Fwd: USAAA WeeklyNews Opinion - Parenting A Child With Asperger's Syndrome

[Guest guest]

From: newsletter@...To: badillo9@...aolSent: 2/21/2010 4:15:27 P.M. Eastern Standard TimeSubj: USAAA WeeklyNews Opinion - Parenting A Child With Asperger & apos;s Syndrome

View this email in your web browser

US Autism & Asperger Association, Inc.

February 21, 2010

USAAA WeeklyNews Opinion USAAA WeeklyNews Opinion features comments and discussion from readers, as well as readers' recommended resources. The opinions expressed here are those of the individual authors and do not represent the views of USAAA. The USAAA WeeklyNews Opinion will be delivered every Sunday to your email inbox.

Parenting A Child With Asperger's SyndromeBy Jeff WitzemanIt seemed like an innocent enough request: "Dad can you take my friends and I to Chinatown this Friday when we have the day off?" "Sure," I said. After all it would be good to get out and do something. As I thought about things more and more though, something didn't add up. Why Chinatown? My 14-year-old Asperger's son and his friends clearly didn't have an interest in Chinese culture. I heard the word "knuckles" in one of their phone conversations and deduced brass knuckles as being on of the things they wanted to buy. "Fine," I thought. The boys weren't the fighting kind and though brass knuckles are illegal, what's the harm?

In the car on the way, one of my son's friends who I'll call Drew said, "Are you just going to drop us off and we'll meet you in a couple hours?" "No, I'll be with you the entire time," to which Drew tried a few other tactics to try and keep me away. Read more about Parenting A Child With Asperger's Syndrome .

Autism's rise has silver liningby ShumakerAre you the parent of an adult with autism? Looking back, what has been the most challenging stage of your child's life so far? I asked fans of my autism facebook forum, and the toddlerhood/diagnosis stage won first place with adolescence a very close second.

"The tantrums at the grocery store were the worst," said , the mother of a 24 year old son. "I'll never forget the looks and the comments. No one knew much about autism in those days." Read more about Autism's rise has silver lining.

How to launch a second career "When launching a second career, you have much less time to foul things up," says Deutsch. "That's what your first career was for."

He earned graduate degrees in economics, planning to go into teaching or research. But Deutsch, who has Asperger's syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, says, "Many 'Aspies' have a hard time getting and keeping jobs, friends, relationships, even places to live ... and I was no exception." Read more about How to launch a second career.

New take on 'Parenthood' "Parenthood" was the hit 1989 comedy from winners Ron and Grazer, starring Steve , Dianne Wiest and a very young Keanu Reeves and Joaquin Phoenix. Now NBC has reimagined the flick as a one-hour drama series, which has a lot of its own star power.... We caught up with Graham, Katims and , a longtime Armonk resident who's also serving as a producer on the show, during a recent conference call with reporters.

In the series, one couple's son is diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. Why did you want to deal with that issue? Read more about New take on 'Parenthood'.

Support Services missing in budgetI wish they would put a larger percentage [of the proposed HHS budget for autism] into "support services", which would mean (among other things), that they would provide for personal aides and health aides to visit autistic adults in their homes, and provide whatever is needed (which is determined by an assessment performed by a Nurse). There are many of us who need such a thing. — Clay

Waiting for services is shameful and unacceptableLast week [February 1] we were busy in committee with bill introductions, scheduling hearings and listening to presentations from advocacy groups, lobbyists, and state agencies. The process to bring a bill to the floor is slow and we have not voted on substantial legislation yet this session.

I have gone on a rant periodically to denounce the very existence of a wait list for the educationally and developmentally disabled. To make people wait for services we're required to provide is shameful and unacceptable. Autism is usually diagnosed at the age of 2 or 3 and giving the proper treatment and therapy may lead to that child functioning at a much higher level, resulting in a producing a future contributing citizen rather than a dependent citizen. If that child has to wait an average of 4 years for intervention, this opportunity is lost. We cannot allow this to happen. Any money we save out of the school budget needs to go towards eliminating this disgraceful list.

House leadership did it right in 2009. Speaker O'Neal directed the Appropriations Chair to add $15.6 million to the budget to eliminate the list and we voted it out of the House. The Senate reduced it to $8 million but our House conferees got the Senate to agree to a $10.4 final version. When the bill got to our dear departed Governor's desk, she line item vetoed the entire amount. Shame on her.

HB2367 and SB12 both require insurance companies to provide coverage for treatment of autism. Several states have this law in effect and evidence is clear that offering therapy to autistic children actually saves money over the long run. The insurance lobby is fighting the bill, as are legislators who object to mandates. It will be a close vote. I strongly support this law. — Kansas House of Representative Mike Kiegerl

Submit a commentLinksArchives

US Autism & Asperger Association 2010 World Conference & ExpoOctober 1-3, St. Louis, Missouri

The 2010 US Autism & Asperger Association Fifth Annual Conference will be held October 1-3, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri. Featured speakers include Dr. Temple Grandin, Dr. Martha Herbert, and Dr. Shore.

Facebook

Find us on Facebook, become our fan and discover our newest video clips, plus much more!Click here to join our cause.

Donate Now

Your support enhances the quality of life of individuals and their families/caregivers touched by autism spectrum disorders.

Newsletter

Stay informed by signing up for the USAAA WeeklyNews. Each week we'll share the latest ASD news, resources, research, tips, plus more. Sign up for the newsletterRead our past issues.

Membership

Join now and receive many benefits including discounts on products from our sponsors.

YouTube

USAAA YouTube Video Channel. Be sure to subscribe to receive notices on new videos uploaded to the channel.

Click here to subscribe to the Official USAAA YouTube Video Channel. There is no cost to subscribe.

Send us your story about your experience with autism and Asperger's Syndrome on a specific topic each week. Whether you're a parent, grandparent, caregiver, individual with autism or have any experience with autism spectrum disorders, your stories help provide insight into the world of autism.

This week's topic is: "Comment on our newsletter articles today"

Please send us your story in 500 words or less. Include your full name, email address, and in the subject line include this week's topic. Submissions are condensed and edited. Because of the volume of mail received, not all submissions are published. Information other than your name are kept confidential.

Click here to submit your story.

Inbox Readers' Comments are opinions from our subscribers. USAAA is not responsible for the content, accuracy or opinions expressed in this section.

USAAA WeeklyNews encourages readers to send guest columns for publication in our WeeklyNews. These op-eds should address timely topics of autism and Asperger's Syndrome to readers and must not exceed 600 words. Not all we receive can be published. Those that represent a well-reasoned argument, supported by evidence, in a concise and readable manner will receive priority.

Click here to send in your comments to Inbox.

Some letters are condensed and edited.To avoid USAAA WeeklyNews Opinion (including other email from USAAA) ending up in your junk email, add inbox@..., newsletter@... and information@... to your address book. If you use an email client (e.g. Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.) you don't have to enter addresses manually; you can upload from many different address book formats on the Address Book screen.

DisclaimerUnsubscribeForward to a FriendUpdate Email Address©2010 US Autism & Asperger Association, Inc.P.O. Box 532Draper, UT 84020-05321-888-9AUTISM (1-) ,