As parents, it can be very frustrating when our children refuse to do the things we ask them to do. Sometimes, it can be as simple as putting on their shoes, but they fight back and refuse to do it. Such refusal to comply with requests or commands is actually a natural part of childhood. […]

Scientists and researchers have been studying autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for years, searching for increased knowledge of what causes autism and what some of the risk factors are for it, among other topics. A lot of progress has been made in these areas of study in recent years, though much is still unknown. At this […]

Pregnant mothers are advised to avoid doing or consuming certain things while they are pregnant, as doing so can put them at higher risk of harming their unborn fetus. Some examples include smoking or drinking alcohol, eating raw meat such as sushi, consuming milk products that are unpasteurized, taking certain medications, and going into a […]

Diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been on the rise over the last 25 years. Today, it’s estimated that one in 36 children in the U.S. have autism, for a prevalence rate of 2.78%. There are many theories why the autism prevalence rate has increased so significantly from the estimated one in 150 children […]

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that can affect each person quite differently. That’s why, in fact, it’s referred to today as ASD — because there is such a wide spectrum of how people are affected by it. Children who have ASD are born with it, and it is a lifelong condition that […]

Hearing that your child has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be very emotional. You might feel sadness, anger, worry and much more. Many parents who have a child with autism don’t quite know exactly what it will mean for their child and for the rest of their family. One of the reasons […]

All children are unique. They develop in unique ways, sitting up, crawling, taking their first steps and speaking their first words at different times. While this is certainly true, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publishes a Developmental Milestones checklist that suggests what children should be able to do by different ages. For […]

Despite a surge of research, studies and resulting information that’ve come about in the last 15 years or so, there’s still a lot of debate about different aspects of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We now know that autism can affect children in many different ways, that it can’t be diagnosed with a blood test or […]

Advances in medical research have made it possible to detect some health conditions while a child is still in the mother’s womb. These modern prenatal tests can diagnose a wide range of different conditions, helping doctors and parents prepare for different challenges that they may face. Prenatal screening can identify a fetus’ risk level for […]

A Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) plays an integral role in supporting children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disorders. They work every day in fields such as applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy) to help children gain communication and social interaction skills while also modifying certain behaviors. A career as an RBT can be […]