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Communication is Key to Building Functional Independence Skills in Adults with Autism
Over the past year, cities across the country have made great strides in creating an atmosphere where people with autism feel welcome and comfortable. Multiple cities have become certified autism-friendly cities, sports teams have designated certain nights as sensory-friendly events and autism...
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Literacy Supports for Learners with Autism
In her article How People with Autism Think, Temple Grandin (1995), a high-functioning person with autism, describes her visual method of thinking. Grandin retrieves words through visualizations and movies within her mind. This type of thinking takes time to process, often making abstract thoughts...
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Should All Nonverbal Young Children with Autism Immediately Have AAC Taught to Them?
Lack of speech is often the most obvious symptom of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and greatest cause of concern for parents of young children. For many families of children with ASD, having their child learn to talk is their primary goal. Children with ASD who learn to use spoken language as a...
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Employing Theater Arts to Enhance the Lives of Individuals with ASD
The EPIC Players Inclusion Company is a theater based group in New York City, founded by Aubrie Therrien. EPIC’s goals include redefining the face of theater arts, creating employment opportunities for actors with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and providing the local community with an active theater...
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Technology Makes Things Possible
For people without disabilities, technology can make things easier, but for people with cognitive disabilities, technology makes things possible. “At some point, Max’s communication by text seemed so different from the past that I called my wife and asked her, ‘Are you coaching Max when he...
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Better Language Comprehension Through Brain Connectivity
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) impairs communication skills, impacting the ability to engage and interact with others. The deficits in communication skills impact classroom performance for students with ASD, since comprehension of the English language is foundational to success within the United...
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“Let’s Talk About Sex” with Neurodiverse Couples
On a monthly national conference call, a small group of clinicians who specialize in neurodiverse couples’ therapy meet for peer supervision, support and guidance. Clinicians spanning the country, from California to New York, discuss the current need for clinical expertise in providing...
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Accommodating Communication Difficulties
Communication difficulties are common because most on the spectrum have difficulty reading body language and interpreting facial expressions or tone of voice – and 90% of interpersonal communication is nonverbal. Words can have different meanings depending upon tone and emphasis. This means the...
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Autism and Hospitals: A Difficult Match
As a resident, you always have that one patient who sticks out in your mind—the one who had some profound impact on your practice of medicine and your life outside of medicine. For me, though, it wasn’t just one patient. It was one patient after another with the same challenge: autism. Having...
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One Father’s Experience Developing Apps to Motivate Son with Autism to Learn
Much has been said over the years concerning technology and education; there has been and still is an ongoing debate about how we can best implement technology into schools to the benefit of children. Our adult life on a day-to-day basis is filled with technology, from touch screens for ordering...
