Study Finds Autism Takes Toll on Fathers

MADISON, Wis. -- A groundbreaking University of Wisconsin-Madison study reveals some hard truths about the toll autism takes on fathers. According to the researchers:
* More than 30 percent of fathers of grown children with autism experience symptoms of depression so severe that they warrant clinical attention.
* Fathers of adolescents and young adults with autism experience high levels of depression and are pessimistic about what the future holds for their son or daughter, much more so than dads whose kids have other disabilities such as Down syndrome.

When Your Brother Has Autism

As Autism Awareness Month comes to a close, a nice perspective from Patty Hastings, a student at Northwestern University's Medill journalism school.


CHICAGO -- One in 110 people is identified as autistic, up from one in every 10,000 in 1990 — the year my brother was diagnosed. Does the increasing prevalence signal an autism epidemic or, simply, that the autism spectrum is too wide?
"It's supposed to be worse than being blind, not being able to communicate," said my mom, Debbie Hastings.
I wouldn’t know because my older brother, William, can't tell me what it's like to be on the spectrum.
National Autism Awareness Month is coming to a close, but families of people with autism are aware of this pervasive disorder 24/7, 365 days a year.

Autism Takes a Toll on Siblings

EL PASO, Texas -- There is no question about it -- Amarani loves her older brother, Jimmy. "I love everything about my brother," said Amarani, who, her mother says, is 5 years old going on 14. "I like playing board games like Monopoly, Monopoly Junior and Operation with him. I like playing Barbies versus wrestlers with him, too."
However, there are times when Amarani, whose family and friends call her "Mamas," leaves her brother alone.
"Sometimes my brother needs a break," she said. "I leave him alone until he feels better. Then he calms down and we watch cartoons and movies, and it's all better."
Amarani is wiser and more mature than her age would suggest.

Unlocking Mireya's World

DENVER -- Her name is Mireya. She is 3 years and 3 months old. She has fine black hair, a thing for "Handy Manny" cartoons and one of the most prominent last names in Colorado. Many nights, Mireya Salazar will not fall asleep unless her feet are touching her mother and her head is touching her grandmother.
It's part of an elaborate bedtime ritual in which she must place her pillow with the pink checkerboard and butterfly pattern just so, in the middle of the bed.
She has other routines, other rules. Every door in the house must be closed. If they are not, she will slam them shut. She won't eat a broken Cheerio or pasta that is not white. She can seem more interested in a pink balloon than in her father, more fascinated with a blank space in the distance than in "Papa Ken" — her grandfather, Interior Secretary and former U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar.

Research Holds Clues to Causes of Autism

So wonderful to see Robert MacNeil back on PBS NewsHour with his series on autism.

With a record number of children being diagnosed with the developmental disability known as autism, a majority of scientists investigating the causes of the puzzling condition now see complex interactions between genetics and the environment.

Florida Governor Offers Option to Cuts

Not sure Gov. Scott's request is reasonable, but perhaps some sort of compromise can be reached. Don't think he realizes how devastating his cuts will be to some of Florida's most vulnerable citizens and the people who have dedicated their careers to serving them and their families.


TALLAHASSEE -- Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Tuesday he will cancel massive cuts in the Agency for Persons with Disabilities if legislators come up with a $174-million budget patch.
Since Scott's across-the-board cuts March 31, hundreds of Floridians with disabilities have been searching for new caregivers while companies that serve them are reducing staff and services.
"Hopefully, we'll see if the Legislature will give us some emergency funding. But we have to live within our means," Scott told about 100 APD employees after a tour of their agency.

Autism's Impact on Grandparents

Great story from NPR's All Things Considered about how children with autism affect their grandparents. You can read the story (link below) or listen to it.

Having a child with autism can turn parents' lives upside down. But it can also profoundly affect the lives of grandparents, according to an online survey by the Interactive Autism Network (IAN).
Preliminary results from the survey of 2,600 grandparents found that many of them responded to a grandchild's diagnosis by changing everything from where they lived to how they spent their retirement savings.