Discussing Autism

A mom and her autistic toddler were thrown off a plane. Is it a big deal? In my mind…yes. But I don’t know what is right in this situation. There are several versions of this story but most state that it all started when the flight attendant requested that the mother move the carry-on bag from under the seat to the overhead compartment.

The mother stated that the flight attendant made matters worse when she continued to touch the child. (more…)

A hawk is a bird of prey, meaning that they hunt for their food using their keen senses. Bullies do the same thing; they hunt for the easiest target using their keen senses, the ones they have refined and nurtured, honed for years.

The prey is not always the weakest in the forest though but sometimes it may be the target that is most susceptible, the most unsuspecting, and the most easy to target. (more…)

Yesterday I wrote about Kristina Chew and Ari Ne’eman’s “crusade” against the people who want to “cure” autism and continue to research for a cure. (more…)

What is the future of autism? (more…)

In the 1970’s autism affected only an estimated 1 in 10,000 children. Then, in 1990 the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that it was 1 in 500. Now, the estimate is 1 in 150 children who are on the autism spectrum. (more…)

Reality television is fascinating to the American public. We glom onto young adults as they sign to become the next American Idol, only to be ridiculed on national T.V. by three judges who have only just met them. We watch on the edges of our seats while contestants compete to become the sole Survivor or America’s Next Top Model but have we ever really stopped to think about what we are teaching our children about competition and about how to treat people? (more…)

I’m sure by now you have all heard, or read, of the 5-year-old kindergartner, Alex Barton, who was cast out of his classroom last week by his own teacher and classmates.

If not…

Port St. Lucie, Florida teacher, Wendy Portillo, was removed from her duties as kindergarten teacher because she held a vote in her classroom in which students literally “voted-out” Barton because they did not like him in the classroom. Often a behavior challenge and often either in the principal’s office or nurse’s office for acting up, Alex is currently being tested for Asperger’s Disorder, a form of autism.

The problem here is not necessarily that she humiliated him in front of his peers, that she teased and bullied him (and allowed other students to do it as well), and not that she even committed emotional abuse in a classroom.

The problem here is that (and thanks to Daily Kos and Thinking in Metaphors for their fabulous interpretations) she took matters into her own hands when she got frustrated with his behavior. Instead, she was required BY LAW to give him services under IDEA and to help participate in the creation of his IEP if he is found to be autistic. (more…)

The debate isn’t over despite what lawyers and doctors want. Parents are insisting that vaccines with Thimerosal and mercury are the direct link to autism and are determined to prove it in the United States Court system.

For the second time just this year families are back in court claiming that vaccinations triggered autism in their young children. The specific case began today and features two 10-year-old boys from Portland, Oregon, William Mead and Jordan King. They are considered test cases to determine whether or not the thousands of families should get compensation, as those two boys, much like the other children they represent, had been developing normally before the vaccinations. (more…)

Parents of special needs children, whether it be autism, down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, ADHD, or seizure disorders need respite. We need some time away from our children to regain our own selves because we can’t be expected to be super parents all of the time. (more…)

Autism Awareness Month has flown by…and I mean flown. For us, our month was spent dodging debris, inhaling dust, and listening to my parents argue about where they put the remote. We remodeled our entire first floor and spent over two weeks listening to sawzaws, pounding hammers, construction workers cuss, and air compressors.

I barely got any of my normal writing and work done much less anything extra. I literally ran errands looking for new lights (okay, that was fun), searched for the perfect granite countertops (not so fun), and spent thousands of dollars at Lowes (because we all know Lowes does not support Big Brother).

I have been, however, trying to keep up with my Google favorites and I feel like I have been missing out on something. I don’t feel like it’s been Autism Awareness Month but rather that it was an Autism Awareness Day. People all over the country celebrated the day with activities, productions, wise and introspective blogs but where did the rest of the month go? (more…)

Once again, Toys R’ Us has teamed up with Autism Speaks to help Autism Awareness, by creating a list of products that are well suited for children on the autism spectrum. Back in September, Maria Shriver helped promote Toys R Us’s line of Differently Abled toys for kids of all abilities. (more…)

Many Special Education Students are in great need of a teacher’s assistant not only because of their specific needs but also because of the impact they have upon the everyday classroom. When we revised our son’s Individualized Education Plan for next year we tried to “fight” for a Teacher’s Assistant (TA) but they did not want to provide him with one because his IEP for next year is extensive and the classroom he will be in is much more conducive to his needs. (more…)

April is Autism Awareness Month and by now EVERYONE knows that. It is only April 4th but it is ALL over the news, all over the blogs, all over the world. Autism is being celebrated. Children with autism are being thrown in front of cameras and microphones. Reporters are taking advantage of the autism news at their fingertips, autism bloggers not withstanding. Money is being raised in the name of autism. (more…)

Autism Speaks, in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly, created the first annual World Autism Awareness Day. The day, April 2, is supposed to be utilized to educate, make people aware, and celebrate autism. (more…)

Autism the Musical is finally hitting the television screens! HBO premiered the riveting musical March 25th and the DVD is available now for pre-order.

But what is the big deal about this film? Well, it’s the first of it’s kind. It follows five Los Angeles children with autism over the course of six months and captures their struggles and triumphs. (more…)