Emotional Reactions of children with Autism, Ms Heather Nuske Olga Tennsion Autism Research Centre, Latrobe University For years the autism professional community accepted the non evidence based speculation that autism disorders were caused by detached, cold mothers. The professions’ embrace of this fantasy caused serious harm to many families. The
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Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Media Rarity: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Autism Series Includes Severe Autism And Family Impact
Julia Rendleman/Post-Gazette Jeffrey Maloney, 19, is comforted by his mother, Lisa, during a family outing at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. In a rarity in the mainstream media the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published an honest, informed article by Mark Roth and Julia Rendleman on the challenges faced by a family with two children on the autism
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Research Progress To Date In Two Words: Lovaas, ABA
Research to date benefiting persons suffering from autism disorders can be summed up in two words: Lovaas, ABA. The work done by Dr. Ivar Lovaas has been applied successfully for decades as reported by the US Surgeon General’s office (1999) and by the American Academy of Pediatrics (2007), reaffirmed (2010): The
Continue readingMolly'sBlog: Measuring ghosts
MEASURING GHOSTS A recent article in Science Translational Medicine asks the question “Can We Measure Autism ?” To my mind this begs the question, “is there really something called “autism” that we should be trying to measure ?”. The authors Isaac S. Kohane and Alai Eran inadvertently make the case
Continue readingMolly'sBlog: Measuring ghosts
MEASURING GHOSTS A recent article in Science Translational Medicine asks the question “Can We Measure Autism ?” To my mind this begs the question, “is there really something called “autism” that we should be trying to measure ?”…
Continue readingMolly'sBlog: Measuring ghosts
MEASURING GHOSTS A recent article in Science Translational Medicine asks the question “Can We Measure Autism ?” To my mind this begs the question, “is there really something called “autism” that we should be trying to measure ?”. The authors Isaac S. Kohane and Alai Eran inadvertently make the case
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Excellent! Chalmers ICU Team Reaches Its Funding Goal to Purchase New Patient Monitoring Equipment!
The Chalmers Foundation has officially announced that it has met its funding goal and will soon be purchasing the patient monitoring system that is instrumental in helping the Chalmers Hospital Intensive Care Unit save many lives … including my son Conor’s for which his Mom and Dad will always be
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Speaks Enters Into "PURE" Autism Research PACT; Excludes Autism With Intellectual Disability
Autism Speaks has entered into a Research PACT to continue its focus on “pure autism” (referred to in the PACT as core symptom autism), while ignoring 50% of the autism spectrum, those with intellectual disability (WHO, September 2013): “Working together, the PACT team is developing a platform of preclinical tests to
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Dear TPGA Autism Experts: Thanks For Advising Us to Love Our Autistic Son! If Only We Had Known Sooner!
During recent weeks the TPGA “autism experts”, have done a great favor to children, like my son, who suffer from severe autism disorders. The TPGA autism wizards told parents like me who speak candidly about the deficits that limit and impair his ability to function independently in this world that
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Senator Jim Munson Says Ottawa Has Done Little to Address Canada’s Autism Crisis
Laverne Stewart of Fredericton’s Daily Gleaner reports (September 24, 2013) that National autism advocate Senator Jim Munson, shown left in his Parliament of Canada photo, is frustrated, that after years of working to secure a national autism disorder spectrum strategy, Munson said the federal government has done little to address
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: #autism gene AUTS2 tied to dyslexia ADHD epilepsy ID motor delay microcephaly MORE SYMPTOMS should be part of ASD DX
“Dr. Lynn Waterhouse @autismideasfail 6 Sep http://bit.ly/17WbZVi #autism gene AUTS2 tied to dyslexia ADHD epilepsy ID motor delay microcephaly MORE SYMPTOMS should be part of ASD DX” The above Tweet by Dr. Lynn Waterhouse, author of Rethinking Autism: Variation and Complexity, who also worked with Dr. Lorna Wing on the APA DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Writes Off Child With Autism AND Global Developmental Delay (Intellectual Disability)
CHEO: No Teddy Bears & No Autism Program for Severely Challenged Children The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario has been added as a respondent in a human rights proceeding, and accused of discrimination, after it kicked an autistic child with global developmental delay, severe intellectual disability, out of an early intervention
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: SFARI Highlights Serious Risk of Epilepsy for Young Children and Teens with Autism and Intellectual Disability
“Children with autism who are older than 13 years and have low intelligence are at the greatest risk of having epilepsy, says one of the largest epidemiological studies on the issue to date1. Children are typically diagnosed with epilepsy after having at least two seizures — uncontrolled surges of electrical activity in
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: OTARC Panel: Dr. Giacomo Vivanti: Does Severe Autism Cause Intellectual Disability?
Excellent panel discussion by the La Trobe University Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC) with Dr. Giacomo Vivanti, Dr. Cheryl Dissanjake and Dr. Cynthia Zierhut. The panel comments on the cultural representation of autism as genius in movies such as Rain Man and television series such as the Big Bang
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Conor Countdown Continues In Support of FLEXIBLE, EVIDENCE BASED Inclusion
The Conor Countdown continues, as Conor gets up each day at 6 am and changes the number reflecting the number of days until school resumes. My son Conor, and his autism disorder disability, have been well accommodated in schools here in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. He has benefited both from
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism`s 40% With Intellectual Disability? Auti$m $peak$ Doesn’t See YOU, Doesn’t Speak For YOU!
Autism Speaks has done much to create publicity around the word autism, the color blue, puzzle pieces and … some very talented, high functioning individuals with autism diagnoses like Alex Plank and J. E. Robison. In terms of its public statements and presentations though it does little to nothing to
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Conor’s Fredericton Adventures 2013 Part I
Conor & Dad, couple of hosers enjoying the snow, eh? Conor’s Saint John River view clear day, above, not so clear below Conor helps Dad with a visit at the Chalmers Hospital Acute Care Unit Conor and Mom head out for a stroll on the North Riverfront Trail Conor changes
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Sound Advice for Autism Speaks
In yesterday’s commentary Autism Speaks Joins Drake And J.Cole In Insulting 40% With Autism AND Intellectual Disability I criticized Autism Speaks for stigmatizing persons with Intellectual Disability, particularly the 40% of persons on the autism spectrum with ID, the 40% that Autism Speaks seldom acknowledges in its promotions and literature.
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: 40% Intellectual Disability In Autism Disorders: Coincidence or Consequence?
I have never subscribed to the assumption that Intellectual Disability is a co-morbidity as described by the authors of a new study examining Intellectual Disability in Autism: (unrelated in etiology and causality from the ASD itself) I have been frustrated by the historical tendency of “autism” researchers to exclude intellectually
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Conor Debunks TWO Autism Myths Eh!
Yesterday was Canada Day and Conor sported his Team Canada shirt to celebrate. He also debunked not one but TWO autism myths. Conor has received ABA based intervention at school for 8 years. Yet, contrary to the myth that ABA causes discomfort and harm to persons with autism disorders, Conor
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