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Cheryl Chafos honors her late son, Zachary, by advocating for autism training among healthcare professionals… His younger brothers were now so scared they often locked themselves in the bathroom. Cheryl and Tim were looking into group homes but none would take him while he exhibited aggressive behavior. But they couldn’t handle him on their own … away. For 19 years Cheryl spent countless hours advocating on Zach’s behalf with school staffs, doctors, therapists, support agencies and others-as well as driving to therapies, consultations and events. She had spent the last 59 days up … is needed to better recognize and address mental health issues in those like Zach with challenging behaviors and high support needs. Research and clinical programs supported by Autism CARES Act could help develop more personalized treatment …
Bullying Facts & Figures… The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines it as any unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another youth or group of youths, that involves an observed or perceived imbalance of power, and either is or likely to be repeated. Common … and bullying. Note: If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States. It is free and confidential. …
Video: Meet Bryan B.… I’ve had throughout my life, I would never come this far. My parents and my sister sacrificed a lot for me. Without their support during every step of my journey, I would not have been able to achieve any of the things I have up to this point in … as a child in elementary school. She was at my speech and occupational therapy appointments every day – making sure I was supported. This is what helped me grow a lot closer to my sister as I got older and also helped me to better understand my … and a news piece about safe sex in sex education, among many other topics. As far as building a social life, I had a core group of friends, but I was able to get along with a lot of people. I had become much more charismatic by this time, too, so …
Travel & autism: Five tips for success with toilet issues while on the road… etc. But they may still commonly fail to use these skills at the right times. This seems to be particularly true for two groups of children: Those who have recently learned the skill of toileting but for whom it’s still not yet an established … a public restroom or otherwise following a vacation schedule. Here are some techniques for doing so: #3 Consider visual supports On your next vacation, it may be helpful to use a visual support such as a schedule board with bathroom breaks listed or “First-Then” boards (e.g., “First bathroom, then trip to the …
Members of the autism community explain how they overcame bullying to reach their full potential … felt worthless like I shouldn’t be here because I didn’t deserve to be. But with the help of my faith and the love of my supportive family and friends, I now go to an amazing school, make amazing grades, have an amazing and supportive group of friends! I’m also on the varsity cheerleading team and sing in my school’s choir! Because of the experiences I’ve …
Reflecting on my nonspeaking autistic son's 40th birthday… home. I smile when you take selfies with me because you seem to like that. I continue to need your help, understanding, and support in many ways. Fourth. Let go of your anger. You’ve written about how the loss of the perfect son you dreamed of … to speak, read, or write. Thanks to your love and advocacy on my behalf, I live the safest life possible for me in a group home where I can live with support out in the world. I love our car rides and walks in the park when you visit. These days, when you come to visit, I …
ATN@Work: Personalizing hospital care for children with autism… the lead author of an Autism Treatment Network study that helped develop a model program for tailoring in-patient care to support kids with autism At Mass General Hospital for Children, Dr. Sarabeth Broder-Fingert discusses a patient’s … Right after that eye-opening experience, I thought there must be other hospitals that have developed ways to support children and families affected by autism when they come into the hospital. So I set out to find these programs and … would then go in the child’s hospital file for every member of their care team to see. One caveat, the clinicians in the group cautioned, was that if the document was more than, say three page, it might not get used. So we needed to create a …
Meet Mallory F.… therapy services in the community and clinical settings. Being on the spectrum allows me to connect with the kids I support unlike anyone else on my team. I get it—I know exactly what they are going through. So, I’m going to take what I … perform better if they have the right accommodations. For instance, I struggle to verbalize deep aspects of my life to a group of five strangers, but I’d happily tell those five people individually the exact same thing! Help people do the best …
Safety products and services… dementia and other related cognitive conditions. Project Lifesaver provides equipment, training, certification and support to law enforcement, public safety organizations and community groups throughout the country and nation. SafetyTat : SafetyTat is a fun and colorful temporary safety child ID tattoo …
Wandering prevention… and Education Coalition The Autism Wandering Awareness Alerts Response and Education (AWAARE) Collaboration is a working group of six national non-profit autism organizations whose mission is to prevent autism-related wandering incidents and … for Caregivers The Big Red Safety Tool Kit from the National Autism Association is designed to provide direct aid and support to families of children with autism at risk.The kit contains the following resources: Caregiver Checklist Tool …