Two Communities Divided by One Word The idea of “the autism community” sounds good. But there isn’t one. There are at least two autism communities—perhaps more. The word “autism” applies to both, but that word has multiple meanings, dividing the groups that use it. To illustrate, let’s consider two main groups. These are not exact,…
From Housebound to Hiking Mt. Tam How Love and Determination Helped an Autistic Boy Break Through Neurosensory Barriers By Lisa Louis My favorite childhood memories include the creeks, fields, and forests of the Adirondack foothills where I grew up. The sound of wind blowing through pine trees, the babbling of a fast-running creek, glorious multi-colored…
Do you have a child with profound autism? Have you thought in a panic, who is going to take care of my child after I’m gone? My answer to both questions is: Yes! I am a mother of a 22-year-old son with profound autism. He is mostly non-verbal and has epilepsy. He was diagnosed at…
— By Alexander MacInnis Families affected by autism need answers to critically important questions. They have questions about many things, such as the causes of autism, effective treatments, and prevention of developmental disability in future children. Who will care for today’s children and young adults with autism when their parents can’t do it anymore? Are…
Doing some holiday shopping?
Did you know? Stanford’s Adult Neurodevelopment Clinic is expanding, and this year will be in a position to serve more adults with autism. This year, Dr. Thuc-Quyen Nguyen, a psychiatrist, joins Dr. Janet Miller (psychologist) and clinical director Dr. Lawrence Fung. The clinic will be adding another psychologist in May. The expansion will allow the clinic to see…
Her opinionated “The Politics of Autism” offers timely lessons for the autism community, if you can overlook the flippant digressions Not to be confused with Jack Pitney’s 2015 work by the same title, Siegel’s new book, left, would have been more aptly named something like “Reality Checking Autism: A Better Path Forward,” suggests our reviewer.BOOK…
A new paper looking at autism prevalence in California tells us what we old-timers already know: autism rates here have increased almost exponentially over the past several decades.(1) Yet to this day, some academics suggest that the autism increase doesn’t exist.(2) These doubters question the consistency of data collection and point to greater skill on…
The 1992 dedication of Aurelia House at the Arthur Schawlow Center in Paradise, California. Left to right: Charles Townes; Carol Berger, an autism researcher; Arthur Schawlow Jr., known as Artie; his father, Nobel laureate Arthur Schawlow; and actor William Christopher, an autism activist best known for portraying Father Mulcahy on “M*A*S*H.”(Photo from Optics & Photonics)Professor Arthur SchawlowBy…
An Interview with Jim Elliott, MSW, Manager, Community Placement Program and Public Policy Compliance, San Andreas Regional Center We have increasingly been hearing frightening stories about individuals with autism or other developmental disabilities getting caught in the criminal justice system after episodes of disruptive or difficult behaviors. To better understand what happens when our children…