Free -on-line Conference on Autism Safety and Crisis Prevention

January 14, 2012

[Updated! Registration is now live]

Autism College in partnership  with the National Autism Association (NAA) is presenting a free on-line conference on Autism Safety and Crisis Prevention.  Topics to be addressed are sexual abuse risk reduction, bullying prevention, suicide risk, wandering, and preventing the use of restraints and seclusion.

The on-line conference Autism Safety and Crisis Prevention  to be held in February,  will include presentations by  experts in the field of autism and  safety issues, and broaches sensitive topics with real life strategies.  There will be a question and answer session moderated by Chantal Sicile-Kira following each presentation.  Don’t miss the opportunity to learn how to help support  the emotional and physical health and safety of your loved one affected by autism. Schedule is as follows:

Saturday, February 11, 8:15am- 9:45am PST,  Dr. Nora Baladerian, Ph.D. will present “How  Can Parents Reduce the Risk of Sexual Abuse of Their Child or Young Adult?”.

Saturday, February 11, 10:00am-11:30am PST, Dr. Lori Ernsperger will discuss “The 3 R’s to Bullying Prevention for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Recognize, Respond, and Report”.

Wednesday, February 15, 6:00pm-7:30pm PST, Dr. Joshua Feder will discuss “The Problem of Depression and Suicidal Ideation in Autism and Related Disorders”.

Saturday, February 18, 8:15am-9:45am PST,  Wendy Fournier of the NAA will  discuss Wandering .

Saturday, February 18, 10:00am- 11:30,am PST, Pat Amos, M.A. will discuss Preventing and Eliminating the Use of Restraints and Seclusion.

For those unable to attend live, there will be transcripts available for purchase. Register here.

Preparing Your Teen or Young Adult for Work in the Real World

November 4, 2011
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“Jeremy does not like jobs with physical activities but likes to work with ideas and be able to tell others what to do…. As the case manager, I see Jeremy’s strong assets like working data, communicating with people to purchase/buy/manage a business. He is able to do gross motor activities, but often finds fine motor activities difficult and frustrating. Jeremy needs more opportunities exploring jobs and finding out what he would do to have fun and earn money. These last two ideas are very important to Jeremy.”

The above was part of information given to us by one of Jerey’s favorite teachers during an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting a few years back.

Jeremy is older now, but like all parents my husband and I worry about what his future will look like. Jeremy is now 22 years old, and with the economic situation being what it is, we are doubly concerned about the financial aspects of Jeremy’s life as an adult. But as the saying goes, worry gets you nowhere – fast. Preparing, planning and creative thinking is a better alternative to wringing our hands.

When thinking about employment for your child or student on the spectrum, there are a few aspects that need to be focused on: the life skills he or she needs to learn; a clear understanding of what employers look for in an employee; the interests and strengths of the person on the spectrum; the usefulness of mentors; and the different employment structures currently available. In this post, I’ll be discussing necessary life skills and what employers look for.

Necessary Life Skills

In my book, Autism Life Skills : From Communication and Safety to Self-Esteem and More – 10 Essential Abilities Every Child Needs and Deserves to Learn, the ten skill areas covered are important for all aspects of life, whether at work, at school, at home, or in the community. Some of the skills such as self-regulation, independence, social relationships, and self-advocacy are important for getting and keeping a job. The topic of earning a living is the last chapter in my book, because being able to get and hold a job is really a culmination of all the life skills hopefully learned during the school -age years, whether a person is on or off the spectrum. For example, for someone to be accepted in a workplace, he must be able to control his emotional and sensory meltdowns. A certain amount of independence is needed at most jobs. Understanding that you should speak to your boss differently than you would to a colleague is important to know in most work situations. Self advocacy skills are necessary in order to request what you need to get the job done.

Life skills in general should be broken down and translated into IEP goals and objectives, especially during middle school, high school and transition years. Obviously, everyone is different and the skill level reached for each of these skills is different depending on the person, but every student needs to learn a minimum in order to live and work in the community.

What Employers Look for When Hiring

Too often, when looking for a job placement for a person on the spectrum, people take the approach of asking for handout, or a favor. We need to approach this differently. I took a look at the top 10 skills and attributes most employers look for as identified by the Bureau of Labor (Job Outlook, 2003) and I discovered that many of those attributes are attributes people on the spectrum have, yet rarely do we sell those attributes to prospective employers. Here’s the top ten of what employers look for: honesty and integrity; a strong work ethic; analytical skills; computer skills; teamwork; time management and organizational skills; communication skills (oral and written); flexibility; interpersonal skills; motivation / initiative.

Now, many of you reading this are probably focusing on the skills in this list your child or student does not have. Look at it again, and think about what attributes your child does have. For example, most people on the spectrum are honest to a fault – they are usually the ones in the store saying “yes” when a woman trying on a dress says “Does this make me look fat?” They are not the employees who will be caught with thier hands in the cash tills. That’s a positive point to sell. A strong work ethic applies to most of our guys – the ones who do not like a change in routine and are going to be there rain or shine. They will not be calling in sick because they had one too many martinis the night before, or leave early because they have an event to attend. Analytical skills are really ‘obsessive attention to detail,’ and many of our children have that. The child who likes to line up blocks and trains probably has good organizational skills. Teamwork and flexibility are difficult areas for many, but we should be teaching flexibility at school (there are ways of doing that), and teamwork can be handled by ensuring the person on the spectrum has one person on the team that he is in contact with for all needed information. Many of our children with Asperger’s are good communicators, and some have become journalists, speechwriters and professors.

The point is, when people are selling a product and/ or service, they market the positive attributes, not the negatives. And that’s precisely what we need to be doing with any prospective employee on the spectrum.

In my next post, I’ll discuss the interests and strengths of the person on the spectrum, and the usefulness of mentors.

Following Ezra: Lessons on Raising a Child with Autism

November 1, 2011

This post was originally published on my  Huffington Post blog.

Recently one of my publishers sent me a book, Following Ezra: What One Father Learned About Gumby, Otters, Autism, and Love from His Extraordinary Son. Having just emerged from many months of researching and writing book number five on autism, I was not predisposed to read anything associated with the A-word. However, being partial to interesting book covers, I couldn’t resist the urge to peruse this memoir. Once I opened it, I couldn’t put it down. Following Ezra by author Tom Fields-Meyer, is not just a book about raising a child with autism; it’s a very well-written book about the trials and tribulations of being a parent, period.

One reason this book is such a good read is that covering human interest stories is what Fields-Meyer does for a living. He is a former senior writer for People and has written for  the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. He is a master storyteller, and this time he recounts his own personal story and that of his son, Ezra, from age 3, when he was diagnosed, to his bar mitzvah at age 13.

Another reason is the approach that Fields-Meyer decided to take in raising his son with autism, who didn’t like to play with children when he was little, obsessively lined up plastic dinosaurs, and avoided eye-contact. In the prologue of Following Ezra, Fields-Meyer describes his quest of searching for the right doctors, diets, medicines and therapies. But what he discovers is that he has been focusing on the wrong thing: “It wasn’t about finding the right expert for my child; it was about learning to be the right parent,” he writes.

For Fields-Meyer, learning to be the right parent meant developing a relationship with his son by following Ezra’s lead to learn more about his interests, motivations and way of thinking. Fields-Meyer discovers that Ezra has an incredible memory and an enthusiasm for life, and he decides to focus on these qualities to help him learn and grow. Ezra loves animals and going to the zoo; he loves Disney movies. At some point Ezra becomes obsessed with the calendar and celebrates important dates, such as the first time he set eyes on a Cardigan Welsh corgi, or the first of the month, by waking up at dawn and running around the house yelling “It’s the first day of May!” Fields-Meyer decides to celebrate with him. (On another note, having a child with a great memory for dates is certainly an added plus when you are writing a memoir.)

There is a scene in the book that helps explain Field-Meyer’s approach to parenting. Before Ezra was officially diagnosed, his parents took him to weekly visits to see a therapist, who tried to help Ezra by drawing him out. One day, when his wife tearfully expressed the frustrations of trying to play with him and just the situation in general, the therapist told them, “You have to allow yourself to grieve for the child he didn’t turn out to be.”

As Fields-Meyer explains, many parents in this situation are in mourning for the child they expected and hoped to have, and they have to go through a mourning process so that they can move on, as the therapist rightly pointed out. Only, he didn’t feel that way, because he hadn’t had any expectations about the child he was hoping to have. Over the years he’d seen acquaintances who wanted their children to go into the family business or become lawyers, or who didn’t want them to be gay. These parents were disappointed in their children when they didn’t turn out the way they expected. Fields-Meyer never wanted to be that kind of parent.

Most parents of children with regressive-type autism (children who developed normally and then lost the skills they had gained) would understandably have a different outlook. In those cases, parents mourn for the child they did have, the child that was interacting with them, that they saw change before their eyes. That’s a different situation. I have met many parents of children like mine, who showed signs of having significant developmental challenges from early on, and many of them mourn the child they wish they’d had, while accepting the child they do have. Personally, I relate to the author’s point of view. Raising Jeremy, who still requires 24/7 care at age 22, is exhausting and not without struggle. But whenever I read the news of the day, I am grateful that my son will never be maimed in war, become a serial killer or turn out to be a stockbroker on Wall Street who bilks trusting clients out of millions of dollars.

It’s clear that it is not always easy for Ezra to be Ezra, or for Fields-Meyer to be the parent of Ezra, and Fields-Meyer does not gloss over the challenges and weariness. He may not mourn for the child he did not get, but he certainly does not consider having Ezra as being a special blessing or a miracle. Parents will recognize the painful situations that many of us share: the haircuts where Ezra feels so tortured he grabs the scissors and throws them at the hairdresser; the times that Ezra runs out of the house clad only in his underwear; or clothes shopping expedition when Ezra licks his image in the mirror and then puts the shirt on — backwards.

Raising a child who has obsessive thoughts and who verbalizes them constantly can be truly exhausting. Fields-Meyer describes how, a few weeks before Ezra’s bar mitzvah, he helped Ezra put aside his obsessive thoughts about the Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia and gift cards he hopes to receive. Fields-Meyer takes him for a walk and listens to Ezra explain the mental jam he is in. Fields-Meyer instructs him to take all his thoughts about the coveted presents, put them all in a black lump in his head, pull the black lump out of his head through his ear, and leave the lump under a tree. He instructs him that if he has more obsessive thoughts before the bar mitzvah, he should send them there. This seems to work.

There are humorous yet embarrassing situations in this book that parents will relate to, such as the time Ezra asked the obese neighbor how he got so fat, or the day Fields-Meyer learned that Ezra could read. When Fields-Meyer asked why he set off the fire alarm, Ezra replied, “It said ‘pull down.'”

In a blog post on Fields-Meyer’s website, he describes a family custom that explains his attitude toward raising Ezra:

We have a custom in our family. When somebody breaks a glass, we celebrate. As soon as you hear the shards shattering on the kitchen floor, the rule is that you say: “I hated that glass! Thanks for getting rid of it for me!” Because what else can you do? Get angry? Make the person pay the price? It’s not going to bring the glass back. So we make the best of what we have, and we always try to make life a celebration. And then we clean up the glass.

Ezra is now 15, and Fields-Meyer has helped him find a way to channel his interests and obsessions through the use of technology to give him an outlet to express himself, and perhaps to have a future career. Next month, Ezra will be the published co-author of a children’s book E-MERGENCY with New York Times bestseller Tom Lichtenheld, based on an animation Ezra made when he was 12. I’m looking forward to reading it. The book cover is pretty cool.

The Difficulties of Communicating

September 10, 2011

This post is written by our second guest blogger, Jeremy Sicile-Kira.  Jeremy wrote this for his college newspaper, the Chariot,  and it was  published in August 2011. You can read more of Jeremy’s writing on his new website (soon to be expanded) or follow him on twitter at @Jeremyisms.

Having autism has deterred me from communicating with neurotypicals. Neurotypicals are people not like me; people who have what are considered normal behaviors. Their sensory processing is functional  so they can see, hear and feel normally.  Because I have sensory processing challenges, I can’t feel or see the physical space I am in.  I can’t see and hear at the same time so I don’t look at people when I am listening to them. People may assume because of this that  I am not listening or not interested, but that is not the case. As well, I can get  overwhelmed in noisy environments because of  my sensitive  auditory processing challenges. For me calling a person on the phone is no  easy matter because  the ability to talk is not a strong  ability I have. This is due to motor challenges. It takes great muscle control to speak. While  autism affects my ability to speak it has not hindered my ability to think.

Being  nonverbal has it’s advantages. For example people will stop talking if you don’t respond which is great when you don’t feel like listening. At least I have a good excuse. Kidding aside, I have great technology and support staff to help me communicate. But by the time my poor finger has typed a response, often the conversation in a group setting has moved on.

Sometimes I dread being in public places. While many people are understanding, some  frankly act weird. Like those that treat me like a train wreck: they dreadfully watch but are frankly happy it’s not happening to them, this life of having a disability. Getting a lot of attention can be awesome for the autistic community in general, but sadly if you ask autism advocates most  will tell you that not all press is good press. The  reality  is that most of us  would rather be unnoticeable than be noticed just for our autism.

Although I have challenges that make it difficult to communicate, I am very interested in getting to know my fellow students. Bravely feel free to talk to me when you see me. Just be patient while waiting for a response.

Your Opportunity: The Freshman College Experience

August 29, 2011

This post is by Autism College’s  first guest blogger,  Kerry Magro, who was diagnosed with PDD-NOS at age four. Now as an adult who has autism, he is a recent graduate of Seton Hall University’s prestigious Leadership Development Honors program, majoring in Sports Management. In 2008 as a college sophomore he started the first Student Disability Awareness club in Seton Hall’s history to help spread awareness and raise funds for those affected by autism and other disabilities.*

Here’s the scenario: You’re a college freshman. You’re on your way to THE higher learning experience of a life time. There is a catch though. As an individual with autism going into college you are in a distinct unknown class which is both good and bad. If you look at some websites today you may see how many people go to college from a certain race/demographic. With a learning disability though, especially autism, we don’t know the numbers of who’s going to college today and who’s not. What we do know is that an estimated 500,000 people with autism will become adults within the next decade. This means that your story, through your college experience, can inspire so many.

With so much still unknown it means that many people are still unaware of autism at the college level. Granted some programs know what they are doing, many still have a very long way to go. I can tell you though my life has changed so much because of my college experience with autism. When I was 4, I was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder- not otherwise specified (PPD-NOS). Almost 18 years later I made my dreams come true by receiving a diploma from Seton Hall University. I went through so many challenges to get there but because I faced those challenges I’ve become a stronger individual by far. Because of the uncertainty, it’s how you prepare now which will ultimately be all the difference in your college experience.

So where do you start? Many of the steps are very basic and most of them involve just one word which awareness. The steps that I tell people through a few blogs I’ve wrote is broken down into these…

  1. Making sure you understand who the faculty members are for your program (director, disability specialist, etc.)
  2. Understanding what accommodations they offer (extended time on tests, private rooms for exam periods, individual note-takers, etc.)
  3. Finding out if there is a disability support student organization (important in regards to making sure students have a “voice” and community that can promote acceptance and diversity).

Ideally these steps will put you ahead of the game. Still you will need to have a strategy for how to assess your Individualized Education Program (IEP) in College. I was the unfortunate soul who realized 2 weeks within college that I no longer would have an IEP. No one ever told me that my IEP would be stripped away, even during my exit interview. As I know this is August you can’t just go back to High School and do this but I would take any and all notes you have from your exit interview from High School and assess where you are as a whole. Find out what your strengths and weaknesses are and then after you figured that out what accommodations they offer (step 2 above). I would suggest doing all of these steps with a parent/guardian as well to make sure you don’t miss anything while going through the trials.

Other Mentions I usually tell people are:

  • Prepare to self-advocate. Many schools will make you sign a paper before they let parent involvement happen and even then they push independency.
  • Figure out whether you would feel comfortable living in a college dormitory. With proper documentation, you can ask for a single room to make your transition easier!
  • Speed Reading Courses (many are available at college institutions for students of all ages around the U.S.! You can also look for online video instructions, such as the one here)
  • Asking for a learning buddy (an upcoming sophomore to help show you the ropes)
  • Maintaining healthy reading and exercise habits (30 minutes a day for each) to keep the mind sharp in the summer
  • Reaching out to local and national autism-related organizations (such as the Autism Society and Autism Speaks) to talk with experts in regards to self-help and support groups.
  • Buy a SMARTPEN!

Finally, my last word of advice is to have fun! Many people say college is the best time of your life and it really can be if you let it. Remember, autism can’t define you, only you can define autism. At the same time PLEASE remember to give back. As I said, you’re voice is the key to our autism movement. So many famous people with autism today are much older and to promote forward progress we need new generals and new voices to come to the front and join in. Because Autism in college is still unknown a college education could very well be that first step…

* If you would like to contact Kerry  directly about questions/comments related to this post, he can be reached at his Facebook Fan Page or at kerrymagro@gmail.com. Please feel free to read his other college post which references some of his work in this post from The Autism Society of America here  (scroll down the page) along with his Autism Speaks college blogs here.

Free Q & A on Back to School Tips with Dr. Peter Faustino, moderated by Chantal Sicile-Kira

August 9, 2011

By the end of the summer, most of us parents are happy to see summer end knowing our ASD children will have routine and a schedule back in their lives (and so will we).  But  we dread the stress related to the start of a new school year.  There are ways to lessen the stress and help prepare both your child and the teacher for a new and hopefully successful new school year.

Autism College hopes to help this year by offering you a two hour free Q & A with Visiting Professor, Dr. Peter Faustino, school psychologist, moderated by Chantal Sicile-Kira. Both Dr. Faustino and Chantal have written on the topic and are looking forward to answering your questions and giving you tips to prepare your child, yourself, and the teacher for the start of a successful new school year! Whether your child is fully included or in a special day class there are ways to prepare and alleviate some of the stress of the transition from summer to school, especially when there are teachers new to your child or teenager.

Join Dr. Faustino and Chantal on Monday, August 22, 2011 from 6:00 to 8:00pm PST on the topic : Tips for Reducing the  Back to School Stress for Children with Autism, Parents and Educators.

Dr. Peter Faustino has been working as a school psychologist for more than 12 years.  He is currently the President of the New York Association of School Psychologists (NYASP).  NYASP – the state affiliate of NASP (www.naspweb.org) – serves children, their families, and the school community by promoting psychological well-being, excellence in education, and sensitivity to diversity through best practices in school psychology.  Dr. Faustino joined the Bedford Central School District in 2003 to work at the Fox Lane Middle School. Dr. Faustino also maintains a private practice with the Developmental Assessment and Intervention Center (DAIC) in Bedford Hills, NY.  He presents frequently at national conferences, schools, and parent organizations.

To sign up for the webinar, please signup for our newsletter here. Already signed up for the newsletter? Click here.

Back to School 101: Tips for General Education Teachers About Students with Asperger’s Syndrome

August 9, 2011

This was first published as a  blog post on my  Psychology Today blog on September 9, 2010, but the information is still still relevant today.

Often junior high and high school teachers have teenagers with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) included in their classrooms, and are not given much in the way of useful information. Here I hope to provide a few practical tips that may be helpful to educators with no practical knowledge about students on the spectrum.

Parents, you may wish to print this out to give to your child’s teacher, or send them the link. There are only a few tips here, but usually teachers are receptive so practical information that may help them to understand and reach their student.

Asperger’s or High Functioning Autism (HFA) is often described as an ‘invisible disability’ because students on the spectrum do not look different frorm most students. Most teachers expect them to act like everyone else, but often the student gets in trouble for behaving in a way that seems rude, disruptive or non-compliant. A diagnosis of Asperger’s or HFA is based on challenges in the areas of communication, and social relationships, as well as what appears to be an obsession or passion for a particular area of interest.

Here are some tips that may help the school year go a little easier for you and your student on the spectrum:

* It’s a good idea to have a hard copy of the homework assignment to hand to your students on the spectrum, because most of them are mono-channel, meaning they have only one other processing channels (auditory or visual) working effectively at one time. This means they cannot look at the assignment on the board, write it down and still be able to focus on what you are saying. By the time they have finished copying down the assignment, they have missed your intro to that day’s lesson. This mono-channel aspect makes it hard for a student to multi-task, and by only requiring him/her to do one thing at a time, it will be much easier for the student to be focused on the day’s lesson.

* The student with Asperger’s or HFA usually takes things literally – this is part of the communication challenge. For example, if you address the class by saying “Please turn to page 12,” expecting the students to start doing the work on that page, the Aspie student may turn to page 12, and then just sit there, awaiting further instruction. Meanwhile, you may think he is being a smart-aleck, but I assure you, he is not. You need to say “Please turn to page 12 and write the answers to question 1-5 in your notebook.”

* This taking things literally means that also the student may not understand all the nuances of language or social customs, what we call ‘hidden curriculum.’ Think of what it is like as a foreigner in a new land and how they need to be explained the local customs- that is what it is like for a person on the spectrum.

* Students on the spectrum are often described as being obsessed with a particular topic or subject, for example, space travel, buildings, certain types of music, transportation. Actually, being passionate about a topic shows an interest in learning. If you know what your student is passionate about, you can relate your lessons or subject in some way to his area of interest and your student will excel.

* Many students on the spectrum are overly sensitive to noise and crowds, making transition times between classrooms difficult. By allowing the student to arrive or leave a few minutes early or late, you will make it much easier for that student to arrive to class less stressed, and ready to focus on the lesson.

Students with Asperger’s Syndrome or HFA are usually very bright and eager to learn. Hopefully these tips will help the year be a more productive one for you and your student.

Summer Updates

August 4, 2011

Recently I have been neglecting Autism College because I’ve been busy writing book #5:  A Full Life With Autism: From Learning to Forming Relationships to Achieving Independence. This book, co-authored with my son, Jeremy, is all about creating a life for a young person with autism. It’s a practical guide – like all my other books- but is really driven by my son’s goals and dreams for his future. At 22, he has many of the same aspirations as any young man, and as his mom (read: biggest advocate) I feel it is my duty to help him create the life he wants to live.

Now that the manuscript is done, I can get back to Autism College; back  to creating a site with practical information and training you can use. First step: getting more articles in the free library (those will be in over the next few weeks) and creating some courses on autism and the teens years, plus the transition to adulthood. Doing the research to write A Full Life has given me lots of new information and tips, and I look forward to sharing them with you.

Meanwhile, Autism College will present a free live Q & A on Monday, August 22, 2011 from 6:00 to 8:00pm PST with Dr. Peter Faustino, school psychologist, which I will be moderating.  The topic will be “Tips for Reducing the Back to School Stress for Children with Autism, Parents and Educators.”

More information to follow soon!

Dear Governor Brown: Is There a Future for the Disabled — Including Adults With Autism — In the Golden State?

May 19, 2011

This first was published on HuffingtonPost.com,  May 18, 2011

Dear Governor Brown,

Recently, I read a an article in Disability Scoop discussing a 50-state analysis from United Cerebral Palsy that compared services to the disabled offered across the country, giving preference to states where more individuals are served in the community as opposed to institutions.

California ranked as one of the highest states, coming in at number five. This should have made me happy, considering I’m an autism advocate known for my expertise on transition to adulthood, and I have a son who is now at that magical age of 22 where he is now eligible for adult services.

However, the looming budget cuts remind me of the old Prop 13 days. You were opposed to the passage of Proposition 13, the People’s Initiative to Limit Property Taxation, when you were governor back then. This amendment of the Constitution of California enacted during 1978 cut property taxes, and this decrease in property taxes had a negative effect on public education.

California public schools, which during the 1960s had been ranked nationally as among the best, have decreased to 48th in many surveys of student achievement. Until 1985, California’s spending per pupil was the same as the national average, when it began decreasing.

Years ago, after the passage of the Lanterman Act which gave civil rights to individuals with developmental disabilities in California, I helped prepare young men and women from de-institutionalization so they could live in their own community. Now, my son is 22 and I fear that with the looming budget cuts, the civil rights of many like him will be destroyed, and that institutionalization will once again be the norm for people like him.

Money may not buy happiness, but it does help in providing people the tools to have an education and become a productive member of society, as well as the right to live fully included in the community.

Can you imagine even trying to cut the hard earned civil rights of the African-Americans, or women — two groups who had to fight to be given the same rights as any other (read white male) American? Yet, the state of California is getting ready to cut the civil rights of the disabled and no one seems to notice. The parents of the disabled are so tired caring for their dependent adults and trying to make money they don’t have the time to march or protest in full force.

My son, Jeremy, would be glad to visit you in Sacramento if you need to put a face on the possibilities of the disabled when given a chance, and when families are given the supports needed. You can see how far he has come thanks to his hard work, IDEA and the hard-working public educators. Now, we are struggling to plan his future as budget cuts loom. He wants to become a contributing member of society, but without some help, he won’t be able to do so. What will happen to him, and those like him?

Governor Brown, please think carefully about the civil rights of those with disabilities when you reflect on the budget cuts. They need and deserve our support.

Respectfully,

Chantal Sicile-Kira

 

Non-compliance is normal teenage behavior, not exclusive to teens with autism

April 25, 2011

In an earlier post, I discussed  the need for teens with autism to have more choices, just like any other teen.  So, how can we as parents and educators  provide them more freedom, more space?  Here are some tips:

  • Give them more opportunities to make choices, within parameters.  For example, if a teenager has had a schedule to stick to after school, why not give him the choice  of what order to do it in?
  • At school, provide more opportunities for making choices, perhaps in choosing the group activity, or more control over planning his schedule, and in  how he spends his day.
  • Give him or her  the choice of what  the family will eat for dinner, (within limits) once or twice a week – maybe he can even go do the shopping and help prepare for the meal with a helper. responsibility, and that is a lesson all teens need to learn.
  • Instead of always planning activities or outing  for your teen on the weekends, pick one day where your teen can  choose on a regular basis  what his afternoon will look like.

Have more questions about  teens and autism?  You may want to consider signing up for my course  on Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum.

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