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Why Is There Laughter During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
At the time of writing, a Google search for “COVID-19 funny” returned some 880,000,000 results. Similarly, at this time the novel Coronavirus SARS-2 has affected all but 12 countries around the world, and despite testing limitations some 4,256,579 positive cases have been reported worldwide...
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Top 6 Questions Asked by SLPs During COVID-19
As an educational community, many of us are venturing into an unknown world of distance learning and are adapting to meet family and student needs on the fly. School districts are expanding to an online instructional model where students are attending speech and language sessions from their new...
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You Are in Control
There is much we, as individuals, cannot control. I am sure you can come up with your own long list of things that are out of your control. During times when you feel out of control, like now during the COVID-19 pandemic when there are so many unknowns and all of the rules of engagement have been...
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Silver Linings: Potential Benefits of “the New Normal” for Individuals with ASD
COVID-19 has presented new challenges for individuals with ASD and their families, starting with curtailed access to essential services and rippling out to potentially life-altering changes. Ever-changing stay-at-home orders have led to ongoing uncertainty for health and safety, as well as a...
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Stronger Than We Think: The Advantages of Neurodiversity in the Face of Adversity
COVID-19 presents huge challenges and added layers of vulnerability for children and adults with autism and other special needs and their families. Some experience more adversity than others because of race and social class. However, it is my belief that neurodiversity has some built-in advantages...
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Autism Spectrum News and Behavioral Health News: Supporting the Community During the COVID-19 Crisis
The current pandemic shows us how difficult social distancing and sheltering in place have been for the general public. It has been especially hard for people with mental illness, substance use disorders, and people on the autism spectrum. During my own 10-year battle with depression I...
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Displaying Courage, AHRC NYC Staff Support People with I/DD in Group Homes and Remotely with Technology
Months into our response to the COVID-19 epidemic, we have suffered heartbreaking losses and struggled through many challenges. Through it all, our staff’s extraordinary devotion, caring and tireless efforts to support people with disabilities, their families, and each other, has been...
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Helping Parents Address Challenging Behaviors During These Challenging Times
There is a clear consensus that children with disabilities are the most vulnerable to both short- and long-term effects of COVID-19 (United Nations, 2020). This is particularly true for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (here forward autism) for whom the sudden disruptions in educational and...
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Interpersonal Relationships and Social Engagement in a Virtual Landscape
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has identified communication and interaction with others as specific areas of deficit for many individuals with ASD. Difficulty making eye contact, initiating and sustaining a conversation, code switching, and perspective taking are...
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Utilizing Digital Media to Enable Continuity of Autism Services
For over a decade there has been an abundance of professional articles and seminars on the potential of telehealth and distance learning services. Outside of the medical world, the movement of state licensing bodies and insurance payers to permit use of telehealth services by licensed behavioral...
