Jamie Pagliaro is executive vice president and co-creator of Rethink Autism, an award-winning educational technology company headquartered in New York City. He has spent the past 15 years working in programs for individuals with autism and related disorders. Prior to Rethink Autism, Jamie was executive director of the New York Center for Autism Charter School,…
Ernst O. VanBergeijk, PhD, MSW, is the associate dean and executive director of New York Institute of Technology Vocational Independence Program (V.I.P.). Prior to joining V.I.P., Dr. VanBergeijk was an assistant professor at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service, where he served as chairman of the college’s local institutional review board and as a…
Shelly Huhtanen originally wrote this column for Exceptional Parent Magazine as part of its Military section in its April 2011 issue. She is a columnist and advocate for people with autism as well as an active-duty military wife and mother to two sons, Hayden, 6, and Broden, 5. Her husband, Mark, is a major in…
Ann Ellison is the coordinator of behavior services at the Barber National Institute in Erie, Pa. She was instrumental in the development of Camp Connections, a therapeutic social skill development program for youth with autism and Asperger Syndrome. She presented the program at the National Autism Conference in 2007 and authored an article titled “Creating…
Teaching any child safety skills is essential; but it is especially important for those with disabilities. Unfortunately, people and children with disabilities are more vulnerable to abuse. While studies exist that examine safety skill interventions for individuals with intellectual disabilities, few studies address the use of these interventions with children who have autism. In a…
Picture schedules are a favorite easy-to-use intervention for parents and teachers. These visual supports are easy to create, portable, durable, and easy for children to use independently. Video modeling is quickly becoming another frequently used intervention. Both strategies focus on the visual strengths of individuals with autism. In a recent article published in the journal,…
Dr. Cicero is the director of psychological services for the Eden II Programs, an applied behavior analysis program in New York State serving children and adults on the autistic spectrum. He is a licensed psychologist and a certified behavior analyst. He teaches applied behavior analysis at Caldwell College, N.J., and sits on the board of…
Playing is not just fun for kids; it’s an important part of early development. As children mature, they progress from playing alone, to playing beside others, to actually interacting and playing with peers. Many children with autism, however, do not make the same progression or make it more slowly. They may line up toys or…
Bridget Taylor is executive director and Kate Britton is the principal and assistant director of Alpine Learning Group, a Paramus, NJ-based program that provides learners with autism and their families comprehensive, scientifically validated educational and behavioral services designed to foster individual growth and personal achievement. Picture it: You are at home alone with your three…
The following article was posted to Children’s Hospital Boston’s health and science blog on November 3rd, 2009 by Ellen Hanson, PhD, of the hospital’s Developmental Medicine Center. “Has autism increased or hasn’t it?” As a researcher and psychologist with a specialty in developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), this is a question I get…
