Tag Archives: autism

Sesame Street Launches Autism Initiative

Sesame Street, a show you loved when you were a kid, and one that your kids enjoy today, has launched a major autism initiative. The program is called “See Amazing in All Children”. It is designed to foster greater understanding about autism for all children and families. There is a stigma placed upon autism that need not be there. People who do not understand autism, or who do not have anyone in their lives that has it, may harbor many misconceptions about it. The goal of the Sesame Street autism initiative is to help de-stigmatize autism (which affects one in … Continue reading →

The ABCs of ASDs

Has your child recently been diagnosed as having autism? Parents can find the jargon and abbreviations that are used by teachers and staff in a Special Education program to be confusing and overwhelming. Here is a quick list of definitions that make everything much clearer. Think of it as the ABCs of autism in a school environment. ABA: Applied Behavior Analysis It is a scientifically validated approach to understanding behavior and how it is affected by environment. This therapy can help children who have autism to pick up on the social cues that their peers, who do not have autism, … Continue reading →

Study Provides Clues to How Autism and Schizophrenia Develop

A study done with mice may have provided some clues about how disorders such as autism and schizophrenia develop. It seems that the genes that are connected to these two disorders might only be active for a short period of time while brain is developing. This could be a first step towards understanding more about the genetic links to the disorders. What causes autism? There have been several studies that have tried to determine the cause of autism. Many different potential factors have been identified that may, or may or may not, be a clue in the quest to find … Continue reading →

Some Insightful Viewpoints on Special Needs

Often, when parents go online to find information about the special need, or health condition, that affects their children, they are seeking facts. This is perfectly reasonable. Sometimes, it is good to read some opinions, or blog posts, written by other parents or therapists that state their views of situations regarding children with special needs. Here are a few interesting ones to start with. The Huffington Post has a article that was written by Sean Bean. It is titled: “My Son Had Autism. Then He Did Not.” He discusses some of his son’s early behaviors that indicated that he appeared … Continue reading →

Meghan Wins Spelling Bee With “Humility”

A Spelling Bee is a traditional academic contest. To win, you have to know how to correctly spell more words than the rest of the participants are able to. A nine-year-old named Meghan McCarty just won a Spelling Bee. She has autism and cerebral palsy and is part of a mainstream classroom of students. How well do you spell? Is your writing mostly typo-free, or do you heavily rely on the spellchecker? Read the comment section under any article on a major newspaper of your choice, and it is abundantly clear that plenty of people do not feel that being … Continue reading →

Teenager with Autism Wants to Become Miss America

Eighteen year old Alexis Wineman wants to become the next Miss America. She is the currently reigning Miss Montana, pretty, and has an autism spectrum disorder. If she wins the crown, she will be the very first Miss America who has autism. That is her quest. When you think about the Miss America pageant, you are either looking forward to watching it or are intending to avoid it. Beauty pageants, in general, are something that can be viewed as controversial. On the one hand, it is a contest that is primarily about the physical appearance of the contestants (all of … Continue reading →

The Story of the Empty Gift Card

Last year, I wrote a blog about a situation that occurred as a result of a gift card that had not been properly charged by the cashier. My brother, who received the gift card, has autism. He called me, all upset, when the gift card didn’t work as expected. I’m hoping I did better with his gift this year. One of the things that I have learned as the sibling of a brother who has autism is that consistency, pattern, and an expected outcome of events, are good things. When something unexpected happens, it can cause him great distress. Such … Continue reading →

Making Christmas More Joyful for Kids With Special Needs

Many of us look forward to Christmas. Kids that have certain types of special needs might feel left out, or overwhelmed, by the ways that their family celebrates this holiday. Here are some quick tips to help make Christmas more joyful for kids who have special needs. It is a tradition that children write a letter to Santa. Sometimes, Santa answers that letter. When he does, it a note that is written on paper, (and possibly signed by Santa himself). This makes many children happy. However, it leaves out the kids who are blind or who have a vision impairment. … Continue reading →

Study About Autism and ER Visits Reveals Much

A recent study found that children who have an autism spectrum disorder are nine times more likely to visit an emergency room for a psychiatric reason than are children who do not have autism. This result is being interpreted to mean that there isn’t sufficient outpatient mental health care for families that need it. A study was recently published in the journal Pediatric Emergency Care. Researchers analyzed data from over 3.9 million emergency room visits in the United States. Specifically, they focused on ER visits by children who were between 3 and 17 years old. The researchers used the 2008 … Continue reading →