- Act for Autism
- Autism Blog
- Our Autism Services
- State Information
- What is Autism?
- Could My Child Have Autism?
- Autism After Age 21
- Find Easter Seals Near You
- Why Easter Seals and Autism?
- Stories of Hope
- Donate Now
- Bookstore
- Subscribe to Our eNewsletter
- Newsdesk
AUTISM BLOG
RECENT POSTS
Inspired by families living with autism
Rhode Island governor signs autism legislation
Accessing autism services: why a label matters
Language and labels -- what's the big deal?
Are autism service dogs smart?
- ARCHIVE OF ENTRIES AUTHORED BY:
- Patricia Wright
Accessing autism services: why a label matters
Posted by Patricia Wright on November 16th, 2009
Describing someone as having autism tells you a bit about that person. But really … what can you tell from that label? Some people with autism require significant support throughout their lives. Others with ASD move through their daily lives independently.
Currently there are three categorical labels used in diagnostics:Autistic DisorderAsperger SyndromePervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS).
The diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome Read More » »
Language and labels — what’s the big deal?
Posted by Patricia Wright on November 13th, 2009
Language and labels are powerful. They convey information, inform society and suggest a particular perspective. Labels that are used to describe individuals with disabilities, when used in other contexts, are often derogatory. Pierre Lellouche, French minister to Europe, did just this when describing the British Conservative Party in an interview with The Guardian.
They have one line and they just Read More » »
Don’t miss the Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism town hall
Posted by Patricia Wright on November 3rd, 2009
You are invited! Easter Seals is proud to be part of Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism (AFAA), a national consortium seeking to create meaningful futures for adults with autism. On November 13, Americans in 15 cities Read More » »
Transportation: a link to a quality life
Posted by Patricia Wright on October 30th, 2009
On Wednesday I was fortunate enough to attend a roundtable on Transportation for Students with Disabilities. The roundtable was sponsored by Easter Seals Project Action, which promotes cooperation between the transportation industry and the disability community. The goal of Wednesday’s event was to identify the transportation needs of youth with disabilities and develop a set of actions Read More » »
Dr. Lars Perner’s personal perspective on “special interests”
Posted by Patricia Wright on October 16th, 2009
In my blog post yestrday, I talked about a Danish entrepreneur who used a great business strategy. He found an area of special interest, and employs people with autism who have that special interest.
I warned against assuming people with autism all have the same special interest. A good example: Lars Perner.
Dr. Perner is an assistant professor of clinical Read More » »
Putting “special interests” to work
Posted by Patricia Wright on October 15th, 2009
A story in Wired Magazine explains how the news of his son’s autism diagnosis inspired Danish entrepreneur Thorkil Sonne to start Specialisterne (Danish for “Specialists”), an I.T. firm that hires mostly people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
One characteristic we often hear about people with autism is an intense interest in a particular subject. Colloquially in the field Read More » »
New prevalence = increased demand for services and supports
Posted by Patricia Wright on October 6th, 2009
There has been a rumor for several months that the prevalence rate for autism was going to show an increase. Yesterday those rumors were confirmed.
A publication in Pediatrics indicates that 1 in 91 children between the ages of 3 and 17 has an autism spectrum disorder. The story in Pediatrics came out of a report from the National Read More » »
National Standards Project: a resource for parents and professionals
Posted by Patricia Wright on September 25th, 2009
The other day I did a Google search on the word “autism.” The search resulted in more than 15 MILLION hits. With that plethora of information, it can be incredibly difficult for families and professionals to discern an appropriate treatment path.
The National Autism Center has released a great resource to help parents and service providers. It’s called the Read More » »
Star surfer champions his autism
Posted by Patricia Wright on September 16th, 2009
Want to learn more about autism? Spend time with someone who has autism!Surfing star Clay Marzo is doing his part by educating his fellow surfers. Clay was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome a few years ago, and he has been informing the surfing community about disability ever since. Marzo’s participation in surfing contests gives his fellow surfers the Read More » »