Unlike my previous interviews focusing primarily on autism research, I wanted to change things up and address the lack of neurodiversity in the workplace and what some organizations and universities are doing to develop new programs that address this issue. A staggering 75% of adults with autism are unemployed. The Frist Center for Autism and …
Dr. Rebecca Landa is a professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University and a highly influential autism researcher. She also founded the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Her research has focused mainly on the neuropsychological communication and language processes of autism throughout an …
Continue reading The Importance of Person-First Language: Dr. Rebecca Landa’s Perspective
This past week I was really happy because my brother came home to visit for a week and a half. The Saturday before he left, my Dad decided that he wanted all of us to go to the beach to see the sunrise. Let’s go back to 6:20 a.m. Saturday morning; everyone is ready to …
I always hear my parents talking to doctors who constantly say, “He’ll grow out of it.” My parents say that my brother will eventually mature and therefore he will better utilize the skills to improve his quality of life. Some studies have found that children who were diagnosed with autism as a toddler may not …
I do not have Autism, but looking at my brother I feel that we sometimes have similar characteristics. I am sensitive to overstimulation. I get frustrated easily when too many things are going on. I become irritable and tend to feel restless in these situations. I often have difficulty identifying my feelings. Hence, I …
Continue reading Why Does My Brother Have an Autism Diagnosis and I Don’t?
When I began high school, I developed a passion for science and research, which led me to learn more about ASD and the science behind it. Growing up with a younger brother with autism, there would always be screaming and arguments. My parents and my brother would scream back and forth like a tennis match. …
If you are a sibling, a parent or grandparent, an aunt or an uncle, a cousin, a friend, a neighbor or just a passer bye, I want to give you my perspective of the autistic brain, as a daughter and as a sister. It is important to understand that autism affects the entire family, not …