The May 5, 2008 issue of Pediatrics published an article “Parental psychiatric disorders associated with autism spectrum disorders in the offspring,†written by the UNC research team, led by Julie Daniels, PhD, assistant professor in the departments of epidemiology and maternal and child health at UNC’s School of Public Health. As I understand, the team [...]
Nonverbal autistic teenagers “speak outâ€
Amanda Baggs (see the entry “Non-verbal Autism and Intelligence – some myths debunked”) is not the only nonverbal autistic person who communicates through a computer. More than a year ago, in March 2007, PBS Boston station, WBUR broadcast a program about about Portia Iverson, an Emmy-winning Hollywood art director and the author of Strange Son: [...]
Yes, it is PDD-NOS after all!
We finally got the neuropsych (neuropsychological testing) results and it is PDD-NOS after all! (See the entry “Autism 101: A basic definition” for more on PDD-NOS.) That may sound like I’m happy and someone might be thinking “Has she gone crazy?” but it’s good to finally have one doctor agree with another (see the first [...]
Non-verbal Autism and Intelligence – some myths debunked
The idea that non-verbal autistics have low IQ in general and are unaware of their surroundings is a myth that has to be debunked. Consider Amanda Baggs, featured in the article “The Truth About Autism: Scientists Reconsider What They Think They Know†by David Wolman in the March 2008 issue of Wired Magazine. The 27-year-old [...]
Beyond the Wall, by Stephen Shore
I already mentioned Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger Syndrome, by Stephen Shore, published by the Autism Asperger Publishing Company (AAPC), in the post “Understanding Autism (for Dummies, by Stephen Shore)†but I’d like to add a few words about it. It’s an autobiography and while someone might think that writing an [...]
Autism 101: A basic definition
What is autism? The Autism Society of America, “the nation’s leading grassroots autism organization,†founded in 1965, says on their introductory web page that “Autism is a complex developmental disability that […] affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a ‘spectrum [...]
Understanding Autism (for Dummies, by Stephen Shore)
The title of this post is taken from the title of a book about autism – Understanding Autism For Dummies, by Stephen M. Shore, Ed.D., and Linda G. Rastelli, MA, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. in September 2006. Our regional Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) recently had the pleasure of meeting Stephen [...]
Personal Introduction
My son is twice exceptional — he is both academically gifted and special needs, or the other way around, depending on how you look at it. There are times when I’m amazed at his intellectual abilities. Even since he was little, he could always figure out very fast how toys are operated and what he [...]