Some people with autism are called savants (or ‘knowing person’ from french). These people are blessed with an extraordinary, outstanding, sharp talent in a certain area. It could be math, art, language, memory, …among other subjects. 1- The calender calculator, for example, is a person who can tell the day of the week of any

NAO is the name of the humanoid robot, an elaborate and very sophisticated system, created to help children with ASD. The main function of NAO is to improve the social skills and communication abilities of children with ASD. Kids with ASD usually have poor joint attention. Joint attention, is the ability to synchronize the attention

Researchers believe that the increase of awareness might be behind the climb of this number. The ratio of boys to girls affected with autism is still the 4:1. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services believe  that the increase might be due to the diagnosis

Speech and language Pathologists (SLP) found that half of the children have echolalia as part of their language development progress. The difference between NT (Neuro Typical) kids with and without echolalia (NOT including ASD kids) is that their self-generated language develops later, but eventually they still can catch up. Spectrum kids, on the other hand,

Laughter is one of the most common and pleasant opportunities to socialize and connect with people. Laughing is interactive; it takes two or more people to share such a great social moment. Relationships can develop easily and naturally in such a relaxed context. We have agreed before that individuals with autism are just like anybody

“If individuals with ASD find communicating with others a challenge, it makes sense that they may also find it more difficult to communiate with themselves.” Durham University, Bristol University, and City University in the U.K. A research was done to solve a puzzle. When neurotypical individuals were interrupted by repeating a word, 90% worked much

A very insightful article in the the British “Guardian” newspaper, what parents of children with autism think about a cure. Some parents are very realistic, others are in denial. How does the media participate in helping/discouraging parents. Cure? Therapy? What is the most important support, resources do parents need? Read what parents say here: www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/01/parents-children-autism-cure

New findings published in Pediatrics: “70 % of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who have a history of severe language delay, achieved phrase or fluent speech by the age of eight.” There are 2 indicators to predict the quality and age of speech. 1- Nonverbal intelligence is the strongest predictor of phrase speech 2-

For paraeducators who wish to learn more, here are the classes and workshops offered in this conference: members.csea.com/cseaMail/attmentuploads/cml_1212_1.pdf The 16th Annual Paraeducator Conference is coming up April 10-12, 2013 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, California. Attached is a registration brochure offering a tentative list of classes available to attendees. While this cutting-edge conference has always

Watch some short interview videos with Temple Grandin here: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzpc1lUvttW_tBQV3u_wthGs6MCNgFvov&feature=view_all nadia shanab