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Be Mindful, Be Present, Be You: How to Handle Crisis Anxiety
With the world around us a chaotic mess, it is getting harder and harder to avoid becoming a giant, swirling, ball of anxiety. The current pandemic has disrupted our lives and the world as we know it is on hold for the foreseeable future. It has interrupted routines, forced schools to close, and...
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Adults with Autism May a Have High Burden of Health Problems
Adults with autism may suffer from various health problems, ranging from psychiatric conditions to motor symptoms that resemble Parkinson’s disease, according to two studies presented Thursday at the 2014 International Meeting for Autism Research in Atlanta. Some of the conditions may stem...
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PEERS: A Parent-Supported Evidence Based Social Skills Intervention for Adolescents with ASD
Martin is a 14-year-old boy who has recently starting expressing increased levels of anxiety, particularly about his impending transition into high school starting this fall. Martin was diagnosed with ASD as a younger child and finding a place among his peers has always been an obstacle. Although...
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The Transition into Adulthood: Guiding Families Toward Successful Outcomes
One of the favorite things in my role as Director of Admissions and Family Services at Melmark is talking with parents about their children and helping families maneuver the complicated web of supports available to them. One of the most challenging parts, however, is helping families understand how...
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Insomnia and Anxiety May Be Linked in Individuals with ASDs
More than half of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) also experience clinically significant problems with anxiety (Sukhodolsky et al., 2008). New research conducted at the Center for Autism Research (CAR) at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania...
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Understanding the Relationship Between Autism, OCD, and Repetitive Behaviors
One of the long-standing challenges in supporting individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is the high rate of repetitive behavior they demonstrate. In addition to these individuals demonstrating high rates of repetitive behavior, many caregivers and support providers find it difficult to...
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Overcoming Anxiety and Fear in Children and Teens
Study after study has shown that if you can get anxious individuals to gradually face their fears (a treatment called gradual exposure), their anxiety will decrease, and they will no longer be controlled by their fear. That is the science of treatment, to gradually face fears. But how do you get...
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Anxiety Measure for Children with Autism Found Reliable
A new method devised by a Drexel University professor to diagnose children on the spectrum for anxiety symptoms - which tend to be masked by symptoms of autism - was proven effective in a study published today. “Anxiety is considered an internalizing symptom, in that it is mostly felt by the...
