Monthly Archives: July 2015

This month, Pennsylvania passed Act 26, a new law that aims to stop cyberbullying of children by making it a punishable offense. The law makes cyber harassment of a child a 3rd degree misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum $2,500 fine … Continue reading →

This past Monday, an op-ed piece I wrote was featured in our local newspaper. I thought I would share it below, for anyone who may have missed it! ~ Maureen Every July, we celebrate two anniversaries of independence. One is, … Continue reading →

A recent Autism Speaks blog discussed serving the refugee resettlement community in Rochester, NY. Our own Erie community has a refugee population beyond 10,000. Over the past decade, approximately 350-475 new refugees have annually resettled in the city, thereby making … Continue reading →

Eye contact – a simple concept, but a challenge for many children on the spectrum. From my perspective, eye contact is an important method of communication in social interaction that can provide a wealth of information. Often, many of us … Continue reading →

What a whirlwind start to our week! It may be summer vacation for our students, but we are working hard on several exciting opportunities for the organization this month. As the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act approaches, … Continue reading →

Ann Ellison, MA BCBA, and Maria Brown, MS BCBA, presented “The Next Generation: Social Skills and Video Modeling in the Digital World” for the National Autism Society of America in Denver, CO, this week.  They were honored to be selected … Continue reading →

Meltdown? Tantrum? This decision can be tricky, but it’s really important to differentiate between the two because your approach to handling the behavior will greatly differ. After many years of experiencing both and trying to discern what is happening, I … Continue reading →

Today’s blog is brought to you by friend and colleague Dr. Sarah Howorth. Dr. Howorth is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Mercyhurst University, and a 2015 graduate of the Joint Doctoral Program in Special Education and Digital Leadership … Continue reading →