It helps if parents are able to begin the school year by laying a solid educational support system for their children. This is especially true if it will be the child’s first year in a particular school system.
…
A friend of mine recently took her autistic 7th grader to a doctor appointment. During the appointment, the developmental pediatrician told her that after observing the behavior of her other 15-month-old son whom she had also brought along, this child was also on the spectrum. The doctor went on to recommend enrollment in a full-time ABA therapy program now if she didn’t want her baby to “end up like” her older son. My friend was shocked by this news and left wondering how best to proceed. The doctor’s aggressive unofficial diagnosis and recommendations left her worried that if she didn’t follow the orders, she would be failing as a parent.
…
You’ve probably encountered a well-meaning fellow parent who tries to offer a compliment or advice about your child, but leaves you feeling uncomfortable deciding whether to ignore it or politely educate them on autism or disability advocacy. Below are some cringe-worthy situations I’ve been in and suspect other autism parent advocates may also be familiar with.
…
There is a tendency for people on the spectrum to be portrayed as burdens to their families in the media. Sometimes this is the angle of the journalist reporting a story, and other times, it comes from the voice of a parent. Sometimes this narrative can even attempt to justify parent or caregiver murder of someone on the spectrum. Unfortunately, this portrayal has damaged public perception of autistic people, and many on the spectrum have spoken out against it.
…
1. Read a blog authored by an autistic person. This is an important step in hearing the voices of people on the spectrum. You will see how they are self advocating and what you are doing to either help or hurt their cause. I guarantee you will learn something. 2. Change your language. The language…
I recently read Amy Sequenzia’s “Privacy Versus Popularity” and would recommend it to all parents of disabled children. This short post asks parents to consider the consequences of how they speak about their children.
…
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is an excellent place to begin learning about autism advocacy and how you can help your young or adult child develop self-advocacy skills. They have a variety of different books, articles, and videos celebrating autism acceptance and promoting social change. Check out their Resource Library for a comprehensive list of resources.
…
Coming of age with ADHD and aliens is tough. To survive high school, Geoff must challenge teachers, bullies, mind-meddling mutants from a parallel universe, and his own stubborn principles.
This is a guest post from writer and neurodiversity champion Claudia Casser. Claudia retired early from antitrust law to fledge her nerdy children on a working horse farm and write speculative fiction. From people to horses to parrots, none of the farm’s denizens could ever be classified as neurotypical.
Claudia’s 2016 semi-comic coming of age novel, “No Child Left Behind,” celebrates neurodiversity. Visit her website at www.ethicalantics.com, and buy her novel on Amazon.
…
Anita Lesko is the founder of the Global Autism Consulting Organization which aims to offer health care providers around the globe the knowledge and skills necessary to provide the best health care possible to their autistic patients. She and her husband Abraham assist small and large businesses in understanding their autistic employees and enabling them to incorporate people on the spectrum into their work team. Anita has an MS in Nurse Anesthesia and has been working as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist for 26 years. She didn’t receive a diagnosis until the age of 50, but since then has become an internationally recognized autism advocate. She answered questions for us about her mission to help autistic patients and workers in the health care industry as well as her all-autistic wedding.
…
I’ve noticed recent articles and social media threads about how people on the spectrum feel exploited for their experiences. They feel as if the world sometimes treats them as if they only exist as educational vessels for the neurotypical public. This isn’t their intention, so I think it’s worth exploring why some people on the spectrum feel this way and how the neurotypical autism advocates can act differently to improve relations with the autistic community.
…