WHAT'S NEW ON THE BOOKSHELF?
Innovative Book Helps
Parents Identify Pain
in Autistic Children
MY PAIN
ALERT™ SCALE
COMMUNICATION
TOOL
M
y Pain Alert™ Scale Communication Tool was
created to make sure every communicator
can get help for pain, particularly the autistic
and the very young.
My Pain Alert™ Scale levels can be conveyed by point-
ing, single sounds, American Sign Language, or in a
communication device or system. Individuals with
age two vocabulary can be trained through stories,
sign language, or the tool’s own song, “Are you Hurt-
ing?”
MPA scale pictures a boy showing his pain by his ac-
tions, location, and clothing. The words for the levels
are Ouch, Need Meds, Need Stronger, Fine, Meds Not
Working, and Need Escape. Fine is above Need Meds
because pain, when medicated, is experienced in an
up-down fashion.
MPA has six levels, like the frequently used 29-years-
old Wong-Baker faces. The numeric recording sys-
tem adapted for W-B can be used for MPA by medical
staff. W-B scale is a poor fit for autism as it requires
the eight-year-old user and above to recall a prior in-
ternal state and select the face symbol for how his/
her current pain compares to it. There are no train-
ing materials to go with it. It is typically shown to the
child in pain when the nurse needs to record a nu-
meric pain level.
The book is designed for practice before need, as well
as, use with everyday bruises and aches. Annotated
references are included to help families adapt it to
56 | Autism Parenting Magazine | Issue 68
their loved ones. The book includes a smartphone
practice and pain event charting method.
Their field testing families reported their children go-
ing from crying to identifying their pain levels when
seeking help.
My Pain Alert™ Scale Communication Tool can be or-
dered from any book seller: ISBN978-0-9981610-0-6
at $7.99 print or $2.99 eBook. Education goals can in-
clude using this material. It was designed with home,
school, and therapy use in mind.
Gail Goldstein is a speech language pathologist
who prepared adults with autism for hospital sur-
gery. Her sister, Jan Schippits, is an artist; and her
niece, Blair Malloy, mothers three children, one
with chronic Chiari pain from birth. He uses the
MPA scale every day.
Website: www.mypainalert.com.