A Message from Hannah Gutstein and RDI
Thursday June 29, 2006
A few weeks ago, the staff of the Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) treatment center created a link on their newsletter to my About.com site. A number of people took ... Read More
Autism May Be Diagnosable at Birth
Thursday June 29, 2006
A new study by researchers at Yale Medical School suggests that children with autism spectrum disorders are born with unusual placentas. That could mean ultra-early intervention -- and much ... Read More
Web Radio Event: About.com Guide to Autism Interviews Dr. Stanley Greenspan
Wednesday June 28, 2006
Dr. Stanley Greenspan is the developer of the DIR (Developmental, Individual-Difference, Relationship-Based)/Floortime therapeutic model for children on the autism spectrum. Floortime has become a well-established therapy, and is increasingly ... Read More
Drugs Used to Treat Autism
Wednesday June 28, 2006
Why would drugs be used to treat a disorder for which there's no medical cure? Drugs are generally prescribed to autistic patients to manage specific symptoms -- not to ... Read More
Can You Offer Haircut Advice?
Tuesday June 27, 2006
A reader asks for your advice: I have a 5 year old autisic son who hates to get his hair cut. He becomes out of control and fights, kicks, bites,screams ... Read More
Adults on the Spectrum, Today on NPR
Monday June 26, 2006
Today on NPR, the hosts of All Things Considered conducted interviews with Michael John Carley (founder of Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership, or GRASP) and other autistic adults. ... Read More
Is It OK To Grieve When a Child Is Diagnosed with Autism?
Sunday June 25, 2006
When a couple is expecting a child, they dream of the future. For many Americans, that imagined future includes family outings, soccer games, college, career, wedding, grandchildren... Of ... Read More
Visiting Kyle's Treehouse
Saturday June 24, 2006
The Westphal family created the Kyle's Treehouse website and associated foundation in honor of their son Kyle, a young man with autism spectrum disorder. They feel that intensive treatment ... Read More
Fourth of July Assault on the Senses
Friday June 23, 2006
The Fourth of July is a veritable cornucopia of sensory overload. From the parades to the firecrackers and fireworks to the crowds at neighborhood barbecues, it's hard to imagine ... Read More
Autism Diagnosed at Birth?
Thursday June 22, 2006
A new discovery at Yale University may point the way to diagnosis of autism at birth. The announcement of the discovery in Medical News Today states that unusual folds, ... Read More
Updates for About.com Readers
Monday June 19, 2006
Thanks everyone for your questions to Dr. Steven Gutstein, developer of RDI, and Carol Gray, developer of Social Stories (tm). I am now working with the staff at RDI ... Read More
Avoiding Autism: A Disturbing Solution
Monday June 19, 2006
According The Advertiser, an Australian publication, University College Hospital in London has applied to use IVF sex selection techniques to help couples with a family history of autism by destroying ... Read More
Department of Defense May Fund Autism Research
Sunday June 18, 2006
Each year, the Department of Defense funds medical research into issues that impact on the military and their families. Autism Speaks, a powerful fundraising and lobbying oganization which recently ... Read More
Doctor Who Raised MMR Issue May Face Charges
Friday June 16, 2006
Dr. Andrew Wakefield, the British gastroenterologist whose research launched a decade of concern over a possible relationship between the MMR vaccine and autism, may face legal charges. An article ... Read More
Autreat, A Retreat for Autistic Adults, Comes to Philadelphia
Thursday June 15, 2006
Autism Network International will be holding its annual "Autreat" in Philadelphia between June 26-30. According to the ANI press release, "It is an opportunity for autistic people and those ... Read More
Ask An Expert Your Autism Questions
Wednesday June 14, 2006
Autism experts are few and far between. In Pennsylvania, there are a grand total of 13 developmental pediatricians -- and no more than a handful of psychologists who specialize ... Read More
An Alternative Perspective: Live Virus Vaccines and Autism
Tuesday June 13, 2006
Most parents don't really think a whole lot about the live viruses injected into their children at birth and during toddlerhood. It's just what we do to keep our ... Read More
Website Offers Reports on Services for Teens and Adults on the Autism Spectrum
Monday June 12, 2006
Don't let the name fool you. The Asperger Foundation International is about much more than Asperger Syndrome. In addition to information on issues of interest to folks with ... Read More
Call for Stories of Spiritual Giftedness Among Autistic Individuals
Sunday June 11, 2006
Bill Stillman, author of Autism and the God Connection, will be working with a filmmaker to create a documentary based on the ideas in his book. Bill is seeking ... Read More
Finding the Right Camp for Your Autistic Child
Saturday June 10, 2006
Still looking for the perfect summer camp for your child with autism? Vince Ianelli, About.com Guide to Pediatrics, offers this list of camp options for kids with a variety ... Read More
Ask Social Skills Questions of Expert Carol Gray
Thursday June 8, 2006
Carol Gray is a teacher and consultant who, in the early 1990's, developed a social skills teaching approach called "social stories." These stories, now used in schools and therapeutic ... Read More
Can High Expectations Sabotage a Parent's Relationship with Their Autistic Child?
Wednesday June 7, 2006
A New York Times Op-Ed piece by Cammie McGovern came out yesterday. The article, called Autism's Parent Trap, suggests that stories about children "fully recovered" from autism are forcing ... Read More
Reading the Research about Autism -- Carefully
Tuesday June 6, 2006
As the About Guide to Autism, I've signed up for the Google news alerts about autism. I'm on various autism listserves. And I'm on the mailing list for ... Read More
Book Review: Autism and the God Connection
Monday June 5, 2006
Have you ever noticed that people on the autism spectrum seem to have a unique connection to the unseen? In this unusual book, autism advocate and author Bill Stillman ... Read More
Helping Parents Manage Their Feelings About an Autistic Child
Sunday June 4, 2006
A child with autism may not speak, smile or hug. Yet that same child may demand all your time, energy, love and courage. Day after day, you may ... Read More
Is Autism on the Rise?
Saturday June 3, 2006
Is there an autism epidemic? Or is the rise in autism diagnoses really a matter of new diagnostic criteria, greater awareness, and better services for children with autism diagnoses? ... Read More
ABA and Autism
Friday June 2, 2006
Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) is one of the oldest forms of therapy for individuals with autism. But what is it? How does it work? Is it ... Read More
High Emotion and Autism
Thursday June 1, 2006
The myth says that people with autism are unable to read others' emotions...unable to empathize...and often have limited emotions of their own. Yet many people on the autism spectrum ... Read More

