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So Your Child Was Diagnosed with ASD: What Comes Next?
Receiving an ASD diagnosis for a child may be accompanied by a variety of reactions. For many parents and caregivers, the diagnosis may confirm what they had suspected. For others, it may come as a shock. Parents commonly note whether they had expected an ASD diagnosis or not, they often hoped they...
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21st Century Sexuality Teaching Resources for Youth with Autism
The twenty first century brought a long-awaited focus to sexuality and ASD. Although a paucity of data still exists regarding sexuality education and ASD (Loftin & Hartlage, 2015), most publications do provide recommendations for the who, what and when components of teaching about sexuality....
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How Autism Manifests Differently in Girls: What Families Need to Know
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2010 The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network released data that showed “ASD prevalence…was 4–5 times higher among boys than girls” (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6302a1.htm)....
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Helpful Financial Resources for Parents of Children with Autism
According to Autism Speaks, “The costs of providing care for each person with autism affected by intellectual disability through his or her lifespan are $2.3 million in the U.S.” According to Families USA, 60% of bankruptcies are due to medical debt. The Catalyst Center report “Breaking the...
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Early Intervention Resources for Families with Young Children
Research shows that early intervention (birth - age three) improves outcomes for children with autism and other special needs. Two good resources for families are: NECTAC (National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center) with an overview of early intervention, data, and contacts...
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Steps to Empower Families to Access Early Intervention
In my six years as Autism Resource Specialist in the Center for Children with Special Needs at Floating Hospital for Children in Tufts Medical Center in Boston, I have met with hundreds of families in the moments after their young child receives an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. Although...
