One of the challenges we faced when Ryan was about 3 years old was pronoun reversal. For example, if I handed him his toy and prompted him with, “Whose toy is this?” Rather than saying “my toy,” he would reply “your toy,” although he meant “my toy.” 
Similarly, if I held up an item of my own and asked the same question, he would answer “mine,” meaning “yours.” Essentially, he mixed up his pronouns.
Also, when shown a picture of himself and asked, “Who is this?” Rather than use a pronoun he would speak in the 3rd person, saying, “It’s Ryan.” Little did I know at the time, that this is a classic struggle for some children with autism.
I credit Ryan’s work with Kathy Voght, BNI Speech Therapist, and Stein Lund, at Bancroft Neurohealth in New Jersey with helping him to break through this challenge. Ryan did hundreds of drills designed to reinforce the correct use of the pronoun. Eventually, he “got it.” 
A recent study by linguistics professor Richard Meier at UT Austin, along with colleagues from Boston University, took a closer look at this phenomenon. The study aimed to compare this pronoun reversal between children with autism, and children with autism who are also deaf, in the hopes that they could uncover any possible link between the pronoun confusion and hearing pronouns used aloud. What they found was that “deaf children with autism do not tend to reverse pronouns as hearing children with autism do… However, deaf children with autism did avoid pronouns, preferring to sign names.”
Prior research attributed these pronoun “hiccups” to echolalia – automatic repetition of noises or phrases. But Meier feels that spoken language is not at the root of the issue, rather that “people with autism may differ in their experiences of selfhood.”
Of course, this is a greatly understudied area and much more research is needed. This current study is certainly a good first step in the right direction!
“Connections” Camp for children and teens with high-functioning autism is one of the favorites. We initiated Connections Camp nine years ago, to help children develop and practice social skills in the most effective ways. This is always a thoroughly enjoyable camp experience, fostering new friendships and a lot of fun. Ryan participated in this program for a number of years. I saw significant improvements in his social interactions with his peers. I would recommend the program to all parents.
“Learn to Ride” Bike Camp is a four-week program to help children develop skills to ride their bikes independently. Camp will be offered in Erie and in Warren, PA free of charge in summer of 2015, funded by a grant from the Dr. Gertrude A. Barber Foundation. Bike Camp is open to any youngster in the community who is able to pedal but who has not been successful riding without training wheels.
This week was created in 1971 in order to focus the public’s attention to the early childhood programs and services that young children so greatly need. Early childhood years, which are generally considered to be birth through age 8, are vital to a child’s health and development and will lay the foundation for a child’s success in school as well as life. This week is an ideal time to come together as citizens of a community, a state, and a nation to think of ways we can continue to improve the education and services for young children everywhere.
Additionally, Grow Up Great has been working with their partner, 
This is a day to laugh often and laugh loudly. After all, they say laughter is the best medicine!
Today is 
All About Autism 