autism a to z

Autism acceptance begins with autism awareness, right? One thing that I know I can do as a parent of an autistic child, is to address this. So, let’s get started with 10 common myths about Autism Spectrum Disorder. While it hasn’t happened in quite some time, there were definitely days where we would get a barrage of stares and dirty looks when we would go anywhere with Sweet B. There were times that I didn’t want to go out in public because of this but then I realized- this was my chance and my opportunity to educate and hopefully bring awareness and acceptance for my daughter. 10 Common Myths About Autism Spectrum Disorder Myth #1: All individuals with autism are the same False. Autism is…

When most parents are starting on the autism diagnosis process, one of the first things they ask: Did vaccines cause autism? Maybe they’ve read an article or it was word of mouth.  But why the doubts? Why are parents concerned about this? Well, for starters, the rate of autism diagnosis has increased year-after-year.  This tends to cause a bit of worry and concern. And rightfully so. Parents start looking for a cause. Do vaccines really cause autism? When I first started blogging about autism, I told myself that I would never touch the vaccine topic. Why? I always felt that it was more trouble than it was worth. However, with Autism A to Z, I felt that I would have a great opportunity to cover the topic…

If you’re raising an autistic child, you know that specialized therapies, adaptive equipment, and other necessary supports can be expensive. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) can provide financial assistance to help cover these essential costs, but the application process can feel overwhelming. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about SSI eligibility, the application process, and what to do if your claim is denied. 1. What Is SSI and How Can It Help? SSI (Supplemental Security Income) is a federal program administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) that provides monthly payments to children and adults with disabilities who meet income and resource limits. For autistic children, SSI benefits can help cover: ✔ Specialized therapies (speech, OT, ABA) ✔ Adaptive equipment ✔ Special diets…

Parental stress is a very real thing. To help against it, we need to develop coping skills like the ones suggested in this post. From one parent to another, here are essential coping skills for parents of special needs kids. I’ve been on the journey of special needs parenting since my son was an infant. He was born three months premature and with that early birth came a few health complications. A few years later, my daughter would be diagnosed with autism as a toddler. I won’t lie and say that this has always been easy. I’m not perfect and over time, I’ve had to develop coping skills. So today I’m talking about coping as a special needs parent. This is something that I’ve touched on…

As your child with autism becomes a teenager with autism, in the United States, services will begin to open up that you may not have had access to before. It’s just another confusing step on this overall autism parenting journey. These services are called habilitation services. But just what are they? And are they really beneficial? I believe that absolutely yes, habilitation services are beneficial for autism when delivered in the right context and setting. What is habilitation for autism? For the next part of Autism A to Z, I’m bringing to you something that many won’t have to deal with until their child with autism is an adult with autism. For me, personally, this is something that I am already looking into (waiting lists…