Positively Autism

News and advice from an educator's perspective

Nicole Caldwell is a teacher, autism specialist, and editor of PositivelyAutism.com. See full bio

Positively Autism

December 22, 2009

No More Asperger’s Syndrome?

In 2012, there may be no more Asperger's Syndrome. No, I'm not talking about some sort of 2012 doomsday prophecy or suggesting that there will be some sort of cure for this particular Autism Spectrum condition. According to a proposal from the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the Asperger's diagnosis, along with another "form" of Autism, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) will be removed from the next edition of their diagnostic manual, the DSM. Read More

November 29, 2009

Do Children with Autism Lack an Ability to Imitate?

Almost every Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program for a young child with Autism that I have seen includes a program for teaching "imitation" skills. The rationale behind these programs seems to be that children with Autism lack the ability to imitate others. But is this a true assumption? Read More

November 11, 2009

Wolves vs. Foxes: Are Children with Autism Listening in Class?

One of the early indicators of an Autism Spectrum Disorder is a lack of traditional response to sounds and language, such as a child not responding to his name being called or not attending when being spoken to. However, does that mean that children with Autism are not listening and understanding what we say? Many people hold this erroneous belief, even to the point where they speak negatively about children with Autism right in front of them. Read More

August 15, 2009

Misbehavior or Misunderstanding?

Some children with Autism exhibit what many people consider to be "challenging" or "inappropriate" behaviors. I have worked with students who frequently scream, hit, bite, and kick. While it may seem that these behaviors are random or uncontrollable, I have found that in most cases, behavior is communication. Read More

May 30, 2009

Accommodations Help Us All

The things we do to help people with disabilities are often helpful for everyone. Read More

May 1, 2009

Why We Don't Need More Autism Awareness

April marked Autism Awareness Month in the United States, and as the month closes, I've been reflecting on the topic. Autism is a hot topic in the news in recent months. I think that the media is often doing a great job in providing us with stories and information about Autism. However, many of these headlines focus on the gloom and doom of this "devastating" disorder. These stories play an important role in raising awareness, but there is another side to Autism. Read More

April 20, 2009

Should Students with Autism Be Held Accountable for Their Behavior?

According to media reports, police recently shot (with a taser), a 12-year-old boy with Autism when he assaulted school personnel. I recently read a letter to the editor in response to this story. The author of this letter, while not condoning the incident, seemed to think that students with autism should be held accountable for their behavior in the same manner as other students and that treating them differently was enabling their challenging behavior. He's exactly right. And wrong. Read More

December 12, 2008

The Language of "You and I"

The title of this post is based on an important piece of writing by Mayer Shevin, "The Language of Us and Them." This piece brought to light the power of words to either empower or demean individuals with disabilities. Read More

September 16, 2008

The Power of Positive News

An average online news search for "Autism" turns up about 6,000 results. I complete this search on a regular basis as I search for positive news stories to feature in my newsletter. Read More

July 4, 2008

College for the Student with Autism

I recently corresponded with James Williams, a college student and Elementary/Special Education major. James is the president of the Council for Exceptional Children at his university, a member of the Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society, and a member of his university’s Dean’s List. He also has Asperger’s Syndrome. James shared with me some strategies, resources, and tips to help students with Autism prepare for college and independent living. Read More

Autism Basics

Autism is a complex syndrome that resulting from abnormalities in the brain's development. Common features include impaired social interactions, impaired verbal and nonverbal communication, problems processing sensory information, and restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior. A recent study of a U.S.

Go to the Autism Spectrum Basics page for more on Autism Spectrum including:

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