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Conducted by Franca Pastro, BA, ASAT Board Member and Parent Franca: How about we begin with you sharing with us a little bit about your daughter, Allison Beverley: Allison was diagnosed with autism at two years and nine months and just turned 22 this summer. Allison loves her chubby pet pug dog, Henry, and also…
Conducted by Marcia Questel, MS Ed, BCBA and David Celiberti, PhD, BCBA-D We had the good fortune to meet Aboli Jadhav in December of 2021 when she initially expressed interest in volunteering for ASAT. She ultimately joined our Externship which she completed in April of 2023. We thought it would be wonderful to share her…
My son just had his 14th birthday. He has historically engaged in challenging behaviors such as physical aggression and elopement. He is currently in a special education setting with teachers capable of coping with these behaviors. We are concerned about what happens when he graduates and ages out of that setting. Is it too early…
Conducted by David Celiberti, PhD, BCBA-D Association for Science in Autism Treatment I had the wonderful opportunity to connect with Eileen Lamb who generously shares her insights and experiences in this short interview. Many of you are familiar with Eileen’s blogs that are consistently insightful, compassionate, and sensitive to the diversity that runs throughout the…
Frank Bird, MEd, BCBA, LABA Melmark In the context of evidence-based treatment, it is sometimes difficult to discern which diagnoses may have relevance to an individual and which new treatments may be appropriate. Yet, complex cases require the input of broad expertise and the openness to treatments that may be individually advantageous. The following case study…
Judith Ursitti, Mother of Jack I love this young man with all of my heart. I worry about his future. He has so much to offer this world. But frequently, I read things that seem like they deny the realities of valuable humans like him. He’s not a savant. He doesn’t type. He gets up…
Conducted by Frank Bird, MEd, BCBA, LABA Co-Founder, Chief Clinical Officer and Vice President, Melmark These two interviews with parents of adults with autism illustrate the emotional and logistical challenges of placement and show the need for strong and unrelenting advocacy. They also demonstrate the uncertainty of finding appropriate intervention in adulthood, even when childhood…
A Conversation with Rita Gardner about the Crisis in Adult Services Conducted by Mary Jane Weiss, PhD., BCBA-D Association for Science in Autism Treatment Rita Gardner is President and CEO of Melmark, an organization that serves individuals with autism in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and North Carolina, and has been a progressive leader in behavior analytic intervention…
Dear Rasha Abu Baker, We read with great interest your recently featured article “UAE: What’s next after school? Parents call for more employment opportunities for autistic people” published in the Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates (UAE). We want to congratulate you for bringing forward an inspiring story about employment among individuals with autism spectrum disorder…
David Celiberti, PhD, BCBA-D, Sunita Chhatwani, MSc, MEd, Adriane Miliotis, MA, BCBA, LBA, Beatriz Querol-Cintrón, MS, BCBA, LABA(MA) Association for Science in Autism Treatment Children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) live in every part of the globe. Worldwide, it is estimated that one in 36 children are diagnosed with ASD (Maenner, et al.,…
By Beverley Sharpe, ASAT Board Member Andrew Kavchak is a retired federal civil servant who lives in Ottawa, Canada, with his wife and two sons. Andrew’s younger son was diagnosed with autism in December 2003, and his name was placed on a waiting list for ABA treatment. At that time, Andrew discovered that Canada’s public…