Autism Warriors is a podcast where we talk about everything related to Autism.

Each week, host Ericka Plourde and her co-host Pamela Mari get together and talk about Autism including but not limited to Autism stories in the news, questions concerning behaviors, family dynamics, methodologies, and most importantly, share difficulties and triumphs while living within an Autism family. At times there will be guest speakers who are either on the spectrum or have something to share of interest to the Autism community.

Ericka Plourde is an expert Autism Warrior because she has two children that are on the Autism Spectrum.  Though she is not an expert at everything Autism, she brings a unique glimpse in to the world of Autism.

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Ericka and Pam get together this week to talk about the use of assistive technology for Autism people who do not have the use of speech to communicate. They interviewed Deb Delp of Carlisle, Pa who gave a detailed description of assistive technologies that her son has used over the course of years.

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Zac Picto of the Week

• zacpicto.com is the website
• This week’s Zac Picto of the week is about the ‘Multimedia’ section of Zac Picto.  Here you will find links to external sources of information such as videos, which I looked over ranging from family stories about autism, videos about special training courses offered by the Boy Scouts of America on how to work with kids with autism and videos on bullying and autistic kids.  A good resource and I’m sure the available list of multimedia resources will grow as time goes on.  Check out the multimedia external links section of Zac picto!

Resources

• Developmental Milestones Screening
• Speech2Teach
• Dynavox

Random News

• Identifying Autism Risk In High Risk Siblings Of Children With ASD
• Simple Task For 6-Month-Olds May Predict Risk Of Autism
• Senator Backs Autism Awareness postage stamp

Ericka and Pam spend some time celebrating Mother’s Day by talking about all the great Autism mothers out there.  They also read a wonderful poem and talk about things that only an autism mother understands.  Tonya Frye joins them on the show to talk more about Desperate for Respite.

Zac Picto of the Week

• zacpicto.com is the website
• This week we offer a tidbit of the “Open Discussion” section of Zac Picto where parents and caregivers can post a discussion topic and gain insights and help from others.  The most recent topic in the discussion area is seeking help for a son who is “too intelligent” to warrant services.  The parent is having a terrible time receiving services for her son who experiences major outbursts, has social issues and is melting down at home, totally disturbing the family situation.  She is at her wits end to find providers and advocates to help her navigate the school system.  You can join the conversation by following the link in the show notes and joining the Zac Picto system.

Random News

• Parents cheer autism-friendly ‘Mary Poppins’
• Workshop offers coping tips
• Autistic Jazz Savant Graduates From Berkley
• Vaccine Study and Autism in Baby Monkeys

Ericka and Pam return to airwaves to talk about navigating social situations.  They have a discussion about persons on the spectrum and the fact that due to their “innocence” with regard to  things like prejudice, being mean to others, hate, being untruthful and other characteristics we see in most people, the sometimes find themselves being bullied and taken advantage of by others.

Also, they talk about the Zac Picto of the Week, more great resources to check out and random news stories.

Zac Picto of the Week

• zacpicto.com is the website
• Unlimited Activities: Zac Picto offers a powerful activity system where parents and professionals alike can interact with a child using electronic activities. It’s possible to create personalized activities or use the ones offered by the Zac Picto community. With a single click you can launch a video or visit a website.
• Go to Zacpicto.com to explore, download the application. It is really a great application which can act as a one stop shop for you to create schedules, join forums, get news, (soon) listen to our podcast, create tasks, and there is an entire community of people with Autism and who are caregivers/parents of children/persons on the Autism spectrum for you to connect with. Soon things that were on the World Autism Community website will be integrated in to ZacPicto! John LeSieur owner and creator of Zac browsers, Word Autism Community, and now, Zac Picto became an avid advocate for Autism after his grandson was diagnosed. John LeSieur rocks!

Random News

• Autistic Piano Player Gets Billy Joel’s Attention
• Small Autism Support Center Struggles to Help Families with Autism
• Toilet Training for Kids with Autism
• The Solitary Forager Hypothesis
• Beyond Guilt and Innocence 

Ericka and Pam get together with John Roedel and talk about his book “Walking the Wall”.  He spends time with them talking about how he has struggled with helping his son in the world of Autism.

Also, there is a special interview with Autism itself.   See how a conversation would go between a parent and the Autism that they deal with everyday.

Resources

• CEO Seeks Schools with Special Needs for Project
• John Big John (Roedel’s) Fabulous Blog

Topic of the Week

• Tonite’s guest is Mr. John Roedel, of Cheyenne Wyoming.  John is a father of three boys, one of whom, Noah, is on the autism spectrum.  John is a fabulous writer and I have followed his writing for years now.  His blog mentioned above in the “resources” section “The Small Journey of John, Big John,” is packed full of hillariously funny and sometimes hearfelt stories of John’s life and struggles to be “macho” , “taller” and “not afraid of clowns”.  These are inside jabs at John who writes about these topics from time to time.  More importantly however, is John’s struggle and efforts to help his son, Noah as he makes his way through life and the world living with autism.   I am pleased as punch to announce that John has written a book entitled “Walking The Wall” about life with autism we have invited John to tell our listeners about it.

Random News

• Autism awareness: College programs for students on the spectrum
• Chicago Attorneys Raise Money for Autism
• Dad wires up autistic son, 10, to expose ‘bullying’ by teaching staff
• Autism and the Media

Ericka and Pam sit down and talk about caregiver burnout.  What is it?  What are the signs of a person burning out and how can it be handled.

They also talk about how their weeks have been going and cover a few news stories dealing with autism.

Resources

• National Respite Network
• Therapy/Respite Camps
• Signs of Caregiver Stress
• Respite Care and Autism

Topic of the Week

• Ten Warning Signs of Caregiver Stress
• DENIAL about the situation and its effect on the care recipient – I know Mom is going to get better.
• ANGER at the care recipient or at others; that no effective treatments or cures exist; and that people don’t understand what’s going on – If he asks me that one more time I’ll scream!
• SOCIAL WITHDRAWAL from friends and activities that once brought pleasure – I don’t care about getting together with the neighbors anymore.
• ANXIETY about facing another day and what the future holds – What happens when he needs more care than I can provide?
• DEPRESSION begins to break the spirit and affects the ability to cope – I don’t care about anything anymore.
• EXHAUSTION makes it nearly impossible to complete necessary daily tasks – I’m too tired for this.
• SLEEPLESSNESS caused by a never-ending list of concerns – What if she wanders out of the house or falls and hurts herself?
• IRRITABILITY leads to moodiness and triggers negative responses and reactions – Leave me alone!
• LACK OF CONCENTRATON:  inability to focus on routine tasks
• HEALTH PROBLEMS TAKE THEIR TOLL:  both mental and physical health problems arise
• When you cant take it anymore: unload on someone else’s shoulders
• Stop everything you are doing – find a quiet spot & write down things that make you happy.
• Turn things over to someone else.
• Make sure you get enough rest.
• Take things as they come.
• Let things go if you are too weary to do them.
• Take long slow breaths.
• Keep things in perspective.
• Know you can’t make life perfect for the one you care for.
• Recognize you can’t do everything.
• Realize things will not always work out the way you’d like for them to.
• Let things go that don’t need to be held onto.
• Don’t lose sight of your blessings.

• New Genes Discovered That Contribute To Autism: Links To Psychiatric Disorders
• Half Siblings Provide Genetic Clues To Autism
• Basketball hero speaks at St. Joe’s University
• Dogs and autism

Ericka and Pam get together to discuss the latest estimates and how that number has changed over the years.  They also discuss great new resources, and what’s been going on at home.

Resources

• Autism FAQ – History
• National Autism Resources
• More Info about the absurd term “refrigerator mother”
• DSM TO BE REVISED , AMER. PSYCHIATRIC ASSOC.
• Free apps for Autism for Autism Awareness Month

Topic of the Week

• According to the latest estimate, released on Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 88 children in the U.S. has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) — a nearly 25% increase from 2006, when the rate was 1 in 110, and a stunning 78% increase since 2000–02, when the CDC first began tracking the disorder and estimated the rate at 1 in 150 children.
• Much discussion abounds as to the reason for the increase. Is it better detection methods, better diagnostic tools and physicians being better able to spot the early signs of autism?
• The rate may drop again by year’s end, when a new definition of autism is slated to be included in the fifth revision of the standard manual for mental illness, the DSM-V; the updated definition is expected to focus more exclusively on core autism cases and exclude Asperger’s and PDD-NOS, which a growing number of experts believe to be distinct from true autism. The current CDC analysis did not break down ASD diagnoses by subtype.
• Read more info here

Random News

• 50 things you SHOULD say to autism parents.
• Maternal obesity
• Online Tool Could Diagnose Autism Quickly, Developers Say
• People With Autism May Be Better at Processing Information
• Ending the Autism Epidemic: If the Definition Changes, Will Some Kids Lose Services?
• Study Hints at Why Some Outgrow Autism DX

Ericka and Pam are back together to play catch up on what’s been going on since last summer.

They also cover a few resources and catch up on some user’s feedback.

Resources

• 3rd annual Autism Conference to be held April 9th – April 15th. Sign up and get a great experience
• The Book: Aps for Autism by Lois Jean Brady, Speech Therapist.  A guide to applications available in today’s market for teaching and assisting those with autism.  The book is published by Future Horizons and is available on Amazon.com for $19 plus change. .  The book reviews numerous aps as to their use and appropriateness for different challenges of autism.

Random News

• Ten Things Not to Say to  a Parent of an Autistic child

Ericka and Pam sit down and talk to Tara Washburn.  She is the creator and owner of heartsthatfeel.com.  She was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at 28 years old.  She discusses her blog, therapies, and experiences.  Also, the ladies talk about the latest resources found and some random news.

We have created an Autism Warriors group at World Autism Community website.

Resources

• Autism Store with all sorts of stuff to help your Autie child

Topic of the Week

• This week Tara Washburn joins us.  She is the creator and owner of heartsthatfeel.com.  She also talks about her diagnosis with Asperger’s Syndrome at age 28 and much more.

Random News

• Technology being used to build bridges with autistic children
• Skating mom helps son with autism soar

Ericka and Pam welcome Arman Khodaei to the show.  Arman is an autism public speaker who is multi-talented.  He will talk to use about his life in the autism spectrum and all of the projects he’s working on.  The ladies also cover a new group of resources and the latest news about Autism.

We have created an Autism Warriors group at World Autism Community website.

Resources

• Hearts That Know and Feel: It’s Not What You Think It Is
• Autism Fitness: Making Physical Activity Fun for Anybody Free online Webinar
• All sorts of useful webinars up for purchase – some are free others you can purchase. Practical advice

Topic of the Week

• This week we welcome to the show Arman Khodaei.  He is a young man on the autism spectrum who is an autism public speaker, blogger, novelist, talk radio show host and YouTube video creator.

Random News

• New toy helps kids with autism
• Teaching children how to explore and express emotions