The intense grief we feel for the victims and families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, has ignited, or re-ignited, two of our great national debates: the obvious one about gun control, and a less obvious one about the nature and treatment of mental illness. As yet we do not know the exact nature… Read More »
Posts Categorized: Special Needs
Refrigerator Mothers or Aging Fathers?
Back in the 1950’s, scientists were certain that autism and schizophrenia were caused by mothers who were emotionally frigid. Scientists coined the phrase “refrigerator mothers” to describe how the lack of warmth by mothers affected their children. There were even movies made about this symptom: a PBS Point of View, the trailer which is… Read More »
More Research Needed for Teen Autism Treatments
Most of the research in autism treatment and prevention is aimed at young children. Early intervention is best and most helpful, but as the autism population ages, so must treatment solutions be aimed at older children and young adults. As the Huffington Post points out, a new government report confirms that there is little scientific… Read More »
A Kardashian I'm Proud to Watch
At the risk of losing the respect of many of my readers, I have to admit I’m a closet reality show junkie. And not just any reality show. Last night I was watching “Khloe and Lamar,” when I stopped paying my usual half attention and took notice of the story line. Rob, , the lone… Read More »
Self -Determination Through the Eyes of a Client
I recently had the pleasure, on my radio show Special Needs Long Island, to meet Mandy Shenkman, an individual with developmental disabilities who works with The Center for Family Support, an organization that, in part, helps people with developmental disabilities work within self-determination. According to the Self Advocacy Association of New York State (SAANYS) (another… Read More »
Alexander Does Have Angels
I had the pleasure of meeting 3 great founders and supporters of Alexander’s Angels, a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to promote a better understanding of people with Down Syndrome. Esther Gomez-Nieto, the President and Founder (and whose grandson Alexander was the impetus for the organization) refuses to take credit for the astounding amount of… Read More »
Breaking Out of Autism Through Technology
In this amazing video, Carly, lost in an autistic world, unable to speak or express herself,comes out of her shell at age 11 when she gained access to a computer. After 11 years of constant therapy, after a diagnosis of moderate retardation, no one believed that she could write, or think at such a… Read More »
Will New Autism Definition Affect Your Child's Services?
Although the American Psychiatric Association has been working on its revision of the DSM (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) for several years, a new study by world-renowned expert on childhood mental disorders, Dr. Fred Volkmar, has brought the concerns expressed by the autism community back to the forefront of discussion. At issue… Read More »
Long Island Advocacy Center featured on Special Needs Long Island Radio
Please join “Special Needs Long Island,” the radio show focused on the special needs community, as we feature Laura Adler Greene, Esq. Ms. Greene is an attorney with the Long Island Advocacy Center, a not for profit organization dedicated to protecting the legal rights of students with disabilities. She represents students in PINS diversion programs… Read More »
Tweet Support #YouMightBeAnAutismParentIf
Twitter? Isn’t that where everyone talks about what they had for breakfast? That’s the reaction I often get whenever I mention Twitter as a great support system for parents of children with autism. A twitter hashtag (#) is a way to find tweets that have a common subject, in this case, #autism. Anyone who… Read More »