Refrigerator Mothers

Refrigerator Mothers tells the story how many mother in the 1950's and 60's struggled daily, believing that they were the reason for their child's autism. During this time period, many believed that uncaring and emotionally distant mothers caused children to become autistic. The movie covers the ideas of Bruno Bettleheim, who came up wit this frigid mothers theory. Refrigerator mothers tries to give the viewer a better understanding of how the medical profession plays a role in people's lives and how one misdiagnosis can change everything.

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Email us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

Multicolored Mayhem

Multicolored Mayhem: Parenting the Many Shades of Adolescents and Children with Autism, Asperger Syndrome and AD/HD by Jacqui Jackson talks about her life with seven children, four of which have either autism, aspergers, dyslexia and adhd. In Multicolored Mayhem, the reader can learn about these conditions, changes in their lives because of it, therapies, interventions, school, parenting, dealing with sibling rivalry, travel and safety tips, and much more. Jacqui Jackson's book is an excellent resource for a multitude of conditions, giving not only personal experiences, but also information about medical care.

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Email us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

Learn to Move, Moving Up!

Learn to move, moving up! sensorimotor elementary-school activity themes is Jenny Clark Brack's sequel to the popular Learn to move, move to learn. The book is full of practical activities and no-fuss lesson plans ideal for educators and occupational therapists. The author centers her plans around seven elements: Warm-Up, Vestibular, Proprioception, Balance, Eye-Hand Coordination, Cool-Down and Fine Motor. She also reviews recent literature in sensory intervention for elementary-aged children with autism disorders

Interested in this resource? Indiana resident? Email us!

No an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

Social Skills Picture Book

The social skills picture book: for high school and beyond is a valuable resource for young adults with autism spectrum disorders by Dr. Jed Baker. The book contains 150+ of examples of social situations illustrated through photographs, and humorously describes both the "right way" and "wrong way" of interacting with others. The author covers situations from school settings through to home life and job interviews.

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Email us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

"Dr. Leon Eisenberg, Pioneer in Autism Studies, Dies at 87"

Dr. Leon Eisenberg, advocate and researcher, died of prostate cancer at his home last week.

Eisenberg was one of the first to connect language problems to the diagnosis of ASDs. He also participated in early research on behavioral drugs like Ritalin for the treatment of ADHD. At the time, his work was controversial because it contradicted the popular Freudian psychoanalytic approach to these conditions. A professor at Johns Hopkins University described Eisenberg as "the pivotal person in 20th-century child psychiatry who moved the field from simple descriptions of childhood disorders to actually looking at the science behind both the diagnosis and treatment."

Harvard Medical School, for which Eisenberg designed the Social Medicine program, lowered its flags to half-staff last week to honor this extraordinary man. He is survived by his wife, four children, and six grandchildren.

New Study: Autism Rates Not Increasing

It seems "common knowledge" that rates of autism spectrum disorders have increased dramatically in recent years. Some attribute the increase to MMR vaccines, which became available in the late 20th century. However, recent research suggests the apparent "increase" at the base of the anti-vaccine movement is an illusion: the prevalence of autism in adults is the same as the prevalence in children born after 1990.

These findings come from the first major study to address the prevalence of ASDs in adults. The study also found that even among adults, autism rates are steady across all age groups. This discredits the wave of concern over vaccines administered to children, first sparked by Dr. Andrew Wakefield in 1998. The British General Medical Council is currently investigating Dr. Wakefield for professional misconduct, as allegations have been made that his studies were assisted by a lawyer preparing suits against MMR manufacturers, involved unnecessary and dangerous operations on participating children, and reported autism onset dates inconsistent with the children's medical records.

You can read a press release about the study here.

Autism Frontiers

Autism frontiers: clinical issues and innovations is a compilation of expert articles edited by Bruce K Shapiro, Director of the Kennedy Krieger Institute at Johns Hopkins University and Pasquale J Accardo, a professor of Pediatrics at Virginia Commonwealth University. The book provides an overview of autism spectrum disorders from a clinical perspective, containing articles focusing on specific disorders (epilepsy, Aspergers, language disorders) as well as the broader aspects of ASDs (parent/teacher attitudes, pharmacology, alternative medicine etc.).

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Email us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

Students with Asperger Syndrome

Three authors with extensive experience in higher education teamed up to write Students with Asperger syndrome: a guide for college personnel, which is aimed at administrators but serves as a great resource for young adults and family members as well. The book covers everything from residential housing, extra-curricular accommodations, and shaping degrees to prepare students for the work force.

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Email us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

Group interventions for children with ASDs

Group interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders: a focus on social competency and social skills is an all-purpose guide for parents and professionals. The first half of the book covers the basics, including definitions and the recent history of the spectrum disorders. The second half delves into social skill building and model interventions, with such chapters as "Introduction to a stage model of group development" and "Roles that individual children may take within the group."

If you're interested in this book and an Indiana resident, email us for details on how to check it out.

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

Adults with Autism

Adults with Autism: A guide to theory and practice by Hugh Morgan seeks to provide information for families and professional in adult autism. In this book, the reader can find information on employment, dealing with transitions in the person's life, "pharmacological and educational approaches" for dealing with mental health issues, epilepsy and behavioral problems. In addition to this, the book offers thoughts on rigid thinking and behavior on the subject.

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Email us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

New Software for In-Home Diagnosis

The yesterday's Technology Review addressed a bold new software designed to "spot autism early." The device, called the LENABaby, straps on to a child's front and records 12 to 16 hours worth of speech. Parents send the finished tapes and a supplemental questionnaire to LENA headquarters, where staticians painstakingly analyze the sound bites to detect language delays and/or signs of autism.

The device is not meant to replace traditional consultations, a LENA representative assured the Review. However, it can "help clinicians guide parents toward better learning strategies" because it provides insight into daily life that professionals do not have the opportunity to observe.

The LENAbaby is advertised at $200 and has been shown to be 91% accurate in detecting developmental delays. You can read the original overview here, and see more about the company who manufactures this device at http://www.lenafoundation.org/.

Abercrombie and Fitch to pay $115k for discrimination

Abercrombie and Fitch, a popular clothing store found in shopping malls across the country, has been ordered by an administrative law judge to pay $115,264.42 in civil penalties, legal fees, and personal damages in a discrimination case involving a 14-year-old girl with autism.

In 2005, the daughters of Elizabeth Maxson went back-to-school shopping at a local Mall of America. The younger daughter, who was diagnosed with autism at age 2, required assistance from her older sister in the fitting room of Abercrombie and Fitch. Employees at the store cited a one-person-per-fitting-room company policy and refused to accommodate her needs. Even after her mother's intervention, a call to customer service representatives (who responded "flippantly and rudely"), and an interview with the store's manager, the girls were denied access to the rooms.

Mrs. Maxson filed a suit with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, who ruled that the company "committed an unfair discriminatory practice...when it failed to make a reasonable accommodation to the known disability of [Elizabeth Maxson's daughter]." The judge also commented that Abercrombie and Fitch denied the girl had a disability "until the first day of the hearing" and "[failed] to follow its own written policies on the accommodation of disability."

To read the official summary of the case, visit the Minnesota Department of Human Rights page.

How to set up a work area at home

How to set up a work area at home for a child with autism is a straight-forward guide for parents and caregivers. The book describes how to encourage independent skills through home instruction, and includes advice for charting progress, basic study skills, and other practical tips.

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Email us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

Look me in the eye

Look me in the eye: my life with Asperger's is an autobiographical work by John Elder Robison, brother to Augusten Burroughs of Running with Scissors fame. As a child Robison was bullied, ignored, and labeled a "deviant". He became fascinated with electrical circuits and grew into a successful engineer. But the higher he climbed on the corporate ladder, the more difficult it became to feign "normalcy," until he was finally diagnosed with Aspergers at the age of 40.

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Email us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

The Real Rain Man

Kim Peeks, who was considered for many years to be "retarded" is actually what people call a "mega savant." In the book The Real Rain Man: A father's inspiring account of Kim peek, made famous by Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman tells the story of Kim Peek. In The Real Rain Man, the reader can see Kim's journey from being isolated from the rest of the world to becoming a role model and spokesperson for people with disabilities.

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Email us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

Evidence of Harm

Evidence of Harm Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy by David Kirby follows the struggle of several families as they try to find out how "their once healthy kids rapidly descended into silence or disturbed behavior, often accompanied by severe physical illness." These families discovered that since the 1980s, the number of children with autism has jumped dramatically, coinciding with a bundle of new shots given to child in infancy. Evidence of Harm documents the families fights with the CDC and the FDA, who allowed children to be exposed to mercury through the shots that were meant to protect them.

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Email us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

Autism's False Prophets

Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure by Paul A. Offit speaks about the history autism research and how it is exploited by people. offit talks about the supposed causes and treatments for autism and how they might actually be harming your child instead of helping them. Autism's False Prophets is a great book for those searching for answers or any information on autism.

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Email us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

Songs of the Gorilla Nation

Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism is by Dawn Prince-Hughes, Ph.D, an inspiring woman who overcome the solitude of undiagnosed Asperger's by studying and connecting with gorillas. Her memoir recalls childhood years of pervasive fear and chaos, and a confusing youth clouded by drugs and exotic dancing. Dawn finally finds her identity as a successful anthropologist, working with primates who, like her, are "captive animals who don't speak the language, look the looks, move in the right ways."

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Email us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

New Club at Indiana University - Students on the Spectrum

The Indiana Resource Center for Autism at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community at Indiana University in Bloomington is excited to announce its support of a new student group on the Bloomington campus: Students on the Spectrum. S.O.S. is starting to meet this Fall 2009 with the initial, Call Out meeting on Sunday September 20th from 7-9pm in the Redbud Room at the Indiana Memorial Union.

All Indiana University Students who live with an autism spectrum disorder are welcome. This group will provide students the opportunity to engage with each other and others in the University community around topics of interest such as becoming an effective self-advocate, dealing with anxiety, communication and social skills and finding supports and activities on campus and in the community. For further information please contact the S.O.S. Club advisor at the Indiana Resource Center for Autism: Marci Wheeler; mwheeler@indiana.edu
or 812-855-6508.

Aquamarine Blue 5

Aquamarine Blue 5: Personal Stories of College Students with Autism by Dawn Prince-Hughes gives the stories of five college students that have either high-functioning autism or asperger's syndrome. Each individual gives their experiences about interacting with other in college life and how they believe that their unique way of thinking could be put to good use if they were given the right opportunity. Aquamarine Blue 5 allows others in the same situations to know they are not alone and to gather strength from other peoples' experiences.

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Email us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

Dr. Temple Grandin Speaks On

Dr. Temple Grandin Speaks On is a four VHS series is set on helping families and professionals better understand how to help people with autism in certain situations. Each video is dedicated to a different subject: developing careers, diagnosis and evaluation, visual thinking and emotions, and sensory problems and learning language. Dr. Grandin gives helpful advice on each subject while including her own experiences into the videos.

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Email us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

From YouTube: Understanding Asperger Syndrome: A Professor's Guide

Understanding Asperger Syndrome: A Professor's Guide

Part 1 of the first DVD in the series "Asperger Syndrome and Adulthood," this video is intended for use by college students with Asperger Syndrome to educate their professors, teaching assistants, etc. on what it means to be a college student on the spectrum and how they might best be able to help them succeed. OAR produced the DVD in cooperation with the Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Project (GRASP) and Pace University in New York City thanks to a generous grant from the Schwallie Family Foundation.
Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=233-3jtEZck&feature=channel_page

Part 2 of Understanding Asperger Syndrome: A College Professor's Guide. This is the first DVD of the series "Asperger Syndrome and Adulthood." Find more about this video series at www.researchautism.org.
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imv-KA5VQBE&feature=channel_page

Siblings of Children with Autism

Topics in Autism Siblings of Children with Autism: A Guide for Families charts a course for families who have children with and without autism to meet the needs of both. With the book, the reader will learn how to explain what autism is to their other child, and how to help the siblings without autism share their feelings. In addition, siblings of Children with Autism explains how to meet not only the needs of the sibling with autism but making sure the other sibling isn't left behind. It is an excellent way to learn how to care not only for a child with autism but also one without.

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Email us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.