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Assessing If a Diagnosis is Necessary: Clinical Utility of an Autism Diagnosis Across the Lifespan
Family members of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often have mixed feelings about labeling their loved ones with the term autism as this represents a life-long disability. They may be concerned about stigma, fearing that others will avoid, judge, or exclude their family member with...
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“The Lighter Side of the Spectrum – a Mom’s View” – A Vulnerable Child
When my son Jack was about four years old, I lost him in the mall. I was pulling a sweater on over my clothes to see if it would fit, and in the three seconds it took for me to poke my head through the fabric, he was gone. One minute, he was there, standing right in front of me with his overalls...
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“The Lighter Side of the Spectrum – a Mom’s View” – Did You Know?
You may not know this, but a couple of months ago I un-friended you on Facebook. I mean, we weren’t exactly friends in the regular sense. We never met for coffee or talked on the phone or texted each other. We don’t even live in the same state, and I haven’t seen you in over ten...
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“The Lighter Side of the Spectrum – a Mom’s View” I Know Why He Has Autism
Hi, my name is Carrie Cariello. I am forty-two years old. I am married to a man named Joe and we have five children. Twelve years ago, I gave birth to a baby boy with a neurological disorder called autism. It impacts the way he eats, sleeps, talks, and thinks. He is considered special needs,...
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Empowering Parents: Caregiver Support for Youth and Adolescents with ASD
Parents rely on neighbors, friends, family members and other caregivers to provide in-home temporary care, frequently referred to as “babysitting,” for their children while they attend meetings, run errands, and have some “couple” time away from routine family responsibilities. This can be...
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Facilitating Plugged In: Helping Teens with ASD Navigate Life with Technology
Technology use is ubiquitous among today’s youth (Rideout, Foehr, & Roberts, 2010). This probably does not come as a surprise because it seems that kids and their gadgets are everywhere. The current generation of youth has even been referred to as the iGeneration or the app generation. From...
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Supporting Sexual Independence for Individuals on the Autism Spectrum
As an individual on the autism spectrum, I have struggled with and achieved many types of independence, such as going to college, living on my own, learning how to cook, and starting my own business. While I did receive varying degrees of assistance with each of these endeavors, sexual independence...
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Autism and Dating: Practical Tips for Parents
Navigating the dating scene is not easy for anyone, whether or not they have an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Dating is filled with many challenges to maneuver, resulting in awkward situations. These awkward situations happen to almost every young adult who dives into the dating scene. However,...
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“The Lighter Side of the Spectrum – a Mom’s View” The Music Within His Body
There’s something on my mind lately; a knot I’ve been trying to untangle. I thought maybe we could talk about it. Stimming. You know, stimming? The way my 12-year old son Jack jumps and hops and grunts at least, oh, I don’t know, fifty times a day? Stimming is short for self-stimulation,...
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“The Lighter Side of the Spectrum – a Mom’s View” This Boy Jack
It’s August now. The days are still long and hot and humid, but there is a tinge of autumn in the air, especially at night. Most of you are starting to think about school again. You are reading over your supply list for seventh grade and wondering if your new teacher is nice or strict. I...
