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The Person Doesn’t Change. The System Around Them Does.
At UCLA's PEERS Clinic, I coached autistic teenagers learning social skills that could help them navigate adulthood. Later, as a behavioral therapist, I worked directly with autistic individuals and their families in their homes. One mother stopped me after a session. Her daughter had just...
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Rethinking Healthcare for Adults With Autism And/or Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (I/DD)
For many adults with autism and/or I/DD, receiving healthcare can involve more than making an appointment and seeing a doctor. There is getting to the appointment, navigating insurance, waiting in an unfamiliar or overwhelming environment, communicating symptoms and concerns, understanding what...
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Planning for a Lifetime: Building a More Secure Future for Autistic People and Their Families
When my son AJ was diagnosed with autism at age three, my wife and I focused on what was immediately in front of us: signing him up for the right therapies, navigating IEP meetings, finding activities he enjoyed, and helping him build skills. Like many parents, we were thinking about his future,...
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Medicaid Fraud Is Real. So Is the Harm to Families Who Depend on It
Reports of Medicaid fraud are deeply troubling, and those responsible should be prosecuted. But fraud has become the justification for policies that make it harder for families to access the medical care and supports they depend on. Our government has the tools to investigate fraud without placing...
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Financial Mistakes Parents of Children With Autism Should Avoid
The financial side of an autism diagnosis often catches parents off guard just as much as the clinical side. Here are six mistakes to avoid. Clinical directors and Board-Certified Behavior Analysts sit across the table from families every week during intake meetings, treatment plan reviews, and...
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Beyond a Minute: Changing Our Perspective Towards Autism Takes Time
A few months ago, an educator working in the field of autism shared a video titled Nazar Ka Fark (Difference in perspective). It was promoted with a powerful message: watch this one-minute video and see how your life changes. I watched it. As the father of a 17-year-old son on the autism...
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Communication Over Compliance: Promoting Assent, Autonomy and Self-Advocacy
Consider an individual participating in a learning activity who suddenly turns away, throws their markers on the floor, and places their head in their hands on the table. A compliance-focused approach might interpret these behaviors as task refusal and encourage the individual to continue the...
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Mental Health Care for People Who Use AAC: Rationale and Practice
Introduction: A Speller's POV Therapists are my heroes — they transform problems into paths toward the future you want to build. I was scared to start. My psychiatrist told me that meds alone would not solve my anxiety, and she encouraged me to give therapy a try. Dreams make work, and...
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Supporting Emotional Regulation in Non-Speaking Children
Every parent of a non-speaking child knows the moment. The grocery store gets too loud, a routine shifts without warning, a sibling grabs the wrong toy, and a child who seemed fine a minute ago is on the floor, or running, or frozen. Adults nearby may see "bad behavior." What is actually happening...
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Supporting Social Communication in Autism: A Review of Evidence-Based Speech Therapy Approaches
When people think about autism and communication challenges, they often focus on speech itself. However, many autistic children develop age-appropriate vocabulary and grammar while continuing to experience significant difficulties with social communication. These challenges may include...
