Blog

What's the difference between awareness and appreciation of autism? Awareness is about recognition. Appreciation is about changing your response. It requires that we take new action in response to our awareness, not just experiencing a feeling. In This Article:...

The I Have Autism BookmarkThis bookmark was created to help the reader recognize the many ways that an individual with ASD is impacted by their autism. Each phrase on the bookmark is written from the perspective of the individual on the spectrum, and serves as a...

Why is there such a negative connotation or stigma assigned when someone is different? During the COVID pandemic, Christmas looked different for many of us. Lots of people reacted very negatively. They were horrified to give up ages-old family traditions, angry to be...

What is the hardest part of navigating life with an ASD child? The hardest part of navigating life with an ASD child is bearing witness to the constant struggle and discomfort with life. In This Article: A Confusing VacuumThe Green Growing EdgeNavigating The Road Of...

How do we find a therapist who "GETS IT?" When a parent of a child on the spectrum goes looking for a therapist, it can feel like an uphill battle with no hope in sight. That’s because being the parent of a child on the autism spectrum is really hard! Nobody “gets...

Does the frustration and aggravation of life with ASD build over time? In the name of being easy-going, it is so compelling to want to dismiss small scrapes that come up while living with an adult with high functioning autism. After all, it’s not the individual...

How important is cause and cure to managing autism? It's not important at all! Regardless of the cause, families with an ASD family member must deal with day-to-day life. Up until now, our dialogue about autism has been very one dimensional. As the days of hyper-focus...

What contributes to the sense of being alone that so many people with ASD and their families experience? It hit me like a ton of bricks! Of course! Autism and chronic loneliness go hand in hand, whether you are the individual with ASD or someone in their family! That...

Do parents of kids with ASD experience additional stress? Absolutely! Parental stress from ASD is a real thing. In 2009 Disability Scoop Magazine ran an article referencing research from the University of Wisconsin which measured the stress level of mothers with...

Should our goal be to do therapy with an individual until they conform to what is considered "normal" or should we find ways to help them compensate, be functional, and deliver their gifts? Trying to make someone with autism behave like someone without autism would be...

Is it Autism or Ought-Ism? If having Autism didn’t make it hard enough for people on the spectrum, being judged, mis-understood and invalidated makes the impact of the condition even harder. This is especially true when the source of the judgement is a professional,...

Does the general public still harbor misconceptions and false beliefs about autism? There are still so many people that don’t have a realistic or accurate picture of what autism is. This includes how it influences the thinking of the individual who has it, or how to...

Are first responders encountering more autism? As of March 2022, the CDC says 1 in 44 children is on the autism spectrum.That means for every 44 calls you take you will probably see at least 1 individual on the autism spectrum. My guess is that you will see a much...

What makes inclusion the best solution? The increase in high functioning individuals on the spectrum is so great, and the delineation between those on the spectrum and those not on the spectrum is so fluid, that isolating individuals with autism is nearly impossible!...

Should the autism diagnosis be obliterated? While autism is part of an individual, it is not the entire person. It does not define their personality or what they are capable of accomplishing in life. In This Article: Not Their DiagnosisShifting The ParadigmHow The New...

How many school-aged children’s cosmic wishes were granted when the U.S. decided to suspend attendance in the 2020 school year 2-months before its scheduled completion? Didn’t we all once wish spring break would go on forever, and we wouldn’t have to return to the...

During the pandemic, were you a frustrated, exhausted or grieving parent? Most parents, whether their kids are on the autism spectrum or not, are feeling some levels of those three experiences during this Coronavirus outbreak. In This Article: Pandemic StressA Sense...

Are you frightened about the future of your child with ASD? If you are like me and many of the parents I talk to, you might feel that the future for your child with ASD is frightening. We wonder (more precisely worry) about how our kids will carve out a satisfying and...

Does parental mindset matter? Yes! Parenting a child with ASD elicits many varied emotions from parents. An incredibly deep desire to be a good parent and an even deeper love for our kids, is often tempered by worry, fear, exhaustion, and every other imaginable...

Do you ever feel like you're fighting a battle? According to research, Autism Moms have stress similar to Combat Soldiers, and struggle with frequent fatigue and work interruptions! Read the Article here. In This Article: Validating The StressFinding Behavioral...

Do you recognize when your child cannot do something because of the autism, versus when they simply don't want to do it? Asking yourself this question is a great first step toward appreciating the difficulties and struggles of your child. In This Article: Can't vs...

What can we do to improve compliance and cooperation from a child with ASD? When we can be more consistent with the words, requests, commands and the expectations we have for our kids with ASD across all environments, it simplifies the processing of the ideas for the...

Why is routine calming for individuals with autism? I read an article from one expert that suggested that the number one cause of their anxiety is uncertainty over what is expected of them in a situation. In This Article: Uncertainty Breeds AnxietyFamiliarity Breeds...

What makes autism considered a social disability? At its core, autism is a social disability. That is because the presence of different neurological functioning creates a different (not bad, broken, sick, or wrong) world view and experience. As a result of how...

How can a parent provide support for their child with ASD in the beginning of a new school year? At the beginning of the school year when everything is brand new, the stress in our child’s life skyrockets! Change is difficult for children with autism, and the new...

How does routine support individuals with autism? At the start of any endeavor, establishing a healthy routine from the very beginning is very powerful. Preparing the individual with ASD for an event, a new schedule, or a change in any area of life will help the...

Do parents with children on the autism spectrum need to prepare for school differently? For most families, getting ready to start the school year includes new pencils and books and backpacks. When you child is on the autism spectrum, the effort to get prepared for...

Why are people with ASD so rigid? People on the spectrum often express a strong desire to control their environment in order to manage the discomfort of autism. Because processing new information is so difficult or painful, people with ASD become inflexible to manage...

What makes social conformity difficult for people with autism? Much of the social conformity that comes naturally to the rest of us originates from innately knowing and following the social rules without thought. We act, think and do things the way we do because that...

Do you think people with autism can lie? While being a "rule-follower" is often part of the personality and character make up of an individual on the spectrum, sometimes to the extreme that we might feel like they are policing a situation, that doesn't necessarily...