Profound Autism: A Label to Help Those Who Need it Most

Profound Autism: A Label to Help Those Who Need it Most

Profound Autism: A Label to Help Those Who Need it Most Earlier this year, we addressed the confusion and discord that arise from people using one word — autism — to describe two different things, an identity and a disorder. In her excellent opinion piece in Spectrum News, Alison Singer addresses the same issue and…

Stanford Adult Neurodevelopment Clinic: Bigger & Better

Stanford Adult Neurodevelopment Clinic: Bigger & Better

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…

Bryna Siegel Truth-Bombs Autism

Bryna Siegel Truth-Bombs Autism

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…

One of the Bay Area’s earliest autism moms offers her perspective on California’s autism explosion

One of the Bay Area’s earliest autism moms offers her perspective on California’s autism explosion

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…

A Famous Family’s Autism Dream Goes Up in Smoke in Paradise

A Famous Family’s Autism Dream Goes Up in Smoke in Paradise

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…