So Your 17 Year Old Son With Aspergers Wants to Drive a Car; Applied Behavior Analysis to be Covered by Insurance in NY State; Airway Abnormalities May Point To Autism; Those 7 Important Things Every Parent Should Know; Parents You Have Legal Rights

"I may have been born different and misunderstood from birth, but I know there is a place for me, somewhere in the universe."---Alyson Bradley

Learning To Drive A Car

Your 17 year old son with Aspergers wants to learn how to drive a car. Where do you start?

Learning to drive, as every driver knows, takes a unique set of skills. The demands of learning to drive with someone with Aspergers take on added dimension. The sensory demands alone make learning to drive a challenge for any young person. As someone who has faced this issue on the professional level, allow me to offer some suggestions:

• Bring the issue up to your child's interdisciplinary team. Your child will need to be assessed by the team. The IDT's assessment should include, but not be limited to, fine and gross motor skills, a hearing assessment, and a visual assessment. In other words, the team should determine if your child has the ability to drive a vehicle.
• If the IDT determines your child is ready to take driving lessons, it's time to find a qualified driving instructor or driving school. Check to see if your school offers driver's training (I would discourage any family member to try to teach driving. Leave this to the professionals).
• Apply for a driver's permit, depending on the state in which you reside.
• It's important the driving instructor or school know about Aspergers even if you have to teach them (unless, of course, you are fortunate to find an instructor or school that specializes in teaching people with Aspergers). For example, the instructor will also need to be told that more driving practice will be needed. The instructor will need to be told to break down the teaching modules into smaller modules. In other words, more step-by-step teaching is essential. You should accompany your child in the vehicle throughout the driver's training.
• After your child completes driver's training, I would strongly suggest you return to the IDT team with the results of the training. Allow the team to assess the training. Just as important,  the driving instructor should attend this meeting to answer any questions team members might have.
• Good luck with the driver's test. Remember, it's a written test as well as a road test.

NY State Mandates Insurance Coverage For Autism

On Nov. 1, 2011, NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill authorizing insurance companies to cover Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) in the treatment for children with autism. New York State becomes the 29th state to mandate such insurance coverage.

The law takes effect November 1, 2012. ABA treatment will be covered up to $45,000.00 a year regardless of age.

Airway Abnormalities And Autism

Dr. Barbara Stewart, a pediatric pulmonologist at Nemours Children's Clinic in Pensacola, Florida, reported the finding of abnormalities in the airways of children with autism. Instead of the usual random, asymmetrical branches in the airway, she found "doubled up" symmetrical branches in children with autism. In addition, the branches were smaller. She found this condition in all 43 children with autism in her research. None of the 300 children without autism had this condition. At this early date in the study, researchers do not know what to make of this condition. But they do now know that autism must be treated as a "whole-body" phenomena. ---USA Today

Autism And The Brain; Tablets As Teaching Tools; Autism and Diabetes: Perhaps a Link? Autism Diagnoses Growing By 10-17% Annually; Making Halloween Fun For Children With Autism

"The only disability in life is a bad attitude."---Scott Hamilton

Autism and The Brain: New Research Findings

A recent research study by UCLA found that connections in the brain responsible for language and social skills grow much more slowly in boys with autism than in children who do not have autism.

Their findings appeared in the journal, Human Brain Mapping. Slower growth in the brain of a child with autism appears to occur in the most critical period of brain development. This may have an impact on social interactions, refining emotional skills and establishing the important personal identity. A total of 13 boys with autism were studied. The control group involved seven boys who did not have autism. Researchers found the white-matter brain connections between brain regions important for language and social skills were growing much slower in the boys with autism.

The study has implications for the use of alternative neuroscience techniques to identify the source of white-matter impairment. Any findings could lead to better interventions in the future. In addition, interventions in education may require a different approach.

Tablets As Teaching Tools For Children With Autism

This evening, 60 Minutes, ran a piece on the potential of tablet computers in better developing communication for children with autism. A University of Toronto study in association with the Beverley School in Toronto, will try to determine how effective IPads can be with students with autism. The mother of Josua Hood, one of the students in the study, said, "The day he started using the {IPad}, it blew me away. I wouldn't have known he preferred Coke to Pepsi. He's part of the community...and communication is the essence of being human."

Could Autism and Diabetes Be Linked?

Rice University is suggesting a possible link between diabetes and autism. In Frontiers of Cellular Endocrinology showed that both "Diabetes 2 and autism have a common underlying mechanism of impaired glucose tolerance."

Michael Stern, a biochemist at Rice, said, "When I read that the incidence of autism is increasing , it seemed reasonable that each increase could have the same ultimate cause---the increase in hyperinsulinemia in the general population."---Mediplacements: Medical News

Drexel's Autism Public Health Research Institute: To Study Environmental Exposure; Some Great Resources Found Via Facebook

"I do not suffer from autism, but I do suffer from the way you treat me."---Tyler Durdin


Straight From The Headlines: "Digging Furiously For Autism Answers." Philadelphia Inquirer, Oct. 9, 2011.


"Most of the local talent is at the Center for Autism Research at Children's Hospital (in Philadelphia), which in less than four years has grown into a powerhouse with more than 100 researches and staff running two dozen studies..."


"Drexel {University} is jumping in with a much smaller but ambitious Autism Public Health Research Institute, which is poised to lead in some other areas, beginning with environmental exposure. The long neglected field has suddenly become a priority as evidence builds that genes alone do not explain the disorder..."


"The goal is to figure out what flips the genetic switch that puts some infants on a path to autism. Only then can scientists begin to understand how the brain changes and what can prevent it, discover treatments, and devise cost-effective ways to teach hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren..."


"'Autism is like a snowflake,'" said Robert Schultz, director of the center at Children's. It's core attributes---mainly an inability to engage in normal interaction---are enough to define it. But the severity, symptoms, and timing of each case are different. So huge research samples are needed to discover what they have in common...'"


"'Autism was definitely something that we felt CHOP should be leading the world in" said Tom Curran, deputy scientific director.'"


The Center's goal is to have 10,000 volunteers take part in the research. To date, 1,500 have already signed up.

CARA Passed; Impact of Facebook on Autism Advocacy; School Community Tool Kit

"I am different. Not less."---Temple Grandin

GREAT NEWS!!!

As many of you may already know, Congress passed The Combating Autism Reauthorization Act of 2011( CARA) this week. It now goes to Pres. Obama for his signature. Folks---this is what advocacy is all about.




THE IMPACT OF FACEBOOK ON AUTISM ADVOCACY


In the last several months, I've come to the conclusion Facebook has a generally positive impact on autism advocacy. Even though there are countless resources online for autism related issues and concerns--- like this very blog--- Facebook magnifies those resources a thousand fold. I am constantly amazed and thrilled at the information the general population shares regarding autism on their Facebook autism pages. Just as important, the comments added by the general population add to this enormous tapestry of relevant and useful information. We can only look forward to what the future holds with this technology and the evolving technology around the corner for continued autism advocacy.
(Note: you can access my Facebook page to the right of this post. Also visit the many resources we have available on this blog).

Breaking News: House Passes CARA; Top Ten Terrific Traits of People with Autism; Taking the Mystery Out of IEP's

"...History suggests that many individuals whom we would today diagnose as autistic---some severely so---contributed profoundly to our art, our math, our science and our literature."---Morton Gernsbacher, parent of a child with Autism.
(I would also add they've contributed to our overall culture in very positive ways)---Editor

BREAKING NEWS:

The House of Representatives passed The Combating Autism Reauthorization Act (CARA). This legislation authorizes $693 million in funding for three additional fiscal years. A personal thank you to all who contacted their representatives advocating for the extending of this very important legislation. Kudos to all!



Autism Support Network ran a terrific piece recently entitled, "Top 10 Terrific Traits Of Autistic People." In short, these traits include, but are not limited to, the following (note: I only use "people first" language, so the text will not always match that of ASN):

• People with Autism Rarely Lie
• People on the Autism Spectrum Live in the Moment
• People with Autism Rarely Judge Others
• People with Autism Are Passionate
• People with Autism Are Not Tied To Social Expectations
• People with Autism Have Terrific Memories
• People with Autism Are Less Materialistic
• People with Autism Play Fewer Head Games
• People with Autism Have Fewer Hidden Agendas
• People with Autism Open New Doors for Neurotypicals

Allow me a moment to add two more terrific traits to this list.

• People with Autism Are Very Smart and---just as important--- Very Cool!

The Education Issue For Teachers, Parents and Other Persons Interested in Autism. A Few Words About Emergency Preparedness

"Autism is a way of being. It is pervasive; it colors every experience, every sensation, perception, thought, emotion and encounter, every aspect of existence. It's not possible to separate the autism from the person."---Jim Sinclair.

In this issue, I will report on some of the many educational resources available for teachers, parents and others interested in this information.  Access to all of these resources and more are available on this blog under, "Education."

The Autism Education Network (http://www.autismeducation.net/):

This web site offers FREE information about special education rights as well as information about treatment options and education methods. Its primary mission is to provide information and training to families and professionals regarding best practices in autism treatment. This site also includes personal stories from families in dealing with autism.

Educate Autism (http://www.educateautism.com/):

Educate autism is dedicated to helping those with children with autism by providing FREE teaching materials, a variety of tutorials and more to help make your own teaching aids. This site also provides information on Applied Behavior Analysis and behavior principles.

Autism Inspiration (http://autisminspiration.com/):

This resource is dedicated to providing you with a wide variety of resources including lesson plans, games, group activities, sensory integration ideas, forums and other valuable tools and information.

Sample content includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Classroom Aids such as Social Thinking and its impact on academics.
• Family/Group Activities
• Math Skills
• Motor Skills
• Parent Corner
• Reading Skills
• and More.

Access to member content in this site requires a $14.95 monthly subscription.

Autism 4 Teachers (http://www.autism4teachers.com/):

Four elementary school teachers found this web site in 2004. They provide information in communication, inclusion, curriculum support, behavior support, parent support, visual supports and a host of additional supports.

Autism Buddy (http://autismbuddy.com/):

This website provides user-friendly, high quality printables and resources for teachers and parents. These include flash cards, puzzles, games, booklets, activities, social-skills activities, lessons and worksheets, information E-books and much more.

TinSnips (http://tinsnips.org/):

TinSnips is a special education resource that strives to share a variety of specialized teaching tools, techniques, worksheets and activities.

TinSnips also provides links to information, organizations, techniques and strategies especially for teaching students on the Autism Spectrum.

Breaking News: Higher Risk For Siblings

The University of California-Davis released a study this week that shows the risk of younger siblings of children with autism have a higher risk of developing autism than first thought. Previous studies showed a risk of 10%. This study reports a risk of almost 20%. This means younger siblings have a risk of autism about 20 times greater than children in the general population.