"Autism’s First Child," by John Donovan and Caren Zucker. The Atlantic, October 2010, pp. 78-90.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/10/autism-8217-s-first-child/8227/
Appropriate for: Anyone touched by autism
This is the story of Donald Triplett, now 78, who was the first child diagnosed with autism by Franz Polgar in Baltimore. Living in the small town of Forest, Mississippi, he lives independently and gives us a glimpse of what the more than 500,000 children now diagnosed with autism may look like in the future. A fascinating story of a family struggling with a difficult child who they feared was “hopelessly insane” with no one to tell them what was going on, it’s ultimately a success story. But what I took away from this article is the message that it was just as important for his success that the community around him accepted him as it was that he tried to adapt to the community around him and that “tranquility, familiarity, stability, and security” were the ideal environment.
"Autistic and Seeking a Place in an Adult World," by Amy Harmon. The New York Times, September 17, 2011.
Appropriate for: Parents
I've often wondered what the adult world will look like for my son. As this article states, autistic people "typically disappear from public view after they leave school." We see a lot of different school settings and scenarios, but it's not the same for life after school and the anxiety is heightened by parental fears of how will my child take care of himself? This article follows the path of Justin Canha, as he struggles to find a job with the help of a coordinator of a "transition to adulthood" program. He faces the social challenges that threaten internships and minimum-wage jobs, but, ultimately, this is positive story with a rare glimpse of what may be ahead for many of us.
"Breaking Through," by Kristin Sainani, Stanford, January/February 2011, pp. 46-53.
http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2011/janfeb/features/autism.html
Appropriate for: Anyone interested in the current autism research
This article examines the research of Ricardo Dolmetsch, one in a group of researchers at Stanford trying to find the cause of autism. He and his colleagues are “trying to answer a more fundamental question: What is the underlying biology of autism?” Perhaps the biological origins of autism are as diverse as autistic symptoms themselves. There is also a box about the increase in the numbers of autistic children. Dolmetsch says that a “’big, big contribution is societal awareness and changes in diagnostic criteria’” (those who used to be diagnosed as mentally retarded or ADHD are now being diagnosed with autism). In addition, the rise could be attributed to what “the medical establishment’s thinking about what constitutes abnormal behavior has shifted.” Also discussed are genes that when mutated or missing can cause autism, chromosomal abnormalities, mutations in brain proteins, differences in neural connections, and hormonal defects.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/10/autism-8217-s-first-child/8227/
Appropriate for: Anyone touched by autism
This is the story of Donald Triplett, now 78, who was the first child diagnosed with autism by Franz Polgar in Baltimore. Living in the small town of Forest, Mississippi, he lives independently and gives us a glimpse of what the more than 500,000 children now diagnosed with autism may look like in the future. A fascinating story of a family struggling with a difficult child who they feared was “hopelessly insane” with no one to tell them what was going on, it’s ultimately a success story. But what I took away from this article is the message that it was just as important for his success that the community around him accepted him as it was that he tried to adapt to the community around him and that “tranquility, familiarity, stability, and security” were the ideal environment.
"Autistic and Seeking a Place in an Adult World," by Amy Harmon. The New York Times, September 17, 2011.
Appropriate for: Parents
I've often wondered what the adult world will look like for my son. As this article states, autistic people "typically disappear from public view after they leave school." We see a lot of different school settings and scenarios, but it's not the same for life after school and the anxiety is heightened by parental fears of how will my child take care of himself? This article follows the path of Justin Canha, as he struggles to find a job with the help of a coordinator of a "transition to adulthood" program. He faces the social challenges that threaten internships and minimum-wage jobs, but, ultimately, this is positive story with a rare glimpse of what may be ahead for many of us.
"Breaking Through," by Kristin Sainani, Stanford, January/February 2011, pp. 46-53.
http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2011/janfeb/features/autism.html
Appropriate for: Anyone interested in the current autism research
This article examines the research of Ricardo Dolmetsch, one in a group of researchers at Stanford trying to find the cause of autism. He and his colleagues are “trying to answer a more fundamental question: What is the underlying biology of autism?” Perhaps the biological origins of autism are as diverse as autistic symptoms themselves. There is also a box about the increase in the numbers of autistic children. Dolmetsch says that a “’big, big contribution is societal awareness and changes in diagnostic criteria’” (those who used to be diagnosed as mentally retarded or ADHD are now being diagnosed with autism). In addition, the rise could be attributed to what “the medical establishment’s thinking about what constitutes abnormal behavior has shifted.” Also discussed are genes that when mutated or missing can cause autism, chromosomal abnormalities, mutations in brain proteins, differences in neural connections, and hormonal defects.