I was seated on my daughter’s bed. A few minutes before, she had asked me a question that gripped my heart. “Do I have autism?” Since her diagnosis near her third birthday, I had imagined all the ways this discussion would go. Now in middle school, she was into theater, movies, and rewriting screenplays. Being…
The Health of Our Aging Adults
Over 30 years ago, after our suspicions were confirmed that our young daughter did indeed have autism, we asked a question that many of you also may have contemplated: “What is the normal life expectancy of someone who has autism?” We were given a fairly encouraging yet vague answer: “We really don’t know for sure,…
Weekly Policy Update: COVID-19 edition
This is the Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC) weekly update on policy changes and legislation related to local, state, and federal COVID-19 emergency orders. This post covers May 19-25. For daily updates, information, and help during the emergency, we recommend the following sources: NC COVID-19 page CDC COVID-19 page News & Observer Coronavirus coverage…
Weekly Policy Update: COVID-19 edition
Below is the Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC) weekly update on policy changes and legislation related to local, state, and federal COVID-19 emergency orders. This post covers May 13-18. For daily updates, information, and help during the emergency, we recommend the following sources: NC DHHS COVID-19 page CDC COVID-19 page News &Observer Coronavirus coverage…
New Adventures in These Challenging Times
As a Direct Support Professional working with a young adult on the spectrum, I found myself looking for ways to offer fun and engaging structure during this season of unavoidable change. Particularly, I wanted to build a new routine that wouldn’t replace our previous busy schedule of community outings and routine volunteer commitments, but rather…
Weekly Policy Update: COVID-19 Policy Changes
Below is this week’s Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC) weekly update on policy changes and legislation related to local, state, and federal COVID-19 emergency orders. We Need Your Help! The North Carolina General Assembly, our state’s legislature, is back in session and focused on COVID-19 related needs. Funding in the draft bills for COVID related needs does little to address…
Weekly Policy Update: COVID-19 Policy Changes
Below is this week’s Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC) weekly update on policy changes and legislation related to COVID-19, local, state, and federal emergency orders. For daily updates and information, we recommend the following sources: NC DHHS COVID-19 page CDC COVID-19 page (Raleigh) News &Observer coverage of COVID-19 (some of which is available to…
Teachers, Break Out Your Bag of Tricks
January! You all just got back from a nice, long vacation! Everyone wants to share stories of things they did, places they visited, people they saw, and presents they received. The adrenaline gets them through the first day or so back, and then the lull kicks in mid-week. Behaviors they learned to work on may…
Autism in the Friendly Skies
While it is impossible to foresee every scenario or emergency, as a flight attendant, I would like to share some tips for parents traveling the friendly skies with children on the spectrum. Booking your flight Notify your airline at the time of booking about your need for assistance and any accommodations they can provide…