SPECTRUM CONNECTION

By Toni Lapp

First of all, kudos to director and writer Max Mayer for attempting to bring to the silver screen a story that probably has limited interest for the general audience. His effort earned him entry to the 2009 Sundance Film Festival where “Adam” received the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize.

After seeing “Adam” over the weekend, I’m compelled to write about a few of my impressions.
» READ MORE

By Toni Lapp
Behavior analyst Baker Wright vividly recalls the first time he was called in to consult on a child with Asperger’s syndrome. A school had referred a sixth-grader for behavioral services because of his disruptive behaviors – ranging from refusal to follow directions to crying and yelling in class.

» READ MORE

By Jeanne Holverstott, M.S.

Question: How do you tell a child that he or she has been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome? Is this something that a 9-year-old needs to know? My feeling is to protect my son until it’s absolutely necessary – perhaps when his status becomes more of an issue. Is that wrong?

Answer: To begin with, let me share a story I will never forget.

“Don’t say the ‘A’ word about your brother,” a mom once said to her 7-year-old daughter. I was surprised to hear such a reprimand directed at a girl who was always polite, never crass. Somewhat jokingly, I asked when such colorful language had entered the repertoire. “We decided to tell her, you know, about it.” About what…..? There I was thinking about how behind I was in parenting literature to have missed a page on when to tell your little ones the little four-lettered ones. But then I understood, but not completely.

I do not have a child on the autism spectrum. I do not have children yet. I do not know how the possible grief and denial associated with parenting a child with an autism spectrum disorder feel.
» READ MORE

By Jeanne Holverstott, M.S.
Question: I often arrange for my son to have play dates with other kids his age. Inevitably, his brother, who is two years younger, joins them, and my older son ends up getting left out. Or, the friend will dump my son when another child enters the scene. How can we (or should we) stop this from happening?

Answer: If only I could count the number of times a parent has shared, “We don’t get calls for play dates.” Each time, the sentiment saddens me and, at the same time, creates hope. When the call does come, jubilation is quickly followed by anxiety. What will they do? Should they play video games? How long? Where?
» READ MORE

By Jeanne Holverstott, M.S.

Q: What do you think about kids on the spectrum using Facebook? My son seems to be addicted it. He goes on and checks out what other kids post, yet never posts his “status.” Also, none of his connections seem to be true friends who call, visit, etc. What do you think of this?

A: You can’t judge a book by its cover, and this is the case with Facebook. On the surface Facebook, a social networking website highly popular among adolescents and adults, is a great thing: a website not related to an obsession, a website that allows an individual on the spectrum to make and interact with friends. Better than sliced bread, you might be thinking.
» READ MORE

By Brian McTavish

Then 16, Ben Berlin of Topeka, seen posing next to a model of the U.S. Capitol, became the first person with an autism spectrum disorder to work as a Congressional page last summer.

Ben Berlin was just being himself when he landed a coveted government job last summer in Washington. But the Topeka area teen wound up making history while in the nation’s Capitol.

In June 2008, Ben became the first person with an autism spectrum disorder to work as a Congressional page.

“I’d have preferred less of the celebrity,” Ben says. “I don’t mind getting some media attention. But I was joking at the time that the only person who was more famous than me was the president himself.”

This summer, the 17-year-old high-school senior with Asperger’s syndrome is dealing with more interview requests as he eyes another appointment with history, this time on the international front.
» READ MORE

“I liken being in a relationship with a man with Asperger’s Syndrome to living in a climate where the sun doesn’t shine very often,” writes Rudy Simone, an Asperger’s educator. “When it does, it is dazzling, and you appreciate it so much more than someone who lives in a place where the sun always shines. You live for those moments of light.”
» READ MORE

By Kate Duffy

When asked to co-author a book about career planning with Temple Grandin, the noted autistic animal scientist and entrepreneur, I jumped at the opportunity.

Our book, Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High-functioning Autism (published 2004, by AAPC), provides concrete vocational guidance for adolescents and young adults on the autism spectrum. It also is a guide for the faculty, counselors and family members who work with them, the “helpers” in their lives.
» READ MORE

By Jeanne Holverstott, M.S.

The setting: A cramped room in a local school building.

The cast: You, teachers, school therapists, the principal, other vaguely familiar faces, and many unknowns.

The mood: Dependent upon whom you ask. For you, the parent: Tense.

The plot: A yearly Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting for your son or daughter.

» READ MORE

Beijing, the service dog who helped our son with Asperger's syndrome.

By Diane McLean
There was a time that I hated the checkout line at the grocery store, but not for the reasons that mothers of neurotypical kids might suspect. For my son Daniel, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, the checkout line pushed his social anxieties through the roof. Daniel cringed and scowled if a friendly cashier greeted him, acknowledged him in any way, or even looked at him. Employees seemed confused when Daniel turned his back or even growled when they complimented his cool shoes or team jersey. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

That was before a 30-pound ball of fluff named Beijing entered our world.
» READ MORE