Last fall, my friend Jennifer Dodson started a fantastic series for us about how acting and drama have positively influenced her son with Asperger’s Syndrome. This final entry is packed with great information about programs and even a book recommendation for utilizing drama and acting in the lives of children with autism. If you missed the first few posts in the series, I encourage you to read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 as well. My sincere thanks, again, to Jennifer for taking the time and effort to pen this encouraging and informative series for us! Enjoy, ~Leigh
Professional Acting with Asperger’s Syndrome: Part 4
By Jennifer Dodson
The journey for our son who is a professional actor with Asperger Syndrome has been very rewarding. We have watched our son's social skills blossom and his self-confidence soar. For our son, acting has opened up his world in ways we didn't know were possible.

Today I was welcomed into my son’s 3rd grade class (in public school) to read a picture book called “Understanding Sam and Asperger Syndrome” (by van Niekerk and Venter) and share some important information with the students. My husband and I requested this opportunity about a month ago because Ethan has been having some pretty huge challenges with classmates regarding friendship and social issues and we want to do everything possible to give Ethan (and his classmates) the tools they need to be successful in working through these complications. We are very open with Ethan about his diagnosis and the reason for many of his struggles and as a result he is also very open with others in his life so we felt this was a natural next step. During the pre-planning meeting with school staff held to discuss today’s visit, I was also told that we could send a letter home with the kids to help inform parents! I’ve been really excited as I have prepared for this opportunity and I absolutely loved spending 20 minutes with the children today.
For reasons not conveyed to me, the school staff chose not to send my full letter home with the students and decided instead to send an abbreviated version. While the abbreviated version listed some important information (and is of course a good start – for which I am appreciative), it didn’t convey a large portion of what we felt was significantly important...
With that stated, I hope that my letter in its entirety might help some of our readers here. It is printed below.

Keeping up with cutting-edge science and research in relation to autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders can be overwhelming and exhausting – there are so many different researchers doing great work and publishing in a variety of journals; it is a lot to keep up with. However, one of our newest guest bloggers, Nicole Wallace, has a gift for following the newest autism/biomedical news, breaking it down into understandable pieces and sharing it with us! Nicole writes below about CCSVI or “chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency” as it relates to children with ASD. Her last post about Stem Cell Treatment for Autism was also an interesting and detailed post worth reading. We’d love to hear if you’ve considered or utilized stem cell or CCSVI therapies for your child in the comments section below. Enjoy!
Chronic Cerebro-Spinal Venous Insufficiency & Autism
By Nicole Wallace
The hypothesis of vascular abnormalities in multiple sclerosis has been around for years but only recently has a doctor in Italy begun taking the research to a new level of actually testing and treating MS patients. Paulo Zamboni M.D., a vascular surgeon from Sardinia, Italy, coined the term "chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency" or CCSVI in MS patients. CCSVI is a narrowing of the jugular or vertebral veins that restricts the normal outflow of deoxygenated blood from the brain and spinal cord to the heart. CCSVI can result in iron deposits in the brain which can lead to autoimmunity.
To date the majority of the studies and information about CCSVI are linked to multiple sclerosis. But Dietrich Klinghardt M.D. PhD, and others have suggested that CCSVI is likely an issue in most children with autism as well.

Such a cliché – “When it rains, it pours!” But, sometimes there is no better way to describe life.
We’ve had a lot going on lately and have had a lot of stress in our lives as a result. For the most part I’m good with stress; I can typically roll with the punches, maintain a positive attitude and keep marching forward - usually with a smile. The bottom line is that I know everything is cyclical and that this, too, shall pass. In the past month, though, amidst the rain, it began to pour in the Wilcox household and instead of singing and dancing in the rain – I’m admittedly sloshing a bit, mindfully trying to hum my way through it.
Most impactful, my mother-in-law passed away two days after Christmas. While it wasn’t a total surprise as we watched her health slowly decline over the past few years, it wasn’t necessarily “expected” either and it has been devastating on many levels.

This information-packed guest blog is the second in a series from my friend and colleague Dan E. Burns. Dan is absolutely passionate about asking tough questions and finding answers related to young adults living with autism and their families. Dan’s last guest post Funding Autism for Life addressed options families have for supporting and caring for individuals with autism when they age out of public school. This excellent post from Dan explores The Brookwood Community, the brain in relation to movement and exercise and much, much more. Enjoy!
Touch, See, Feel, Move: The Brookwood Community in Texas and the Autism Epidemic
By Dan E. Burns
“We don’t just believe in miracles,” my guide told me, “we rely on them.” White-haired and in her eighties now, striding ahead of me cell phone in hand, my guide, called “Me-Maw” by some of the residents who to flock around her, prefers to remain anonymous. “I didn’t build this wonderful place,” she explained. “It’s God’s doing.”
She opened door after door as we made our way through clusters of busy citizens in the ceramic workshops, gym, natatorium, and clinic to a fine, on-campus restaurant near the gift shop and gardens of The Brookwood Community, a 495-acre residential/educational village designed to enhance the lives of adults with disabilities.

Happy New Year! Over the past 12 months, Craig Gibson and I have had several discussions about education – especially as it pertains to individuals with special needs – and how educators are prepared and trained to be successful in a diverse classroom setting. With Craig’s background (personal: growing up with a learning disability and now raising a child with a disability and professional: working as seasoned educator and evaluator) and mine (professional: working as a teacher/reading specialist and personal: raising a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder), we’ve found we’re both passionate about how important it is to set the stage appropriately, as early as possible, for children with learning differences. As we’ve discussed these beliefs and ideas, the idea for this “Feature Article” – a story about a new preschool teacher and a student with autism – was born…a piece we would work on together, to share some ideas, thoughts and beliefs about how even a teacher lacking the proper tools could learn, grow and make a positive difference in a child’s life. Craig and I decided it would be fun to kick off 2012 with our first feature article! Let us know what you think…

As we prepare to say goodbye to 2011 this week, we at AutismSpot wanted to re-share a few of our favorite blog posts from the year as a means of recollection. As I carefully sifted through AutismSpot’s Founder – Kent Potter’s – posts, I was touched again by so many of his pieces. Kent has a beautiful way with words and often tackles subjects regarding autism and Asperger’s Syndrome which beg to be addressed, but he does it with candid grace. Kent and Angie Potter (and their amazing family) inspire me in many ways but I can never thank them enough for sharing their insights (and those of others) with everyone at AutismSpot over the years. I am so thankful to call Kent both colleague and friend. It is my pleasure to repost Kent Potter’s post entitled “One More Step” which originally ran back in September. Thanks for the powerful reminder and lovely illustration that small wins count BIG, Kent! I couldn’t agree more.