The Importance Of Early Sibling Support Group Involvement

BY CHRISTY HAWKINS Growing up with a brother that was prone to out of the blue temper tantrums limited family vacations. The evening hours after he returned from school after another day of angst with his peers and all that stimuli would always pose some challenges. Not to mention my brother’s difficulty with the classroom expectations and the frustration of his teachers. He was so smart, so capable. So why could he not produce the […]

Vaccines DO NOT Cause Autism

– The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that is caused by differences in how the brain functions. People with ASD may communicate, interact, behave, and learn in different ways. Recent estimates from CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network found that about 1 in 68 children have been identified with ASD in communities across the United States. CDC is committed to providing essential data on […]

Fullerton Cares Autism Foundation

BY JESS BLOCK NERREN, MA Creating authentic autism awareness, acceptance and action in every corner of a Southern California Community. Boyd Houser isn’t just any adorable six-year-old kid who loves to write with chalk, build snowmen and give hugs to his family. He is a little guy who will grow up in a world where inclusion isn’t just a word but also a way of life. Boyd inspired his dad, Larry Houser, to found the […]

Finding Their Voices

Camp Program Helps Kids Who Use Computers To Communicate  Every August, a caravan pulls up at Camp Chatterbox in New Jersey and when the car doors open, campers pile out to begin a fun-packed week of activities. Some are Chatterbox veterans, others are tentative newcomers, but all of them are excited to be there for an experience that puts them on a level playing field in more ways than one. The overnight program is sponsored by Children’s […]

ep 2015 Teachers of the Year

BY VANESSA B. IRA, EDITOR EP MAGAZINE Three outstanding Teachers of the Year are being honored in this edition of EP (Exceptional Parent) magazine, our Annual Schools & Camps Issue. These are teachers whose work requires extraordinary patience, sometimes in the midst of constant emotional outbursts. Teachers who must focus always on what a student can do – and not on what he or she cannot do. These are the teachers who celebrate with parents and caregivers when a student is able to […]