The Obama administration moved forward today to implement provisions in the health care law that would make it illegal for insurance companies to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions. The provisions of the Affordable Care Act also would make it easier for consumers to compare health plans and employers to promote and encourage employee wellness.

The following interview with Suzanne Robitaille -- founder of abledbody.com and author of The Illustrated Guide to Assistive Technology & Devices -- was conducted via email November 12, 2012.

As recently as the mid-1990s, autism was thought to be a rare disorder that led to severe mental disability. But since then its reported incidence has ballooned, and it is thought to encompass conditions that vary widely in character and severity. Still, its causes, treatments and even definition remain to be pieced together.

It is estimated that as many as 1/3 of individuals with autism spectrum disorder also have epilepsy. Epilepsy is a brain disorder marked by recurring seizures, or convulsions. Experts propose that some of the brain abnormalities that are associated with autism may contribute to seizures. These abnormalities can cause changes in brain activity by disrupting neurons in the brain. Neurons are cells that process and transmit information and send signals to the rest of the body. So overloads or disturbances in the activity of these neurons can result in imbalances that cause seizures. 

The approach that parents take with their children who have developmental disabilities is directly tied to how cooperative and independent they become, new research suggests. In an analysis of existing studies looking at the influence of parenting on children with special needs, researchers found that when moms and dads employed so-called positive parenting, their kids exhibited greater independence, better language skills, stronger emotional expression and social interaction as well as improved temperament.

After waiting 57 days since the school year began, Henry Frost will be able to cross the street and walk less than the length of two football fields to attend his neighborhood middle school.

There is no shortage of experts to chase when a child shows signs of autism. But wisdom also comes from another kind of specialist — families who have walked the road before. Their advice ranges from ‘trust your gut’ to ‘be persistent.’ Here is some advice on coping in the early days after a diagnosis, edited and condensed.

IDEA does not automatically give parents the right to audio record an IEP but audio recordings must be allowed “if they are necessary to ensure that the parent understands the IEP or the IEP process or to implement other parental rights guaranteed under Part B.”  I thought that was important to reiterate again that even if the SEA or School District has a policy against audio recordings there must be exceptions allowed in certain instances. 

The Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE) of 2011 (S. 1872/H.R. 3423) was introduced on November 15 in the 112th Congress (2011-2012 Congressional cycle). The bill is being led by a bipartisan, bicameral set of Congressional champions, including Senator Robert Casey, Jr., (D-PA), Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Congressman Ander Crenshaw (R-FL), Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). The ABLE Act will give individuals with disabilities and their families the ability to save for their child's future just like every other American family, and help people with disabilities live full, productive lives in their communities without losing benefits provided through private insurances, the Medicaid program, the supplemental security income program, the beneficiary’s employment, and other sources. The account could fund a variety of essential expenses for individuals, including medical and dental care, education, community based supports, employment training, assistive technology, housing, and transportation.

I am a person with a disability, and have been since age 16 when a wrestling injury left me paralyzed from the shoulders down. I have a master's degree, a full-time job and yes, I'm one of more than 8.7 million Americans with a disability who rely on the long-term health care services provided through a government program called Supplemental Security Income, or SSI.

Imagine the level of frustration a young child must feel when he or she is truly putting all their effort into comprehending what they are reading, yet is unable to grasp any of the information. When I was in fourth grade I felt this frustration. I was told by many of my teachers that I “wasn’t trying” or “didn’t care” about the work, which left me feeling trapped. I had no way of proving that I wasn’t lazy and without a diagnosis of some sort, I didn’t know what to do.

Today, the journal Pediatrics published a special supplement on the health and medical treatment of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders. The issue highlights treatment guidelines for physicians and research reports on medical issues of interest to families affected by ASD.

Last month, Dr. James M. Perrin, a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, became the president-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a professional group of 60,000 doctors. A primary care physician, Perrin is particularly interested in addressing chronic childhood illness during his three years of leadership at the academy, first as president-elect, then president, then president emeritus. What do you think are the biggest health issues facing today’s kids? Childhood obesity and other chronic health conditions: the continuing growth in childhood asthma, and the tremendous growth in mental health conditions and developmental conditions like autism. We’ve got three or four major epidemics really growing among children and adolescents in America.

A rural Washington school district has found a new way to better support students needing speech therapy. Moses Lake School District 161, a 7,000-student district located in Moses Lake, WA, recently adopted PresenceLearning, a live online speech therapy service, to lighten the caseload for its staff of speech-language pathologists, according to Darcy Johnson, special services director for the district, in a prepared statement released today by PresenceLearning. More than 70 students are participating in the new program.

One would think that after such a long time to finally have a real diagnosis of what was wrong with me I would be relieved, but at the age 11 all I really knew was that this “thing” I had was ruining my life and I may never get better.  That is what I felt when the term “autism” entered my family’s life.  My parents were very relieved to finally have a name of what was wrong with me, but what they did not seem to understand was that just because it had a name did not mean the bullying and teasing would end, that my speech problems would end or that I would suddenly be accepted by my classmates.  All I knew was that I was still having meltdowns and that school was where I did not want to be.

In this article, you will learn how to manage a crisis with the school. We describe typical parent-school crises that cause parents to seek outside help. You will learn that a crisis has two sides: danger and opportunity. We will describe how to avoid common pitfalls and provide strategies you can use to weather a crisis.

We all know how important it is to have an IEP that addresses our child’s Academic, Developmental and Functional needs; to ensure they are appropriately prepared for an independent future.  Therefore, as parents, we have to make sure our child’s IEP includes the necessary information to prepare them for life after high school.  The results of your child’s most recent assessments, report cards, state tests, school personnel and parent input will assist the team in developing an appropriate IEP.

The Freedom Stick is a system, it can be downloaded and installed on a 4gb Flash Drive and carried everywhere by the student, plugged into and used on school computers or public library computers, or even employer computers – anywhere any version of Microsoft Windows is installed (including on Apple Macintosh computers which can have Windows installed as a second operating system). Or it can be installed directly onto your own computer. It is safe in all computing environments, tested globally since development began in Scotland with EduApps. This version was developed with US Department of Education and Michigan Department of Education grants through Michigan’s Integrated Technology Supports (MITS) in order to bring Universal Design Technology to American schools. The Freedom Stick is a collection of free, open-source programs which provide the widest range of supports for differing student needs. It is also a system supported by a range of learning tools – including a full set of “how to use” videos and presentations. It is easy to adapt to the students own needs, and it works with the supports included in Windows to create a true Universal Solution Set.

In October 2010, The Atlantic Published an article entitled, “Autism’s First Child.”  This article chronicled the first documented case of Autism in medical literature dating back to 1943.  However, this article was really more about the man, Donald Triplett, a 77-year-old Mississippian, and his enviable life.  The author of the article, Caren Zucker, explains it best when she said: We wanted readers to come away with a critical lesson — that in real and material ways, the quality of life achievable by a person with autism (or with any disability for that matter) depends significantly on how successfully and spontaneously any society recognizes the humanity of that person in its midst. In short, pity isn’t much help. But community is, when community implies connectedness, inclusiveness, caring, and, quite simply, good old-fashioned friendship.