Earlier this week, one writer for The Guardian described the mixed emotions she felt (“Autistic adults deserve the care – and recognition – we all do,” 25 Dec 2013) when attending the graduation ceremony for her younger sister, who has an autism spectrum disorder. The writer, a typically developing young woman, uses her sister’s story as…
Ready, Set, Success: Getting Children Ready for New Schools By Lisa Savo Lisa Savo is a school social worker currently serving in Pinellas County Schools, where she has worked for the past eight years. As the social work department’s autism spectrum disorders (ASD) specialist, she works directly with the ASD Student Support & Interventions School…
Stephen Anderson, Ph.D., is the chief executive officer of Summit Educational Resources, which provides educational and therapeutic services to children with autism in Buffalo, New York. A child psychologist, Dr. Anderson is a national expert in the education and treatment of children with autism and related developmental disabilities. He has worked in the field of…
This year, OAR received more applications for the Schwallie Family Scholarship Competition than ever before. Postsecondary education is becoming a common goal for students with autism and research is beginning to pay attention to this topic. A new research study, Predictive Factors of Participation in Postsecondary Education for High School Leavers with Autism, looks at…
Lisa Savo is a school social worker currently serving in Pinellas County Schools, where she has worked for the past eight years. As the social work department’s autism spectrum disorders (ASD) specialist, she works directly with the ASD Student Support & Interventions School Team (ASSIST) providing trainings and professional development to teachers, social workers, and…
After-school activities and programs benefit the academic performance of children without disabilities. While research studies on benefits of after-school programs have not included individuals with autism, it is easy to see how beneficial after-school programs could be for not only increasing academic skills but also generalizing social skills learned in the classroom. After-school care is…
Michelle Rigler is the director of the Disability Resource Center at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) and the co-developer of the MoSAIC Program at UTC for college students on the autism spectrum. For many young adults, starting college is a tremendously exciting time, but the experience can be very different for people on…
Students with autism are educated in a variety of settings including general education (GE) and self-contained (SC) classrooms. In GE placements, students are educated with their peers by a general education teacher. In self-contained settings, students are educated with other students who have a disability by a special education teacher. Researchers Jennifer Kurth, PhD, at…
Michelle Rigler is the director of the Disability Resource Center at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) and the co-developer of the MoSAIC Program at UTC for college students on the autism spectrum. For many young adults, starting college is a tremendously exciting time, but the experience can be very different for people on…
Middle school is a socially challenging time for most students, especially those with autism. With about 35 percent of middle school students with autism educated in general education settings, typically developing peers should have some knowledge of this disability. In their research study, “Middle School Students’ Knowledge of Autism,” Jonathan M. Campbell, PhD and Brian…
