Mother of Three Autism Spectrum Children Obtains Special Traffic Sign

Kelli Gibson, a mother of three children with autistic disorders (the oldest of whom has been diagnosed with Asperger’s), has experienced fears that her children may be in greater risk of being hit by passing vehicles than most children. She took the unusual step of writing to her town’s traffic department to request a sign alerting motorists about possible dangers to her children, and within ten days a sign reading “autistic child in area” was placed outside her home. Read article >

New Autism Center Opens In Northern Georgia

The North Georgia Autism Center, located in the small town of Cumming, is one of the state’s few facilities specializing in autism outside the Atlanta area. The center uses applied behavior analysis, which has become a standard treatment in children with classical autism, and has also worked on social skills for children with Asperger’s syndrome. Because state funding for autism in Georgia is limited, the cost of therapy is a major issue for parents of children with autism. Read article >

Teenager With Asperger’s Featured In Student Documentary

Different and Normal is a short film by masters student Rich Colosi focusing on the life of Adrian Esposito, a 16-year old Rochester native with Asperger’s syndrome. Colosi says he was inspired to make the film after reading about individual therapies for people with AS, and says that his subject had few communication difficulties, and wants to pursue a career in film. The documentary was shown at two local theaters earlier this year. Read article >

Dog Used in Australia Classroom to Help Students with Asperger’s

Tighes Public School in Newcastle, Australia has taken the unusual step of allowing a dog to be used as a behavioral assistant in its classrooms, beginning with kindergarten. The dog, a crossbreed between a shihtzu and a maltese, has been beneficial in helping students who have special needs, including those with Asperger’s syndrome, with both behavioral and academic issues. Research suggests that stress levels may decrease in the presence of dogs. Read article >

Katrina Evacuee Diagnosed with Autism Wants To Return Home

Before Hurricane Katrina, Henry Thomas Wyatt, a 63-year old man who was diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder while sheltered in a Houston convention center that was a temporary home to thousands of people displaced by Katrina, had lived his entire life in the same New Orleans house. Wyatt describes himself as being a boy, and has exhibited childlike behaviors such as largely speaking in jokes and fascination with trains. He currently lives in a Houston group home and has taken steps towards returning to his home, despite being told that it had been rendered uninhabitable and that he does not own it legally, including applying to FEMA and writing to Oprah Winfrey’s charity. Read article >

Rock Musician with AS Discusses his Diagnosis In Recent Interview

Craig Nicholls, the lead singer for the Australian rock band The Vines, was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome in 2004 after repeated incidents of erratic behavior both onstage and off, and recently gave his first interview since being diagnosed. Nicholls says that he did have discussions with psychologists about his behavior when he was a teenager and suggests his symptoms worsened when his band started touring, which he plans to limit in the future. Read article >

Assault Victim Urges Police Training Regarding Asperger’s

Barbara Kring, a Maine native with Asperger’s syndrome who was brutally attacked last year, has spoken in favor of police training for Asperger’s and other autistic disorders and joined a group in urging state lawmakers to pass a bill that would make such training mandatory. According to Kring, her assaulter told police her wounds were self-inflicted and they believed this because of their lack of familiarity with AS.

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First Review Of Asperger’s Syndrome Movie Hits The Net

Variety posted a review of the movie Mozart & The Whale, a love story between two people with Asperger’s syndrome (portrayed by Josh Hartnett & Rahda Mitchell) inspired by author Jerry Newport’s own experiences, on its website earlier this month. The review praises the movie, which has yet to find a distributor, for a realistic portrayal of autistic traits and examining AS in detail with an absence of “special pleading or under-the-microscope examination”. Read article >