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Prognosis? The Sky’s the Limit
When I published my first memoir in January, I expected to receive a fair amount of feedback from readers. I didn’t know what my readers would say, exactly, but I assumed that, for the most part, their responses would be positive. I imagined that people would write to me and offer such opinions...
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Career Planning for People on the Autism Spectrum
As autistic kids graduate from high school and enter adulthood, parents ask, “What’s next?” Some will go to college, others won’t, but many will want to enter the work force. But what kind of work is the individual suited for? Everyone on the spectrum is different. Deciding on a career...
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Self-Reinforcing My Own Behavior Plan
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is scientific approach that involves using modern behavioral learning theories to modify overt behaviors. As an adult with Asperger’s Syndrome, this is a theory that I find useful to practice in my own life. It is extremely challenging to self-reinforce my own...
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Asparagus Syndrome: The Newly Gourmand Life of an Impossibly Picky Eater
Last week, I burned the lasagna. I remember opening the oven, full of anticipation and nervous excitement, only to have my hopes dashed on the rocks at the sight of the undercooked noodles and scorched earth-colored Parmesan cheese. Was it the glass baking pan? Should I not have halved the...
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The Challenge of Vocational Rehabilitation Programs for Individuals on the Spectrum
As individuals on the spectrum, we're different. We try to conform to the mold. Yet no matter how hard we work, it's not good enough for the neurotypical (NT) world. The agencies that are supposed to serve the disabled can't assist us because we don't fit in with their usual population. When...
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Support that Really Works – LifeMAP Coaching for Adults with Asperger Syndrome
Toni (name changed) has lived alone for most of her 63 years, plagued with a nagging sense of hopelessness and never enough money. With no family supports to speak of, she often felt utterly alone. Her tiny government-subsidized apartment used to be crammed floor-to-ceiling with old books, papers,...
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Believe
My journey to the Boston Marathon started long before I committed to run the best-known race in America. It began on a particularly low Saturday in November 2007. Our family had relocated to New Hampshire less than a year earlier, and although he had been officially diagnosed with Autism and was...
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Four Faces of Overstimulation
The word “overstimulation” is not listed in standard collegiate dictionaries. In the lives of people with Asperger Syndrome, however, this little-recognized form of stress reigns supreme. The ideas in this article are drawn from my own experiences – both living with Asperger’s and...
