Developmental Delays

The Clinical Definitions of Autism, Asperger’s, and PDD-NOS

February 19, 2009

As a preamble to the upcoming sequel to “What’s Your Autistic Toddler Like?” (coming very soon!), I thought we should first go straight to the source in which the diagnoses are defined – the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Fourth Edition or DSM-IV. (Technically, it’s DSM-IV-TR, where TR stands for ‘text revision’, [...]

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Update – Stimulus Package, Special Education, and a Lot of Confusion

February 8, 2009

OK. I’m thoroughly confused. I can’t find a straight answer on exactly what the latest ‘compromise’ is, but from what I’ve been reading, it sounds like special education funding was salvaged to something back to its original funding levels. This is in spite of the overall pool of money going to states toward overall stabilization [...]

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URGENT ACTION ALERT! Special Education and Disabilities Funding on the Chopping Block (Updated)

February 6, 2009

[Update 2/7/09 - If you came to this post directly from Google or somewhere else, go read the latest update.] I’m dumbstruck by this, but I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. A group of Senators from both parties has been working to reduce the size of the Stimulus Package by $100 billion dollars. Not surprisingly, [...]

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Stimulus Bill Passes House! Time to Focus on Senate

January 28, 2009

Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 1, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 – otherwise known as the Stimulus Package – by a vote of 244-188. Unless I completely missed something, all the disabilities-related provisions survived and were passed along with everything else. Yay! Among other funding provisions in the legislation, [...]

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Action Alert x 2! The Stimulus Package and Funding for Disabilities Services

January 27, 2009

[Update - House passes it 244-188! Now go write your Senators!] OK, people. If you haven’t contacted your Representative in Congress, it’s time to move! The U.S. House of Representatives will debate HR 1, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 – otherwise known as the Stimulus Package – TOMORROW (Wednesday, January 28th in [...]

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Action Alert! Stimulus Package and Disabilities Funding

January 20, 2009

[Update 1/27/09 - It's crunch time! Go read this update!] While I was feeling a little wait-and-see earlier today about what we’d be able to accomplish legislatively for autism, special education, and disabilities in general in this economic climate, I just discovered there’s plenty of hope to go around! But we must act now! The [...]

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President Obama and Autism

January 20, 2009

Critical Update! Go read my action alert about the Stimulus Package before Congress! At precisely Noon today, the White House web site officially switched over to the Barack Obama Administration. It’s important that we keep track of policies that directly affect us as parents of autistic children and stay committed to our efforts to advocate [...]

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A Few Minutes Back on the Main Road – What is ‘Normal’ Exactly?

November 24, 2008

There is that in me – I do not know what it is – but I know it is in me. Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.) I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable, I sound my barbaric yawp over the [...]

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