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Bridging the Gap: Empowering Families Awaiting an Autism Diagnosis
The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continues to rise. According to the CDC, 1 in 36 children are diagnosed with autism by the age 81 and as a result, the need for comprehensive family support systems has never been more pressing. Unfortunately, the barriers to clinical support and...
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Navigating Legal Challenges in Autism Healthcare: Ensuring Access to Services and Insurance Coverage
Prevalence rates of autism are at an all-time high, and we know that early and intensive treatment produces the optimal outcomes for autistic individuals. According to the CDC, “most children (85%) identified with ASD had concerns about their development noted in the records by 3 years of age.”...
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Next Steps After an Autism Diagnosis: Acceptance, Advocacy, and Treatment Options
The road to diagnosis can be long and uncertain. For some, the news of diagnosis brings validation and hope. For others, it can lead to even more uncertainty. In either situation, it is important to seek support and guidance to navigate a path forward. It can be difficult to muddle through all of...
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The Scene Cue: A Tool Delivered via Mobile Technology for Improving Independence in Direction-Following
The introduction of visual supports can often augment spoken language comprehension for learners who are minimally verbal. For example, when directing a learner to put a box into a bag, a symbolate sentence strip of “box in bag” (see Figure 1) could improve understanding assuming the learner...
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Educating First Responders to Improve Encounters with Autistic Individuals
It is estimated there are more than 3.5 million Americans living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the number continues to grow.1 According to CDC statistics, the prevalence of autism has increased from 1 in 150 children born in 2000 to 1 in 54 as of 2020.2 This expanding segment of the...
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Early and Intensive Behavioral Intervention Today
In the 1970s, O. Ivar Lovaas embarked on research that would change the way we think about trajectories for young children with autism. He went on to publish a pivotal study entitled “Behavioral Treatment and Normal Education and Intellectual Functioning in Young Autistic Children,” which...
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Five Tips for Traveling by Airplane with Kids with Autism
As September begins and we settle into our lives, it’s clear that the summer has come to an end. We are getting our kids back to school and starting to plan holiday travel based on school schedules while our Summer vacations fade into distant memory. This past summer, I traveled to Spain for a...
