By pure accident, LuLu and I tuned into this show, Private Worlds: Kids and Autism, Sunday night. We were both captivated. LuLu, with her quintessential OCD, immediately insisted, “Mom, put the remote down, please. I don’t want you changing channels, even during the commercial.”

She was immediately covered with the feeling of watching kindred spirits on TV. Oddly enough there are many who would say she’s not autistic. But darn if LuLu doesn’t clearly identify with these kids. “He’s flopping like I do,” she commented. “He is making more nonsense noises than I usually do,” she observed.

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Some news sources are reporting that the Virginia Tech killer, Cho Seung-Hu, was diagnosed with autism. The source of this information appears to be a great-aunt who lives in Korea and hasn’t seen Cho for several years. The thought of all this makes my head spin.

First off, autism doesn’t account for the sociopathic, paranoid behaviors. One thing we as parents of special kids need to make crystal clear…children with autism are NOT killers just by virtue of being autistic. Children with autism have major communication and social impairments as a result... more

Your child may be at an increased risk for an autism spectrum disorder if he fails to respond to his name by one year of age according to a new study from the M.I.N.D. institute at the University of California. However, early identification and intervention can result in overall better outcomes for children affected... more

There is much going on in the world of autism lately. Information and misinformation abound. Controversies arise. And one thing is for certain…whatever causes autism, however it’s acquired…it’s on the rise. The CDC itself now acknowledges that 1 out of 150 children have an autistic spectrum disorder. Something this widespread is finally getting a great deal of attention. While many behavioral interventions, such as ABA are found effective for many, what may be even more effective (and is definitely more controversial) are the biomedical treatments... more

My arms shook as I buckled myself back into the driver’s side of the car. Jay sat cattycorner behind me, buckled into his seat. He was slumped down and had his eyes closed.

Craig babbled at him in greeting.

Jimmy looked at me incredulous. “How did you do it?”

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Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines is offering an Autism on the Seas cruise for autistic children and their families. The cruise is booked through Alumni Cruises, who will provide autism specialists and special programming for the children. They’ve thought of everything including special dietary considerations. So those with gluten/casein free diets or other restrictions can easily be accommodated. And service dogs are welcomed as well!

They have planned activities... more

It took me less than a second to make up my mind – I would use fear as a tactic.

“Jay, listen to me. Remember when we talked to your psychologist? He said if you didn’t start cooperating more at school the school would try to send you to a school for the emotionally disturbed?”

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At this point I wish I could say when I saw Jay sitting, curled up against the fence totally overwhelmed that I calmed down and felt compassion. I’d like to say I figured out how to defuse the situation and make him feel better.

I can't.

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Check out Amazing Amanda

I’m still churning with thoughts after watching the videos of Amanda Baggs, the young woman with low functioning autism that has so successfully reached out and opened a line of communication with the neurotypical (NT) world.

What I learned from watching those videos has shifted my thinking a bit. I can’t quite subscribe to Amanda’s beliefs that she is just communicating in a “different” language and that autism isn’t necessarily... more

(No, I don’t mean the doll!) Today I "met" amazing Amanda Baggs, a 26-year-old woman with severe autism (considered low functioning) who has filmed and edited the You Tube video you see here.

I suspect that if you spend a little time with Amanda, as I did this morning, watching her video and the CNN newscast about her, as well as reading her writing, you will not only be amazed by Amanda, but amazed by how Amanda gives you hope and raises doubt in your mind at the same time.

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