Everyone encounters frustrating, frightening, or irritating situations on a daily basis. For most of us, the initial feelings of anger or stress come quickly but subside as we “talk ourselves down” or get support from another person in managing the situation. In some cases, however, the intensity of the anger or anxiety can become too…
Note to readers: In each issue of The OARacle, we provide a helpful resource on a topic of interest within the autism community. This month’s article focuses on safety tips for families affected by autism. Special thanks to Janet Fernandez, who works with the police forces in Sacramento, Calif. to investigate cases of abuse, for…
First, I need to disclose something… on a weekly basis I buy two or three “Mega-Millions” lottery tickets. I do this despite the fact that I fully realize my chances of winning are, effectively, none, zero, zip, nada, zilch. I understand statistics and probability theory and that the only realistic outcome of my behavior is…
Note to readers: In each issue of The OARacle, we provide a helpful resource on a topic of interest within the autism community. This month’s article focuses on special needs planning for families affected by autism. Special thanks to Theresa Waddell for her contribution. No one plans to have a child with special needs. When…
Note to readers: In keeping with OAR’s interest to make research results understandable to the widest possible audience, we require each of our researchers to provide a Research Summary written in layman’s terms for the primary target audience, parents of children with autism, upon completion of their research. Below is a summary of research by…
All social interaction and social problems involve at least two people. Social difficulty can be defined as both a skill deficit for the student with a social disability and a problem of acceptance of that student by peers or the community. Thus, intervention must focus on teaching skills for both the student with a disability…
Note to readers: In each issue of The OARacle, we provide a helpful resource on a topic of interest within the autism community. This month’s article by Shahla Alai-Rosales, Ph.D., BCBA discusses how autism intervention research is put into practice. Special thanks to Dr. Alai-Rosales for her contribution. The field of autism intervention research is…
Many students with Asperger Syndrome and other autism spectrum disorders (ASD) view school as a stressful environment, presenting several stressors that are ongoing and of great magnitude. Stressors include difficulty predicting events because of changing schedules; tuning in to and understanding teacher directions; interacting with peers; and anticipating differences in environments such as classroom lighting,…
“Inclusion.” Just mention this one word in the field of autism and developmental disabilities (DD) and battle lines are almost immediately drawn in both the educational and community service arenas. When discussing the development of programming for children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities who coincidentally present with serious behavioral and/or psychological challenges,…
Note to readers: In each issue of The OARacle, we provide a helpful resource on a topic of interest within the autism community. This month’s article focuses on supporting siblings of children with autism. Special thanks to Beth Glasberg, Ph.D. for her contribution. When a child is diagnosed with autism and begins intervention, parents are…
