Perkins School for the Blind Transition Center

Archive for the ‘Summer 2019 Issue’ Category

How Do I Fund My Child’s Applied Behavior Analysis?

Your son/daughter has just been medically diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by their primary care physician or by a psychologist. It has been recommended that you pursue Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy. ABA is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics as an...

Housing for Adults with Autism: A Growing Crisis

This article will discuss the need for appropriate housing for adults with Autism. New and emerging programs will be explored. In full disclosure, this writer is the president and founder of Indie Living, Inc., a housing program currently in the early stages of development in New York. Over the...

Autism After 65 – Making the Most of the Golden Years

For the most part, this article is not based on research. I am using personal life experiences and the reports of individuals with whom I have corresponded and/or personally known for many years through research for my previous book, The Partner’s Guide to Asperger Syndrome. Many of the subjects...

Supporting Older Adults with Autism

Autism is a lifelong diagnosis, and as adults with autism age, many of the medical, physical, and mental changes they face are similar to those of typically aging adults. As adults with autism get older, it is extremely important for family members and/or professionals working with these...

Using Gene Editing, Neuroscientists Develop a New Model for Autism

By introducing a gene variant associated with autism into monkeys, researchers hope to use the model to study treatment options for severe neurodevelopmental disorders. Using the genome-editing system CRISPR, researchers at MIT and in China have engineered macaque monkeys to express a gene...

Breaking Down the Barriers of Social Communication for Young Adults

The transition from adolescence to adulthood is an important and transitory juncture in the lives of modern young individuals. This exciting and oftentimes anxiety-inducing time brings with it a host of challenges: increased independence, heightened self-awareness, the taking on of more personal...

Best Practices in Support of Aging Adults with Autism

The DSM V which was released to the public in May, 2013, took the controversial decision to consolidate the diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome, or High Functioning Autism (HFA), under the umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The particularism of Asperger Syndrome had provided a framework with...

Why Autism Parents Say: “I Can Never Die”

The caregiving workforce shortage is and will be a crisis for so many Americans. “I can never die.” This is the rallying call of autism parents everywhere. Why do we feel that way? Because many autistic adults live with their parents – 85%, according to autism researcher Peter Gerhardt....

Five Tips on How to Best Support a Sibling of a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Being the sibling of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other medical or developmental diagnoses can have its challenges, but it can also provide opportunities in building resiliency and compassion towards family members and others. The Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental...

Supporting Pioneers: Building Better Networks for Adults Aging with Autism

Although traditionally understood as a childhood condition, autism is a lifelong disorder that presents in both children and adults. Many of the children with this disorder who were born during the last century and who are now reaching mid- and later-life did not receive formal diagnoses of autism....