Each year, as I make my new year's resolutions, I try to include a few that relate specifically to autism.  Last year, I suggested resolutions for the autism community as a whole; this year, they're all about ME.

Here goes:

1. I resolve to stop worrying so much about the loudest voices in the autism community, and to pay more attention to the quiet majority of parents and adults with autism who need good, solid, basic information and support.
2. I resolve to continue with the community inclusion work I've begun, including consulting for museums and other organizations, and completing my second book - this one a handbook for community organizations interested in including children, teens and families with autism.
3. I resolve to allow my son with autism to solve more of his own problems, take on more responsibility for himself and our home, and shine in the community as he is able.  I further resolve to do what it takes to support him in his independence and personal success.

What are your resolutions for the coming year?  CLICK HERE to add your resolutions to the list.

And while you're thinking about the new year, you might want to reflect on the old - by reading about my picks for the Top Ten Autism Stories of 2010 and adding your own picks!

New Year's Resolutions for 2011: The Autism Edition originally appeared on About.com Autism on Thursday, December 30th, 2010 at 15:44:00.

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Each year, as I make my new year's resolutions, I try to include a few that relate specifically to autism.  Last year, I suggested resolutions for the autism community as a whole; this year, they're all about ME.

Here goes:

1. I resolve to stop worrying so much about the loudest voices in the autism community, and to pay more attention to the quiet majority of parents and adults with autism who need good, solid, basic information and support.
2. I resolve to continue with the community inclusion work I've begun, including consulting for museums and other organizations, and completing my second book - this one a handbook for community organizations interested in including children, teens and families with autism.
3. I resolve to allow my son with autism to solve more of his own problems, take on more responsibility for himself and our home, and shine in the community as he is able.  I further resolve to do what it takes to support him in his independence and personal success.

What are your resolutions for the coming year?  CLICK HERE to add your resolutions to the list.

And while you're thinking about the new year, you might want to reflect on the old - by reading about my picks for the Top Ten Autism Stories of 2010 and adding your own picks!

New Year's Resolutions for 2011: The Autism Edition originally appeared on About.com Autism on Thursday, December 30th, 2010 at 15:44:00.

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A new year means new beginnings. Please share your New Year's resolutions and specifically resolutions that are related in any way to ADHD. Your resolutions may help to inspire others!

It may be that you are a parent of a child with ADHD and want to implement new strategies to help your child. Or perhaps you want to make more time for self-care so you feel less exhausted. Maybe you are a spouse/partner of an adult with ADHD and you have relationship goals for the new year. Or it may be that you have ADHD yourself and there are specific resolutions you have chosen to help make coping with ADHD a little easier.

Click on Resolutions for the New Year to share.

_{Photo © Microsoft}

What Are Your New Year's Resolutions? originally appeared on About.com ADD / ADHD on Wednesday, December 29th, 2010 at 13:21:20.

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A new year means new beginnings. Please share your New Year's resolutions and specifically resolutions that are related in any way to ADHD. Your resolutions may help to inspire others!

It may be that you are a parent of a child with ADHD and want to implement new strategies to help your child. Or perhaps you want to make more time for self-care so you feel less exhausted. Maybe you are a spouse/partner of an adult with ADHD and you have relationship goals for the new year. Or it may be that you have ADHD yourself and there are specific resolutions you have chosen to help make coping with ADHD a little easier.

Click on Resolutions for the New Year to share.

_{Photo © Microsoft}

What Are Your New Year's Resolutions? originally appeared on About.com ADD / ADHD on Wednesday, December 29th, 2010 at 13:21:20.

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Every parent goes through at least some angst about the choices they make on behalf of their children.  And most parents worry at least a little about whether their approaches to health, education, recreation, discipline, independence, food, clothing and other basics of life are the right ones for their kids.

Parents with kids on the autism spectrum, though, go through a sort of super-sized angst.  And they go through it over and over again.

That's because, whether they're watching TV, listening to the radio, checking their email, chatting on the phone, standing in line at the grocery store, or eating dinner at their parents' home, there's always someone or something to bring up the issues.  Again.   And whether they're at a school meeting, waiting in a doctor's office, having a drink with a friend or just fixing dinner while listening to the radio, someone - a celebrity, a friend, a relative - dredges up the same old questions.

• What if something I did caused my child's autism?
• What if something I DIDN'T do caused my child's autism?
• What if an autism-related therapy I chose for my child is having a negative impact?
• What if an autism-related therapy I DIDN'T choose for my child COULD have been the cure we've been searching for?
• What if I'm listening to the wrong people, reading the wrong blogs and books, or choosing the wrong doctors?
• What if the right people, blogs, books and doctors are out there - but I just haven't found them?
• What if my child is in the wrong school, has the wrong IEP, needs more support, needs less support?
• What if my child's lifelong disability could have been prevented, avoided, fixed or radically improved - but I somehow failed to act when I should have?

These questions can easily become overwhelming.  In some cases, they're a call to action and empowerment.  But in all too many cases they're a reason for self-doubt, anxiety, depression, and a constant need to do more and more - regardless of personal or financial cost.

If you're a parent who's gotten past the need to question and react over and over again, how did you get to your place of relative peace?  If you're a parent who is feeling stuck in the questioning and self-doubt wheel - what would help you to break out?

More About Autism and the "What If" Syndrome

• What If...? Getting Past Blame and Worry to Help Your Autistic Child
• Before You Drive Yourself Crazy Over an Autism Diagnosis
• Is It Possible to Do Too Much Research About Autism?
• How Journaling Can Help When You're Coping with Autism
• Autism and Depression: How Do You Cope?
• Coping with the Stress of Autism: When to Find Professional Help

Join the Conversation in the Forum or on the Autism at About.com Facebook Page!

Autism Parents and the "What If" Syndrome originally appeared on About.com Autism on Tuesday, December 28th, 2010 at 15:38:35.

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Every parent goes through at least some angst about the choices they make on behalf of their children.  And most parents worry at least a little about whether their approaches to health, education, recreation, discipline, independence, food, clothing and other basics of life are the right ones for their kids.

Parents with kids on the autism spectrum, though, go through a sort of super-sized angst.  And they go through it over and over again.

That's because, whether they're watching TV, listening to the radio, checking their email, chatting on the phone, standing in line at the grocery store, or eating dinner at their parents' home, there's always someone or something to bring up the issues.  Again.   And whether they're at a school meeting, waiting in a doctor's office, having a drink with a friend or just fixing dinner while listening to the radio, someone - a celebrity, a friend, a relative - dredges up the same old questions.

• What if something I did caused my child's autism?
• What if something I DIDN'T do caused my child's autism?
• What if an autism-related therapy I chose for my child is having a negative impact?
• What if an autism-related therapy I DIDN'T choose for my child COULD have been the cure we've been searching for?
• What if I'm listening to the wrong people, reading the wrong blogs and books, or choosing the wrong doctors?
• What if the right people, blogs, books and doctors are out there - but I just haven't found them?
• What if my child is in the wrong school, has the wrong IEP, needs more support, needs less support?
• What if my child's lifelong disability could have been prevented, avoided, fixed or radically improved - but I somehow failed to act when I should have?

These questions can easily become overwhelming.  In some cases, they're a call to action and empowerment.  But in all too many cases they're a reason for self-doubt, anxiety, depression, and a constant need to do more and more - regardless of personal or financial cost.

If you're a parent who's gotten past the need to question and react over and over again, how did you get to your place of relative peace?  If you're a parent who is feeling stuck in the questioning and self-doubt wheel - what would help you to break out?

More About Autism and the "What If" Syndrome

• What If...? Getting Past Blame and Worry to Help Your Autistic Child
• Before You Drive Yourself Crazy Over an Autism Diagnosis
• Is It Possible to Do Too Much Research About Autism?
• How Journaling Can Help When You're Coping with Autism
• Autism and Depression: How Do You Cope?
• Coping with the Stress of Autism: When to Find Professional Help

Join the Conversation in the Forum or on the Autism at About.com Facebook Page!

Autism Parents and the "What If" Syndrome originally appeared on About.com Autism on Tuesday, December 28th, 2010 at 15:38:35.

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ADHD - it's not just for kids. Many people assume ADHD is a childhood condition that is grown out of with help as the child ages. Symptoms of ADHD, however, can certainly continue into adulthood causing impairments at work, at home, and in relationships with others.

ADHD often goes undiagnosed in adults, but with proper diagnosis and treatment life can begin to feel better and in more control. Learn more in this informative video.

WATCH VIDEO

VIDEO: Understanding Adult ADHD originally appeared on About.com ADD / ADHD on Monday, December 27th, 2010 at 17:14:45.

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ADHD - it's not just for kids. Many people assume ADHD is a childhood condition that is grown out of with help as the child ages. Symptoms of ADHD, however, can certainly continue into adulthood causing impairments at work, at home, and in relationships with others.

ADHD often goes undiagnosed in adults, but with proper diagnosis and treatment life can begin to feel better and in more control. Learn more in this informative video.

WATCH VIDEO

VIDEO: Understanding Adult ADHD originally appeared on About.com ADD / ADHD on Monday, December 27th, 2010 at 17:14:45.

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Holidays and vacations can sometimes bring about increased stress. Luckily, there are ways to put the fun back into the holidays. The key is building in a predictable schedule and keeping kids focused to help them manage ADHD symptoms while on breaks from the normal routine.

Read Tips for Handling the Holidays

_{Photo © Jochen Sand}

Handling Holidays and Vacations originally appeared on About.com ADD / ADHD on Monday, December 27th, 2010 at 16:34:58.

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Holidays and vacations can sometimes bring about increased stress. Luckily, there are ways to put the fun back into the holidays. The key is building in a predictable schedule and keeping kids focused to help them manage ADHD symptoms while on breaks from the normal routine.

Read Tips for Handling the Holidays

_{Photo © Jochen Sand}

Handling Holidays and Vacations originally appeared on About.com ADD / ADHD on Monday, December 27th, 2010 at 16:34:58.

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In the last few years, many adults with social communication issues have read about Asperger syndrome, taken a few online tests, and self-diagnosed themselves with the disorder.  In fact, I got a note from just such an adult today:

I'm 50 and suspected I had aspergers all my life cause I dont relate good with people [sic] and I have a lot of the symptoms but when i wanted to get tested for it, the psychiatrist talked to me for about 5 minutes and told me i didnt have it, and never tested me for it, but if i take an online test i pass it every time, any suggestions?

While taking tests online may not be a valid substitute for a full evaluation, the truth is that there are few professionals out there with significant experience in diagnosing adults with Asperger syndrome.  And while not every adult who believes he or she has Asperger syndrome is correct, it's likely that many are.  John Michael Carley, Director of GRASP.org (a support organization for adults with Asperger syndrome) takes it a step farther, saying "if you think you have Asperger syndrome, you probably do."

For adults with symptoms of (or similar to) Asperger syndrome, finding a diagnosis and a group of like-minded individuals can be enormously liberating.  By the same token, however, self-diagnosis can severely skew statistics - and can make the disorder appear to be less significant than it is.  What's perhaps worse, the term "Asperger syndrome" is starting to diverge from a diagnostic category, and to become more of a statement of personality and style.

Asperger syndrome, in fact, is not the "Geek Syndrome" (as described in a famous article in Wired Magazine).  All people with AS are NOT brilliant, technologically savvy, creative and intriguingly eccentric.   Some people with AS have a hard time with numbers, enjoy reading fiction, and engage comfortably with a wide range of people.  Some, on the other hand, are living with serious and debilitating symptoms that make it difficult to find or hold down a job, or even engage in ordinary daily life.

Is self-diagnosis a good idea for individuals who can't find a satisfactory professional evaluation?  How should self-diagnoses be announced to families, friends or employers?  Is self-diagnosis a helpful or problematic approach to understanding social/communication difficulties in adults?

Share your thoughts!

Did you self-diagnose with Asperger syndrome?  Share Your Story Here!

More About Asperger Syndrome in Adults

• Adults and Asperger Syndrome
• Is It Asperger Syndrome?
• How Do Experts Diagnose Asperger Syndrome in Adults?
• Top Ten Reasons for Adults to Seek an Asperger Syndrome Diagnosis

Join the Autism at About.com Conversation in the Forum or on Facebook!

Self-Diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome? originally appeared on About.com Autism on Sunday, December 26th, 2010 at 11:10:16.

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