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Executive Functioning Enhancement for High School Students with ASD
Educators have made great strides in integrating students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) into general education over the past several decades; however, at the secondary school level, these students still often experience serious difficulties. A major obstacle to success for adolescents on the...
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Education, Training, and Job Trends
There is no time greater than during a recession to consider the truth behind the phrase “education matters.” This is especially important for people with autism and other disabilities that, even in a “good economy,” have a difficult time finding employment. Why does post-secondary...
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Finding the Best Fit: Exploring College and Vocational Options
In the last twenty years the growing awareness of autism, the reconceptualization of autism as a spectrum of characteristics, and improved diagnostic techniques have contributed to the increased demand for specialized educational programs in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary educational...
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Sensory Scanning for Self-Advocacy
Many individuals with autism, like myself, have challenges with the sensory world. Sometimes these challenges are difficult for us to identify, and quite often it’s even harder for those around us to see or understand them. Our senses provide our brains with information about the environment,...
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Setting the Stage for School: A Guide for Parents
It is an extraordinary milestone when any child enters school for the first time. This event is often marked with excitement, anxiety, ambivalence and tears of fear and joy for both the child and his or her family. Entrusting the care of your child into the hands of another can be anxiety...
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Supporting Students on the Autism Spectrum in Higher Education
The continuing rise in prevalence of autism, now at 1 in 88 (Center for Disease Control, 2012), has engendered greater awareness of the condition, followed by increased research, and improved interventions and strategies for individuals with Asperger Syndrome (AS) and High Functioning Autism (HFA)....
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Teaching the Teachers: Creating New Opportunities and Outcomes in Educating Students with Special Needs
Educating students with special needs is an inherently challenging task due to the individualized and shifting needs of each student. Different schools of thought emerge when contemplating this issue: inclusion, a variety of special education services, modifications/accommodations, community based...
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The Real Priorities in Advocacy – Keeping the Whole Child, the Whole Family and the Big Picture in Mind
In my observation, an effective Autism Advocate is someone who is often isolated from the rest of the “typical” society because they are the parent of a child with Autism, which is a 25 hour a day job. They become consumed in caring for their child on top of their other life duties such as...
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Traditional Education May Be the Biggest Barrier to a Meaningful Education
Unlike many disorders that are treatable with a pill or procedure, the most important form of treatment for an autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is education. However, the traditional special education model, notwithstanding the great advances made in public education, individualized programing and...
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Transforming Transitional Programs
Walking onto a college campus is the first step to adulthood and true independence. This step can cause excitement, fear and anxiety for most young people. For students with learning disabilities and on the autism spectrum, these emotions are magnified. It is a new world of unchartered territory...
