Autism Article Round-Up: April 2020

Autism Canada is introducing a new bi-weekly Newsletter titled Sharing the Spectrum! Launch date is Tuesday, April 21st 2020 and you can subscribe here.

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For Years, Experts Assumed This Autistic Boy Couldn’t Understand Them. Now He’s Written A Novel That Proves Everyone Wrong.
by J. Swanson

[...] our understanding of autism hasn’t kept pace with its skyrocketing growth, at least not according to Ido Kedar, a non-verbal autistic young man who spent the first 7 seven years of his life unable to speak, sign, emote, or communicate with the outside world in any way.

Kedar’s second book, In Two Worlds: A Novel, also challenges the many misconceptions surrounding non-speaking autism through the eyes of a fictional boy named Anthony. (His memoir, Ido in Autismland, was written as a teen after learning to type on an iPad, despite the many “experts” who said it couldn’t be done.)

For Kedar, who also blogs about autism on his website, Ido In Austismland, writing a novel was a way to portray autism from different angles while exploring a new creative outlet.

In Two Worlds introduces readers to the lonely, isolating reality of non-speaking autistics, who are unable to communicate, constantly misunderstood, bombarded by sensory output, and frustrated by years of baby talk, misdiagnosis, and remedial education.

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Dad Offers Resources To Parents Who Suddenly Have To Teach Their Autistic Children At Home

by C. Dixon

The coronavirus has caused many schools to switch to online learning or shutter altogether for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. This has shifted parents into a teacher role at home — and it’s not easy for anyone.

While every parent has to deal with the sudden change (some while also juggling full-time jobs), parents of children with autism or special needs are taking on even more. Not only are they their child’s teacher now, but they may have to also act the part of speech therapist, occupational therapist, and more.

David Warner is the father of a nine-year-old boy with autism. [...] 

Wanting to help other families in a similar situation, Warner partnered with Dr. Amanda Kelly, a behavior analyst, to help get the word out to families about useful resources.

Dr. Kelly has included a lengthy list of resources on her website, such as links offering virtual field trips and tours, google docs full of different activities and experiments, Facebook pages to follow, and even a daily schedule chart that you can fill out to add more structure to the day for your child.