Archives for March 2018

When Ari Ne’eman looks backs on the autism diagnosis he received at age twelve, he remembers it as “negative and frightening.” Though initially he had not viewed autism that way, interactions with the neurotypical individuals around him quickly distorted the way he viewed his diagnosis. As Ne’eman grew older, however, he began connecting with other autistic […]

While some advocate by lobbying their congressmen, or asking for meetings with industry-leading executives, one neurodiversity advocate has done so by an entire different means: the power of the pen. Through numerous essays, interviews, and an adamancy that neurodiverse individuals should be embraced from unique gifts, Steve Silberman has become one of the leading authors […]

Over the course of the past few decades, the online dating world has expanded exponentially and thrived with new technology and the Internet. Some of the  recent popular sites, such as “Match.com” and “eHarmony,” have become highly successful. Specialized dating sites also emerged based on different groups with common interests, such as “Christian Mingle” for […]

As I scrolled through Instagram’s ‘explore’ feature earlier this year, I stumbled across a very special video. In it, a young child with special needs was being interviewed. The questions ranged from what he would like people to say when they meet him to what is the best part about being him. I was intrigued, […]

Contrary to the misconception that autistic individuals are not able to have successful romantic relationships, many individuals with ASD are in long-term relationships. However, there are several difficulties autistic people face when having and sustaining these relationships.  Psychologist Kirsty Kerr addresses some of these difficulties in her article “Romantic Relationships and Autism Spectrum Disorder.” These […]

More often than not, a diagnosis of autism will be followed by a second diagnosis. The incidence of comorbid conditions with autism is 70%, according to one study following autistic children ages 10 to 14 (Smirnoff et al, 2008). The study found that the most common comorbidity was anxiety, which affected thirty percent of children […]

Introduction Diagnosis and treatment of depression in individuals with autism varies from the approach to find and help neurotypicals experiencing depression.  A study done at Vanderbilt University with 1272 autistic children found that 20.2% of young adults aged 13-17 with autism also have a depression diagnosis.  That is nearly twice the percent of adolescents in […]

In addition to the psychological comorbidities associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder, studies have shown that there is also a variety of medical comorbidities associated with ASD. Immune dysregulation is perhaps the most widespread of these and has been shown to contribute to an array of immuno-inflammatory diseases, including lupus, MS, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, […]

Background In the last decade, the field of study regarding the co-occurrence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly due to the release of the DSM-V in 2013, where a dual diagnosis of these two conditions became possible. Prior to 2013, the DSM-IV said an ASD diagnosis restricted […]