Autism Controversy

An Autism Key reader named Laurie wrote in to update us on a heartbreaking story involving Ayn Van Dyk, a nine-year-old Canadian girl seized by authorities after being safely recovered from an autism wandering episode. Derek…

Melbourne, Australia brings us a bizarre story about a mother of a little girl with autism who entered her daughter in a child beauty contest with neurotypical fellow contestants and is now protesting its outcome. Leonie Myles was shocked…

The DSM-IV is the diagnostic manual that defines all psychiatric disorders. After much controversy, Asperger's Syndrome is now being included in the DSM-5 (2013 edition) as an autism spectrum disorder, relinquishing its once separate…

I'm sorry to have to provide an upsetting update from my previous article, The State vs. Autism Families. Nine-year-old Ayn Van Dyk, who was taken from her home after being safely recovered after a wandering incident, is still in the…

In a sorry sequel to our previous story about a New York borough opposed to having a group home for young men with autism in their neighborhood, the non-profit seeking to establish the home has given up and plans to seek a new location. The…

Tampa, Florida brings us an appalling case of a single mother jailed because her child with autism missed too much school. Non-verbal and prone to disrupting class, the son attended half-days at his elementary school. His mother would…

A series of disturbing news stories paints a grim picture of the State's intervention in the families of individuals with autism. Perhaps the most harrowing case emerged from The Detroit Free Press, who recently published a six-part…

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…

In watching the Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy (EBCALA) as it held its press conference on the steps of the US Court of Federal Claims a few days ago, I was struck by the common message of parents whose children were…

Earlier today, the Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy (EBCALA) held a press conference on the steps of the US Court of Federal Claims and presented the findings of an investigation of the "Vaccine Court" settlements paid out…