Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Prior to the university’s traditional Spring Football Scrimmage on Friday, April 28, the Philadelphia Eagles Autism Foundation College Program at West Chester University (WCU) hosted an indoor walk for autism that drew more than 100 neighbors and friends to Sturzebecker Health Science Center Gym on South Campus. Lines of people, including members of the Golden…

Cody Moore passionate about autism awareness Cody Moore, a production supervisor at Owens Corning in Newark who has an autistic son, spearheaded a plant project to aid local kids on the spectrum. Dave Weidig, Newark Advocate NEWARK ― Cody Moore blocked off two hours for Owens Corning employees to complete a project near and dear…

Was your child recently diagnosed with autism? Are you beginning to navigate treatment for your child? Before you get started, check out these FAQs about ABA therapy. What is the goal of ABA therapy? ABA therapy is designed to support autistic individuals and their families, achieve their identified goals, and improve their quality of life.…

Imaging trifecta: The new maps are based on data from structural (left), functional (middle) and diffusion (right) MRI. A forthcoming resource aims to make more than 1 million connectomes available to users of the UK Biobank, according to an unreviewed paper posted to the preprint server bioRxiv in March. The UK Biobank contains genetic, medical,…

As an OT, messy sensory play activities are some of my favorite to incorporate with my students! They can be a pain to clean up after, but the benefits outweigh the extra cleaning time for me. Now, before I go further with this post, I want to acknowledge that messy sensory play isn’t something that everyone…

I read the recent NY Times Op-Ed by Emma Camp, “Why I Am More and More Ambivalent About My Autism Diagnosis” with increasing fury. Ms. Camp’s political bent is perplexing, but the point that is most essential to me, because it could perpetuate ignorance and cause damage, is her bizarre assumption that neurological diagnoses are…

Ahmed and Hassan Abdullah are two brothers with autism. On May 13, during the latest Israeli war on the besieged Gaza Strip, their already challenging life was turned into a nightmare. At five in the morning, shrapnel from the Israeli Iron Dome System hit their house,  located in the crowded Jabaliya refugee camp, in the…

Growing evidence suggests that the immune system may play a role in the formation of developmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and that using CBD for autism symptoms can be widely beneficial. The immune system plays a crucial role in maintaining our health. It’s a network of cells, tissues, and organs that provides…

Stories are powerful forces in the lives of young people; they help us connect, learn, heal, dream, and transform. Stories help us become who we most fully are when we see ourselves and our experiences reflected in them. For children and teens on the autism spectrum, the number and variety of books with autistic characters and written…

April is Autism Awareness Month, a time to take action to address the fact that there is inadequate healthcare and support services for individuals with autism across the U.S. Those with autism have poorer access to healthcare than non-autistic people and higher rates of chronic disease. Rural and low-income areas are particular service deserts for…