Relias

Archive for the ‘Summer 2018 Issue’ Category

Accommodations for Students in the Higher Education Environment

The transition from high school to college may be challenging for all students, but especially for those diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and related learning differences. With so many changes in academic, social/emotional, and independent living demands, it is essential that students...

My Professor Can’t Teach! What College Students Can Do to Accommodate Themselves

The stage is set. You successfully started college, ready to learn. Your teacher passes out the syllabus which states that you will have four tests and one paper. As the weeks go by, you realize there are assignments that were not mentioned in the syllabus. In addition, you are unsure what will be...

Peer-Mediated Intervention for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

"Those around a person with autism must change first in order for change to occur in one with autism” (Schlieder, Maldonado & Baltes, 2014). Autism seems to be a buzzword in and out of medical, educational, and political conversations. Autism is more than just a buzzword. It is a formal...

Should All Nonverbal Young Children with Autism Immediately Have AAC Taught to Them?

Lack of speech is often the most obvious symptom of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and greatest cause of concern for parents of young children. For many families of children with ASD, having their child learn to talk is their primary goal. Children with ASD who learn to use spoken language as a...

The Use of Self-Monitoring Interventions to Support Inclusion for Adolescents Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder

There are numerous benefits to inclusion in school settings for students diagnosed with autism (Harrower and Dunlap, 2001). However, there are also many challenges related to inclusion for many of those students and for the educators and the support staff in those settings. Problematic behavior...

Autism Saved My Life

For 36 of my 40 years, I was disabled. I was cut off from the world but for the tiny bubble that was my bedroom. Barely able to care for myself, angry, scared and lonely, I felt hopeless and broken. Suicidal thoughts were a daily reminder of my inadequacies and failures. I was certain there had...

Creating Individualized, Data-Based, and Effective IEPs

All children, including those with autism and other developmental disabilities, are entitled to a free and appropriate education (FAPE), as outlined originally in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as well as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (Individuals with...

Inherited Variations in Noncoding Sections of DNA Associated with Autism

A new study has identified an association between paternally-inherited rare structural variants in noncoding segments of genes and the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study, funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and published in Science, adds to a...

2018 Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation “Leader in Adult Autism Award” Presented to Neal Katz at Autism Society of America National Conference

The 2018 Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Leader in Adult Autism Award was presented to 24-year-old ‘disability emissary’ Neal Katz during a Keynote Luncheon at the Autism Society of America’s 50th Annual National Conference, held this year in Washington, D.C., July 10-12. Foundation president...

Supporting Students with Autism Through Evidence-Based Employment Intervention

Unemployment rates for people with disabilities currently are hovering around 80%, with even higher rates for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). Over the past several decades, employment outcomes for students with autism have remained consistently poor...