SPECTRUM CONNECTION

By Toni Lapp
When classes ended at Penn Valley Community College in May, the school laid to rest its ABLE program, another victim of the sour economy, The Kansas City Star reported.

ABLE, an acronym for Academic Bridges for Learning Effectiveness, helps students with learning disabilities — many of whom are on the autism spectrum — navigate the transition to college life. It was founded at Longview Community College and had been in place for 10 years at Penn Valley.
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By Jeanne Holverstott, M.S.

Question: It seems like summer can be full of pitfalls for my son with Asperger’s — the structure has gone away, and he’s no longer in contact with classmates. He is content to play on the computer all day, but seems to get moody more easily. Should we treat summer vacation as a long break from school-year stress, or what?  

Answer: Summer vacation presents a contradiction: Children with autism spectrum disorders thrive on structure, routine, consistency. Summer vacation throws these principles of ASD parenting and behavior management in flux.
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Click here to download a brochure for this summer camp developed to teach empowerment skills to children 10- to 14-years-old.

By Toni Lapp

Critics of Autism Speaks have long complained that the group did not have any autistic people on its boards. Launched in 2005 by grandparents of an autistic boy, through a series of mergers Autism Speaks has quickly grown into the nation’s largest autism advocacy and research organization.

But many adults with autism, particularly those with Asperger’s and high-functioning autism, have asserted that Autism Speaks does not represent their interests. They have a mantra: “Autism Speaks doesn’t speak for me.”
(Disclosure: my 17-year-old son with Asperger’s Syndrome considers himself among this group.)

Could it be that Autism Speaks listened? Last week it was announced that John Elder Robison joined the group’s Scientific and Treatment Advisory Boards.
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By Jeanne Holverstott, M.S.

An initial clinical interview with a parent of a child with an ASD commonly follows this script:

Me: “Can you tell me about your child?”

Parent: “Yes. Well, he’s high-functioning. He…..”

Pause Script.

Question to Reader: Have you heard this before? Said this before? If so, complete the sentence with what you have said or heard.
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By Kate Duffy

A while back, Toni, the SpectrumConnection editor, asked me to write about how far parents should go to help their teens on the spectrum land a job. Since then, several of our Hot Topics parents have shared their kids’ job search stories with me, and I realized there was no easy answer to her question. For the most part, though, their stories revolved around the kids’ inability to accurately read situations, to remember instructions and to multitask to make a deadline. Looking at that list, it sounds like business as usual on the job for most of us — which is why it is so very important that our kids start learning about the world of work as soon as they can.

That’s why the short answer to Toni’s question is this: do what you need to do.
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By Toni Lapp

There have been times that I couldn’t picture my teen-age son Ryan maturing into a responsible adult. When he entered high school he would converse about communism and the Bolshevik revolution to strangers, he had few friends, and he was frequently the target of his peers’ jokes. Seldom did a week go by that I didn’t get the dreaded Parent@School notice apprising me of missed assignments.
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By Jeanne Holverstott, M.S.

In December, the Food and Drug Administration approved the antipsychotic Abilify (aripiprazole) to treat irritability in children ages 6-17 who have an autism spectrum disorder. A group of 98 children and adolescents were randomly divided into two groups (placebo and Abilify). By week eight of the study, 52% of those taking Abilify experienced a 25% or greater improvement in autism-related irritability symptoms, including aggression, tantrums, rapidly changing moods, and self-injurious behavior, compared with 14% of those who took the placebo.
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By Toni Lapp
Individuals with Asperger’s and high-functioning autism can be their own worst enemies, struggling with negative thoughts that threaten their well-being. One technique that can quiet the chatter of the brain is to employ affirmations. It’s a way to nip negativity in the bud before it has a chance to flourish.

Affirmations are positive statements that, when used regularly, seemingly lead to a rewiring of the brain. All actions begin as thoughts, after all. Change must begin on the inside; when you can choose your thoughts, you have more control over your life.
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By Toni Lapp
After attending a presentation earlier this year by autism specialist Peter Gerhardt, I was awakened to a new use for Bluetooth technology. It seems the tiny ear phones have been used in helping autistic individuals go on errands or short excursions, coached by a parent or therapist from afar.
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