Opinion: Let's Talk About Autism in Public Places

Writer Bridget Mora's son, Holden.

Editor's note:Bridget Mora is the mother of a 5 ½-year-old son with an autism spectrum disorder. A resident of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, she is a member of the board of the Autism Society of North Carolina Orange Chatham Chapter. She also blogs about autism.

Ashley Bays took her toddler into M Spa Salon in Portage, Michigan, for a simple haircut but left with a "severe tongue lashing," according to a witness whose Facebook post about the event went viral.

Study Focuses on Autism Language Skill Development and Behavior

PITTSBURGH — Niko Stevens loves playing with his big brother, Shawn.Niko is 3. He is autistic and doesn’t speak.“He can’t say well, ‘Mommy, I just want a hug. Mommy, I just want a kiss,’” says his mother, Violet Stevens.
A new study finds the way an autistic child’s brain responds to words at an early age can help predict the child’s future language skills and social behavior.

Autistic High School Football Player in New Jersey Files Suit

The parents of a Brick Township High School placekicker with multi-symptom autism and other developmental disabilities filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday alleging the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic s Association violated their son’s civil rights by denying him a fifth year of eligibility.

Anthony Starego with his parents
Reylene and Ray Starego.

The complaint against the NJSIAA, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey in Trenton, claims Anthony Starego is entitled to play football this fall under the federal Americans with Disability Act (ADA), which states in part that reasonable accommodations must be made to include those with disabilities in interscholastic competition.

Idaho Group Asks to Make Medicaid Lawsuit Class-Action

BOISE, Idaho — Thirteen severely disabled residents who sued the state last year after their Medicaid budgets were dramatically cut are asking a federal judge to make the case a class-action lawsuit on behalf of the roughly 3,600 people who receive medical care through Idaho's Developmentally Disabled Medicaid Wavier program.

Labor Laws Allow Less Than Minimum Wage for Workers with Disabilities

There’s currently proposed legislation for a higher minimum wage at both the state and federal level. But some of the fastest growing fields, like homecare and restaurant workers, aren’t included in the minimum wage. WBEZ’s Front and Center series, Exceptions to the Rule, introduces you to people who aren’t protected by the same labor laws as everyone else.

Michael Grice

When I meet Michael Grice, he’s sharply dressed in a turquoise pinstripe shirt and nice beige slacks. He says people are quick to judge him because he has Cerebral Palsy and uses a wheelchair, so he pays special attention to his appearance.

Autistic Find Job Niche in Tech

Phillip Griffin graduated high school with honors in 2009, but despite his good grades and interest in math and science, finding a job proved difficult .
That's because Griffin, 22, has autism spectrum disorder, a developmental disorder characterized as difficulties with social interaction and communication – making job interviews a nightmare.

Illinois Temporarily Halts Transfer of Residents From Developmental Center

CHICAGO — Illinois officials agreed Thursday to temporarily halt the movement of residents out of an institution for the developmentally disabled in the southern Illinois city of Centralia.

At the request of U.S. Northern District Court Judge Ruben Castillo, the state agreed to stop the transfer of all but one resident out of Murray Developmental Center until a hearing next week on a temporary restraining order requested by residents' families.