Autistic people generally want the same things in life that our typical peers do, regardless of where we fall on the spectrum: a sense of purpose, independence, human relationships and things to do. But most of us are unsure how to achieve these objectives. In the past several years, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) has highlighted research addressing ‘lifespan issues,’ such as housing and employment. The findings confirm what many of us know from […]
The two conditions share many traits, but the connection has been largely overlooked until now By Lauren Gravitz Having autism can sometimes mean enduring a litany of traumatic events, starting from a young age. And for many, those events may add up to severe and persistent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Before Gabriel could even talk, his father’s girlfriend at the time told him his mother had abandoned him. At age 3, he was sexually abused […]
Amy Wright started a coffee shop to employ people with intellectual and developmental disabilities – and joined a human rights movement. By Jessica Farthing Who She Is Like every parent, Amy Wright dreamed about her children’s futures – the sports they’d play, the colleges they’d attend, the careers they’d have. Then Beau, her third child, was born with Down syndrome, a congenital chromosomal condition that results in cognitive delays and an increased risk of certain medical […]
by Matt Foley, M.Ed., L.P.C. & DeAnn Hyatt-Foley, M.Ed. When our son was diagnosed with PDD-NOS in 1990, we found ourselves ill-equipped for our new role as advocates for our son. Our first Individual Education Program (IEP) meeting was over-whelming. We found it very difficult to follow what the educators were talking about. We certainly did not know what our role was in the process. We had the expectation that the trained educators of our […]
Children and adults with autism, as well as those with other developmental disabilities, may have a dysfunctional sensory system. Sometimes one or more senses are either over- or under-reactive to stimulation. Such sensory problems may be the underlying reason for such behaviors as rocking, spinning, and hand-flapping. Although the receptors for the senses are located in the peripheral nervous system (which includes everything but the brain and spinal cord), it is believed that the problem […]
