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A Parent Advocate’s Hard-Fought Journey
Throughout Daniel’s life I have advocated for my intellectually challenged son on the autistic spectrum. My journey began early in Daniel’s life, as the parent of an adopted infant from Peru. I have learned throughout Daniel’s life that advocacy is an art that requires flexibility, networking...
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Uniquely Human Podcast #8 – Autism and Personal Fulfillment with Dr. Temple Grandin
Episode 8 - Autism and Personal Fulfillment with Dr. Temple Grandin Overview Striving and Driving for Success Dr. Temple Grandin joins us to share her perspective on setting oneself up for success in a lifelong journey of personal growth. David LaFrenz shares the impact his work has...
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Improving Parent Engagement for Your Child with Autism
If you are a parent of a child with special needs, you’ve had to balance many new challenges along with those you already face on a daily basis. Lately, you may be spending more time than ever with your child, but more time doesn’t mean you’re getting more quality time. While it may not be...
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Uniquely Human Podcast #6 – Autism and the Arts with Elaine Hall, Domonique Brown and Michael Kregler
Episode 6 - Autism and the Arts with Elaine Hall, Domonique Brown and Michael Kregler Overview Experiencing Neurodiversity Through Artistic Expression. Life imitates art and inspires the artist. Barry and Dave are joined by two parent-visionaries, Elaine Hall and Michael Kregler, to...
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Uniquely Human Podcast #5 – The Harmful Myth of High-Functioning and Low-Functioning Autism; An Autism Fathers’ Group; Guest Dr. Robert Naseef
Episode 5 - The Harmful Myth of High-Functioning and Low-Functioning Autism; An Autism Fathers’ Group; Guest Dr. Robert Naseef Overview Re-thinking the commonly used language that has proven detrimental to understanding the autistic person. Barry and Dave examine the potentially...
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Preparing Children with ASD for New Siblings
Introducing a new baby is a wonderful, joyous time for a family. When preparing children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) for a new sibling, your approach may need to begin long before the new baby arrives. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5),...
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Autism Through a Different Lens: A Sibling’s Perspective
In my profession, I often write articles from a parent’s perspective about having an 18-year-old daughter (Annie) with severe autism, and intellectual and developmental disabilities. My overarching goal with these stories is to provide compassion, understanding and hope to families, caregivers...
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What Happens When One Twin Has Autism
When my twins were born prematurely on December 26th, 1990, nobody talked about autism. There was no internet and autism support groups did not yet exist. Caring for two premature babies was overwhelming enough, but the dawning recognition that our daughter Samantha was not developing at anything...
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The Siblings of Autism
About a million years ago, a kind doctor told me the best thing we could do for Jack was to give him siblings. A lot of people ask me how we decided to have more kids once we knew something was up with him. I wish I had a more sophisticated answer to give, but the truth is, we just didn’t know...
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How to Best Support Siblings of Individuals with ASD
Typically developing siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have a unique set of needs that often go overlooked and unnoticed. These needs are generally social and emotional in nature and can affect siblings at any age during their lifespan. When one family member has a...