When it’s time to refer for an autism screening? Autism awareness has increased substantially in recent years. Most parents, school officials, and other adults that work routinely with children are familiar with the diagnosis, even if they do not completely understand it. There are many benefits to this increased awareness– more effort to [...]
Does your child have difficulty following directions? Do they seem to forget daily routines, chores, or expectations? Do they appear to just not pay attention to instructions or to the details of a task? Or, do they forget steps to a task you have taught over and over again? Visual schedules and aids may be [...]
Written by Adam H. Benton, PhD, a licensed psychologist and co-founder of Arkansas Families First, LLC.
When it comes to understanding autism, we all want to think of ourselves as someone who “gets it,” and those affected by autism deserve teachers, therapist and other helping professionals who do. As a child psychologist, when families relay to me their experiences of individuals who just don’t "get it", it seems really unfortunate, and unnecessary. [...]
Ensuring Your Child's Access to Education About the Author How to Ensure Your Child's Access to an Appropriate Education was written by Mary Ekdahl, Ph.D. She is a licensed psychologist and co-founder of Arkansas Families First, LLC. Dr. Ekdahl specializes in psycho-educational testing for learning disorders, as well as testing and treatment of [...]
April Autism Awareness Month - Do you know autism? April is autism awareness month. Help us spread the word, so that everyone knows autism.
Uniquely Human by Barry Prizant If you're looking for a great book to further your understanding of Autism, look no further than Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism, by Barry M. Prizant, Ph.D. This book is an excellent read and equally as informative for those new to autism as though who’ve worked [...]
Autism Spectrum Disorder 101 What it Autism Spectrum Disorder? Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors (www.autismspeaks.org). Did you know ... Autism now affects 1 in [...]
Social and Interpersonal Skills ProgramsArkansas Families First offers two social skills programs for youth ranging from 7 to 18 years-of-age. The programs frequently includes youth with social anxiety, ADHD, and Autism Spectrum Disorders.The PEERS Social Skills Program, or the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills, is a 14-week evidence-based social skills intervention for [...]
