Published by: TODAY
Written by: Meghan Holohan

Students today are taught to “run, hide, fight” during a school shooting — but what if you can’t do any of those? Many parents fear that school lockdown plans are forgetting about kids with disabilities.

Seth Chessman can’t move his legs below his knees. The 10-year-old navigates life pretty well with a wheelchair, or sometimes a skateboard he uses to get around school. But his mom, Contessa Chessman, worries he would struggle to escape during a fire or an active shooter situation.

“If there is an emergency situation, he can’t get up and run out,” Contessa Chessman, 46, of Anaheim Hills, California, told TODAY. “It paralyzes me to think about it to be honest.” Click here to read the rest of the story

Published by: Our Crazy Adventure in Autismland
Written by: Teresa Cooper

Ever wondered whether to have a second or third child after having a child diagnosed with autism? It can be difficult to think about it when you have the challenges in front of you, but many parents have had other children and found out just how rewarding it is to have siblings for children with autism. Here are some of the thoughts they’ve shared on the topic. Click here to read the rest of the story.

Published by: The Autism Site

When I was a teenager arguing with my mom about curfew, she said, “Of course I’m always going to worry. I’m your mother, it’s my job.”

Moms can be real-life superheroes sometimes, but they’re human, too. They worry, they plan ahead, and they do what they can to keep us safe while knowing full well that scary and dangerous situations still may find us anyway.

For children with special needs or medical conditions, that worry takes on a sharper edge. Click here to read the rest of the story.

Published by: The Autism Site
Written by: Elizabeth Nelson

If you’ve been in the autism community for long, you’ve surely heard the term “high-functioning” applied to people on the autism spectrum who don’t also have an intellectual disability or don’t require much extra assistance navigating the world. It’s common to hear this phrasing not only in everyday life but also in higher-quality resources like medical journals. But many people have already identified problems with the common use of the term “high-functioning,” and recent research further reiterates why the word shouldn’t be used. Click here to read the rest of the story.