All About Autism

Tips for Back-to-School

Posted on August 14, 2012 by all about autism

Ann Ellison, MA, BCBA, has been serving children with disabilities and their families for more than 25 years as a counselor and Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She currently serves as the Behavior Services Coordinator at the Elizabeth Lee Black School, Barber National Institute.

Kids everywhere are enjoying their last weeks of vacation and I know many of them are looking forward to the first day of school. For some, it is a welcome return to routine. For others, it brings a series of new challenges as they face a different classroom, teacher or peers. Continue reading →

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Set the Bar High for all Children

Posted on August 9, 2012 by all about autism

Ryan on his first day of kindergarten

I had the privilege of attending PNC Day at Chautauqua this week. Our two speakers were Roger Goodell, commissioner of the National Football League, and Mike Slive, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, with Luke Russert, NBC News correspondent as moderator. There were many good points discussed; however, my takeaway was the importance of setting the bar high and maintaining your focus on exceptional standards. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged asd, autism, children, Luke Russert, Mike Slive, Roger Goodell, special needs | 2 Comments

Safety Measures for a Wandering Child

Posted on August 7, 2012 by all about autism

Every mother’s greatest fear: You look up and your child is gone! Perhaps your child decided to go sit down, or he may be deliberately running off, or he is simply wandering. In any case, you are in a panic until you find your child.

I have personally experienced all of the above. A few years ago on a football weekend, Ryan and I were at the Notre Dame bookstore. When I looked up from browsing, he was gone. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged asd, autism, autism awareness, autism issues, children, erie, special needs | 6 Comments

New App for Kids with Autism

Posted on August 2, 2012 by all about autism

Image courtesy of http://www.popchillasworld.com.

I had an opportunity this winter to attend a presentation by Interbots. Founded in 2005, Interbots is a spin-off of the Carnegie Mellon University Entertainment Technology Center. The company specializes in the design and construction of custom interactive characters, both physical and virtual, as well as interactive multimedia content.

What I was specifically interested in was “Popchilla’s World,” an iPad app designed to help children with autism learn skills for daily living. I spoke with the design team and offered to consult with them as they continued refining the app. We’ve had numerous conference calls over the winter months and the opportunity to make recommendations as the app was under construction. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged apps, asd, autism, autism research, barber institute, barber national institute, children, erie, interbots, iPad, popchilla's world, technology | 3 Comments

PSU Holds Autism Conference

Posted on July 31, 2012 by all about autism

I was in Penn State yesterday attending the National Autism Conference sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. I’m going to share with you today a few thoughts from the discussions.

Janet Twyman, PhD, professor of pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, offered the opening keynote, “Making Evidence Meaningful.” She stressed that we must measure what we’re teaching and follow the data to tell us what is working. I am a strong proponent of this philosophy. Unless we measure the effectiveness of our teaching practices, we will not know if our students are learning. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged asd, autism, autism presentation, autism research, children, DSM-V, penn state | Leave a comment

ADA Anniversary

Posted on July 25, 2012 by all about autism

Tomorrow marks the 22^nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Dr. Gertrude Barber was invited to the signing by then-President George H. W. Bush. You can tune in at 8 a.m. EST Thursday, July 26^th to listen to a live stream discussion of Senior Obama Administration officials as they address technology, education, community living and employment among other topics. Continue reading →

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Funding and Importance of Early Childhood Education

Posted on July 24, 2012 by all about autism

Students in the Happy Hearts preschool class at Barber National Institute

I’d like to share a few thoughts about quality early childhood education today. We know that investments in early childhood are vital to the success of our children. There is a large body of data from economics, biology and psychology that shows that educational equity is more than a social justice issue but is also a building block of a strong economy. Yet thousands and thousands of children across our nation have limited access to quality early childhood programs. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged early education, EITC, preschool, tax credit | 2 Comments

Autism & Immune Irregularities

Posted on July 19, 2012 by all about autism

I’d like to update readers on some of the latest research that I have been reading.

A new California Institute of Technology study suggests that specific changes in an overactive immune system can indeed contribute to autism-like behaviors in mice and that, in some cases, this activation can be related to what a developing fetus experiences in the womb. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged asd, autism, autism research, causes of autism, immune irregularities, research | Leave a comment

iPad or TAP-it? Making the Right Choice for your Child

Posted on July 17, 2012 by all about autism

This past Sunday, 60 Minutes repeated an October 2011 program “Apps for Autism.” I have since received a number of calls asking my thoughts on the show. Lesley Stahl interviewed a 27-year-old young man who, prior to the iPad, had pointed to words on a laminated piece of paper to communicate. Now he is spontaneously using his iPad as his “voice.” As I discussed in an earlier blog, we have found that the iPad can be an important tool to develop our students’ communication skills. However, there is no single app that works best for all children. We initially purchased Proloquo2go only to find that this app did not meet the needs of most of our students. I would suggest that you work Continue reading →

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Medications and Autism Update

Posted on July 12, 2012 by all about autism

Joseph Barber, M.D., provided an outstanding presentation on medication last night. If you were unable to attend, a synopsis is provided on his blog.

His next presentation, “Roles of Regulation, Reactivity and Flexibility in Autism Spectrum Disorder,” will take place Wednesday, September 12 from 6-7:15 p.m. Dr. Barber will discuss the effects of autism spectrum disorder on developmental stages and progression. Learning to understand Continue reading →

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