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Practical Tips for a Sensory-Friendly Christmas for Autistic Children
Christmas is just around the corner. Unlike the white, snow-covered wonderland that many associate with Christmas, the festive season can be very lively and noisy and filled with appointments and various stimuli. There is a well-known quote that I think puts into words the way autistic...
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Telehealth: Is It Right for Parents and Children?
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the availability of telehealth for autism and other developmental disorders has exploded. Now that we are mostly post-pandemic, many parents are asking: “Is telehealth still the right choice for my child’s treatment?” There is no single answer. Below are several...
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Person-Centered Early Intervention Program: A Whole Family Approach
The prevalence of autism is at an all-time high. Today, we all seem to know a parent of a child who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). According to estimates from the CDC, the rate of autism has more than tripled over the span of two decades: from one in 150 in 2000, to one in...
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Supporting Caregivers During the Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed the lives of many. Beginning in March 2020, many became immediately isolated, experiencing increased stress and anxiety. Parents caring for children of all ages were impacted by these variables the most. It is already known that parenting is a stressful...
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Promoting Inclusivity in the Telehealth Movement
The emergency department (ED) is often a chaotic, loud, and, frankly, frightening place. Patients may be yelling; monitors and alarms are continuously sounding off; staff are hurrying around; police officers may be present; and overhead pages are squawking every few minutes. There is very little...
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Antidotes to Autistic Burnout
Most people recall some chapter in their lives that they would look back on and identify as burnout. This term usually refers to the amount of energy someone has for their job or that they have taken on too many activities in general. In the autistic community, however, the word has taken on...
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Practicing with Compassionate Care: A Missing Piece in Behavior Analytic Training
Becoming and practicing behavior analysis is often synonymous with a strong understanding of the technical components of behavior change procedures. Our training often emphasizes skills such as the memorization of terminology until it becomes second nature, evaluating and conducting research, and...
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My Child with Autism Needs Anesthesia, What Should I Know?
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have an increased rate of hospital contact and are likely to require sedation and anesthesia for surgeries, procedures, and imaging tests. Lee et al. has demonstrated that children with autism were about two to three times more likely to experience an...
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Guidelines for Parents on Addressing the Needs of Siblings
There is little doubt that those of us raised with siblings have been influenced by that relationship. Living with a brother or sister with an autism spectrum disorder adds more significant and unique experiences to that relationship. Throughout numerous accounts of parents and siblings of children...
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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...
