In response to the Autism Society of America and National Health Council’s recent Town Hall Meeting on health reform, both presidential candidates, Senators McCain and Obama, stated their respective positions on autism and how our government should respond. Both acknowledge the seriousness of addressing...

(Author’s Note: This is a small update to an article I wrote many years ago for the Advocate, the quarterly newsletter of the Autism Society of America.) It is well known that one of the symptoms of autism is problems sleeping.  Some don’t sleep at all, while others (myself included) seem...

I was never one to wear shoes as a kid and didn’t think much of socks either.  I felt they were suffocating my feet.  It was like being blindfolded or having your hands in gloves all the time.  So whether the ground was covered in frost or the Australian summer tarmac so hot the tar stuck to your...

Now the topic might totally turn you off, but a percentage of so called ‘low functioning’ kids with autism engage in this obsessively, occasionally even into adulthood. In fact Temple Grandin cites herself as having been one of those children. Along with obsessive masturbation, smearing feces is...

Pennsylvania’s annual state budget is, as of this writing, a month-and-a-half overdue with no pending resolve in sight. Our governor has notoriously advised that everyone will need to buckle down and tighten up, adding, “I don’t want to hear any complaining.” This may seem like a stringent attitude...

Today as I write I am considering prescription insurance. The “doughnut hole” has kicked in for me and meds have gone through the roof. $781.59 they wanted just for thirty days. No pain pills for Thomas until January. I have hope that someday it will be like before, and I won’t need them. During...

As a person with autism and an autism consultant, I was often asked by parents of children with autism and PDD whether I had poor muscle tone. I’m quick to rage, which I used to channel largely into hyperactivity and now channel into mad ARTism so I can be very strong. My natural answer was, no way,...

“He’s liable to hit you,” I was warned by Garrett, the afternoon-shift staff person. But when I didn’t respond, Garrett reiterated, “Sir, did you hear me? Daniel’s liable to hit you.” I assured Garrett that I heard; but his well-intentioned caution is something I’ve learned to tune out:...

The rate of statistics for children identified with autism was once 1 in 10,000. That was in 1990. Then, in 2000, it was revised to 1 in 500, followed by 1 in 166 several years later. As of 2007 the latest estimate is 1 in 150 children (and 1 in 94 boys). Certain public awareness campaigns have manipulated...

There’s a bird loose in my neighborhood. That may not sound extraordinary but this is no ordinary bird. It’s the size of a poodle with an iridescent red breast, an amber-colored head, and plumage of assorted blue-green hues. It showed up quite unexpectedly last week, and now roosts in a bountiful...