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Autistic Lived Experience: To Be Disabled Is to Be Strong!
Not everything is as it seems on the surface. Many things can be looked at in more ways than one. Much of what comprises a person is hidden from plain sight, though it is nonetheless very real and often of great power. Human strength is a prime example. When I attended a 2-week tennis...
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Autism, Online Offending, and Victimization
Individuals on the autism spectrum are particularly vulnerable to committing online offenses, in many instances unwittingly. They are also victimized by online predators, financial scams, and extremist groups. Consequently, they are increasingly interacting with the criminal justice system as...
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The First Step in Bullying Prevention Is Normalizing Our Differences
“When I was young, getting through each day wasn’t just hard, it was painful to my soul. In school I was cast aside, manipulated and laughed at. Friendships were made solely based on the bond my classmates would form over their common interest in teasing me. My teachers didn’t understand me,...
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Bullying and Youth with Disabilities and Special Health Needs
Children with disabilities—such as physical, developmental, intellectual, emotional, and sensory disabilities—are at an increased risk of being bullied. Any number of factors— physical vulnerability, social skill challenges, or intolerant environments—may increase the risk. Research...
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Study Demonstrates That Children with Autism Can Learn to Stand Up to Bullies
The Autism Research Group, along with the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, published a study in the current issue of the journal “Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders” on teaching children with autism to detect and respond to lies told by others attempting to bully them. A research...
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The Impact of Bullying on Individuals with High Functioning Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome
Individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) and high functioning autism (HFA) often report being bullied at some point in their lives. Many describe in great detail the experience of being bullied, and some appear traumatized by the experience. In my clinical experience, individuals with AS and HFA...
