Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
What is Autism?
From the website Autism Speaks:
“Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated 1 in 59 children in the United States today.”
Local Resources
Early Support Program for Autism
The Early Support Program for Autism is a collaboration between Stanford Children’s Health and Children’s Health Council to provide supportive services at no cost to families after diagnosis.
Stanford Neurodiversity Project
Objectives of the Stanford Neurodiversity Project are to “Establish a culture that treasures the strengths of neurodiverse individual” and “Empower neurodiverse individuals to build their identity and enhance their long-term skills of daily living throughout the lifespan”. They have programs in the areas of education, employment, and wellness. They host an annual summit that brings together neurodiverse / neurodivergent individuals, employers, service agencies, educators and students, parents, and professionals.
MochAA
Mochaa offers support to mothers and families of children with special needs. Mochaa attends conferences and local special education activities in order to reach out to gain new members as well as to raise community awareness of the needs of the special needs parent. Mochaa provides a comfortable setting for parents of children on the autism spectrum, as well as parents of children with any other special needs, to interact and share questions, feelings, successes, information, concerns, problems, and sometimes socially awkward topics in regards to parenting and caring for special needs children.
Guidance from Dept of Ed
July 2015 Dear Collegue Letter from US Dept of Ed, that sent a message to states and schools encouraging providing speech and language services for students with ASD.
National Resources
Autism Society
The Autism Society, an USA grassroots autism organization, which exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism. They do this by increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the spectrum, advocating for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the latest information regarding treatment, education, research and advocacy.
Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks is a autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. They publish a resource guide on interventions, advocacy, schools, after school programs and other resources. Information about some interventions. There is also a general resource guide on books, movies, websites etc.
National Autism Center
The National Autism Center is May Institute’s center for the promotion of evidence-based practice. It is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) by providing reliable information, promoting best practices, and offering comprehensive resources for families, practitioners, and communities.
Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism (TPGA)
Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism (TPGA) is a one-stop source for carefully curated, evidence-based information from autism parents, autistics, and autism professionals .
Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew
Article by Ellen Notbohm from her book Ten Things Every Child with Autsim Wishes You Knew. She also has a blog on Autism.
About Autism
Basic autism related information and resources for parents and general public by Autism Resource Centre (S) WeCAN Early Intervention Programme. Lots of idea’s, resources for parents with young children on the Autism Spectrum.
Interacting with Autism
A video based resource with video’s explaining autism, treating autism and understanding autism.
A is for Autism F is for Friend
This is a video summary of my book A is for Autism, F is for Friend – A Kid’s Book on Making Friends with a Child Who Has Autism- the short movie explains autism.
Research-Based Approaches to Autistic Ways of Learning
Research Paper of Karla McLaren with information she gathered on approaches to autistic ways of learning and seeks input from the community.
Kit for Kids peer education resource by OAR (Organisation for Autism Research)
The animated web video is about some behaviors and characteristics that may make Nick and other kids with autism seem “a little different.” The video can be used in classrooms where students with autism are learning alongside their typically developing peers. The activity workbooks builds on the video “What’s Up with Nick?” story and can be used for (peer) education lesson.
Fiddle Foundation
The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation is the first organization in the United States with the specific mission to develop programs for adults living with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) with exemplary organizations who have expertise in running and implementing successful programs.
Autisic Speaks
A blog on how it feels to be on the Autism spectrum by Lydia Wayman.
Temple Grandin: The world needs all kinds of minds
Temple Grandin, diagnosed with autism as a child, talks about how her mind works — sharing her ability to “think in pictures,” which helps her solve problems that neurotypical brains might miss. She makes the case that the world needs people on the autism spectrum: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers, and all kinds of smart geeky kids.
The forgotten history of autism by Steve Silberman
A TED talk on the forgotten history of autism by Steve Silberman a writer whose articles have appeared in Wired, the New Yorker, the MIT Technology Review, Nature, Salon, and other publications. He is the author of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity.