Last fall, I made an autism presentation in Los Angeles to a group of 200 exclusively Spanish-speaking parents. They were grateful and gracious, and many made efforts to communicate with me in English (I otherwise had translators). When I stood before them, I affirmed that their autistic children are...

The first two essays in this series presented a broad overview of many of the films produced over the past forty years that have portrayed the many facets of the human condition. In this essay I want to focus on several books that have brought about fundamental shifts in our understanding of autism,...

Music as therapy is becoming the new “it” discussion. With high profile books such as Oliver Sack’s “Musicophilia” and Daniel Levitin’s bestseller “This is Your Brain on Music,” music as therapy is making its’ way into mainstream media. Both books identify music as a very complex brain...

During infancy and childhood, there are several pivotal times for the development of gross motor movements and muscular development. Parents are often concerned if a child does not reach a particular age-related goal (walking, for example) within a narrow time frame. Children will vary in their gross...

Many years ago Charles Hart, author of Without Reason: A Family Copes with Two Generations of Autism, shared a story about his son Ted that gave me a window both on the social / communication problems that are hallmark features of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and their relationship to theory of mind....

I got a letter from a lovely parent about her teenage daughter, a wonderful long distance runner. Yet the coach was stumped. Why wouldn’t she compete? She’d just let the others pass her, retaining her same rhythmic pace. Non-autistic people have a consistent capacity to simultaneously process sense...

I am positive that vaccinations did not cause my son, Taylor, to have autism. He showed signs of developmental and other delays within the first 4 months of his life – before his course of vaccinations were started and completed. Though I don’t doubt that vaccinations may indeed trigger autism,...

One of the first things I learned about after becoming involved in advocacy was Applied Behavioral Analysis. My introduction to this technique was less than stellar in that I learned about it through some old VHS tapes I got on loan from the Central Ohio chapter of the ASA. One of these tapes, which...

My daughter Jessica is a statistic. She is one of seven million “typical sibs” in America who have brothers or sisters with disabilities. Until recently I truly believed that I had provided a life of normalcy for my daughter, but I have come to realize that Jessica was isolated, fearful and guilty. Jessica’s...

“Your son fits into the Autistic Spectrum Disorder.” Her voice was clear yet somewhat monotone. How many times has she said these words to an unprepared parent? I silently cried as her message began to fill hollowness deep inside my heart. I stood and waited for the instruction manual that was sure...