-
The Power of Person-Centered Planning in Supporting Autistic Adults
Everyone wants to be heard and supported in ways that truly resonate with them. For adults with autism, this means having a voice in how their lives are shaped, and person-centered planning is the key to making that happen. It’s a process that ensures individuals are at the heart of their own...
-
Building Self-Advocacy Skills in Autistic Young Adults
Adulthood is the time when teachers and parents can no longer advocate for their children the same way they could during the school-age years. Much of it becomes the responsibility of the adult. At the beginning of my career, I had the opportunity to develop an evidence-based curriculum in...
-
Navigating Autistic Burnout as an Autistic Parent
Being an autistic parent is hard. When your kids are also neurodivergent, this can make life even more challenging when trying to navigate everyone’s complex, often diametrically opposed needs. When we need space, a lot of the time our children need connection and closeness, and we can become...
-
The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Transition and Adult Programs at UM-NSU CARD: Creating Employment Through Community Collaboration
The University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (UM-NSU CARD), established by Florida statute in 1993, currently serves over 14,500 families in South Florida. Our program offers a variety of programs and services at no cost to our constituents and...
-
Using IvySCIP to Guide Data-Driven Social and Emotional Learning Instruction for K-5 Autistic Students
For the past two decades, educators have placed increasing emphasis on social and emotional learning (SEL) as part of a well-rounded K-12 curriculum. Research shows that SEL plays a significant role in students’ academic success (Corcoran et al., 2018; Schonfeld et al., 2015), and contributes to...
-
The Sibling Project at the Mental Health Association in Orange County, NY
Over the past twenty five years, Mental Health Association in Orange County, Inc. has had the pleasure of hosting The Sibling Project; a group for siblings of children with developmental disabilities. The participants, otherwise known as the “Super Siblings,” meet monthly on Saturday mornings...
-
Under Pressure: Support for Siblings of Individuals with ASD
As a school-based mental health professional and a sister of a person with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the sibling perspective on family-centered care is not just important to me, but necessary in order to give comprehensive and competent care to the families who look to communities and schools...
-
Siblings: Common Concerns and Effective Support Strategies
Like parents of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), siblings experience unique concerns and opportunities. The sibling relationship can easily exceed six decades, and siblings face these issues for even longer than parents. Historically, siblings have had few opportunities to receive...
-
Siblings Realize They’re Not Alone: AHRC NYC Sibshops Unveil Common Challenges
Lori Jacobs recalled a conversation with her younger son Seth, whose brother Ian has high-functioning autism and mood disorders. “Seth said, ‘Promise me I won’t have to take care of him when I grow up. And please, promise me you have a plan for him,’” Lori said. This wasn’t the type...
-
Girls and Autism: Overcoming the Gender Gap to Ensure Best Outcomes
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 1 in 59 children has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with boys being four times more likely to be diagnosed than girls (Mandy et al., 2012). Recently, through a meta-analysis of epidemiological studies, it was concluded that the true ratio may be...