Given the rapidly growing number of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) from diverse cultural communities in the United States, researchers have steadily emphasized the importance of developing and implementing culturally responsive interventions and practices. Unfortunately, there is no clear understanding of culture and diversity in…

All student populations require support from school staff during times of grief and loss. The grief process is highly personalized and depends on multiple factors, including the type of bond and relationship with the person, the student's prior experience of loss, and the age and developmental stage of the student (Quinn-Lee, 2014). Grief…

Ms. Bellamy was a beloved high school teacher serving students on the autism spectrum, as well as a highly visible staff member on her campus, where she was the varsity tennis coach. Her unexpected death affected everyone on campus and across the broader community, none more so than the eight students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with whom…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurobiological disorder that typically lasts throughout the person's lifetime. Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that about one in 88 U.S. children have ASD. It is usually diagnosed during childhood and is characterized by core symptoms that include qualitative…

In recent decades there has been much debate over the ontological status of autism and other neurological "disorders", diagnosed by behavioural indicators, and theorised primarily within the field of cognitive neuroscience and psychological paradigms. Such cognitive-behavioural discourses abstain from acknowledging the universal issue of…

Autism is a profoundly rhetorical phenomenon. And all--parents, educators, caregivers, policymakers, the public, and autistic people themselves--would be significantly empowered to understand and respond to it as such. In the continuing absence of stable scientific or medical knowledge about autism, one needs to shine a bright and insistent light…

A dual language learner (DLL) is a young child who is exposed to and is acquiring two or more languages. Multilingualism is common worldwide, and even in countries like the United States, the number of young children who are DLLs is rising rapidly (Goldstein, 2011; Toppelberg, Snow, & Tager-Flusberg, 1999). The purpose of this article is to:…

Gwynedd Local Education Authority (LEA) in North West Wales, UK, is funding a small-scale autism-specific specialist education service using ABA methodology. The program is available through the medium of Welsh, English or bilingually, depending on the individual needs of the child (Jones and Hoerger in Eur J Behav Anal 10:249-253,…

In this welcome second edition of "The Effective Teacher's Guide to Autism and Communication Difficulties", best-selling author Michael Farrell addresses how teachers and others can develop provision for students with autism and students that have difficulties with speech, grammar, meaning, use of language and comprehension. Updated and expanded,…

The number of people diagnosed with autism has risen exponentially in recent years. Are the diagnostic labels currently in use adequate to describe such a vast range of symptoms? Should we reconsider the appropriateness of the language we use to discuss autism? A mother of two autistic sons describes what the autism label has meant for her and her…

Those who compiled and updated the information in this guide invite readers to take a second look at its title. In previous editions, it was assumed that it's called "Those of Us Disabled" but this time it is not because it is meant to make the reader think about how the label of disability is used and misused. The last word of the title…