Celebrate 600
We are thrilled to be posting our 600th podcast on FAQautism.com today. After a brief pause to reflect on this milestone, we will get right back down to business with podcast 601 tomorrow. We will look at questions this week about challenging issues from teachers, job coaches, and family members. But for today, we want to share some personal reflections as we celebrate our 600th birthday.
or
continue reading
Autism is complex. The spectrum of autism is very broad. For example, some people are non-verbal and others talk incessantly. Some people are very bright academically, and others are unable to read or write. Interestingly, the non-verbal person with autism may excel at academics, and the incessant talker may be the person who cannot read.
The strengths and the deficits of people with autism do no line up. A college graduate is not able to drive because extreme sound sensitivities are too distracting. A non-verbal teen who is still in diapers attends regular classes in high school and is a valuable member of the school library staff.
These inconsistencies lead to misunderstandings and conflict in the community of autism. At FAQautism.com, we do not take sides in the debates about the definition, cause, cure, or most appropriate treatment for autism. Instead, we look at specific issues that arise in the daily lives of people with autism, and recommend several practical, easy-to-implement options for addressing that specific issue.
Those ideas for dealing with challenging situations come from my work since 1974 with kids, teens, adults, and older adults diagnosed with autism – from one end of the spectrum to the other. I’ve known some of my friends for decades, allowing me to see the long-term effect of various strategies. I do not claim to be an expert. Actually, it is impossible for any one person to be an expert on all aspects of a field as broad as autism. I am, however, a long-time observer and friend of many, many people with autism. I’ve seen nearly every aspect of challenges related to obsessions and rituals, communication deficits, disruptive or hurtful behaviors, social issues, extraordinary giftedness, toileting issues, dietary issues, school and job issues, and more.
FAQautism.com is actually the brainchild of my son, Dwight Knoll, who has grown up hanging out with several of my young friends with autism. After graduating from college, Dwight worked for some time for a state autism society that funded direct services. In the process of fulfilling the job requirement of ongoing continuing education. Dwight discovered that much of the information available focused on debates about the definitions and causes of autism rather than on practical strategies for addressing challenges that seemed to arise daily. So he developed the infrastructure for our short, free, informative daily podcasts / e-mail posts. Since our initial podcast, we have certainly had no lack of topics. Teachers, family members, therapists, medical specialists, and individuals with autism contact us with questions about challenging situations and difficult issues as well as ideas and solutions that have worked for them.
As we celebrate 600, we take this opportunity to thank all of you, and to encourage you to share this resource with friends and colleagues. They can subscribe – at not cost or obligation – to our 4-minute daily podcast or our 3-paragraph daily e-mail by clicking on our website http://FAQautism.com. We appreciate you help in reaching our goal of adding 600 new folks to celebrate this milestone. And we say, “Happy 600th Birthday toooooo FAQautism….dot….com!”
TIP FOR THE DAY: NOTE TO READERS AND LISTENERS: I am Cathy Knoll, a board certified music therapist and long-time friend of many folks with autism. At FAQautism.com we are committed to providing free, practical, everyday tips for making life better for people with autism. Feel free to send me a confidential email at talk@FAQautism.com with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solution. And don’t forget to check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. http://FAQautism.com
No related posts.