10 Common Autism Terms You Should Know
Feb. 22, 2013
When my son Norrin was diagnosed with autism, I felt like I was drowning in a big bowl of alphabet soup. Doctors, teachers and therapists casually throw out special education terms and acronyms, assuming you know the lingo. None of them actually explained what anything meant. And the meetings moved so quickly and with so much information to absorb, I didn’t always stop to ask.
When Autistic Children are Children No More
Feb. 19, 2013
The peas must be sorted. On a recent Friday morning, several 20-something volunteers buzz around a North Shore basement that houses a food pantry for the needy. Pouya Bagherian, an outgoing young man who is prone to mistakenly throwing valuables into the trash, goes through bags of donations.
When Siblings Have Special Needs
Feb. 7, 2013
When my husband and I decided to start our family, I knew one thing right off. I wanted my child to have siblings, and I wanted them to be close in age. Having been an only child myself, I envied my friends’ boisterous households. Say what you want about the benefits of being an only child.
For kids with autism, food can be a fight
Feb. 6, 2013
Children with autism spectrum disorders are five times more likely to have issues with eating, including tantrums at meals and extreme pickiness. A comprehensive meta-analysis of all published, peer-reviewed research relating to feeding problems and autism shows a significantly lower intake of calcium and protein and a higher number of nutritional deficits overall among these children.