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Why Is My Autistic Child Lying?

Lena Asks My 8-year-old daughter, who was recently diagnosed with autism, has started lying constantly—and she’s telling really hurtful lies about me to anyone who will listen. She’ll tell people that I don’t feed her, that I’m always screaming at her, that I never play with her or her siblings, and that I never keep […]

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Can You Push an Autistic Person Too Hard?

A Parent’s Question We were planning to practice ordering food and grocery shopping with our son this summer. Since he’s starting high school in the fall, we’re worried he won’t want to eat in the school cafeteria. However, he has absolutely no interest in practicing and doesn’t seem to grasp the consequences of not learning […]

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Should I Just Let My Autistic Teen Stay in Their Room?

S Asks (Reader Question) Our 16-year-old son just finished middle school. He is autistic and has ADD, social anxiety, and likely ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder). This fall, he’s starting high school in a different town, which means he’ll have to manage commuting by bus, eating school lunches, and navigating a completely new environment. Right […]

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How Can Teachers Help Autistic Kids Write Essays?

A Teacher Asks: I currently have several autistic students (seven, to be exact) who are completely unable to write essays or structured texts. Every single one of them has an excellent vocabulary and scores exceptionally high in reading comprehension, reading speed, grammar, spelling, and general word knowledge. In terms of language development, they don’t have […]

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Autism & Hurt Feelings: What To Do?

Carina Asks My adult son has traits of autism. He is now an adult with his own child and one on the way. I keep hearing that I did so much wrong when he was little, and I feel like I can’t say anything to his child. What should I do? Paula replies Congratulations on […]

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My Daughter & Social Connections: A Mom’s Concern

A Worried Mom Asks My 21-year-old daughter is at university, studying a specialized course and living away from home. She doesn’t have a formal autism diagnosis, but both she and I suspect she might be on the spectrum. She’s bright and has two strong passions, one of which she’s pursuing in her studies. She hasn’t […]

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Autism and Depression – How Can We Help?

Tom Asks We have a 24-year-old son, Alfred, who lives at home. He was diagnosed with autism at 17 and also experiences depression. He’s tried medication and therapy in the past, but hasn’t found a good fit with any of the professionals he’s seen. He successfully completed elementary school, high school, and earned a bachelor’s […]

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Autism & Social Training: A Good Idea?

IH asks (Part 2) The psychologist encourages us parents to practice various social skills with our autistic child – everything from playing games and building Lego together, to role-playing and practicing social phrases. I shared this in a Facebook group and received a lot of criticism – people said it was wrong and would damage […]

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Autism or Intellectual Disability: How Can We Know?

IH Asks We have a child with Autism Level 1, possibly Level 2. They are soon to undergo an assessment for Intellectual Disability (ID), and the child is nearly 7 years old. Our child is significantly behind their peers academically and socially. However, they’ve recently started to show an interest in letters. How can an […]

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How Can I Value Myself as an Autistic Person?

Anna Asks I’m really struggling with logical reasoning tasks, but a recent cognitive assessment with a psychologist still indicated average intelligence. I keep making silly mistakes – the most recent was putting my compression socks on over my regular socks while I was providing care for a client! I took a quick online IQ test […]