Stay Informed

Pavel “Pasha” Demidov, MS, BCBA

There’s a lot of mythology around autism, including misinformation about autism on the internet. There is no reliable evidence linking autism to bad parenting or immunizations, or that supports a cure. But we do know it’s possible to treat autism by teaching skills that enable those who are affected to navigate life more successfully.

Vincent van Antwerp, MA, BCBA

Managing severe problem behavior of individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities becomes more difficult with age. Working with professionals to complete an assessment, focus on long-term goals, coordinate care, and use data as a guidepost are strategies that can help better manage severe behaviors in adults.

Stephanie London, MA, BCBA, and Niki Mostadim, PsyD

Treating a child with autism is likely to include behavioral therapy based on principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA). Parents or other caregivers are the pillar of the program. Being committed and collaborative, making the home environment conducive to treatment, and investing in your own self-care are some of the things parents can do to help ensure treatment is as effective as possible.

Iris Chiang, M.Ed., BCBA

Social skills are important to everyone to get along and be happy. But socializing can be particularly challenging for kids with autism and other developmental disabilities. Fortunately, help is available. The benefits of social skills training are immediate and long-lasting, especially when group training complements individualized behavioral therapy.

Kate Sheldon-Princi, M.Ed., BCBA

People with developmental disabilities including autism can connect face-to-face with their healthcare providers using phones, tablets and computers. This approach is called “telehealth” and it offers benefits including increased supervision and communication between healthcare providers and clients, expanded access to care, and better outcomes.

Jessica Robles, M.A., BCBA

Everyone engages in some form of repetitive behavior, such as shaking your leg when sitting or twirling your hair on your finger. Kids with autism are more likely to demonstrate repetitive behaviors that are problematic. There are a number of signs to know when the behavior requires attention. There also is treatment available to help.

Blanca Garcia, M.A.

Help is available for parents who take care of kids with autism. The service is called “respite care” and it provides caregivers with time to deal with personal or family needs, study or work. In some cases, respite care providers can help teach skills to kids. Getting respite services is easy.

April MacPherson, MA, BCBA

It’s hard to know how a child with autism will react to a new sister or brother. There could be immense joy or serious stress, or a reaction somewhere in between. Preparing the child for a new sibling starts with recognizing what his or her challenges are, so you can plan to address them head on.

Maria Sanchez, MA, BCBA and Crystal Herrera, MA

A child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) growing up in a bilingual home faces challenges. There are opportunities, too, but culture, care coordination and access to resources can be difficult, especially if the primary caregiver doesn’t speak English well.

Alfredo Arciniega, M.A., M.S., LMFT, BCBA

There can be challenges when one child in a family has autism and the other kid or kids do not. Parents struggle with how to support all their children, and children struggle with how to relate to their siblings. There are several ways to help the kids “bond” with each other despite their differences.