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

What's the connection between autism and depression?

Excerpt from: Autism Speaks (click for full article)

 

This is an important question. Mood disorders – including depression – do appear to be more common in those with developmental disabilities than in the general population.

However, diagnosing depression in those with autism represents a challenge that dates back to Leo Kanner’s original description of “infantile autism,” in 1943.

Kanner described a disturbance of “affective contact” in those with autism. Clinicians use the term “affect” to describe how someone’s emotional state appears to others. In other words, does the person look depressed or anxious? This can be different from “mood.” Mood refers to how someone actually feels inside.

Affect and mood are not always aligned. For example, someone’s expression may appear flat and register little reaction. However, that person may say that he or she feels fine. Clinicians refer to this as an “incongruence of affect and mood.”

New Autism Brain Bank In Works

Excerpt from: Disability Scoop (click for full article)

 

A new multi-site network will launch this fall to collect brain samples for autism research in an effort to accelerate understanding of the developmental disorder.

The network known as Autism BrainNet will be an expansion of Autism Speaks’ Autism Tissue Program and will be the first such initiative to have sites across the country dedicated to acquiring, processing, storing and distributing brain tissue, organizers said.

Scientists say studying brain samples is the best way to understand autism, but such specimens are in short supply. The need for donations became even more urgent last year when a freezer malfunction at a Massachusetts brain bank left one-third of the world’s largest collection of autism brain samples unusable, though backers say the network set to launch later this year was already in the works when the failure occurred.

Understanding Autism: Toward a More Inclusive World

Excerpt from: Autism Speaks (click for full article)

 

On the third and final day of the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR), we had a special opportunity to reflect on the importance of holding this annual meeting outside North America for the first time in five years.

Our keynote speaker was Maureen Durkin, PhD, MPH, professor of population health and pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Durkin challenged us to move “toward a more inclusive world” by building on what we know about the epidemiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The goal of autism epidemiology is to discover what causes autism and why it’s more common today than ever before. This is crucial for guiding public health decisions and healthcare strategies.

Dr. Durkin’s message wasn’t your traditional IMFAR keynote speech. It wasn’t about how the latest findings pave a clear road for future research. It was about the challenges to autism epidemiology research and how the road ahead may not be “paved” at all. It may be full of wrong turns and stumbling blocks. That is, unless we take steps toward being more “inclusive.”

Parents leave severely autistic son at Ottawa social services agency in ‘desperate act’

Excerpt from: Canada (click for full article)

 

An Ottawa couple’s painful decision to leave their severely autistic son at a social services agency this week was an act of desperation fuelled by 10 years of frustration.

Amanda Telford took her 19-year-old son Philippe to the Ottawa office of Developmental Services Ontario on Tuesday after she and her husband Alex decided they could no longer handle him.

“I really love Philippe and I am so sure about what we’re doing,” Alex told the Toronto Star.

“We feel very strongly that we did what we were being led to by the system. This was a very desperate act.”

Philippe on Wednesday went to his “regular school,” a program for autistic people at Ottawa Tech High School, Alex said, and was staying temporarily at a hospice.

23 Ways To Communicate With A Non-Verbal Child

Excerpt from: Friendship Circle Blog (click for full article)

 

“Just because a person can’t speak doesn’t mean they have nothing to say.” A very important reminder from a parent of a non-verbal child.

Communication is a basic human need, allowing people to connect with others, make decisions that affect their lives, express feelings and feel part of the community they live in.

People with little or no speech still have the same communication needs as the rest of us.  We may just have to work a bit harder to find a communication strategy that works.

Parents of autistic adult son not alone in their desperation, say advocates

Excerpt from: CTV News (click for full article)

 

The troubling story of an Ottawa couple who felt so overwhelmed caring for their adult autistic son that they decided to drop him off at a government office is not unique, say many who work with adults with developmental disabilities.

On Tuesday, Amanda Telford and her husband left their son, Philippe, at a government agency office, saying they could no longer care for him. The Telfords say their son requires 24-hour supervision and there are simply not enough services to help them.

Anne Borbey-Schwartz, a family support coordinator with Autism Ontario, says the Telfords’ situation is all too common. She says there are now many developmentally disabled adults diagnosed with autism but the system is too overwhelmed to help them all.

Neighbors Clash Over Blue Light Supporting Autism

Excerpt from: Disability Scoop (click for full article)

 

When a family installed a blue light outside their home to mark Autism Awareness Month, they never expected it to bring a backlash from one of their neighbors.

Julie and Matthew Riccardi say that an anonymous note was left in the mailbox of their Charlotte, N.C. home criticizing the blue-colored light bulb they put outside their garage to promote autism awareness.

“Seriously? Purple, blue lights on the garage? Mom always said there is one bad apple in the bunch,” read the note, which also indicated that the area homeowners’ association would likely have a problem with the lighting color.

Contrary to the mystery critic’s prediction, however, the HOA was nothing but supportive of the Riccardis and their 10-year-old son, Deacon, who has autism. In fact, almost a dozen of the family’s neighbors opted to swap out their light bulbs for blue ones as well, reports WCNC, the Charlotte NBC affiliate.

It takes a community to assist those with autism

Excerpt from: Autism Support Network (click for full 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.

My greatest challenge is communication. I cannot talk very much. I have found a way to communicate, and this has changed my life. In high school, I learned to point with one finger to a letterboard or keyboard to do my homework and to communicate.

Video: Autism has made me a better parent

Excerpt from: Autism Speak Network (click for full article)

 

 

Video: Carly Fleischmann, non-verbal but communicating via computer

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