Posted by Susan Moffitt on Thursday, May 26th, 2011
DIR/Floortime is one of the many time tested therapies available to treat autism and other developmental disabilities. The stated objectives of DIR/Floortime are “to build healthy foundations for social, emotional and intellectual capacities, rather than focusing on skills and isolated behaviors." DIR stands for Developmental, Individual, Relationship-based, a model that enables clinicians, parents and educators [...]
READ MORE 
Posted in Autism Services, Autism Therapy, Autism Treament, Treatment 
3 Comments »
Posted by Susan Moffitt on Friday, May 13th, 2011
A recent University of Pennsylvania study confirms what autism families already know – autism results in substantial underemployment and loss of income among mothers. Healthcare costs associated with the disorder are only part of the reason. Mothers take lower paying, more flexible jobs to be available for their child. But the primary issue is that [...]
READ MORE Posted in Autism News, Autism Services, Autism Support, Commentary, Families, Parents, Studies 2 Comments »
Posted by Susan Moffitt on Friday, April 15th, 2011
Ohio is leading the way in educational opportunities for individuals with autism by sponsoring the Ohio Autism Scholarship Program. Since 2003, the program has been providing up to $20,000 a year for families to seek an educational placement outside the public school system. Funds can also be used to gain access to early intervention services [...]
READ MORE Posted in Autism News, Autism Services, Families, Ohio 2 Comments »
Posted by Susan Moffitt on Sunday, April 10th, 2011
It’s all over the news that a Massachusetts woman has been charged with attempted murder, child endangerment and assault and battery for withholding cancer treatment from her son who also suffered from autism. She admitted that she did not give him in-home chemotherapy prescriptions for five months because the side effects made her son so [...]
READ MORE Posted in Autism News, Autism Services, Autism Support, Autism Treament, Commentary, Diagnosis, Families 3 Comments »
Posted by Susan Moffitt on Friday, April 1st, 2011
As part of Autism Awareness Month, Autism Speaks has released its findings from an online survey identifying the most livable cities for autism. These cities were recognized by respondents for best availability of services and resources, including educational, recreational and medical offerings. The cities, in no particular order are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Cleveland, [...]
READ MORE Posted in Autism News, Autism Services, Autism Speaks, Autism Support, Autism Treament, Families, Michigan, Tennessee 2 Comments »
Posted by C.A. Curie on Sunday, February 20th, 2011
It’s that time of year again when parents will meet with their school districts and write their Individualized Education Programs or IEPs. These are mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and outline the individual educational needs for each child with special needs. My close friend, who has her Masters in Education once [...]
READ MORE Posted in Autism Advice from Parents, Autism and the Law, Autism Awareness, Autism Services, Autism Therapy, Commentary, New York 3 Comments »
Posted by C.A. Curie on Thursday, February 3rd, 2011
Despite the recent proposals by various states to pass or introduce autism insurance reform, the reality is that most states in the country are still extremely deficient when it comes to providing autism-related funding and services. The lawmakers have realized the error of their ways and are now grandstanding before the media (and everybody else) [...]
READ MORE Posted in Autism Advice from Parents, Autism Services, Commentary, Missouri, Parents, Washington State 10 Comments »
Posted by Gary G. Porter on Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
Today, the Virginia House of Delegates moved closer towards providing increased autism coverage for residents of the state. HB 2467 advanced on a "voice vote," despite opposition by some House members. The proposed bill would mandate coverage of applied behavior analysis for children with autism between the ages of two and six, with a max. [...]
READ MORE Posted in Autism and the Law, Autism Causes, Autism Services, Virginia No Comments »
Posted by Gary G. Porter on Sunday, January 30th, 2011
Thanks in large part to the Autism Votes initiative, there has been a near domino-effect of states pushing for autism insurance reform. Missouri, California, Oregon and Virginia are the most recent states that have made headlines in the past few weeks related to this issue. In light of the current legislative efforts to have autism-related [...]
READ MORE Posted in Autism Services, Autism Support, California, Families, Missouri, Oregon 12 Comments »
Posted by Susan Moffitt on Thursday, January 27th, 2011
Any parent with a school-aged child knows that both classroom issues and homework can often be overwhelming for students. And no one knows that better than the parents of a child with autism. Not only do autistic students have an academic curriculum, but they have a social curriculum which is every bit as demanding and [...]
READ MORE Posted in Autism and the Law, Autism Services, Education, Parents, Students, Technology 2 Comments »
