some who would probably be considered delinquent today.
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***THE AUTISM WARS: Part Three: Jabbed
There are two different aspects to this so I'll begin with the ongoing saga of the MMR a triple vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella. In the past it had been postulated that the triple jab and in particular the measles part, could cause encephalitis, the speculation being that this might trigger autism, perhaps by damaging the blood brain barrier or by interfering with the myelination process (mylin being a fatty coating which insulates the nerves that conduct electrochemical impulses).
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***THE AUTISM WARS Part Four: Pros and Cons
Time now to turn our attention to the USA where the arguments surround one particular vaccine additive - thimerosal - rather than the vaccines themselves. This mercury based product has been used as a preservative in many vaccines since the 1930s - before being removed from many of them at the beginning of this century. Thus it was in the Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus vaccine (DPT) vaccine routinely given children from two months of age, although it was not used in the Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine.
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***AUTISM AWARENESS Part One: What's In A Name?
Today people generally try to be politically correct but, while a good thing in theory that can have some drawbacks, especially in relation to Autistic Spectrum Disorders as you will see. Thus nowadays it people commonly refer to ASD as a learning 'difference' or even a 'personality trait' but, although their good intentions cannot be faulted, both terms have flaws, with the latter in particular giving rise to some unintended (and unfortunate) consequences. However, before you jump to the conclusion that I am overstating the case, let me explain my reasoning.
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AUTISM AWARENESS Part Two: Shadows On The Soul
The last article assessed the impact of referring to ASD as a learning 'difference' or even a 'personality trait.' As I said then, I believe that both terms can potentially cause problems. That is particularly true in relation to abuse, making it far too easy for abusers to justify punishments and other mistreatments as the way to 'make the child conform', or simply to pass the resulting distressed behaviors as simply part of the child's autism.
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***Diagnosis Simplified - or Muddled? Diagnosis - Formerly Known as Asperger's Syndrome . . .
It's a funny old world. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) produced by the American Psychiatric Association (APS) is one of two main international sets of diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorders: the other being the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), produced by the World Health Organization.
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*** Data Sadly Missed: Childhood Disintegrative Disorder
My last article looked at the effects of the changes in the DSM one year on, focusing on the deletion of Asperger's syndrome but, of course, there was also another omission that attracted little attention; possibly because Asperger's syndrome took precedence. And yet that omission too is of great importance.
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Websites & resources
SelfGrowth-published websites, downloads, and contributor profile websites connected to this expert.
Website
www.sensorydifferences.com
Gives a brief introduction to autism, Asperger's, dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, OCD, Tourette's syndrome etc - offers an oversight of each using visual media and/or links to relevant articles. Also includes information on useful therapies + a number of interesting movies & books.
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Contributor website
www.positiveapproachestoasd.com
http://www.positiveapproachestoasd.com