As a parent of an adult child with autism, one of my goals has always been to find as many opportunities as possible to improve my son’s social skills. All parents want their children to make and establish friendships, but for those on the autism spectrum, it is one of the most difficult aspects of…
Improving Health and Building Community in Asheville
Every Monday from 3 to 4 p.m., you can find a group of people of all ages running and walking at French Broad River Park in Asheville. Each time a participant completes the half-mile loop, a check is placed next to his or her name on a giant chart. They are all members of the…
Camp Royall Gives Sisters a Chance to be Themselves
The Miller sisters, Mikayla and Mackenzie, joined us at Camp Royall for the first time this summer, and they had a blast, each in their own way. Mikayla, who is 16, shared that she was a bit nervous and didn’t know what to expect from camp, but she truly flourished. She made several really good…
10 Tips for Navigating our Journey
Let’s face it, raising children is difficult. And, raising special needs kiddos can feel impossible at times. When my son was very young, I frequently felt overwhelmed with it all. We had lots of medical appointments, therapy sessions, therapy homework, and behavioral outbursts to manage. We were entering a new world, the disability world, and…
New Timeline for Medicaid Transformation
Update, March 2021: If you are looking for more recent information about Medicaid Transformation, please visit this post. Editor’s note: This is an update to information posted July 16, 2019. The managed-care rollout has been changed to one phase for the whole state in February 2020, rather than starting in November 2019 with some counties. Open enrollment is now scheduled to end on December 13 for all counties. The NC Department of…
Teaching Skills to Prepare for Back to School
Going back to school after time off for the summer is an exciting, but often overwhelming time. You may begin to feel some nervousness about how your loved one will transition to a new schedule or even navigate a new environment. To help prepare them for the new school year, it is important to think…
Celebrate Your Direct Support Professional
National Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week is coming up September 8-14! The Autism Society of North Carolina employs hundreds of direct support professionals; without their dedication and continued efforts, many individuals on the autism spectrum and their families would not have needed support services. Every day, they work one-on-one with individuals with autism, teaching skill…
Shutting Down Like an Overloaded Computer
Why does your computer suddenly choke on you? Are 1,000 windows open? Is YouTube playing while Facebook is showing cat videos? Is a browser doing some sneaky scans on the hard drive? It’s all eating the data and memory. Too many tasks at once! Computer crash! Well, imagine an autistic brain working like that. Give…