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Autism awareness teaches more than just facts

Liz Becker

Autism awareness is everything. The difference between being unaware and awareness can be illustrated in looking at my son’s high school experiences and the journey he took toward social interaction. In reflecting on these emotionally charged years I realized something else…. there is enormous harm inherent in a school system that does not provide autism awareness to its general student population. I taught at the high school level years ago, during the same time that my son Matt was a student in ..

Who's autistic?

Jeff Katz

During the last week, I read with great interest the stories regarding the American Psychiatric Association’s impending changes in the definition of autism. Anyone who has been looking at it with an unbiased eye could only conclude that the explosion in auti ..

Autism and a wonderful lie

Liz Becker

It had been 12 years and never a lie, not one. How many parents can say that about their child? As Dr. House (from the TV show) would say, “Everybody lies.” Autistic children were at one time thought incapable of such stealth and critical thought. I foun ..

Is autism an "obsession" or merely a preferred interest?

Elaine Hall

Joel knows a lot about dinosaurs. His parents are told that he must put a stop to this obsession so he can focus on other subjects. Marcy can sing every Joni Mitchell song but speaks only a few words. She is put in a class for lower-functioning children and ta ..

Memory loss in autism - are we alone?

Liz Becker

There’s so much variance in autism that sometimes it’s difficult to connect with others having similar problems. Some autistic individuals have food allergies and gut problems, some have seizures, and some autistic people have more than one disorder piled ..

Enjoying the magic of Christmas – autism style

Liz Becker

As Christmas approaches I can't help but reflect on the years past and how my son Matt has changed in his own way to embrace the spirit of the season. Matt is almost 26 years old, so there's plenty to reflect upon. As I thought about all of our unique experi ..

Autism and miracle at Cartoon Cuts

D. Rivera

My wife said it right. When I sent her a short video of our son calmly taking a haircut she said: “it’s a miracle”, and she was right; it truly was. He sat by himself and let the hair stylist cut his hair while he watches Cars 2. He moved and complained ..

Autism and supporting the curious

Liz Becker

Learning for an autistic child can take quite a curious route. For my son Matt, the simple process of learning to write is one such example. After learning the alphabet (another curious route), words were the next logical step. We taught him his name, address, ..

Phillip_and_Lena

Treasure what you have

Lena Rivkin

Saturday was the Pumpkin Festival. As my brother and I wandered around looking at the colorful, wildly shaped pumpkins and gourds, I realized that Halloween is the harbinger for the upcoming holiday season. While other families carve pumpkins and scheme over ..

How art transformed an autistic mind

Liz Becker

When my son, Matt, was a little over year old he would hold up a ball in one hand, extend his arm and turn it this way and that, looking at it from all angles. That was when I knew that Matt would someday be an artist. What I did not know was that he would soo ..

Autism and unacceptable behavior

Jeff Katz

Even when Nate couldn’t control his actions, Karen and I wouldn’t tolerate it. We knew he couldn’t help himself; that was clear. However, once he settled down we made a point to explain that what he did or said was wrong and that he had to apologize to t ..

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Events

WalkAbout Autism
Miami Lakes - United States
Jan-29-2013 - 10:00 am
The Dan Marino Foundation WalkAbout Autism is a community fundraising event for our children and adults with autism and their families. It is a reflection of where we hav ..
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