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Risk of Recurrence of Autism in Younger Siblings Higher Than Thought
The risk that an infant with an older sibling with autism also will develop the disorder, previously estimated at between 3 and 10 percent, is substantially higher at approximately 19 percent, a large, international, multi-site study led by researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute has found....
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Autism Speaks Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Tool Kit
In March 2010, Autism Speaks, North America's largest autism science and advocacy organization, launched the Autism Speaks Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Tool Kit (AS/HFA Tool Kit). The AS/HFA Tool Kit was created specifically to assist families in getting the critical information...
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Tackling the Unemployment Crisis for Adults with Asperger Syndrome
Those of us who are touched by autism – either personally or professionally – are all too aware of the statistics for this population. In its most recent estimates, the Center for Disease control projects that 1 in 110 individuals in the U.S. are born with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)....
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An Autism Spectrum News Interview with New York State OPWDD Commissioner Courtney Burke
It has been six months since Courtney Burke was appointed Commissioner of the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). Among the many things she has accomplished since that time, Ms. Burke has completed a statewide Listening Tour focused on issues concerning...
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Welcome to My World – A Mother’s Annual Letter to New School Teachers
After seven years of parenting a child enrolled in the local public school system, I’ve come to understand that, at least in our neck of the woods, each new grade begins with an automatic and inherent “do-over” mechanism in place. Regardless of how many copies of reports, summaries of...
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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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Important Facts About Adult Autism Employment
We don’t know how many adults in the U.S. have autism. The CDC number most frequently quoted for Autism in the U.S. (1 in 110) is the prevalence rate for the autism diagnosis in 8-year-old children in 2006 (released in 2009). This rate is an average of data from 11 sites across the U.S., with...
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Sensory Processing Difficulties – Dressing For Success
Many Children with Aspergers experience sensory processing difficulties or sensory processing disorder (SPD). Sensory Processing is the neurological processing and interpretation of sensation within one’s own body and from the environment. In short, it is the brain’s organization and...
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The Unique Needs of Students with ASDs Transitioning to College
It has been clearly established that individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders have difficulty with transitions. One major transition for a young person is the transition from secondary educational settings to the college environment. It can be overwhelming for any college freshman, but it is...
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What Do You Do When Relatives Don’t Believe the Diagnosis and Question Your Parenting?
“Give him time.” “She’s the last child born in the family; everyone does the talking for her.” “Your expectations are too high, every child has his/her own timetable.” “Don’t put him under a microscope. Relax and he will be fine.” “When I had my kids, the world was...
