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Getting Ready for Summer Camp: Tips for Parents
While kids prepare and look forward to the fun of summer break, as a parent you may be feeling stressed about months of hectic schedules, impromptu events, and later bedtimes. Let’s face it, for parents, summer’s promise of fun can quickly become a difficult and stressful time. For...
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Reaching Ukraine: Occupational Therapy-Centered Training to Support Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Kyiv
In the Eastern European country of Ukraine where there are more than 44 million residents (Archer, Harper, & Cameron, 2020), there are just 3 ergotherapists (Ukrainian translation for occupational therapists) in practice (Imas & Lazarieva, 2017). Though Ukrainian health officials recognize...
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Autism’s Growing Problem
As kids with autism become teenagers and adults, fewer and fewer services are available to help them and their families In March 2020, my wife and I dropped our teenage son off at a residential school for kids with autism in Boston. It was the day after Purim - just before the world seemed to...
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Parents and Caregivers: What to Do if You Think Your Child is Autistic
My child has big emotional reactions and seems so sensitive to everything. I am always having to reassure my daughter when we go to new places or meet new people. My son wants to make friends so bad, but he has such a hard time knowing how to play with others. My daughter gets upset every time I...
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How My Autism Diagnosis Helped Me Accept Myself and Lead a Happier Life
Throughout my life, I have faced significant challenges. These were most notable as a child, particularly in terms of social and sensory issues. My sensory issues used to be extreme. I couldn’t bear to be in a room where any cupboard doors were open, the sight of certain fruits caused me strong...
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Teaching Play to Children with Autism
Play has been focused on as a pivotal skill for young children, as it is an important context for both cognitive development and social connection. For these reasons, play is a primary focus of instruction for children with developmental delays and disabilities. Pretend play is a social skill that...
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Next Steps After an Autism Diagnosis: Acceptance, Advocacy, and Treatment Options
The road to diagnosis can be long and uncertain. For some, the news of diagnosis brings validation and hope. For others, it can lead to even more uncertainty. In either situation, it is important to seek support and guidance to navigate a path forward. It can be difficult to muddle through all of...
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11 Compassionate Parenting Tips for Families with Autistic Children
Few people realize the challenges of being a parent, until they become one. Now, imagine the added challenges of parenting an autistic child which is becoming more common as the number of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) increases. According to the Centers for Disease...
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The Importance of Telediagnostics in ASD Diagnosis and Treatment
The COVID-19 pandemic brought significant challenges and opportunities for psychologists conducting diagnostic evaluations for people with suspected autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While there had been research on telediagnostics for ASD, at the start of the pandemic these procedures had not been...
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Sharing an Adult Autism Diagnosis with Family, Friends, and Community
The successful British author Matt Haig spent a lot of time in self-reflection at the height of the pandemic. During this time, at 46 years of age, he was newly diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) along with having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In light of being...
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Engaging and Supporting Parents of Children Recently Diagnosed with Autism
No parent wants to learn that their child is autistic. Hopes and dreams for a neurotypical child are mostly abandoned and replaced by fear, uncertainty and, often, despair. Thus, effective professional intervention must begin with active listening to grasp the parent perspective on their child’s...
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Autism Around the World: An Interview with a First Lady with a Degree in Special Education and “Autism Belize”
She doesn’t flinch… “We need money! We need a lot of money. We need a lot of training, and it costs a lot of money…We’re not lost. We’re not this little country that has our heads in the sand. Every time somebody suggests to me ‘Let’s have a Special Education summit!’ It upsets...
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Challenges in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Older Autistic Women
Autism has a unique neurological structure with a wide variety of expressions. This diversity of strengths, challenges, and experiences is why autism is considered a spectrum disorder. It’s also what makes it challenging to diagnose and treat because the myriad of symptoms manifested in any given...
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Screening and Diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorder in Young Children
Given the complex nature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), its diagnosis can be challenging. Unlike conditions where biomarkers such as those found with a blood test can provide a definitive diagnosis, diagnosing ASD requires clinical observation and interpretation of a child’s behavior and...
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Late-Diagnosed Autism and Camouflaging in People Assigned Female at Birth
It is becoming increasingly understood that there are marked differences in autism between genders. This has led to people assigned female at birth (AFAB) to being diagnosed in adolescence or adulthood at a higher rate compared to people assigned male at birth (AMAB) (Wood-Downie et al., 2020). I...
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Why Didn’t My Pre-Diagnosis Clinicians Bring Up the Possibility of Autism?
So much was lost as a result of not knowing for so long. Lost happiness, because of having to contend with unanswered questions as to why I faced such daunting challenges which none of my peers seemed to be facing. Lost time, during which I lived without a complete picture of who I truly am, during...
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How to Get Unstuck After Receiving an Adult Autism Diagnosis
When I was diagnosed ASD level 1 at age 42 and realized what the staggering number of undiagnosed autistic women my age* must be, my first thought was of all the untapped talent that was out there in the world like misplaced dynamite. There was world-changing potential just waiting to be...
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Uncovering Neurodiversity in a Relationship
Neurodiversity in a partnership signifies that partners’ brains are wired differently from one another. When a couple learns that someone has a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), it can fundamentally shift the way they view their relationship. While there are inherent challenges that...