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The American Psychiatric Association (www.apa.org) is responsible for writing and publication of the DSM. At the bottom of this blog find their proposed changes to autism spectrum disorders (ASD), as copied from their website. In a nutshell, effective with the release of DSM-5 in May 2013 we will change the way we describe autism-related disabilities to the singular "Autism Spectrum Disorder." Clients will no longer be diagnosed as having "autism" versus "PDD-NOS" or "Asperger Syndrome" as all of these different classifications will officially go away. However, individuals with ASD will be referred to as having one of three severity levels (see chart at end). Read more: http://www.autismsupportnetwork.com/news/proposed-dsm-5-changes-regard-asd-3478294#ixzz1u366XxQO

"Autism can block, delay, or distort signals from any or all of the senses. It is difficult for people with autism to interact with other people through social activities and spoken communication. Pragmatic language skills, including gestures, facial expressions, body language, and other nonverbal communication, may also be impaired. Autism may also be associated with difficulties with learning, imagination, and reasoning. "

"In the UK, there are about 100,000 children with autism - about one in 100 - according to the NHS and 70% are educated in mainstream schools. Learning and socialising with neurotypical children can pose a challenge for pupils with autism who find it hard to read facial expressions and body language and have difficulties understanding the intentions of their peers. They may also prefer to play alone which sets them up as targets in the playground, with other children finding it easier to pick on them as they do not have a support structure around them."

"In a world first, breakthrough research from La Trobe University has shown that toddlers with autism are just as capable of learning important life skills through early-intervention delivered in mainstream pre-schools as in specialised settings. Over a period of three years, 44 children aged between 15 and 32 months were randomly assigned to classrooms that included only children with autism or to classrooms with typically developing peers."

Of The Most Perplexing And Obvious Signs Of Autism. Man, this kid is adorbs. He's about to define a word you may have never even heard of. He talks about it from his own perspective, but I bet lots of people can relate to what he says.

A high-school student with autism becomes an advocate for a better understanding of autism.

This website was created for iste2010 in Denver, but I'd love for those of you coming to Philadelphia to check out this site, even though my presentation is focussed primarily on apps this year. There are a lot of 'gems' in these pages that you may not have heard of and all is organized according to autism impairment, a point at which I will begin in my 'apps for autism' presentation as well.

A great book full of information for those wanting to understand Autism

"Research in the past several years has shown that children can outgrow a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), once considered a lifelong condition. In a new study, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health Systemhave found that the vast majority of such children still have difficulties that require therapeutic and educational support. The study was published online today in the Journal of Child Neurology."

Autism Resources for Educators, Parents, and Professionals

The is a summary of the 2006 Cornell University study that shows a statistically significant link between increased TV use by children under 3, and autism spectrum disorders. It gives the meat of the study and is an easier read than the complete study, though the link to the original is provided.

We need to be careful about screen time!

An invitation to combat the stigma

A brief animated movie about Autism.

A new study and some new knowledge!

Autism Spectrum Social Stories

The Social Express™ is an engaging, interactive software application designed for children with autism, Asperger's, and ADHD. Teaches children how to think about and manage social situations through video modeling, thus enabling them to build social-emotional skills and develop the meaningful relationships they need to navigate life. There is a purchase price

These pages were originally created for a talk at ISTE in Philadelphia and have been shared with many different audiences. Parents and teachers come to my talks to learn the best tools for their students. While the focus is on those apps that help students with Autism, many students with special needs can be helped by some of these listed.

New campaign to stop the exclusion of pupils with Autism