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Kindling Studios: Igniting Passion. Actualizing Potential.
Picture an ember – a small glowing spark that with proper care and attention will grow into a warm, radiating fire. Now picture your spark – what gets you up in the morning, what motivates you to keep going, and how do you nurture that spark? For many of us that spark is our work, and it...
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Empowering Young Women with ASD to be Successful in the Workplace
Like their neurotypical peers, young women with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) truly desire to be independent. To seek her potential and independence, most young women with ASD need to work for money, even if it is for 15 hours a week. Women transitioning from school to adulthood need to stretch,...
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Leaving the Family Home: Opportunities and Obstacles for Autistic Adults
When we think about the future of individuals on the autism spectrum, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Who will help them create their weekly schedule? Where will they work? How will they connect with friends? Who will assume the daily support role once parents can no longer provide...
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Building Employability Skills in Persons with ASD through Volunteerism
Much attention is paid to the educational needs of children with autism. Most of the media exposure on autism emphasizes the power of early intervention and the need for specialized instruction at school. While the media, parents and autism organizations have increased awareness, it remains...
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The Unique Interpersonal Demands for Women with ASD: Implications for Gender-Specific Supports for Adults
Over the past several years, there has been increased interest in gender differences within autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and how these differences impact initial diagnosis as well as treatment across the lifespan. According to recent research conducted by Kreiser and White (2014), females...
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Community Autism Socials at Yale (Project CASY): Developing Group Intervention for Adults Living with Autism
Recommending a “social skills” group is a very common intervention seen in treatment plans of both children and adults living with autism. Despite their popularity, the evidence supporting the effectiveness of social skills groups in children is limited and the situation is more serious in...
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Adults on the Autism Spectrum: An Unidentified and Forgotten Population
Among all those on the autism spectrum, adults get the least media attention and receive the fewest services, supports, and resources of any kind. This is ironic when one considers that adulthood constitutes most of the human lifespan, so that the vast majority of individuals with autism clearly...
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8 Things I Wish I Knew Before My Autism Diagnosis at 22
At the age of twenty-two, I was diagnosed with high-functioning autism, commonly known as “Asperger’s Syndrome.” On the autism spectrum, high-functioning individuals with autism generally don’t have developmental delays that are common in other parts of the spectrum. High-functioning autism...
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Next Stop, Adulthood: A Framework for Effective Transition Planning for Students with Severe Disabilities
It is imperative for school professionals such as special education teachers, general education teachers, guidance counselors, and other school personnel to be knowledgeable of the secondary-transition planning process for students with severe disabilities to better meet the needs of their students...
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Screening for Autism in an Adult Psychiatric Facility
Three years ago, the CEO of Oglethorpe, Inc., John Picciano, LCSW, sat snoozing in the back of the room while listening to a presentation at a National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Conference called, “Autism, Asperger’s and the Culture of Neurodiversity.” Somewhere in the middle of...
