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Helping Youth with Autism and Co-Occurring Low Vision and Blindness
The prevalence of autism has been increasing over the years. The CDC estimates that 1 out of every 44 children has an autism spectrum condition (CDC, 2021). It has changed from a low-incidence disability (i.e., 1 in 10,000) to a more common one. Blindness, on the other hand, is currently considered...
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Managing Feeding and Toileting Challenges in Children with Autism
Challenges with toilet training (e.g., frequent accidents, withholding urine or feces) and eating (e.g., food selectivity, getting sufficient nutritional intake) may have a significant impact on the child’s functioning in the home, school, community, and social events. These issues often impact...
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Is It Genetic? My 40-Year Journey of Misdiagnoses for My Son
Forty years ago, my son Matthew was born. At the time of his birth, he had no apparent health issues. We began noticing that he wasn’t developing like a neuro-typical child when he wasn’t hitting milestones like rolling over. Since then, we have gone through countless tests and been given...
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A Call to Action: The Need for Advocacy in Healthcare Access in Autism
Although specific estimates vary substantially, autistic children and adults have a higher prevalence of comorbid medical conditions than those reported in non-autistic individuals. Among the most commonly reported comorbid medical conditions are neurological disorders, including epilepsy,...
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Autism, Epilepsy, and Seizures: How to Recognize the Signs and Administer Basic First Aid
The purpose of this information is to offer general information on Autism and Epilepsy and the co-condition as well as the types of seizures and basic first aid recommended by the Epilepsy Foundation. This information is taken from Seizure Recognition and First Aid, a publication of the Epilepsy...
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A Person-Centered Collaborative Approach to Achieving Best Outcomes for Autistic Individuals with Co-Occurring Conditions
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by the presence of persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts as well as restrictive, repetitive behavior, interests, or activities (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Many individuals with ASD...
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Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Its Comorbidities as a Co-Occurring Health Issue in Autistic People
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) occurs in as many as 8% of autistic individuals with even a higher percentage that may have hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) (Cederlof et al., 2016, Kindgren et al., 2021). This estimate is low since EDS is more commonly diagnosed in females (Castori, 2012), who...
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The Prevalence of Comorbidities in Autism: Consideration of Comorbidity in Intervention and Treatment Response
“If you have met one person with autism, you have met one person with autism.” In this quotation, Dr. Stephen Shore, an autistic professor of special education, refers to the unique and varied experience the autism spectrum can be for those individuals who experience it. Autism is an...
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Autism and the Gut: Co-Occurring Gastrointestinal Challenges and Psychosocial Factors
Autism is a complex spectrum of behaviors and other distinguishing characteristics across individuals, for which our understanding of continues to unfold. Alongside it’s well documented social and sensory related symptoms, autism also regularly co-occurs with a host of medical complications that...
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Values-Based Behavior Planning – Responding to Challenging Behaviors for Individuals with Complex Profiles via Comprehensive Planning
Though a small percentage, some individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities can display dangerous challenging behaviors such as high intensity aggression or self-injury. While the field of applied behavior analysis has made great strides in the assessment and treatment of...
