Dear Friends and Colleagues, I am very saddened to write this post letting you know that our dear friend and colleague, Kathie Harrington, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, March 19, 2013. Kathie left a wonderful legacy for all of us with her passion for writing about autism. She touched countless lives of clients, parents and ...

Everyone loves power. Everyone needs words to attain power. We can empower our children with ASD by giving them POWER WORDS or we can leave them powerless. Teaching skills to children with ASD is not enough. Colors, months, dates, counting, are not what make a person successful and functional in the world. This series of Kathie's Dozen Power ...

              Joey was in preschool when I first met him. Everyone hugged Joey. It made the teachers feel good and that was OK when he was in preschool. Joey was 3 and as he grew to 4, 5 and 6, everyone continued to hug Joey when they greeted him. Joey entered junior high ...

In last week's Autism Spectrum Blog, Bullying in ASD, I presented an overview of how painful bullying is to its victims. I also suggested that we, as SLPs, can assist those on the autism spectrum because they are ''punching bags'' for bullies. The SLP can also share information with parents and ...

Temple is one of those names like Cher, Oprah, Reba, or Elvis. At least in the realm of autism, Temple Grandin has achieved what few people in the world do, first name recognition. In my Autism Spectrum across Ages and Environments Blog, Dr. Temple Grandin Says ..., I bullet many quotes from her presentation. Temple is full of wisdom and quotes ...

There are certain items that each SLP would not leave home without. Over all the years that I've worked with children on the autism spectrum, I find that a View Master is one of those treasures I always carry in my bag. As far as I know, it cannot be duplicated on an iPad or iPhone. It is not the same as flash cards or books. A View Master is ...

Autism Awareness Month began on Sunday, April 1. My son Doug's birthday is April 1. The fifth annual World Autism Awareness Day was April 2. World Autism Awareness Day ''aims to increase people's awareness about people, especially children, with autism. The day often features educational events for teachers, health care workers and parents, as ...

When do you elicit a language sample? Certainly when you first see a child you would want to take a language sample. However, if the child is not comfortable on the initial assessment, there is nothing written in stone that says that it has to be completed the first time around. That in itself should tell you something. I feel that ...

Blog Comment: ''Please correct your meter from 'to loud' to 'too loud.''' - D. To D: So sorry about the error. That tells me you are a close reader, and I appreciate the correction. I have made the change to the Loud Meter, as you can see below. Please feel free to print it off and use it with your clients. Thanks so much for following my ...

Dear Kathie: ''Chad is 5 years old and ‘very' autistic and non-verbal. He covers his ears with his hands when there is a loud noise, such as a fire alarm, or even when he anticipates a loud noise, like a balloon that he thinks may pop. How can I help him, his classroom teacher, and his parents? - Payton, speech-language pathologist My ...