Today we are launching our new blog entitled, Autism News and Views. We hope you will find the information informative and useful. If you like what you see here, we are asking that you kindly spread the news about this blog to parents, educators, researchers, clinicians and anyone else interested in improving the lives of those individuals affected by autism.We invite you to share your thoughts and comments with us.
- "It seems that for success in science or art, a dash of autism is essential."--Hans Asperger
- Researchers at the University of Montreal's Centre for Excellence in Pervasive Development Disorders found that individuals with autism focus more of their brain resources in the areas of the brain associated with visual detection and identification. On the other hand, they appear to have less activity in the areas used to plan and control thoughts and action.{Source: Human Brain Mapping, April 4, 2001}
- On April 6th of this year, Bloomberg Businessweek reported that poor children with autism are less likely than richer children to have autism diagnosed. But there is good news, as people become more educated about autism, the gap is narrowing {"Autism Diagnosis Still More Likely in Richer Neighborhoods."}.
As you know, sometimes Hollywood gets it right, and sometimes it gets it wrong. After having reviewed the movies made by Hollywood having to do with autism in the last decade or more, I have to admit--Hollywood got it right more than they got it wrong. Here's a list of movies I believe they got right:
- Rain Man (1988) perhaps one of the better movies for a mass audience about a man with Asperger's Syndrome. Starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.
- Silent Fall (1994) A murder mystery whose main character is a young boy with autism. Staring Richard Dryfuss and Ben Faulkner.
- The Boy Inside (2006) This fascinating film takes the audience through the life of a 12 year old boy with autism. It follows the boy through school, therapy and much more.
- The Black Balloon (2008) effectively shows the challenges a family faces in dealing with a sibling with autism.
- Autism: The Musical (2007) a well-produced HBO documentary that follows five children with autism as they work together to create and perform a live musical production. A must see movie.
Some books with interesting viewpoints about autism we would like to recommend:
- Between Their World And Ours: Breakthroughs With Autistic Children by Karen Zelan. Can be a tad tedious and technical, but certainly of interest. Parents should consider reading this book.
- The Autism Sourcebook by Karen Exkorn. Everything you need to know about diagnosis, treatment, coping and healing.
- The Autism Mom's Survival Guide by Susan Senator.
- Growing Up On the Spectrum by Koegel and LzZebnik. A guide to life, love, and learning for teens and young adults with Autism and Asperger's.
- Take Control of Asperger's Syndrome by J. Price and Jennifer Fisher.
- A Parents Guide To Asperger's Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism: How To Meet The Challenges and Help Your Child Thrive by Ozonoff, Dawson and McPartland. An excellent resource on Asperger's and highly readable.
- Learning to Live With High Functioning Autism: A Parent's Guide for Professionals by Mike Stanton. A beautifully written book about how an autistic child sees the world.
- You're Going to Love This Kid!: Teaching Students with Autism in the Inclusive Classroom by Paula Kluth. As a former Special Education teacher myself, I found this book to be both practical and important. No educator of children with autism should be without it.
