On March 29, just two days before the beginning of Autism Awareness Month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new figures for the prevalence of autism. While no one expected a decrease, the new rate of 1 in 88 nationally (up from 1 in 110 in two years) and 1 in 70…
Structured Strategies During the Holiday Season
With the holiday season comes both excitement and stress. Changes in schedule, time off from work and school, travel, parties, visiting relatives, special foods, special clothes, shopping and decorations are just some of the reasons that this time of year can be especially difficult for kids with autism and their parents. How did your…
Expanding Your Child’s School Comfort Zone, By Dan Coulter
Here’s an article about the value of taking your child who has Asperger Syndrome to visit his teacher and classroom before school starts. While this article focuses on younger children, it can also be helpful to schedule a school visit with middle school and high school students who have Asperger Syndrome. Hope this is helpful….
Nurturing Organization and Independence through Visual Reminders
Editor’s Note: The following article was written by Kathy Dolbee, Parent Advocate for the Autism Society of North Carolina. The concept of time is abstract. After all, a timeline has an arrow at each end and the concept of infinity is hard for us mortals to wrap our brain around. That is why we wear…
Teaching Students with Asperger Syndrome for the First Time (Originally published July 28, 2005), By Dan Coulter
Dear Blog readers, In our state we are fortunate to have many individuals on the autism spectrum and family members who are happy to share information and perspectives. Today we add Dan Coulter to our list of Blog contributors. Dan lives in Winston-Salem with his wife Julie. He is owner of Coulter Video, a company…
Corporal Punishment – It’s the Law! Bill 498
Editor’s Note – The following article was written by Linda Griffin, Parent Advocate Director for the Autism Society of North Carolina. It’s the 21st Century, and we have made such incredible progress – from splitting the atom to landing on the moon. We believe that we are wise and enlightened. We have conducted research on…
Tax Credits for Children with Disabilities: NC House Bill 344
[The Autism Society of North Carolina now has a comprehensive fact sheet on HB 344 Education Tax Credit for Children with Disabilities on its website here.] Thursday June 30th 2011 House Bill 344 Tax Credits for Children with Disabilities became law in North Carolina. Starting this year, families will be able to claim a…
State Budget and Managed Care Waiver Update
NC State Budget Last week the NC General Assembly passed a budget for the 2011-2013 budget years that was compromise bill negotiated between the NC House and NC Senate, prior to the Senate passing their own budget. In the final version, the General Assembly used the House version of the budget numbers for Health and…