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A World Without Emotions: Alexithymia and Autism
Before we delve into defining alexithymia and autism I’d like to paint a picture in your mind. Imagine living in a world where emotions do not appear to exist - no clear indications of anger, sadness, or happiness. So much so that even categorizing these emotions does not exist - a neutral...
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Addressing Abuse of Children and Adults on the Autism Spectrum
Parents and caregivers who work directly with individuals (children and adults) with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis are in most cases overwhelmed with the impact and difficulties they face in accommodating to the reality they and their child face when learning of the diagnosis. I will not...
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Evaluating and Treating Restrictive Eating in Children with Autism
Picky eating is common for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Autistic individuals often show atypical eating patterns and have more difficulty with mealtime behaviors in comparison to their non-autistic peers (Christensen et al., 2019; Mayes & Zickgraf, 2019; Sharp et al., 2013)....
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Understanding, Diagnosing, and Treating Catatonia in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Catatonia is a distinct cluster of mood, motor, vocal and affective disorders once thought to be solely a specifier for various psychotic and mood disorders. It is now recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edition; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association,...
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Autism, Epilepsy, and Seizures: How to Recognize the Signs and Administer Basic First Aid
The purpose of this information is to offer general information on Autism and Epilepsy and the co-condition as well as the types of seizures and basic first aid recommended by the Epilepsy Foundation. This information is taken from Seizure Recognition and First Aid, a publication of the Epilepsy...
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A Meeting of Worlds: Multidisciplinary Teams in Autism Treatment
As Dr. Stephen Shore said, “if you’ve met one individual with autism, you’ve met one individual with autism.” Autism is a spectrum disorder with great variability in support needs from one person to the next. Given the spectrum of the disability, services and care for children with...
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The Big Sigh
This is one of those days. I feel it the moment I open my eyes. I instantly loathe that I am awake. I fall into an old habit of calculating how many hours I will have to reasonably be out of my bed before I can crawl back into it without having to feign illness or apologize for not returning a...
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A Person-Centered Collaborative Approach to Achieving Best Outcomes for Autistic Individuals with Co-Occurring Conditions
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by the presence of persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts as well as restrictive, repetitive behavior, interests, or activities (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Many individuals with ASD...
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Sensory Processing Differences and Autism
In 2013, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) included for the first time sensory reactivity within the diagnostic criteria for autism. The DSM-5 describes three categories of sensory differences: Sensory hyperreacitivty is an...
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EarliTec Diagnostics Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for the EarliPoint Evaluation for Autism Spectrum Disorder
The EarliPoint Evaluation is the first FDA-cleared tool to assist clinicians in diagnosing and assessing autism in children as young as 16 months old. On June 10th, 2022, EarliTec Diagnostics, Inc. (EarliTec), a digital health company developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic products for...
