Sister on the Edge of Autism

A sibling's-eye view of autism in life, family, and culture.

by Eileen Garvin

Book Review: The Way Things Look to Me

Roopa Farooki's The Way Things Look to Me is a wonderful novel about three British Asian siblings - Asif, Yasmin and Lila - and the effect that Yasmin's Asperger's syndrome has on all of their lives/ Read More

Movie Review: Loving Lampposts: Living Autistic

I'd like to recommend this documentary by Todd Drezner called "Loving Lampposts: Living Autistic." Read More

National autism project hosts second sibling event

The Autism NOW Center on August 9 will hold its second in a series of webinars for siblings of people with disabilities.

Recognizing that brothers and sisters of children and adults with disabilities face unique lifelong challenges, Autism NOW planned two sibling-focused events this summer as part its weekly webinar intended to support families. Read More

Book Review: The Story of a Beautiful Girl

The Story of a Beautiful Girl is a love story unlike any before.

Written by best-selling author Rachel Simon, this novel delves into unexplored territory - the bond between Lynnie and Homan, two residents locked away at the School for the Incurable and Feebleminded in the 1960s. Read More

Chicago Hosts Sibs in the City July 22-23

Siblings of adults with disabilities will gather in Chicago this month for a workshop and celebration called "Sibs in the City."The two-day event, held July 22-23, offers siblings the opportunity to network, learn and socialize with other brothers and sisters of adults with disabilities. Read More

How does a sister recognize Autism Awareness month?

It is April — National Autism Awareness month in the United States.

For weeks now, I have watched my inbox for a daily influx of emails about events around the country working to increase public knowledge about people living with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Read More

Shows worth watching in April

As the sister of a woman with autism I can't help but notice that the mainstream tends to focus on children with this disorder: their diagnoses, schooling and therapy.

But we who've watched these kids become adults know that therein lies the next challenge: supporting adults with autism. Read More

March 2 kicks off national campaign against the “R-Word”

Family members of people with disabilities wince at the casual, slang use of the term "retard" by friends and coworkers. We often talk amongst ourselves about how to address the frequent, thoughtless use by people in daily life.

Wednesday, March 2 saw the launch of a nation-wide effort to eliminate the use of the R-word called "Spread the Word to End the Word." Read More

Tennessee to host third annual sibling conference

Tennessee Adult Brothers and Sisters (TABS) has opened registration for its third annual conference.

The conference, to be held April 8 and 9 in Nashville, aims to provide information and support to adult brothers and sisters of people with disabilities. Read More

A boy and his dog: "Cowboy and Wills"

Here's a funny, wonderful book from Monica Holloway, author of "Driving with Dead People."

When her three-year-old son Wills is diagnosed with high-functioning autism, Holloway struggles to help him adjust. Read More

Easter Seals reports on quality of life issues

In December, Easter Seals released the results of its "Living with Disabilities Study," an online survey that assessed the lives of adults with disabilities.

The survey included 1,714 people over the age of 18 - 390 adults living with a developmental disability, 318 parents of adult children who have developmental disabilities, and 1,006 parents of adult children without disabilities. Read More

Holiday tips for children with autism, siblings

Recently I've read some wonderfully instructive tips about how to help children with autism better handle the holidays. Read More

Read "Not Even Wrong" by Paul Collins

While not a new book, Paul Collin's Not Even Wrong: A Father's Journey into the Lost History of Autism was new to me when I first heard of it this summer when the author was interviewed by Krista Tippet for "Being" (formerly "Speaking of Faith"). Read More

Dog vs. school district lawsuit remains unresolved

A recent story in The Oregonian newspaper reports that a battle continues to allow a local boy with autism to attend school with his trained service dog.

The boy, Scooter Givens, who attends Patterson Elementary, is prone to violent outbursts, and his family maintains that the dog helps calm him.

Scooter is 10 years old, five feet tall and weighs 150 pounds. Read More

Chicago group to host adult sibling conference Nov. 15

Nora Fox Handler, co-founder of Supporting Illinois Brothers and Sisters, will speak at the Nov. 15 conference. Read More

Study shows siblings may have autism traits

The Los Angeles Times reported yesterday that a new study has shown that siblings of children with autism sometimes have mild traits of autism themselves.

The study, completed by Washington University School of Medicine, surveyed 3,000 children in more than 1,000 families. Read More

Oregon hosts conference for adults with ASD

Lee Grossman, president and CEO of national Autism Society, gave the keynote address at the Oct. 1 conference. Read More

Administration on Developmental Disabilities to host regional "listening sessions"

The Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) in October kicks off a series of public forums around the country to assess the needs of Americans with disabilities.

The events are intended to help form a five-year strategic plan to be announced in the spring of 2011. Read More

Jobless rate for adults with disabilities stagnant for 20 years

The United State Department of Labor reported earlier this month that the national unemployment rate for July 2010 was 9.5 percent, about the same rate as June.

When you look at the finer details, though, things are better for some people, worse for others. Read More

Sibling conference draws brothers and sisters together in "a very fine boat"

The first international conference for siblings of people with disabilities was held Aug. 6-9 in Stamford, Conn., and brought together brothers and sisters of people with various disabilities to discuss our own needs, concerns and resources for the unique position we find ourselves in as lifelong advocates for our siblings with disabilities. Read More

Autism Speaks awards $450,000 for study focused on adults with autism

Autism Speaks has awarded at three-year, $450,000 grant to a coalition of researchers studying the quality of life of adults with autism.

The nonprofit advocacy group awarded the money to researchers who last year demonstrated that many adults with autism have fulfilling lives, including jobs and long-term relationships. Read More

Park, autism author and parent, dies

The New York Times reported yesterday that author Clara Claiborne Park died on July 3. Her death reportedly resulted from complications from a fall. She was 86 years old. Read More

Study finds new genetic mutations for autism

A global consortium of scientists this month released a study showing previously unknown genetic mutations contributing to autism in children.

The study, which was published in the online version of Nature, compared approximately 1,000 children with autism to 1,300 neuro-typical kids. Read More

International sibling conference Aug. 7-8

In a gathering that is the first of its kind, the International Sibling Conference will take place Aug. 7-8 in Stamford, CT. Read More

Divorce rates debunked in families with autism

Earlier this month, an autism researcher announced good news for parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The study, led by Brian Freedman, clinical director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Kennedy Krieger Institute, reported that divorce is not more common among couples that have children with autism than couples who don't. Read More

On the road with autism awareness

I've been neglecting my Sister on the Edge of Autism blog this month, and that's because I've been a sister on the road. Read More

WUML radio talks about autism, siblings in April

On Thursday, April 1, Boston's WUML (91.5 FM) kicks off National Autism Awareness month with a focus on siblings and families. Read More

Sibling blogger gets backlash, support

Autism is now a daily news topic, but siblings of people with autism are still rarely mentioned. Since I wrote my own story on this topic - How to be a Sister: A Love Story with a Twist of Autism - I read whatever I can on the subject. Read More

Meet the Bravermans

NBC's new show called "Parenthood" brings Asperger's to prime time.

The drama, set in Berkeley, revolves around the four grown Braverman siblings, their own children and their parents.

Max (Max Burkholder), the young son of Adam (Peter Krause) and Kristina (Monica Potter), struggles with his classmates in the pilot and is diagnosed with Asperger's in the second episode. Read More

Grandin calls for mentorship at TED Talks

Temple Grandin's got a cure for America's energy problems: mentorship of the next generation of kids with autism and Asperger's.

Grandin - author, speaker, professor of animal science and indisputably the most famous person with autism alive - credits her personal and professional success in part to the mentorship of an interested science teacher. Read More