8 Successful People with Autism Spectrum Disorders

By Dayle L. Fraschilla | Answers.com

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) each have different abilities and levels of functioning. What the future holds for each child with ASD is as unique as their individual personalities. As we learn more about autism and other disorders on the spectrum, we can better understand individuals living with ASD. Below are eight successful and widely-known people with ASD who can be positive role models for children growing up on the spectrum.

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Study: Half of Children With Autism Flee Safety

Photo by *Clairity* at Flickr Creative Commons.

By Dalia Colón -

A new study confirms what many families already know: that some people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) wander, bolt or “elope” from safe places. Several advocacy groups partnered with the Interactive Autism Network to survey more than 850 families of children with ASD.

The preliminary findings:

• Among children with ASD ages 4 to 10, roughly half had attempted to flee safety. That’s almost four times higher than the rate for their unaffected siblings.

• Of children who attempted to flee, nearly half succeeded and went missing “long enough to cause parents significant concern about their safety,” the report states. Two-thirds said their children had... READ MORE >

Oprah On Autism: Part 1

Autism is a growing epidemic affecting millions of families. Watch Part 1 in a three-part series on Oprah, as she interviews three parents featured in the film, “Autism Everyday”. This series looks deeper into autism to give the public a better understanding and raise awareness and compassion for this condition.

Oprah On Autism: Part 2
Imagine being a parent who has never received a hug from their child? Or never hearing their child say the words "I love you!"We need to help...


Oprah On Autism: Part 3
Watch Part 3 in a three-part series on Oprah, as she interviews three parents featured in the film, "Autism Everyday." In this video siblings of children...

Autism Programs Work Best When Started Early

By Cole Petrochko, Staff Writer, MedPage Today

Reviewed by Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston

Intensive behavior programs for autism spectrum disorders were moderately effective at improving core deficits, particularly when started shortly after diagnosis, but additional and stronger research on these programs is needed, a systematic review found.

Action Points

• A policy statement on nonmedical interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders suggests that early, comprehensive, intense, and longer-duration interventions are most likely to assist with core deficits.
• Note that strength of evidence from review of systematic reviews and intervention studies was not considered high and thus the policy committee could not distinguish among techniques nor assess characteristics of children most likely to benefit; further research was recommended.

A policy statement from the Evidence-based Practice Center on behavioral interventions for autism found that programs offering comprehensive, intense, and long-duration interventions started shortly after diagnosis and for at least 25 hours a week may offer the best outcomes, according to Margaret Maglione, MPP, of the Southern California Evidence-based Practice Center in Santa Monica, and colleagues.

Interventions should address social communication, language, play skills, and maladaptive behavior, they wrote online in Pediatrics.  READ MORE >>

Oprah On Autism - Part 3

Watch Part 3 in a three-part series on Oprah, as she interviews three parents featured in the film, "Autism Everyday." In this video siblings of children...

Part 1   <   Part 2   <   Part 3

Oprah On Autism: Part 2

Imagine being a parent who has never received a hug from their child? Or never hearing their child say the words "I love you!"We need to help...

Part 1   <   Part 2   >   Part 3

'All my life I've known that I was different'

Laurence Mitchell was bullied at school and struggled in relationships. So when he learnt he had Asperger's at 47, it was a relief

Laurence Mitchell was aware that there was something different about him from his early days at school. His fellow pupils would bully him because of his awkwardness in communication. Even his teachers would single him out in front of the class when he failed to perform. "I was picked on by the bullies," he says. "They would get into my pockets every week to see what they could take. That was at the age of 11. My parents didn't know what was wrong with me."

It all became clear when the 58-year-old reached the age of 47 and visited the Priory clinic. He felt he needed a psychiatric assessment because of his obsessive personality. There, he was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome – an autism spectrum disorder.

In some ways he felt a sense of relief, but he believes there are many other people out there – perhaps older than him – who are still not diagnosed but suffering from... READ MORE >>

Making (and keeping) friends: A model for social skills instruction

Dr. Scott Bellini

Social Skill Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Indeed, many parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) echo this sentiment concerning their child’s social functioning. They know that their child has many wonderful qualities to offer others, but the nature of their disability, or more precisely, their poor social skills, often preclude them from establishing meaningful social relationships. This frustration is amplified when parents know that their children want desperately to have friends, but fail miserably when trying to make friends. Often, their failure is a direct result of ineffectual programs and inadequate resources typically made available for social skills instruction. For most children, basic social skills (e.g., turn taking, initiating conversation) are acquired quickly and easily. For children with ASD, the process is much more difficult.

Services, supports help children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

May 27, 2012 8:33 PM
Part 2

One student, Ricky, was surprising his parents and teacher every day. Before first grade, Ricky never spoke and would become very aggressive at times. By first grade, things were changing. Ricky had finally discovered letters. In fact, he was tracing the ABC’s everywhere. The window was finally opening for Ricky.

Ricky was fortunate that his parents were deeply involved in their son’s education. They listened to the teacher and staff. His activities at school were reinforced at home. Little by little, Ricky was changing. He was starting to talk, not just by pictures but by his voice. The boy had recently begun taking medication which helped him focus and calm down. His medical care was expensive [ READ MORE ]

The Brownsville Herald | Pamela Gross Downing, a special education teacher can be reached at downpamg@aol.com.