I’m not even going to mince words here. I don’t think the New York City Public School System is equipped to handle kids with autism. Two weeks ago, 14-year-old Avonte Oquendo ran out of his Queens school and has been missing since.
“I use it as a doorstop.” That was the response I got from a psychiatrist when I gestured at his copy of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)-TR-IV and asked what he thought about it. If you read news stories about this book and its update, the DSM-5 (they’ve abandoned the Roman numerals), you might think that a clinician keeps at hand a much-used, heavily notated, dogeared version of this tome, the so-called “bible” of psychiatry. But from what I can see, the general inclination regarding this particular bible is apostasy.
When thinking about care-givers, most people imagine baby boomers tending to elderly parents. But there’s another kind of care-giving that is often more long term and comes with its own unique set of challenges: parents taking care of children who are so disabled that they will never move out on their own.
(CNN) — The reward for the safe return of a missing New York City teen with autism, Avonte Oquendo, has been raised to $70,000, thanks to an anonymous donation through Autism Speaks, according to a spokesman for the organization.
Children with autism who don’t speak could benefit from using pictures to communicate, and having even their small attempts at speaking rewarded, new research suggests.
DENTON (UNT), Texas — A new University of North Texas grant project called Project Start — or Systematic Training for Autism Teachers — will provide on-the-job coaching and full scholarships to special education teachers who are seeking master’s degrees in special education with a concentration in autism intervention, thanks to a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
Hispanic and African-American children are often diagnosed with autism at older ages. Now, a new advertising campaign aims to raise awareness in an attempt to reverse the trend.
An autistic boy who cannot speak alerted his father to alleged abuse by a teacher by drawing pictures, some featuring stick-figures saying “no” and “help.”
City/State: Spartanburg, South Carolina
School/Organization: District 7 / McCarthy Teszler School
Funding for special education has fallen in recent years, according to a new report which finds that many school districts are spending less per student today than they did in 2008.
