-
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,...
-
A Meeting of Worlds: Multidisciplinary Teams in Autism Treatment
As Dr. Stephen Shore said, “if you’ve met one individual with autism, you’ve met one individual with autism.” Autism is a spectrum disorder with great variability in support needs from one person to the next. Given the spectrum of the disability, services and care for children with...
-
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...
-
An Autistic’s Vision for Lasting and Successful Workplace Neurodiversity
Consider Dan Burger, a gifted and autistic computer science student at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN. In spite of the challenges he faced along his journey through school and into the workforce, Burger's exceptional abilities at visual problem-solving and dealing with large amounts of data...
-
Effective Collaboration Models for Individuals with Complex Needs
Many students with autism require a multitude of services to aid in their success and independence within the school, home, and community environments. These services may include, but are not limited to, general and/or special education instruction, speech and language services, occupational...
-
An Interview with the New York State OASAS, OMH, and OPWDD Commissioners to Address Critical Healthcare Issues
In a rare opportunity, Mental Health News Education, publisher of Autism Spectrum News and Behavioral Health News, has brought together the Commissioners of the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH), The NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), and The NYS Office for People with...
-
International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement Launches the First-Ever Global Standard Set to Enhance Care For Autism Spectrum Disorder
On September 7, 2021, the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) launched a standardized Autism Spectrum Disorder Standard Set (ASDSS). The rollout of this set marks an important, proactive step towards promoting data quality and availability across the industry. The ASDSS...
-
Ethical Implementation of ABA Programming in Schools: A Guide for Professionals and Parents
For over fifty years, research has demonstrated the efficacy of applied behavioral methods in reducing inappropriate behavior and in increasing communication and appropriate behavior. According to the Association for Science in Autism Treatments (ASAT), ABA is the only scientifically validated...
-
A Unique Program to Support Autism Educators During COVID-19 Distance Learning
The COVID-19 crisis has led to unprecedented school closures and a rapid transition to distance education which severely disrupted educational services for students on the autism spectrum. Distance learning will likely continue beyond the acute crisis as social distancing efforts persist. The...
-
A Community of Caring Agencies Unites to Support Families in Camden County, NJ
First Children Services and the Rowan Integrated Special Needs (RISN) Center are organizations that specialize in providing clinical services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in New Jersey. Many of the youth who these agencies serve are eligible for or already...
