Say “cheese!” Taking pictures is a way to capture memories we want to keep forever. But when we look back at the pictures, there’s almost always a story of challenges. With autism and taking pictures, there are many of them. This is especially true for parents of children on the autism spectrum, whether it’s professional…
How To Dance In Ohio – The Musical: A Gift of Autism Awareness and Representation We went to see How To Dance In Ohio – The Musical. “Hey, I think I heard about that!” Was the most common response I received when I told people about our last minute trip just a few days before…
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex, multifaceted condition that touches the lives of many individuals and families around the world. It’s a topic rich with narratives of challenge, triumph, and profound insight into the human experience. To shed light on this diverse condition, TED Talks have served as a powerful platform, offering voices to…
I Love a Good Refresh When things get stagnant and old, a refresh can breathe just the right amount of new life into a classroom. In December, I take some time to reflect on some areas of my classroom where I can shake things up. Where are my students ready to stretch? How can I…
The time has come, friends. My 9-year-old is asking for a pet that can be his and his alone. Not just any pet though, a gecko. I should have seen this coming as he has been so responsible with his beta fish, feeds and cleans up after the dogs, and always does his chores. My…
Since autism is a spectrum disorder, it can be difficult to pinpoint specifics when it comes to differences among people. But is there a difference between male and female autism? To specify gender differences when talking about autism can be difficult because they can exist outside the context of gender alone. Since people are so…
In a year of abortion restrictions, biotech industry upheaval, and revolutionary drug approvals, First Opinion strived to publish the most surprising, provocative, and conversation-starting essays from a wide variety of contributors. Below, you’ll find our top six most-read articles of the year by page views. Why six instead of five? Because why not? And if…
As a special educator, IEPs are something that we have frequent contact with. Whether we are writing an IEP after an initial evaluation, re-evaluation, annual review, domain, updating goals and benchmarks, or reviewing accommodations and modifications, IEPs are legal documents that should be visited throughout our time with our learners. An IEP should not be…
Accessibility Settings In order to look at what accessibility features are available on the iPad, go to the settings icon, scroll down and select ‘accessibility.’ Here you will find the options grouped in categories: vision settings, physical/motor settings, hearing and general settings. Apple has some awesome resources on their website as well, check out this…
8-Year-Old With Autism Has Hard Moment at School – Principal Does Something Shocking That Goes Viral A photo went viral after many praised this man’s act of compassion. Teaching can be a tiring and thankless job, especially when it comes to dealing with students from many walks of life. That’s why when the story of…