In Search of Research That's Relevant

Often---generally---I feel that the research about autism published in academic journals is interesting, but not particularly germane to Charlie's experience. So I was interested to note that some articles in the latest Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (Volume 39 Number 7) seem to apply much more directly to him:

Vision in Children and Adolescents with Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Evidence for Reduced Convergence

(Charlie has 20/20 vision, as far as we know, but he has long had trouble getting both eyes to focus on the same object---doing so is convergence.)

Oppositional Defiant and Conduct Disorder Behaviors in Boys With Autism Spectrum Disorder With and Without Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Versus Several Comparison Samples

(Possible, but my kid being an adolescent, what do I expect?)

Anxiety, Social Deficits, and Loneliness in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders

(The former two, "anxiety" and "social deficits," have definitely been noted in Charlie. As much as he's always got someone with him, he doesn't have a lot of contact with other children his age; even when he's with them, he interacts minimally---which is not to say that he would and can do more.)

Supervisor Support as a Predictor of Burnout and Therapeutic Self-Efficacy in Therapists Working in ABA Schools

(Not strictly about Charlie; his education has primarily been based on ABA and he's been in a number of public school ABA programs and also done ABA at home. Without regular, compassionate, and sympathetic support from supervisors, therapists and teachers do burn out and it's the students who don't do as well then.)

Illusory Memories of Emotionally Charged Words in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Further Evidence for Atypical Emotion Processing Outside the Social Domain

(This study involved showing a list of "emotionally significant" and also "neutral" words to individuals on the spectrum and individuals who are not, and noting their responses, in order to look at the "role of emotional processing atypicalities in ASD." Certain words---"burger," "Gong Gong" (= my dad; it's Cantonese for "maternal grandfather"), "Barney"---carry much more meaning and for Charlie than they do for the "typical" English speaker. Indeed, Charlie often uses these apparently concrete words to describe his emotional state; he links burgers, Barney, and my dad to certain memories.)

Sensory Abnormalities as Distinguishing Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Young Children

(And such "sensory abnormalities" should also be considered for older children on the spectrum---not taking fully into account how light, noise, voices, etc., might affect my son can lead to people overlooking why he may be having difficulties and "behaviors.")

You can go here to see the full table of contents for the July Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Of course, keep your evaluation tools on in reading.