Anxiety Dear Kathie: I know that autism (ASD) is a complex syndrome. I had a parent ask me just the other day if I could give them one single word that best describes what autism is or how it feels to have autism. I guess because you know about autism and you've lived with it for so many years raising your son, I felt that perhaps you ...

  I've blogged about many of the presenters, their platforms, programs, ideas, and sessions that I was privileged to meet, greet, and learn from at ASHA 2011. I scampered up and down the aisles of the exhibit hall seeking new ideas, books, electronics, and freebies. I reminisced with seasoned SLP friends and I felt renewed to ...

  This blog is based on the following presentation from ASHA 2011: Language Development for Autism Through Creative Dramatics: Building Blocks Model By Julia Byers Van Volkenburg, M. Ed, CCC-SLP, Doctoral Candidate, West Virginia University   Julia Byers Van Volkenburg, M. Ed, CCC-SLP, knows drama. She loves drama and ...

  I strongly believe in the Theory of Mind. It is the capacity we have to understand mental states such as: beliefs, feelings, desires, hope and intentions. It's the way we imagine other people's feelings or thoughts. We can create and predict based on these feelings we have about others. For people on the autism spectrum, this ...

   What better time to teach social skills to children with ASD than at Christmas! Santa would so approve. I believe that all children with autism want to please their parents, teachers, friends, Santa and yes, their speech therapist. I believe they don't always know how. In fact, I know they don't know how to make the ...

  This blog is based on the following presentation from the 2011 ASHA Convention: Exploring Child Characteristics/Family Factors in Evidence-Based Practice for Autism By Twyla Perryman, PhD, CCC-SLP Assistant Professor East Carolina University, Greenville, NC perrymant@ecu.edu    Dr. Perryman and Kathie Dr. ...

I love my Humpty Dumpty. He's right here by me To wish you a happy Halloween With Halloween letters In support of ASD. I always think of ASD With courage and with grace. Autism has its thunder And its mask is spooky too. But underneath's a loving face. This Halloween message from Humpty and ...

It scares me to think that a child with ASD could have a tantrum on my watch. My knees -- they are a-shakin' at the thought. It will happen, and when it does, what will I do?   Children with ASD have tantrums. They hit and pound. They flail. They scream. They may bang their heads against a wall or throw items. They may spit or ...

Part III-A, posted last week, my blog presented some fun strategies for targeting humor/ laughter and attention/focus for the very young autistic mind. The purpose of these two blogs is to mesh the right side of the brain with the left side of the brain and to help a person with ASD ''dance'' in a more synchronized fashion. Here are two ...

Part I  I talked about the characteristics of the right and left sides of the brain and how they do not dance together in people with autism/ASD. I gave you twenty signs that I see that indicate how Mr. Left Brain and Mrs. Right Brain dance alone. Part II I was on a kick about strategies that SLPs bring to the table to assist ...