BEHAVIORS - MyHope

Tools for Assessing Autism Symptoms and Relevant Features

AUTISM SYMPTOM CHECKLISTS – (EDUCATOR OR PARENT REPORT) Infant-Toddler Checklist (ITC) Description: The Infant-Toddler Checklist (ITC; Wetherby & Prizant, 2002) is a 25-item checklist that was developed out of the SCERTS model and is very well attuned to the communicative aspects of ASD in young children. Designed and validated in a large community sample […]

Difference Between Education Identification and Medication Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder

What is the difference between a medical diagnosis and an educational identification of an Autism Spectrum Disorder? Different criteria and outcomes: Educational identification and clinical diagnosis are two very different processes, which, as summarized in Table 1 (below), rely upon different definitions of ASD and provide information for different contexts. The two systems are not […]

Go Ahead and Ask: Telephone Calls

Question: My 8-year old son with autism is usually very easy-going; however, he has a fit every time I talk on the telephone. He screams and yells and throws himself on the floor, so I have to hang up immediately and make sure he’s okay. As soon as I go to him, he stops. He […]

Surviving Mental Illness

If you’ve ever wondered how to effectively deal with mental illness, Jessie Close has a lot to tell you. Her new book, Resilience: Two Sisters and a Story of Mental Illness, offers a heartbreaking, honest description of her 40 years of personal experience. Jessie, the sister of actress Glenn Close, has experienced decades of great […]

Making and Mastering Habits

There are good habits and bad habits. The challenge is to keep your good habits and stop the bad ones. But that’s easier said than done. Habits simplify life, allowing you to do things without having to put energy into thinking about them. The brain makes a behavior into a habit whenever possible. “Because I […]

Don’t Let Imposter Syndrome Hold You Back

Does this sound familiar? You love your boss, the CEO. He’s the smartest, fairest, least ego, most supportive leader you’ve ever worked for, and you trust his judgment – business and otherwise – completely. And you love your career, which has provided many opportunities to work on cool projects, with teams of knowledgeable individuals, to […]

7 Ways to Rock the Second Half of Your Career

Find yourself sliding down that slippery slope from engaged, curious, enthusiastic professional to defensive, change-resistant, entitled old geezer? At best, it’s really hard to deliver your best stuff when you’ve got a big neon “Stop All This Change Stuff Now!” sign flashing on your forehead. At worst, you may actually be putting your job in […]