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10 Greatest Autism Inventions Of The Past 100 Years (at least in my household)

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(originally written & published on March 3, 2012)

Everybody’s always RAVING about the Ipad and how it’s the greatest invention for asd kids and it is GREAT.  My 8 year old son with severe / classic / non-verbal autism has an Ipad and I wrote a post singing its praises (you can read that HERE), but lately every day it’s the little things in life that I’ve been noticing. 

So I decided to salute the inventors of the little things that have improved my asd kid’s life and in some cases saved his life and in some cases save his life on a daily basis!
I’m sure a few of these are unique to my household and my autism lifestyle, but I’m sure there will be a few on my list that many other autism parents can relate to.
So here’s 10 inventions that when they were invented had no idea they would have such a huge impact on my and my asd son’s life… 
1) CHEERIOS

What would my son’s life be like without cheerios?  How would he get ANY vitamins in his system?  Through all the different food phases he went through, except for the year plus when he was on the GFCF diet, cheerios has been his one constant.  
So who invented this miracle food? 
According to the website whoinventedit.net
Who invented Cheerios? General Mills employee Lester Borchadt has the credit for the creation of the breakfast cereal. The product was created in 1941 and it was introduced to the public as Cheeri Oats. General Mills received complaints from another firm that used the same brand name. To resolve the issue, the company decided to change the name of the merchandise to Cheerios in 1945.
At the time that the merchandise was offered to the public, many consumers became interested with the product because it is the original ready-to-eat oat breakfast. Cheerios was first offered to the consumers at Golden Valley in Minnesota. To improve the sales from the product, the firm introduced a mascot of a cartoon character named Cheeri O’Leary.
Thank you Lester!  This autism daddy salutes you!
2) TIVO / DVR
This is one of the greatest inventions for both kids with autism and their parents.  Having the ability to not fumble around with dvd’s and having Kyle’s favorite shows stored in the dvr and ready to go at a seconds notice (unless Kyle has hid or broken the remote) is a godsend.  But maybe more importantly having mommy & daddy’s favorite shows stored for when the kid finally falls is asleep is even more of a miracle!
I’m finding it hard to figure out who invented the dvr, but I did find this interesting tidbit on ehow.com 
The first device to record a video signal to a spinning disk (i.e., a hard drive) in real-time actually dates back to 1965 and an experiment done by CBS. This primitive predecessor to the DVR was released commercially by Ampex in 1967 and was called the HS-100. The Ampex device was large and held only 30 seconds of video, making it seem practically useless in comparison to the DVR units of today.
There is heated debate as to whether the Ampex HS-100 can truly be called the first DVR. Although the signal was recorded to a fixed, spinning disk in real-time, the signal being recorded was analog–like the signal recorded with a VCR. The idea of a digital video signal did not exist in the 60s.
The first Digital Video Recorder unit was we know it was made by TiVo in 1999. It had only a 14GB hard drive and could record about 14 hours of digital video. Although it was groundbreaking at the time, this first TiVo unit held barely one-tenth of what even the most modest DVR units would hold 10 years later.

I salute you little Tivo man!

3) MELATONIN

What more can I say about melatonin?  I’ve written about it and sung its praises many times before (like HERE).
But again melatonin has vastly improved Kyle’s sleep schedule and routine and therefore his quality of life and therefore mom & dad’s quality of life.
It doesn’t always work. And when it does work it sometimes helps him fall asleep but doesn’t always keep him asleep. I’m always tweaking & adjusting the dosage. But all in all it’s been a godsend and Kyle’s been using it for almost 3 years now with no side effects that we know of….unless you consider drowsiness and 8+ hours of blissful sleep most nights a side effect.   🙂
But who discovered melatonin?  I found this on the NY Times website
In 1958, Dr. Aaron Lerner, an expert on skin pigmentation disorders who trained in both chemistry and medicine, led a Yale team that isolated a hormone from the pineal gland within the brain. In laboratory experiments on frogs, the researchers found that the compound could lighten skin color and theorized that it might have applications in treating human skin disorders. Dr. Lerner named the hormone melatonin, and the team’s findings were announced in The Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Subsequent investigations revealed that melatonin did not hold the key to treating disruptions in skin pigmentation like vitiligo. Research by others has since uncovered the hormone’s importance in maintaining the circadian rhythm of rest and wakefulness, and it is now used to treat sleeplessness and jet lag.
Thank you Dr. Lerner!  You are like Columbus!  You didn’t find what you were looking for, but you found something even better!  We asd parents salute you!  I want to kiss you on the mouth!  🙂

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4) MICROWAVE POPCORN

How many bags of microwave popcorn has my son eaten in his life?!  No way to keep track of that.  He is ADDICTED to the stuff and when he’s in a phase where he’s not eating enough and his appetite is decreased and he’s in danger of losing weight (which has happened before), microwave popcorn is used to pack on some extra calories.  Thankfully Kyle likes the cheap & simple stuff.  Store brand “natural” kind…  When there’s a 10 boxes for $10 sale we stock up!
But who invented microwave popcorn?
From “Yahoo Answers”
In 1946 Dr. Percy Spencer of the Raytheon Corporation was experimenting with a magnetron (a new type of vacuum tube) when he noticed that the chocolate bar in his pocket had melted. He was curious, so he placed some popcorn kernels next to the magnetron and turned it on – the popcorn popped. After experimenting with various other food items, he and Raytheon realized they were on to something and continued on to develop the first microwave oven.
Dr. Spencer holds that patent on microwave popcorn, while the patent on the microwave popping bag is held by Lawrence C. Brandberg and David W. Andreas, who filed for the patent in 1973 while working at Pillsbury.
Conagra Foods ACT I was an early microwave popcorn that had to be stored in the refrigerator. In 1984 ACT II, a shelf-stable microwave popcorn, hit the stage. It was the first mass-marketed microwave popcorn.

All Hail Dr. Spencer!!

5) SENOKOT.

Kyle’s gone thru phases where he’s had major stomach issues, where he’s had major stomach pain and/or been constipated.
Now i know some of you are gonna say that’s from too much popcorn or Cheerios.  🙂   Or too much sugar, too much/not enough fiber,  he should be GFCF, he has yeast issues, etc, etc, etc.   It doesn’t matter. We’ve tried the diets and the yeast and other gut things and he went thru stomach pain/ constipation phases thru them all.
So now we just give him a senokot every night or every other night and it helps keep him regular and happy.
Who invented it?  Don’t know, but it’s over 45 years old and I found this info on the senokot website.
What is senokot?
1. What Is The Natural Vegetable Laxative Ingredient in Senokot® Products?
Senna has been grown for use as a laxative since ancient Egyptian times. After being ground to a fine powder, the senna undergoes a scientific “standardization process” to ensure consistent potency with every recommended dose.
2. How does Senokot work?
Senna contains sennosides (also known as “anthraquinone glycosides”), active ingredients also found in foods such as rhubarb, which in themselves have no activity in the upper gut. In the bowel, however, they are activated by bacteria present, and are able to gently stimulate the nerves which regulate bowel movement. This in turn leads to peristalsis (rhythmical muscular contractions) and the passage of stools.

I guess we have the Egyptians and the Senna plant to thank… So thank you!

6) SCUNCI HAIR TIES

You know those little black bands that you women leave all over every door knob in the house?  Well we use them as security locks on cabinets all over our house. 

For a kid that’s been known to eat dish soap or any bottle under the sink that looks pretty they are a life saver.  They are better and cheaper than the “child proof cabinet locks” that you can get at Target or Bed Bath because they require no installation, and if you really wrap that sucker on there it’s like the fortress of solitude, nobody’s getting in there!  Why not just use a rubber band you ask?  We’ve tried that, but rubber bands are breakable, these are unbreakable and seem to be indestructible.
Who knows how many calls to poison control have been averted due to the magic of this 99 cent store staple?  So all hail the Scunci Hair Tie!
Who invented it?  My Internet is not telling me, but this Autism Daddy wants to kiss that inventor, male or female, alive or dead, ON THE MOUTH!!

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7) CHILD PROOF PILL BOTTLE

How would we live or survive without the child proof pill bottle?  Elderly people are always bitching & complaining about how hard it is to open these suckers, but it’s like that for a reason!  So little kids and MY 8 year old son with autism can’t open them.  Who knows how many trips to the ER have been avoided because of this invention.  There’s a few fine motor skills that I NEVER plan on even attempting to teach my asd son.  One is opening pill bottles, the other is unlocking my basement door, and a third is unraveling a Scunci Hair Tie that’s wrapped around a cabinet door. 
So who invented the first child proof bottle?  It’s not clear, but here’s a wee bit of history…
In 1970, the US Congress passed the Poison Prevention Packaging Act (PPPA)  requiring that drugs and some household chemicals like furniture polish be sold in child-resistant packages.The legislation can be found on this link http://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/pppa.pdf
The FDA assumed responsibility until 1973 when the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was established. They are now responsible for administering the regulations. They are guided by the FDA as to whether a medicine or drug falls under the act. http://www.cpsc.gov/
The first drug to come under the legislation was asprin.
“The Unites States Poison Prevention Packaging Act (PPPA) of 1970 was enacted to prevent young children from accidentally ingesting hazardous substances ordinarily stored about the house. The law requires toxic, corrosive, or irritative substances to be packaged in such a way that it will be difficult for children less than 5 years to open them, yet not difficult for adults to open. The first product to fall under this law was aspirin, on August 8, 1972, with the law gradually encompassing more and more hazardous substances, including some prescriptions and over-the-counter medications.”
I was born in 1970.  So I guess prior to 1970 kids were dropping like flies.  See the good ol’ days weren’t always good.  Sometimes government regulation is important & saves lives!
8) TRAMPOLINE
Who knew that something invented back in 1935 would have such a huge impact in my ASD son’s life. We have an indoor trampoline and a backyard trampoline and when the king is having a stimmy day there’s no better way to expend that energy than jumping it out on the trampoline for a few minutes.
So who do we have to thank for inventing the trampoline?
The manufactured trampoline, as we know it today, was created by two men, George Nissen and Larry Griswold, allegedly in George’s garage. One day in 1935, with the help of the wrestling coach at the University of Iowa, Nissen and Griswold bolted together an iron frame. A piece of canvas, in which they had inserted grommets along each side, was then attached to the frame by using springs. This was the first trampoline. Nissen called it a Trampoline after hearing “El trampolin” (Spanish for diving board), on a performance tour in Mexico around this time, and registered the term as a trademark. In 1942, Griswold and Nissen decided to formalise their small operation of making trampolines. They created the Griswold-Nissen Trampoline & Tumbling Company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and history was made….
George & Larry, from all the autism parents out there, we salute you!

9) SWING SET
This is another way for my asd son to work out his energy and/ or get over a meltdown quicker.  Go swinging!  We have an indoor door frame swing
and we have a swing set in the backyard.  When in doubt, put him on the swing?  So who invented this amazing concept?
It’s actually a fascinating story that you can read at http://www.outdoorfunstore.com/Playground-History_c_1953.html but the abridged version is…

In 1912, the University of Virginia Summer School for teachers began educating “county school teachers in equipping their own yards with playground apparatus.” The University designed and constructed a “fine playground” to illustrate and supplement the classroom instruction in playground methods. The equipment was used constantly during the six weeks of summer school session, and then was dismantled and stored away to be used again at subsequent sessions. The apparatus included: a sandbox or sand pile, a balancing tree, jump standards, a see-saw, a slide, a swing frame with sliding poles and ladder, a flying dutchman, and a giant stride. All of the equipment was home-made and inexpensive. According to state government records the boys and girls of Charlottesville, Virginia duplicated some of this apparatus at their own homes and in vacant lots around town.

So thank yo University Of Virgina!  We autism parents salute you!
10) CHILD SAFETY LOCKS (to lock the back seat doors of cars)
This one saves my son’s life ON A DAILY BASIS!  This is that little latch on your car door that makes it impossible for someone to open the door from the inside.  When I’m driving my son to school in my Toyota Camry he’s CONSTANTLY fiddling with the handle, trying to open the door.  Not because he wants out, but just because he can.  Because he can reach it.  And he’s getting taller and bigger, but it’s very satisfying knowing that he can’t get out. 
If this invention didn’t exist my kid would’ve been dead a hundred times over…or we’d need to keep him handcuffed or in a straight jacket while driving in the car.   🙂
I can’t find any info about who invented this or the history of it.  All I can find is that it started becoming standard on cars in the 1980s.  What did asd parents do before that??  And who invented this?  I need to know who to salute!  This is probably the greatest of them all!
That’s it!  Those are my 10.  Whataya think?  Do you have any other inventions that you would add to your list?
THE END!

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Frank Campagna

I’m a 48 year old neurotypical dad with a 14 year old son with severe, non-verbal autism & epilepsy. I created this blog to rant about autism & epilepsy while celebrating my son who I affectionately call “the king” :-).

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  • One of the greatest inventions for my son is McDonalds because he LOVES chicken nuggets! Also the "Pat-a-Cake" nursery rhyme. For some reason, my son has NEVER forgotten how to do it! He's known the routine since he was about 9 months old and despite his several regressions, he has always remembered it. It's a great redirect for him :) I love your posts :)

  • wow thats a pretty good list u got here, id like to add in there the PS3 and Internet, because without those things, my son would have no enjoyable daily fun, he loves his movies, and savin them on the ps3 hard drive is sooo much easier... hes not quite three and movies are his one passion....ok and pretzels, .....oh and rough play ;) lol , thanks for another great psot :)

  • We have had to use the hair ties a few times for the same purpose. Don't think we could live without Sky+,Lego or the trampoline. Child lock are the best inventions - even our 20 month can open the car doors so they are a live saver literately . Game consoles have also averted more than a few meltdowns.

  • Dumdum pops, the small kind you get from the bank, barber, etc. They also come in sugar free. A great reward/distraction.

  • The child proof bottles aren't that child proof in my opinion. my 4 year old has been opening them for over a year now.

  • Microwaveable popcorn is a miracle, it's true - but let's not ignore the wonder of microwaveable macaroni and cheese! (If it weren't for this and cheese pizza, I don't think I could get *any* dairy into my daughter...)

  • Gosh many of those are a MUST in our home too. Especially the popcorn and trampoline. We also must have Gym ball for him to bounce on, clothes peg (specific type and colour!) for him to chew on, and special brand chocolate ice cream! and blanky to wrap him in tightly when he needs. We're planning to go overseas (our first ever trip) for a holiday...dreading the whole food issue???

  • We need popcorn, tramp, internet, lego, mcdonalds chips and nuggets, choc icecream, tin baby apples, sizzler sausages.

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Frank Campagna

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