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Help for Parents Managing Challenging Behaviors for Children with ASD During COVID-19
The last several weeks have resulted in significant changes for families, as parents and children are now spending most of their time together in the home. Many parents are trying to balance work, child-care, and distance learning for their children, while also trying to manage children’s...
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How to Recover Financially From a Crisis When You Are Autistic
Being an autistic adult has many challenges and, obviously by this point, we are well aware of them. We constantly talk about the high unemployment rate for autistic adults and how a majority of Americans are unable to cover one month of living expenses. That all being said, I believe there...
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Stress and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Paying Attention to Your Cortisol Level in Challenging Times
The COVID-19 pandemic not only worries us about our health but our very survival as a society. We all can identify with the emotional, physical and cognitive impact of stress on our bodies and minds. In stressful situations we struggle to concentrate, remember and learn. We are more prone to...
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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...
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The Impact of COVID-19 on Families
COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus, has impacted us in many ways. Financially; there are millions of people unemployed due to the impact of this virus. Mentally and emotionally; individuals have isolated themselves due to stay-at-home orders, only going out for the essentials to places such as...
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Unmasking New Opportunities Through Virtual Learning
The COVID-19 crisis has forced us to face many new challenges while we rethink our ways of teaching and connecting to our students. Despite the difficulties of distance learning and the inability to physically interact with our students, this experience has opened many new doors and has inspired us...
