Police Officer Theresa Stauffer Photo: Lancaster Online One of the terrifying realities for many parents of autistic children is the tendency of many children with autism to wander away, from home and safety to unknown dangers. It is a terror that I have experienced a number of years ago and
Continue readingTag: autism disorders
Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Ultimate, Unchecked, Unfounded Autism Assumptions: Autism Isn’t Really Increasing, It’s All Genetic
“…. is one of the 1 percent of children in the U.S. born with autism, a complex developmental disability that affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others at varying degrees. Autism appears to be increasing because of the psychological testing that is available to detect it, said
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism, Arctic Ice Melt: It’s Gotta Be Genetic … er … Natural Variation, Natural Fluctuation
Polar Bears photographed by Canadian Environmentalists “Arctic sea ice is disappearing on a pace and magnitude unlike anything the Earth has experienced in the past 1,450 years, according to a Canadian-led study published Wednesday in the leading science journal Nature. The amount of sea ice in the Arctic has been
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Expert Psychologist Dissects Mottron’s "Misleading" "Mischief"
The mainstream media (MSM) has embraced with open arms activist/researcher Dr. Laurent Mottron’s “autism advantage” piece in Nature. In that article Mottron downplays the serious challenges faced by those like my son with severe autistic disorder and recasts autism disorders in the image of his mentor Michelle Dawson and several
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Advantage? NO! Conor Advantage? YES!
If you have been to this blog before you know that I talk about autism as a disorder not as an advantage. If someone does not have any deficits in daily functioning ability then, by everything I have read in the DSM’s, and in materials written by psychologists, psychiatrists
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: No Autism Advantage for My Son As He Slaps His Head and Bites His Wrists
The pictures above were taken of my son Conor during our early morning walk yesterday. We have enjoyed many such walks and yesterday was a beautiful fresh fall morning that we both enjoyed. Most of the rest of the day was also great.  …
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Medicare’s Orphans: The Fight for Healthcare for Children with Autism Disorders
The film Medicare’s Orphans – A film about the fight to get healthcare for children with autism in Canada is now available online. I encourage everyone with an interest in autism disorders, anyone interested in advocating …
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: DSM5 Combining Autisms into One Autism Disorder: Why?
It is common place today to refer to autism(s), plural, rather than autism, singular. So why is the DSM5 combing the autisms into one Autism Spectrum Disorder? It is common in both professional and parent based discussions of autism to encounter …
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Disorders On the Sidelines of the DSM5 Revolt
Several divisions of the American Psychological Association appear to be revolting against the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM5. A petition has been published on line. In DSM5 in Distress Allen Frances, M.D., former chair of the DSM…
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism and ABA Translated: Jacobson, Mulick and Green 1998
The fight to ensure that children with autism disorders receive treatment for their disorders engages many different people with many different priorities. Autism advocates do meet political leaders and civil services officials who genuinely care…
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Medicare for Autism: Lewis and Marley Speak Up!
David Marley and Jean Lewis On the Need for Medicare Coverage for Autism Disorders
Jean Lewis, for 13 years, and David Marley, for 6 years, have been advocating, fighting is the better word given the powerful interests they have had to challenge…
Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Autistic Disorder and Intellectual Disability: 70% Is Not a Coincidence, It Is a Vast Majority
The DSM-IV and popular media interpretation of the autism disorders (pervasive developmental disorders), have encouraged the wor…
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Determined Autism Advocates Jean Lewis & David Marley Fight for Medicare Coverage for Autism Disorders
David Marley and Jean Lewis of Medicare for Autism Now!Oakville, Ontario, 2008
David Marley and Jean Lewis of Medicare for Autism NOW! have been fighting for medicare coverage of evidence based treatment for autism disorders for many years. I f…
Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Treatment Claims: The "Revolutionary" Brain Balance Program
I was somewhat startled to read a September 16, 2011 promotional release for a Brain Balance Program center opening in Pennsylvania that claims to be a “revolutionary” treatment for a variety of developmental delays including ADHD, Dyslexi…
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Wake Up New Brunswick Parents of Autistic Children! Our Never Ending Autism Residential Care & Treatment Disaster Will Not Change Unless We Change It!
In NB No Progress for Autism Residential Care Since 2005
New Brunswick parents of young autistic children enjoying the benefits of early autism intervention in our province should not be complacent. The benefits their children now receive will …
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Aditi Shankardass Offers Thought Provoking Second Opinion On Autism and Other Learning Disorders
I found this presentation on the use of EEG technology in assessing autism and other learning disorders to be very thought provoking. It is possible such technology will offer more accurate diagnosis of disorders and more specific treatments.
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Severity Differences Related To Autism Brain Structure Differences
As the father of a 15 year old son with severe autism deficits AND “profound developmental delays” I have found the insistence in some quarters of the alleged world autism community that there is no such thing as low functioning and high functioning a…
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Medicare’s Orphans: Autism and the Marinoiu Family
This third trailer for Medicare’s Orphans, scheduled for release this fall, features the Marinoui family. While on a previous Toronto visit I had the pleasure of meeting Stefan Marinoiu and his lovely family: wife Bernadette, daughter Lia and s…
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Top 3 Unknown Persons with Severe Autism List
It is routine to see references to very high functioning persons in the mainstream media. On a web site called TopTenz the site owners have compiled a list called Top 10 People with Autism Known Today. Not suprisingly the list comprises those wi…
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Is Walking Autism Therapy? No, Just Fun for Conor and Dad
In the space of two days Conor and I went on several walks together. Nothing makes me feel better than going for a good walk, preferably along a trail or hiking in the woods. I love being outdoors in nature and I always have. As an added bo…
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