We all know about the placebo effect, but we don’t really know how it works. It does seem, however, that there’s some mental element to the placebo effect, even to the point that recent studies show that if patients know they are getting a placebo (no double-blind there!), they still exhibit a placebo effect. A […]
Category Archives: Uncategorized
What does creating employment for ASD adults look like?
What does creating employment for ASD adults look like? This short film, Employing the Full Spectrum tells the story of a family in Florida that built a car wash business around their adult son with autism. Most of the employees, in fact, are on the spectrum. The young men working there talk about what it […]
Six Flags NJ – bring a doctor note
This summer, I finally managed to stop in at the guest services building (which is not the main guest services, so ask first before you wait in the line) at Six Flags in Jackson, NJ. I picked up the Equal Access Pass for my son with ASD. The process was super-fast and painless. The pass […]
Non-jobs for people with autism
As many of you know, my son with autism is still a young child. But already I see that I am more and more thinking about the next 80 years of his life. I am aware (not ready to resign myself to ANYTHING at this point or any other, ever) that his life may be […]
What chores does your child do?
I just came across this article about a boy whose family has integrated him into family chores in the classic ABA model: harnessing natural motivations, creating discrete tasks, and implementing positive reinforcement, both tangible and social. My older son is 8, and he’s certainly capable of many things. But I haven’t formalized the chores for […]
Pathway to individualized therapies
While the I in “IEP” mean “individual,” many parents question how individualized educational and treatment programs are. When every child in a class has the same amount of classroom time, PT, OT, and speech therapy, they wonder where the I comes in. One problem I see as a parent is what seems to be a […]
World Autism Awareness Day 2013
Today is World Autism Awareness day. My Facebook profile picture is my 8yo son Dylan, showing you, and me, what he thinks of autism. I imagine it’s something along the lines of “I just want to do what I want and have fun like every other boy. Sometimes it’s just hard.” Other times I imagine […]
Damn, science!
I really love this site; she’s got a way of focusing on clarity of communication. Damn, science! Yes, I know that many parents don’t agree, many more worry, and even more are questioning. Some of those are people I personally like and respect. Feel free to sound off in the comments if you […]
More thoughts on prevalence & DSM-V
Here are two more reviews/discussions of the CDC prevalence report from sources I believe to be intelligible, authoritative, and well-meaning, as opposed to fear-mongering, uninformed, and unskilled). The Autism Science Foundation describes the basics of the report in cogent language and provides a little education along the way, helping the reader understand what is being […]
Autism costs more than money
Here’s a short CNN piece reflecting on the costs of autism. It’s not news to those of us who’ve been living with it, but I’m sure it will surprise the heck out of those friends of yours and mine who don’t know the numbers. But there’s another poignant moment in this piece that is […]