Posted by Susan Moffitt on Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
In less-than-earth shattering news, a recent study done by the University of Cambridge, with The Science of Evil author, Simon Baron-Cohen as one of the researchers, finds that areas heavily involved with the information technology industry have a higher incidence of school children with autism. The authors conclude that autism-related genes express themselves as a [...]
READ MORE 
Posted in Autism Technology, Commentary, Studies, Washington State 
No Comments »
Posted by Susan Moffitt on Monday, June 20th, 2011
A new book, The Science of Evil, is certainly not doing any favors for the autism community. Written by Simon Baron-Cohen, a professor of developmental psychology at the University of Cambridge and director of the university’s Autism Research Center, the book has a central premise that evil can be scientifically defined as a lack of [...]
READ MORE Posted in Autism Awareness, Autism Books, Commentary 11 Comments »
Posted by Gary G. Porter on Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
In what has seemingly become an epidemic within the autism community, another child with autism has tragically drowned as a result of a wandering-related episode. Seven-year-old John Burton, Jr., from southeast Indiana, had just moved into a new neighborhood and disappeared while playing with the family dog. Burton’s mother noted that her son was unfamiliar [...]
READ MORE Posted in Autism Awareness, Autism News, Autism Safety, Autism Wandering, Commentary, Indiana 14 Comments »
Posted by Susan Moffitt on Sunday, June 5th, 2011
In a previous article, I discussed how girls with undiagnosed Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) often manifest eating disorders. Researchers at the Maudsley Hospital in London compared and contrasted autism and anorexia for several years and found that while patients with autism struggle to connect with people in the outside world and anorexics are obsessed with other [...]
READ MORE Posted in Aspergers Syndrome, Commentary, Medical Conditions, Studies 46 Comments »
Posted by Susan Moffitt on Saturday, June 4th, 2011
Repetitive behaviors in those with autism have long been viewed as something to be eradicated. My own son’s problems in school began with his teacher’s intolerance for his incessant rocking and pencil tapping in class. These compulsions got him habitually thrown into the hall, and eventually out of school. But times are changing and so [...]
READ MORE Posted in Autism Awareness, Autism Communication, Autism Treament, Commentary 13 Comments »
Posted by Susan Moffitt on Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
A groundbreaking survey from the Interactive Autism Network (IAN) paints a picture of grandparents assuming a larger role in the lives of their grandchildren with autism. They are often the first to suspect that a child may have autism and once diagnosed, they have their own struggles in coming to terms with it. Some are [...]
READ MORE Posted in Autism Support, Commentary, Families, Surveys 18 Comments »
Posted by Gary G. Porter on Thursday, May 19th, 2011
In many seasons since its inception, American Idol has been dogged with accusations of voting irregularities, mainly from disgruntled fans of popular contestants who were upset that their favorites did not advance to the next round. It’s no surprise, then, when James Durbin was eliminated last week, a large number of fans took to Facebook [...]
READ MORE Posted in American Idol, Aspergers Syndrome, Autism and the Media, Autism Controversy, Commentary 43 Comments »
Posted by Susan Moffitt on Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
A medley of current special education headlines paint a grim picture. In a national survey, special educators report that they are carrying a maximum caseload with diminished support and that it is increasingly difficult for them to deliver free and appropriate education as mandated by law. Compounding the problem is the fact that federal education [...]
READ MORE Posted in Alabama, Autism and the Law, Commentary, Education, New Jersey No Comments »
Posted by Gary G. Porter on Friday, May 13th, 2011
In what could be reminiscent of the 2000 presidential election, there has been some Internet chatter about a potential American Idol voting controversy involving James Durbin and Lauren Alaina and the possibility that some votes intended for Durbin were accidentally funneled to her instead. Typically, when the Idol field is narrowed to a handful of [...]
READ MORE Posted in American Idol, Commentary, Famous People With Autism 270 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 »
