Families

Autism strikes a family's heart, soul and wallet. Estimates by The Autism Society puts a lifetime of care for an autistic child at $3.2 million. Autism parents know firsthand the brutal toll to the family coffers of therapies…

If you have a school-aged child, it’s highly likely that you’ve already heard of Minecraft, an interactive, online game that allows players to build and create textured cubes in a 3D, virtual world. Other activities include exploring,…

During Autism Awareness Month and the other eleven months of the year, I am aware of the toll that autism takes on families.  A key to alleviating this stress is respite care.  The value of respite care is now being substantiated by…

For those of you who followed my articles in the past, you will know I've been out of the autism loop for a while, consumed by the affairs of my immediate family of sixteen-year-old twin sons with high functioning autism. Having seen…

First there was Jason McElwain. Now, another young man with autism has taken to YouTube to show off some unique basketball skills. In a recently uploaded 48-second video, 17-year-old Karl Garay can be seen spinning a basketball from the…

April is Autism Awareness Month, so we thought it would be a good idea to repost our autism symptoms checklist below. Some of this information may already be well known to many, but it wasn't for us when our son was younger. He received a…

The Dan Marino Foundation, a fixture in South Florida since 1992, has recently announced plans to start a college for those with autism and other special needs. According to a Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel article published last month, the…

When we, the siblings of someone with special needs, hear the word "retarded" or "retard," even in the most seemingly-casual context, it strikes us hard. When we hear it, we hear it as an echo of all the times our brothers and sisters…

As the holiday travel season comes to a close, many parents of children with autism are relieved that it's over. As we’ve documented in the past, traveling with a child with autism can be a major challenge, with airports and airplanes…

A challenge for many parents of children with autism is finding age-appropriate activities that help improve their social skills and interaction with others. For some, the Cub Scouts (part of The Boys Scouts of America) can provide a great…