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27
Genes (Change.org - 7/16/09)
That's how many genes might be "associated with either
Asperger Syndrome (AS) and/or autistic traits and/or empathy"
according to a new study in the July 16th Autism Research.
Patti's Comments: Amazing post about new research on Autism!
A
Powerful Identity, a Vanishing Diagnosis (New York Times
- 11/2/09)
Children with Asperger’s syndrome, a mild form of autism,
are socially awkward and often physically clumsy, but many
are verbal prodigies, speaking in complex sentences at early
ages, reading newspapers fluently by age 5 or 6 and acquiring
expertise in some preferred topic — stegosaurs, clipper
ships, Interstate highways — that will astonish adults
and bore their playmates to tears. In recent years, this once
obscure diagnosis, given to more than four times as many boys
as girls, has become increasingly common.
An
Outbreak of Autism, or a Statistical Fluke? (New York
Times - 3/16/09)
Autism is terrifying the community of Somali immigrants in
Minneapolis, and some pediatricians and educators have joined
parents in raising the alarm. But public health experts say
it is hard to tell whether the apparent surge of cases is
an actual outbreak, with a cause that can be addressed, or
just a statistical fluke.
Patti's Comment: What do you folks think about this???
It kind of surprises me!
Ask
the taxgirl: Autism & Special Needs Children
Can tuition in a private preschool with a program specifically
for children with autism be tax deductible?
Autism
and Girls, Women, Females in General
Autism manifests differently in females than it does in males.
Because of this small but extremely essential difference,
girls... in general are much harder to diagnose with autism,
hence the 1 to 4 statistics of female and male diagnosed.
Autism
Insurance Debate (My Great Kids - 6/7/10)
The raging debate over Autism Insurance is a battle raging
in the courts, classrooms, therapy centers, doctors offices,
legislator’s offices ….. and living rooms across
this country, including right here in Michigan. The battle
is being fought by parents on two fronts. On the first front
is the push for legislation which would force insurance companies
to stop dodging their responsibilities and cover Autism. The
second, and no less active front, is being fought in the courts
as parents, fed up with wrongfully denied insurance claims,
are taking their fights to the courts …. and winning.
Autistic
Adults Present a Growing Care Dilemma (KPBS - 11/12/09)
People are typically diagnosed with autism when they're very
young. But kids grow up, and kids with autism carry their
disability into adult life. What happens when autistic kids
become adults, and still need a lot of care?
Autistic
or Person with Autism? (Washington Times - 8/2/10)
When I write here, I use the words "person with autism"
and "autistic person" pretty interchangeably. Every
once in a while, this column gets a comment telling me I should
use "person first" language, meaning I shouldn't
use the word "autistic" to describe a person. Because
I've heard this criticism more than once, I feel it necessary
to tell you that I not only use the word "autistic"
intentionally, but thoughtfully and with purpose.
Blasting
Stereotypes in Autistic Females (Change.org - 3/24/09)
It's no secret that more males than females are diagnosed
as being on the autism spectrum. Evidence shows that there
are differing behaviors between autistic males and females.
Couple
Lives with Autism, Comfort of Each Other (ABCNews.com
- 2/25/09)
David Hamrick, 29, and Lindsey Nebeker, 27, look like a typical
couple in love, but what's not apparent is how hard they've
worked to be together.
Cyber
Scout Puts Autism Studies on Faster Track (NPR - 4/8/09)
Scientists researching autism are getting help from a friend
in cyberspace.
Patti's Comment: Great article about a network of families.
Disability
Models, Tragedy and Identity (Change.org - 3/2209)
The social model of disability can be contrasted with
the medical model. The medical model views disability as a
flaw in a person that can be cured by some form of medical
treatment; the social model views disability as a flaw in
the way society treats a person that can be cured by some
form of accommodation.
Patti's Comment: This is a great summary of the support
model rather than the medical model of support for people
with disabilities.
Don't
Mourn For Us (Community Advocates - 7/26/10)
Parents often report that learning their child is autistic
was the most traumatic thing that ever happened to them. Non-autistic
people see autism as a great tragedy, and parents experience
continuing disappointment and grief at all stages of the child's
and family's life cycle. But this grief does not stem from
the child's autism in itself. It is grief over the loss of
the normal child the parents had hoped and expected to have.
Parents' attitudes and expectations, and the discrepancies
between what parents expect of children at a particular age
and their own child's actual development, cause more stress
and anguish than the practical complexities of life with an
autistic person.
Drugs
Hint at Potential Reversal of Autism (NPR - 8/23/08)
A director of the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory
at MIT has discovered a system in the brain that could change
the lives of thousands of people with the genetic disorder
known as Fragile X Syndrome, a mutation on the X chromosome
that can cause mental retardation and autism. Until now, there
has been no treatment.
Hyperbaric
Autism Treatment Shows Possible Promise (ABC News - 3/13/09)
Info about treatment in a hyperbaric chamber, where pressure
is increased in an attempt to boost the amount of oxygen in
the child's brain.
Inspirational
Student with Autism: Haley Moss (MangoMon Blog - 7/26/10)
Haley Moss is an autistic teenager from Parkland, Florida.
She is also an artist and a writer. At 16 years old, she currently
has her artwork being shown at various South Florida galleries
and has published her first book. She is a student at the
Pine Crest High School in Ft. Lauderdale and attributes part
of her success to the great teachers at the schools she has
attended. She attends regular classes, and until now, many
of her fellow classmates didn’t even realize that she
had autism; they just thought she was shy.
Magic
in the Water (Baltimore Sun - 1/5/09)
Trips to the National Aquarium are key to a Kennedy Krieger
program that helps autistic youngsters master social skills.
New
Studies Chronicle Stress in Mothers of Autistic Children
(WKOWTV.com) - 11/10/09
A new pair of studies from the University of Wisconsin chronicle
the daily physiological and psychological toll on mothers
of adolescents and adults with autism. The studies reveal
patterns of chronic stress, fatigue, work interruptions and
a significantly greater investment of time in care giving
than mothers of children without disabilities.
PICA
Disorder
Many children that have sensory related issues /Autism deal
with this disorder as well. Some are more severe then others.
Seven
Easy Ways to Help a Family Diagnosed with Autism (Autism
Support Network)
Today, almost everyone knows someone with autism. And yet,
with all the talk about cures, causes and concerns, there
is rarely any information on how we can support a family with
this diagnosis.
Signs
of Autism at 1 Month (Your Therapy Source - 8/2/10)
The August
issue of Pediatrics reports on a retrospective study over
11 years of over 2100 NICU newborns. The researchers discovered
that the infants who later received a diagnosis of autism
had a higher incidence of persistant neurobehavioral abnormalities
such as increased upper extremity muscle tone and asymmetrical
visual tracking at one month of age.
Students
With Autism Learn Business, Life Skills at Seaholm (Detroit
News - 1/26/10)
High-functioning autistic adults can offer employers sought-after
skills, such as intense attention to detail, a single-minded
focus and a willingness to work on something until perfection.
Tax
Planning for Parents of Children with Autism (Autism Support
Network)
Parents or other caregivers of loved ones with autism may
qualify for valuable tax benefits, which may be overlooked
by some tax preparers who are unfamiliar with the autism spectrum
disorder. These unique tax benefits may entitle parents to
additional refunds of thousands of dollars.
Teaching
Autistic Teens to Make Friends (Science Daily -
4/8/09)
It's hard enough to be a teenager...but it's harder still
for adolescents with autism because they typically lack the
ability to pick up on all the social cues most of us take
for granted.
Teaching
Kids with Autism the Art of Conversation
A team of researchers at Baltimore's Kennedy Krieger Institute
has developed a course to help kids with autism improve their
social skills.
The
Aurora Project - Robots Helping Autistic Children (MangoMon
- 8/2/10)
The
Aurora Project was created as a long term project in the
United Kingdom in 1998. It is a project supported by the University
of Hertfordshire School of Computer Science with local schools.
The program pairs autistic children with robots, a high-interest
‘toy’, to help them build educational and social
skills.
Tips
for Teaching High Functioning People with Autism (O.A.S.I.S.)
People with autism have trouble with organizational skills
, regardless of their intelligence and/or age. Even a "straight
A" student with autism who has a photographic memory
can be incapable of remembering to bring a pencil to class
or of remembering a deadline for an assignment.
Try
Anything and Everything for Autism (New York Times
- 1/19/09)
If anything definitive can be said of the popular therapies
for autism, it is that treatments have to be individualized.
Two
Area Young Men are National Merit Semi-Finalists (CourierLeader
- 3/9/09)
Two area high school students, both with Asperger's Syndrome,
a form of autism, have been named National Merit semi-finalists.
Each scored in the Top 1 percent of high school students nationally
on their preliminary SAT exams, qualifying them for the National
Merit Scholarship Program.
Patti's Comments: Congratulations to these young men!
Underdiagnosed
Girls With Autism Struggle to Fit In (ABC News - 1/23/08)
At first glance, 8-year-old Kaede Sakai is a typical first
grader. She's a smart student, and most of the time she is
kind and cordial in class. But recess is an exercise in frustration
for her because no matter how hard she tries to fit in, she
just doesn't click with the other kids.
What
Autistic Girls are Made of (New York Times - 8/5/07)
It was a small, casual encounter and also an exceedingly
rare one — a taste of teenage patter shared by two autistic
girls.
What
Autism is Not (MentalHelp.net - 2/14/06)
Autism is not Mental Retardation or a Lack of Intelligence.
As intelligence is communicated through skillful use of language,
autistic people's social and communication deficits can easily
make them appear unintelligent. This is not necessarily the
case, however. Autistic people vary in intelligence more or
less as normal people do, only their language and social problems
can make that intelligence harder to discover. Historically,
autism was confused with Mental Retardation (MR). Today, MR
and autism are considered to be distinct conditions.
When
It Hurts (TeenAutism.com)
Sometimes, when you’re the parent of a teen with autism,
you have to write letters like this...
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