October 19, 2009
Can Mo. Pass Autism Legislation if its Lawmakers are for Sale?

By Toni Lapp

Rep. Ron Richard

Rep. Ron Richard


As Missourians prepare for another round in the push to pass autism legislation, they might better scrutinize the actions of their lawmakers.

Namely, those of House Speaker Ron Richard, R-Joplin, who successfully scuttled Senate Bill 167 last spring. That legislation would have required insurers to cover up to $55,000 a year for autistic children under 15 to receive Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy – an effective, evidence-based treatment.
» READ MORE

September 6, 2009
KC Royals to Families: Leave Strollers at Home for Autism 5K

By Toni Lapp
OK, I realize disparaging the boys in blue has become the newest pastime in Kansas City, but hey, sometimes they get it right. But more often, not.
Yesterday Royals Charities and KC Magazine cosponsored a 5K walk/run to benefit Autism Alliance of KC.
» READ MORE

June 20, 2009
Fathers’ Efforts Making a Difference

By Toni Lapp
Happy Father’s Day weekend to the fellows out there who are active in supporting their kids — particularly those kids on the spectrum. I’m impressed with the efforts of Jeff Nessel and Julius Karash, who have both contributed content to this site.
» READ MORE

May 7, 2009
Kate’s Law Defeated, But Supporters Are Not

By Jeff Nessel

Just after our son Elijah was born, my parents sent me one of those Hallmark style books about fathers and sons. You know the kind I mean, the one with the sage advice on how to raise your son using homespun sayings that greeting card companies love: Always play catch if your son asks, never be his best friend, always his father, teach him to respect his mother and he’ll always respect women. Unfortunately they never addressed what to do when you find out your son is on the autism spectrum, because in a Hallmark world autism spectrum disorders don’t exist. (Unless it’s the basis for a Hall of Fame Special.)
» READ MORE

Autism Asperger Publishing Co.

ADVERTISE

Advertise on SpectrumConnection.net and reach bistate families affected by autism.

» MORE INFO

ASK AN AUTISM SPECTRUM SPECIALIST

Games to Enhance Turn-Taking, Sportsmanship, Social Skills

By Jeanne Holverstott, M.S.

Q. I read that when Temple Grandin was a young girl, her mother hired a nanny to play turn-taking games with her to improve social skills. What sort of games do you recommend? Are there any that you don’t recommend?

A. After every holiday meal, my family would gather around the dining room table with a game purposefully selected by my mother for this occasion. I remember Taboo, Scattergories, Trivial Pursuit, Outburst. No matter the age of the player, the expectations were the same: follow the rules, win with humility, lose with grace, do your best, and never, ever complain. Games make up the fabric of a childhood and, perhaps, a lifetime, and appropriate game play opens doors to respect, friendship, and fun.

» READ MORE

DEVELOPING TALENTS

Intervene, Intervene, Intervene

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.

» READ MORE

AUTISM WIRE

ARCHIVES

TAGS

SUBSCRIBE BY RSS