Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

Bankruptcy Court Finds Undue Hardship, Discharges $340,000 Student Loan Debt of Former Law Student With Asperger Syndrome

Excerpt from TaxProf Blog: (click for entire article)

National Law Journal, Asperger Syndrome Prompts Court to Forgive Former Law Student's Debt:

    A former law student has won a bid in bankruptcy court to discharge nearly $340,000 in education debt because her diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome rendered her unable to repay the loans. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland on May 17 found that Carol Todd, who attended the University of Baltimore School of Law, met the difficult burden of showing that she would suffer undue hardship if forced to repay her debt.

Families Don't Seek Help for Autism from Pediatricians

Excerpt from Education Week: (click for entire article)

Although early detection and intervention of disabilities can often make a dramatic difference in a child's life, parents of children with autism say they don't put their faith in the people on the front lines of treating and caring for their children.

A small new study discussed at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Toronto last week found that parents didn't expect their pediatricians to provide autism-specific treatment, and many pediatricians don't view autism treatment as within the scope of their work.

The study involving families and doctors in Philadelphia, also found that even doctors who want to help families manage their children's diagnoses lack the training to do so.

"This study validates what previous studies and parents have told us: Many pediatricians are not prepared to provide the kind of advice and information that parents need after receiving a diagnosis of autism for their child," Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer for Autism Speaks, told HealthDay News.

Christopher Webster, Man With Asperger's, Embraces Strangers With Free Hugs Campaign

Excerpt from The Huffington Post: (click for entire article)

Though living with Asperger’s syndrome makes it difficult for Christopher Webster to interact with strangers, it hasn’t kept him from hugging hundreds of people he doesn’t know.

For the past six years, the San Antonio resident has stood on a busy downtown street corner holding a white sign whose big block letters read, “Free Hugs.” The 27-year-old offers up embraces to willing passersby to bring kindness to the world and to help him deal with his social issues, the San Antonio Express-News reports.

“I do it to make the world a better place,” Webster told the news outlet. “One hug at a time.”

Thank Congress for Helping Military Kids with Autism!

Excerpt from Autism Votes: (click for entire article)

The U.S. House of Representatives has just approved a bipartisan amendment that will help our members of the military by dramatically improving their access to quality care for their dependents with autism. The vote came on an amendment to the Department of Defense bill that was sponsored by Representative John Larson of Connecticut. Under the current system, our military members lose coverage for medically recommended behavioral health treatments (specifically Applied Behavior Analysis) when they leave active duty, even when they are forced to retire due to injuries sustained in combat. Existing ABA benefits are limited and often fall short of minimum standards and prescribed levels of care placing an undue financial strain on many military families.

Shaving and Autism

Excerpt from Your Therapy Source: (click for entire article)

I came across this video from RealLookAutism that shows how a young man with autism is learning to tolerate shaving with the help of his occupational therapist and his mother.  This is such a wonderful video that really helps to explain how sensory techniques can help some individuals to learn activities of daily living.  It also helps to demonstrate that certain skills can take a long time to learn but the goal is achievable.  The OT breaks the skill down, offers preparatory activities,  slowly introduces the shaving equipment followed by parent education helping this young man to be successful!

Workers with Asperger’s and Autism Are Not Cheaper Labor

Excerpt from Care2: (click for entire article)

Square One, a Los Angeles-based software and design firm, has started a small pilot program (with three people) to design a software-testing training program for people on the autism spectrum. According to Business Week, company co-founder Chad Hahn and his wife, Shannon, who works with individuals with developmental disabilities, are trying to create a “work environment that would be friendly to those on the autism spectrum,” many of whom especially struggle with social interactions.

In the U.S., the unemployment rate for  individuals Asperger’s Syndrome could be as high as 80%. While social situations and communicating with others may be difficult, some autistic individuals excel using computers and technology and, prior to Square One, some other companies have sought to draw on these abilities. In 2004, Thorkil Sonne, a Danish software engineer with an autistic son, founded Specialisterne, 75 percent of whose software consultants have Asperger’s Syndrome or an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The company’s employees test software and technological devices and there are now offshoots in Iceland and Scotland. A small nonprofit, Aspiritech, was founded in 2008 in Chicago; its employees also have Asperger’s Syndrome or an ASD and test smartphone apps.

Myths And Misnomers Of Aspergers Characteristics – A Light Hearted Observation

Excerpt from Marimouth: (click for entire article)

Recognition and identification of Aspergers syndrome has skyrocketed in the last decade. Unfortunately, the way it is portrayed through the media venue has provided individuals who do not interact with families or children directly involved with a stigmatized lenses of the syndrome. ie Sheldon Cooper on the Big Bang Theory void of the ability to display emotion, Gregory House of the House series who expresses a diagnosis to a patient with apparent disregard to their feelings, Jerry the Lawyer of Boston Legal who allegedly had Aspergers and was portrayed with comorbid maladies such as grabbing his thighs standing on tippy toes and running away making odd noises.

In my opinion these television characters provide a disgraceful impression to society in regards to Aspergers. Successful Aspergians who work beside you and your peers. Aspergians who are parents, doctors, lawyers, scientists, teachers, students and more.

California agency ripped over disparities in autism spending

Excerpt from the Los Angeles Times: (click for entire article)

California lawmakers and advocates for children with autism assailed the state Department of Developmental Services during a hearing Monday over the deep racial and ethnic disparities in how it spends money on the disorder.

"Families that are already the most disadvantaged get the least," Martha Matthews, an attorney for the advocacy group Public Counsel, testified before a panel of legislators in Sacramento. "This is exactly the opposite of what it should be."

State Sen. Darrell Steinberg, who heads a committee on autism, called for legislation to provide greater accountability in the $4-billion-a-year entitlement program for people with developmental disabilities. Autism now accounts for about a quarter of the 252,000 people in the state system and 45% of all new disability cases it accepts. Budgets have not kept pace.

The Changing Definition of Autism

Excerpt from Disability Blog: (click for entire article)

What’s in a definition? Everything when it comes to a diagnosis of autism.

A recent debate among mental health professionals, families and disability advocates is flaming passions about what it means to be an individual with autism.  The American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (D.S.M.), the standard reference for mental health professionals, is in the process of being updated.  The APA, which defines autism, is proposing a new and more restrictive criterion for the disorder.   That process, and the potential for a narrowed definition, is pitting families and advocates against the experts who traditionally work with them.

During the period of public comment, experts and parents revealed high levels of concern about the new definition, including that some children may not exhibit all of the behavioral and social interaction deficits necessary to meet the new standards. The intensity of the debate is indicative of the level of emotion surrounding the need to ensure that every individual has access to the supports and services he or she need to become successful. Underlying these concerns are worries by parents that their children will not be deemed autistic, and therefore will be ineligible for the specific services that can help ensure future success. What this means: Parents may be forced to emphasize the functional limitations of their child’s particular behaviors in order to access services and supports.

It takes a community to assist those with autism

Excerpt from Autism Support Network: (click for entire article)

I am 21 and I have autism. Recently, the state Senate passed a resolution making April Autism Awareness Month in California. The reason the resolution passed is because there are a lot more children diagnosed now than ever before (one in 110, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Autism is a label that is shared by people who have different abilities and challenges.

People in the autism community often say, "When you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism." To be diagnosed with autism, you need to have challenges in the areas of communication and social relationships, and intense attachments to objects or topics.

I have been very lucky, and I would like to give back to my community by telling people what having autism is like. There are many people on the autism spectrum in our community, so it is important to realize what your fellow citizens have struggles with every day.