This is an article about a Latina woman living in Maryland with her autistic son. When her son was first diagnosed, she had a very difficult time understanding the disorder as well as accessing services. She is bilingual but is able to imagine how difficult it would have been if she had not spoken English. Her goal is to open the first bilingual Autism center in New England.
She points out that it would be extremely difficult to come forward and ask for help if you don’t speak English or are undocumented. I am excited about her passion and dedication to helping families with Autistic children that don’t speak English. However, it is slightly discouraging to realize that her work is ground breaking. I thought that bilingual services were already available for families, and while it is exciting that she will work to make those services available, it is disheartening that these services don’t already exist.
I’ve researched online and can’t find the existence of a bilingual Autism center in proximity to Kentucky. I am interested in finding out more about what services are available in Kentucky for parents of Autistic children who don’t speak English.
Jamie, I really appreciated this article, but you are correct. The fact that these services haven’t already existed is disheartening. My elementary aged cousin has been diagnosed with Autism, and she is half-Mexican. Her mother speaks little English, and my cousin is very young. Although she speaks English, the language barrier would be a problem for her mother because my cousin has tough times with large English words. Imagine having to translate everything, at that age, into Spanish. Which is why at her appointments, my uncle is the main correspondent, but this poses many questions. How would strictly Spanish speaking or French speaking or other families receive the help that they need to begin the journey or diagnosing. I’m personally grateful for this woman’s passion and drive to create this bilingual center. I believe this center can help diagnose children sooner and begin to show them resources quicker.
A new character with autism, named Julia, has now joined the Sesame Street show. This initiative aims to teach other children how individuals with ASD may interact and communicate differently. Hopefully, it will allow information about ASD to spread to a wider audience!
Thanks Kristen for this article. It was very interesting and I actually sent it to my cousin who has a daughter with autism. I like the fact that a popular television show like Sesame Street would have diverse characters. It makes people more aware of autism and shows them the differences among others. I feel this is beneficial because it shows people to accept others regardless of differences. Growing up ASD wasn’t discussed so I think it is beneficial to expose children to people with autism so they will realize that their disorder doesn’t define who they truly are.
Here is a link to an inclusive education program for students with autism who are educated in general education classroom settings. The Kit for Kids materials were developed by the Organization for Autism Research for teachers and clinicians to use in schools. The materials provide evidence-based educational messages to peers to improve peers’ knowledge, initial attitudes, and behavior towards students with ASD. I thought it would be a good reference for any teachers (or other individuals) who serve students with ASD in their classrooms.
As a future educator this article was a good reference to help me learn about children with ASD. It also reminds me of the information that I learned in my EDS 375 class. One of the most influential factors of creating academic success in students with ASD is putting students in the LRE. The least restrictive environment is crucial in academic success because it gives students with ASD the same educational access that “normal” students receive. Also, I have learned that most students that have been diagnosed with a disorder realize that they are different, so it would enhance their learning experience if they were to be treated equally.
Kirsten, this is an awesome resource and I’m glad you shared it. I feel like this issue and conversations of inclusion should be had within various spaces in education, not just the classroom. While the teacher has the most consistent interaction with and responsibility for students, there are many other stakeholders such as administrators, healthcare personnel, staff, other parents, and more that could benefit from such an informative resource. I think at the collegiate level, it is largely assumed that students with severe ASD or other cognitive disorders or mental disabilities will not reach this level of education. When students with such disabilities come to schools such as UK, I think a majority of faculty, staff, and students are aware of the Disability Resource Center’s existence, but do not know their specific services or location. Creating a more open environment for students and staff to discuss disability and the resources present on campus may create a more positive learning environment for all students and remove existing stigmas for students living with severe disabilities.
Very interesting! However, all research indicates that there is no relationship between vaccinations and Autism. Donald Trump brought this up during the last debate and Ben Carson countered him. I guess we really don’t know. Trump, after the debate, said he meant that vaccinations should be spaced and not given so close together or in one big dose.
The New York Times published an article claiming that childhood vaccinations are not linked to autism. One of the studies they mentioned was apart of the Cochrane systematic review, which contained 15 million participants. The results supported previous studies, there was no evidence that vaccinations are linked to autism. This is a very important finding because many parents are afraid to give their children vaccinations because they worry about neurodevelopmental problems. Hopefully this article can relieve some of that suspicion.
http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/news/ci_29091967/leominster-woman-wants-autism-center-serving-bilinguals
This is an article about a Latina woman living in Maryland with her autistic son. When her son was first diagnosed, she had a very difficult time understanding the disorder as well as accessing services. She is bilingual but is able to imagine how difficult it would have been if she had not spoken English. Her goal is to open the first bilingual Autism center in New England.
She points out that it would be extremely difficult to come forward and ask for help if you don’t speak English or are undocumented. I am excited about her passion and dedication to helping families with Autistic children that don’t speak English. However, it is slightly discouraging to realize that her work is ground breaking. I thought that bilingual services were already available for families, and while it is exciting that she will work to make those services available, it is disheartening that these services don’t already exist.
I’ve researched online and can’t find the existence of a bilingual Autism center in proximity to Kentucky. I am interested in finding out more about what services are available in Kentucky for parents of Autistic children who don’t speak English.
Jamie, I really appreciated this article, but you are correct. The fact that these services haven’t already existed is disheartening. My elementary aged cousin has been diagnosed with Autism, and she is half-Mexican. Her mother speaks little English, and my cousin is very young. Although she speaks English, the language barrier would be a problem for her mother because my cousin has tough times with large English words. Imagine having to translate everything, at that age, into Spanish. Which is why at her appointments, my uncle is the main correspondent, but this poses many questions. How would strictly Spanish speaking or French speaking or other families receive the help that they need to begin the journey or diagnosing. I’m personally grateful for this woman’s passion and drive to create this bilingual center. I believe this center can help diagnose children sooner and begin to show them resources quicker.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/21/entertainment/sesame-street-julia-autism/
A new character with autism, named Julia, has now joined the Sesame Street show. This initiative aims to teach other children how individuals with ASD may interact and communicate differently. Hopefully, it will allow information about ASD to spread to a wider audience!
Thanks Kristen for this article. It was very interesting and I actually sent it to my cousin who has a daughter with autism. I like the fact that a popular television show like Sesame Street would have diverse characters. It makes people more aware of autism and shows them the differences among others. I feel this is beneficial because it shows people to accept others regardless of differences. Growing up ASD wasn’t discussed so I think it is beneficial to expose children to people with autism so they will realize that their disorder doesn’t define who they truly are.
http://www.researchautism.org/resources/KitForKids.asp
Here is a link to an inclusive education program for students with autism who are educated in general education classroom settings. The Kit for Kids materials were developed by the Organization for Autism Research for teachers and clinicians to use in schools. The materials provide evidence-based educational messages to peers to improve peers’ knowledge, initial attitudes, and behavior towards students with ASD. I thought it would be a good reference for any teachers (or other individuals) who serve students with ASD in their classrooms.
As a future educator this article was a good reference to help me learn about children with ASD. It also reminds me of the information that I learned in my EDS 375 class. One of the most influential factors of creating academic success in students with ASD is putting students in the LRE. The least restrictive environment is crucial in academic success because it gives students with ASD the same educational access that “normal” students receive. Also, I have learned that most students that have been diagnosed with a disorder realize that they are different, so it would enhance their learning experience if they were to be treated equally.
Sarah Caton - EDC 550
Kirsten, this is an awesome resource and I’m glad you shared it. I feel like this issue and conversations of inclusion should be had within various spaces in education, not just the classroom. While the teacher has the most consistent interaction with and responsibility for students, there are many other stakeholders such as administrators, healthcare personnel, staff, other parents, and more that could benefit from such an informative resource. I think at the collegiate level, it is largely assumed that students with severe ASD or other cognitive disorders or mental disabilities will not reach this level of education. When students with such disabilities come to schools such as UK, I think a majority of faculty, staff, and students are aware of the Disability Resource Center’s existence, but do not know their specific services or location. Creating a more open environment for students and staff to discuss disability and the resources present on campus may create a more positive learning environment for all students and remove existing stigmas for students living with severe disabilities.
Very interesting! However, all research indicates that there is no relationship between vaccinations and Autism. Donald Trump brought this up during the last debate and Ben Carson countered him. I guess we really don’t know. Trump, after the debate, said he meant that vaccinations should be spaced and not given so close together or in one big dose.
The New York Times published an article claiming that childhood vaccinations are not linked to autism. One of the studies they mentioned was apart of the Cochrane systematic review, which contained 15 million participants. The results supported previous studies, there was no evidence that vaccinations are linked to autism. This is a very important finding because many parents are afraid to give their children vaccinations because they worry about neurodevelopmental problems. Hopefully this article can relieve some of that suspicion.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/18/upshot/not-up-for-debate-the-science-behind-vaccination.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur