I have three questions for you… 1. How many times a day, a week do you find yourself with a big old stressful decision? 2. How many of those decisions are simple and completely straight forward? 3. How many times does it feel like you’re saddled with two crappy choices?Continue Reading
Over the years one question is always asked at the end of every autism workshop Sam and I have been privileged to present. To paraphrase, it goes like this: The Question: “Sam this question is for you. We just found out our teenage son has (this part she whispers) Autism.Continue Reading
Asperger Syndrome (AS) is such a recent diagnostic category in the U.S. that most of the individuals who carry it are children or adolescents. We are only now developing a fund of experience that can anticipate and meet schoolchildren’s needs; we know even less about the typical vocational functioning andContinue Reading
Samuel AllenThe inspiration behind the documentary, Coping to Excelling: Solutions for school-age children diagnosed with High-Functioning Autism or Aspergers Syndrome, Sam offers his insights into the world of Autism through his blogs and input for aspergers101.com. Currently enrolled in college working toward a degree in Engineering, Sam enjoys spending hisContinue Reading
At the end of the school year, many high school seniors will begin planning their final stage of transition into higher education. Students will send out an application to their “first choice college,” and then several to their “Plan B colleges.” Each will then wait anxiously to hear back fromContinue Reading
(The following article by Staff Writer, Rene A. Guzman, originally ran in the San Antonio Express-News on November 19th 2018) It’s been more than a dozen years since Jennifer Allen first learned that her oldest son, Sam, had Asperger Syndrome, now diagnosed as high-functioning autism. And still she remembers howContinue Reading
I was inspired to share the story of the ongoing relationship (both struggles and triumphs) of my husband Herb and our son Sam after creating the below series of photos. Parenting someone diagnosed with High functioning Autism or Asperger Syndrome begins as a challenge to the adult who had expectationsContinue Reading
In 2013, to fulfill the requirements of my doctoral degree, I surveyed disability service professionals at 578 degree-granting, four-year public institutions of higher education. The survey was designed to determine the current readiness of higher education to support the academic, social and communication, and independent living needs of college students diagnosedContinue Reading
As a mother of a son with Autism and founder of Aspergers101, I’m approached daily with questions. Some I consult with experts to respond and others, I know from living the role of a parent of a child with special needs. Recently, the question was asked of me “Can youContinue Reading
Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurological disorder with a range of conditions characterized by challenges with speech communication, non-verbal communication, social skills, and repetitive behaviors. The word “spectrum” refers to a wide range of differences, challenges, and strength each person with autism has. Studies show that 1 inContinue Reading
Our son Sam is now 22 years old. Together we have discovered Autism first from a stage of confusion, then diagnosis and ultimately the journey toward understanding and adjustment. This journey hasn’t been taken by just Sam or me. The education and life-changing decisions included our family of four andContinue Reading
Asperger Syndrome is one of several previously separate subtypes of autism that were folded into the single diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with the publication of the DSM-5 diagnostic manual in 2013. The following behaviors are often associated with Asperger Syndrome. However, they are seldom all present in any one individual and vary widely inContinue Reading
