Here are some of the best modern children’s books about autism: These books are great resources for children and families to understand and appreciate autism, and to see it as a unique aspect of individual identity, rather than a limitation or a problem to be fixed.
Social skills groups are a valuable resource for children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. These groups provide a supportive and structured environment where individuals can practice and improve their social skills. Here are the top 10 social skills groups in the United States.
via Study: For Those With Autism, Fixations Can Be Beneficial – Disability Scoop Parents and teachers should do more to embrace the preferred interests of those with autism, researchers say, pointing out that such aptitudes can be calming and form the basis for careers. Individuals on the spectrum often display intense interests in topics like computers, animals or trains. Traditionally, many experts thought that such preferences might inhibit social development. However, in a new study looking at the experiences of 80 adults with autism ages 18 to 70, researchers said they found otherwise. Parents and teachers should do more to embrace the preferred interests of those with autism, researchers say, pointing out that such aptitudes can be calming and form the basis for careers. Individuals on the spectrum often display intense interests in topics like computers, animals or trains. Traditionally, many experts thought that such preferences might inhibit social development. However, in a new study looking at the experiences of 80 adults with autism ages 18 to 70, researchers said they found otherwise. “Many …
via An Experimental Autism Treatment Cost Me My Marriage – The New York Times What happens to your relationships when your emotional perception changes overnight? Because I’m autistic, I have always been oblivious to unspoken cues from other people. My wife, my son and my friends liked my unflappable demeanor and my predictable behavior. They told me I was great the way I was, but I never really agreed. For 50 years I made the best of how I was, because there was nothing else I could do. Then I was offered a chance to participate in a study at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. Investigators at the Berenson-Allen Center there were studying transcranial magnetic stimulation, or T.M.S., a noninvasive procedure that applies magnetic pulses to stimulate the brain. It offers promise for many brain disorders. Several T.M.S. devices have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of severe depression, and others are under study for different conditions. (It’s still in the experimental phase …
via What Donkeys Know About Autism – The New York Times Hal Walter always loved donkeys a little more than they loved him. For over 30 years, they’ve fought, kicked, and confused him — and for that, he’s truly grateful. Donkeys have made his temples throb with fury, but they’ve also prepared him for the most perplexing challenge of his life: a boy named Harrison. I traveled to Colorado for a tutorial from Hal in the art of burro racing, the old Rocky Mountain sport of running marathon distances alongside a trotting donkey. I became interested in all things burro by necessity, after we adopted a neglected donkey named Sherman and had to figure out what to do with him. When I heard about burro racing, I was intrigued by three mysteries: How has it survived as America’s second-oldest marathon, right behind Boston? Why do women and older runners often defeat younger men? And most of all, how do you persuade nature’s most obstinate creation that it really wants to run with you? When I …
via My Autistic Son’s Lesson: No One Is Broken – The New York Times My youngest son, Sawyer, used to spend far more time relating to his imagination than he did to the world around him. He would run back and forth humming, flapping his hands and thumping on his chest. By the time he was in first grade, attempts to draw him out of his pretend world to join his classmates or do some class work led to explosions and timeouts. At 7 he was given a diagnosis of being on the autism spectrum. That was when my wife, Jen, learned about the practice called joining. The idea behind it, which she discovered in Barry Neil Kaufman’s book “Son-Rise,” is brilliant in its simplicity. We wanted Sawyer to be with us. We did not want him to live in this bubble of his own creation. And so, instead of telling him to stop pretending and join us, we started pretending and joined him. The first time Jen joined him, the first time she ran …
via When Children With Autism Become Adults – NYTimes.com As the explosion of children who were found to have autism in the 1990s begins to transition from the school to the adult system, experts caution about the coming wave. “We estimate there are going to be half a million children with autism in the next 10 years who will become adults,” said Peter Bell, executive vice president for programs and services of the advocacy group Autism Speaks. Services for adults with autism exist, but unlike school services, they are not mandated, and there are fewer of them. Combined with shrinking government budgets, the challenges are daunting. “We are facing a crisis of money and work force,” said Nancy Thaler, executive director of the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services. “The cohort of people who will need services — including aging baby boomers — is growing much faster than the cohort of working-age adults that provide care.” To help parents navigate this difficult journey, in January Autism Speaks introduced a free Transition Tool …
An IEP can actually increase chances of your teen being accepted to the schools of her choice–to an extent
Here’s our list of favorite stores to shop for toys in NYC. A Time for Children 506 Amsterdam Ave., NY, NY, 212-580-8202 Acorn 323 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11201, 718.522.3760 Area Play Various locations in Carroll Gardens and Park Slope, NY The Artful Place 171 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11217, 718.399.8199 Baby, It’s You 3727 Riverdale Ave., Riverdale, NY 10463, 718.548.1134 Blue Tree 1283 Madison Ave., NY, NY 10128, 212 369.2583 Boomerang Toys 119 W. Broadway, N.Y., N.Y. 10013, 212.226.7650 Chelsea Market Baskets 75 Ninth Avenue, New York, NY 10011 The Children’s General Store 168 East 91st St., NY, NY 10128, 212.426.4479 Daily 235 235 Elizabeth St., NY, NY 10012, 212.334.9728 Dinosaur Hil 306 E 9th St., NY, NY 10003, 212.473.5850 Enchanted Toy 1179 Lexington Ave., NY, NY 10028, 212.288.3383 FAO Schwartz 767 5th Ave.,NY, NY 10153, 212.644.9400 Giggle, For a Giggle Store Locator go here! Grandma’s Place 84 West 120th St., NY, NY 10027, 212.360.6776 Heights Kids Kid O 123 West 10th St., NY, 10011,212.366.5436 Kidding Around 60 West 15th St., NY, NY 10011, 212.645.6337 Kidrobot For a Kidrobot Store Locator go here! Kisan Concept Store 125 Greene St., NY, NY 10012 …
