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The Role of the Caregiver in Enhancing Job Skills in Individuals with ASD
When parents think of what they want for their children, a fulfilling job is often included in their answer. Many caregivers want to see that their loved one can not only obtain a job, but maintain it long-term. This tends to be particularly difficult for those on the autism spectrum, as research...
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Avoid Mistakes with Important Legal Forms
Many individuals have wills prepared, put their copies of the will away, and don’t think about their estate plan again. However, they should review their estate plan from time to time to make sure that their will and other legal documents, such as beneficiary designation forms and trusts, comport...
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How Supported Decision-Making Can Help Family Caregivers
Individuals with autism should have a choice in what happens to them throughout their lives. Too often, parents of children and adults with autism, intellectual, or developmental disabilities are advised – and often when their child is very young, long before it is possible to predict their...
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Integrating ABA into Practice: Addressing the Misconceptions
The past few decades has seen drastic changes to the field of autism, at least in part due to changes in the defining characteristics/diagnostic criteria for Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).1 As a result of increasingly inclusive criteria, professionals in fields such as psychiatry, medicine,...
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Mindfulness and ASD
Over the last couple of years, mindfulness, in particular Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), has been receiving more attention in the media. Mindfulness is often discussed as a new tool for managing life’s stressors and problems and, perhaps, a better way of approaching our daily lives....
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Building Capacity in Pre-service Teachers for Successful Collaboration with Parents of Children with ASDs and Related Disorders
The experience of raising a child with a disability is, without a doubt, qualitatively and even quantitatively different from raising a typically developing child. Educators must develop a better understanding of the experiences of families in order to promote successful and long-lasting...
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The Intermingling of Tech and Therapy
The iPhone and iPad is commonly touted as today’s go-to tech therapy tool, specifically when dealing with children. With monitored screen time, it enables the development of learning, literacy, and physical and fine motor skills. Apple even has research speaking to this fact, proving that the...
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Extending a Helping Hand
As a behavior specialist working in the home with the families of individuals with disabilities there is an exceptional opportunity to identify needs and concerns of not just our direct client, but also the family as a whole. While the primary focus is on the adult or child who needs support, it is...
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To Speak or Not to Speak Only English
As families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) become more culturally and linguistically diverse, they often seek clarity about bilingualism and its effects on their children’s communication patterns. They are apprehensive about speaking to their children in their language other...
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“It’s All My Fault!” Understanding Guilt in Parents of Children with ASD
Guilt is a powerful emotion. It has both motivating and destructive effects. It can be seen as a moral conscience, directing us toward doing the “right thing.” Imagine a society where there was no sense of moral guilt - this could lead to a situation where there is anarchy. Our guilt allows us...
