One hot summer day, Sarah Waller’s car broke down on her way to work. Waller is a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) who implements Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) plans for the Autism Society of North Carolina. Rather than cancel the session with the client and their family, Waller walked three miles in 100-degree heat to make…
Applied Behavior Analysis: Misconceptions and Quality Indicators
At the Autism Society of North Carolina, we believe that every autistic individual and their family has the right to high quality, person-centered, autism-informed services that recognize and value the individual’s neurodiversity. For individuals and families who pursue applied behavior analysis (ABA), we encourage you to advocate for a provider offering modern ABA. ABA represents…
Disclosing Disability in the Workplace – My Experience
I am a late-diagnosed autistic adult, and I have ADHD, Bipolar II, OCD, and generalized anxiety. I also have dermatillomania, or skin picking disorder, and my information processing abilities rank 13th percentile. Physically, I have substantial hearing loss in both ears. This article focuses on lessons I learned as I searched for employment. I now…
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC): Factors to Guide Decision Making
An estimated 25-30% of children with autism are considered minimally verbal. Communication delays can be directly related to the core characteristics of autism or the result of commonly co-occurring conditions like verbal apraxia. Difficulty communicating wants and needs can be distressing for both autistic individuals and their families, impacting social relationships, access to education, and…
He Needed Something More, and We Found It at Camp Royall
As the mom of four Au-Somely unique children, I’m always trying to find the right path, the right therapies, and the right connections for them. Sometimes those connections are obvious and easy to come across, but others aren’t as clear. My 18-year-old son graduated from our homeschool in May 2022, and we began this journey…
Accommodations at Work
Almost everyone uses tools at work: cash registers, computers, the Internet, heavy machinery, pens, hammers, paintbrushes – the list could go on forever. We use these tools to perform our jobs to the best of our ability, so we do not hesitate to request them if we do not have all the ones we need….