What causes Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)?
Aspergers101 Medical Vlogs is a series provided by the Autism Community Network. This is the first in a series on the topic of Sensory Processing. In this clip, Adrienne Gaither, OTR, C-SIPT , answers the question: What causes Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)?Continue Reading
For Drivers with ASD A Visual Checklist for Complete Vehicle Maintenance
Drivers with ASD, especially those who have little experience, often neglect to learn about vehicle maintenance. They do not receive car maintenance information in driver’s education courses and may feel persuaded to initially think that it does not matter. Unfortunately, when lights come on in their cars or if theirContinue Reading
The Path Less Traveled: Families, Autism, and the Church Today
Autism, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and developmental delays often keep kids (and parents) away from church. A new study has found children with autism are almost twice as likely to never attend church or other religious services. Families of children with other disabilities are missing from the pews as well. TheseContinue Reading
College Students with Aspergers Speak Out: Take Our Advice
Colleague and friend Andrew Nelson, a coordinator in the West Virginia Autism Training Center’s Family Focus Positive Behavior Support program, supports individuals with ASD in their transition to college as part of his day-to-day duties. In his work, Andrew began to notice similar questions and issues were being raised byContinue Reading
Meet Maverick: Changing the Trajectory of Mental Health
His name is as his mission: “Maverick”. He walked into my life with something to say, he wanted to write a series of blogs on Aspergers101 with so much pain to overcome that readers immediately related to the pain and his message of hope. He has overcome and watching himContinue Reading
From Diagnosis to Independence: Four Workshops on Aspergers from the Experts
In the summer of 2017 Aspergers101 launched a Summer Series on Autism in conjunction with the San Antonio Public Library System. WOAI-TV live-streamed all four conferences where area experts on Autism participated in a panel discussion at the conclusion of every power-packed workshop. Kicked off by Ron Lucey with theContinue Reading
Encouraging Emotional Self-Regulation for Aspergers Youth in the Classroom: Implementing the Feelings Chart
Now that you have created a very personalized feelings chart for a person with Asperger’s, it is time to implement the strategy so that it is effective in both preventing the escalation of problem behaviors, and deescalating a situation once it has occurred. A key feature to this, and almostContinue Reading
Communication between the Neurodiverse and the Neurotypical
Teachers, parents and partners come to me asking my help to understand the behavior of someone with Aspergers. Usually they’re frustrated by behavior of some kind that’s perceived as resistance to what seems to be needs and expectations that are “normal,” or neurotypical. The neurotypical teacher, parent or partner wantsContinue Reading
What is ABA Therapy?
So, what exactly is ABA, or Applied Behavioral Analysis? ABA is an intervention therapy that specifically addresses behavior. ABA is one of the proven best practice therapies for children on the autism spectrum, including Aspergers. Thousands of research articles have documented the effectiveness of ABA in individuals with autism acrossContinue Reading
Using “Cold Calling” to Get Information on Possible Employment
Cold calling is: calling up a person or business and informing them that you are interested in employment. This can sound intimidating, but it can be very effective for opening the doors to the hidden job market. Cold calling allows you to possibly learn about a job that is notContinue Reading
Alone Time for Teens with Aspergers is Crucial: Allow Them Their Space
Breathing room or ‘alone time’ is good for anyone, but for someone on the spectrum it is crucial. When Sam was very young I found myself, as his mother, wanting to arrange play dates with other children who were not exactly knocking on our door for playtime. My reasoning wasContinue Reading
Counteracting Anxiety, Depression, and Social Withdrawal in College
Researchers investigated possible predictors of first year success for college students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. Eleven freshmen students enrolled at two universities. Each student received specialized supports for ASD at their respective colleges and participated in periodic assessments of social, emotional, and academic functioning. Investigators examined factors related to academicContinue Reading
