Parents and professionals often contact me looking for help with a young adult with autism who is out of school, looking for work, and ill-prepared to do so. As a parent, I feel their pain. My son, Jeremy, severely impacted by autism, is working towards becoming a happy taxpayer. He isn’t there yet, but he is…
How can awareness drive acceptance and the fullest opportunity for increased quality of life for those affected by autism? This April, we invite you to turn awareness into acceptance by looking through these steps to see which would be a good fit for you and your community. Taken from several past articles written for Autism…
At a recent workshop I led, we had a great discussion on the definition of self-advocacy, practicing a three-step model for determining when advocacy is necessary, the development and implementation of an advocacy plan, and the required disclosure explaining why an accommodation or greater understanding was necessary. We came up with solutions for addressing challenges…
Recently, I added a new job to my professional autism experience: Stepparent of Carmen, a young adult on the spectrum. Although I have always tried to think of autism practically, helping to parent Carmen has helped me to take this practicality to a different level. For example, Carmen’s father and I recently discussed the goals…
Being the mom of a very anxious tween with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), I know that days off school, unexpected storms that wipe out power, and holiday breaks can breed anxiety and stress that’ s painfully present! We spent many years with holiday horrors and vacation disasters before we locked down a routine and…
Surviving the Holidays In November 2003, Liane Holliday Willey, Ed.D., wrote a holiday survival guide for OARacle readers. Dr. Willey is a speaker and writer on Asperger Syndrome and a researcher who specializes in the fields of psycholinguistics and learning style differences. Her tips included these: Mitigate sensory overload by: Finding out when shopping malls…
Love cannot always overcome every obstacle that we meet. If anyone knows that, it is parents of children with autism. But love conquers those obstacles even when it cannot make them disappear. How? Through the power of parents like the fathers we profile in this Salute and the hundreds of fathers like them facing the…
Keeping our children safe is a top priority and it is even a greater concern when a child has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Some people with ASD are prone to wander away from their caregivers, which can make keeping them safe even more difficult. A 2011 national survey done by Dr.…
In August 2014, OAR released a set of three online Autism Sibling Support resources for parents, teens, and children. The goal was to shine a light on an important but often overlooked demographic: brothers and sisters of individuals with autism. OAR recognized that these future advocates, potential caretakers, and lifelong friends require more support and…
As each New Year begins, many of us engage in that time-honored practice of bettering ourselves by making resolutions, and I am no different. As I began thinking of my own list this year (lose those holiday pounds I have gained, set up a gym schedule and actually stick to it this year, read a…
