Revisitng Rain Man

OK – before I get into this month’s blog, I want to give you a link to a story on CNN with Peter Bell from Autism Speaks. http://current.com/shows/the-war-room/videos/autism-in-america-the-epidemic-no-one-is-talking-about.  If you recall from my August blog “The War on the Disabled”, I pointed out that people in the Autism community have a lot at stake in the coming election. Please make sure you vote based on the issues and not just because someone has a D or R beside their name.  It could mean a significant difference for everyone with Autism.

Now, on to October.

I was checking out my Netflix options recently, and came across the 1988 movie Rain Man, with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise.

It has been a long time since I saw the movie, and I vaguely remembered the plot line. What I remembered was that Cruise’s character finds out he has a brother that has been institutionalized, but it turns out this brother is a genius with numbers. So much so, that they beat the system in Vegas, and walk away with tons of money; at the same time building a bond between the characters.

The main thing I remember, though, was that for months (years?) after, people would mock Hoffman’s character by rocking back and forth and monotonously saying “Yeah, Judge Wapner starts at 4:30. Yeah.” I bet if you do it today, people will know exactly what you’re talking about.

Because of this, I had the impression that the movie would have a black eye in the Autism community. Raymond is diagnosed as an Autistic Savant, and obviously has trouble when his brother kidnaps him and significantly changes the routines that Raymond depends upon.

I was surprised, however, to find that Rain Man has actually sparked a lot of positive discourse in the Autism community that continues to this day. There are still people talking about it, and the general consensus appears to be that Rain Man is a relatively good portrayal of a particular individual with Autism.

The movie doesn’t represent all forms of Autism because there are as many forms as there are people with Autism, but Autism scholars believe that it does a good job of showing the challenges faced by a person on the Spectrum who is put into a unique situation. His struggles with making a connection with his brother, the breaking of routine, going into a shell when a doctor intensely probes him for an answer – all of them representing challenges and reactions that some people with Autism may display.

I have seen a backlash against Cruise’s character on the chat rooms, but you have to remember where Autism was in 1988. Very few people had heard of it, and tolerance for Autism was even lower than it is today. Cruise’s frustration with the eccentricities displayed by Raymond (example, Raymond wouldn't get on a plane because the airline had a history of fatal crashes and he begins yelling and hitting himself when Cruise pushes the subject) would be a natural reaction in someone that doesn’t understand how Raymond would react to the changes in his environment.

So, I encourage everyone to take some time and watch the film again. Forget about the bad imitations of Raymond and see how you feel about the movie’s portrayal of the 1988 world of Autism.  More importantly, think of how far we’ve come and think about what else needs to be done to adjust the perspective of Autism in today’s community.

The War on the Disabled

This blog is going to be longer than my usual posting, but that’s because it is an area where I have a lot of passion.

With the presidential political race in full swing, we’re hearing a lot about wars – the War on Women, the War on Christianity, the War on the Middle Class… But what we’re not hearing about is the War on the Disabled - those members of our society with either physical or developmental disabilities. Okay, that’s a sensational title, but what I’m really talking about is how the policies presented by the various parties in our government will affect funds and outcomes for people with disabilities; specifically for individuals on the Autism spectrum.  

Obviously, our country and families are experiencing financial difficulties right now. When states are faced with budget challenges, they have to make cuts. These cuts generally occur across the board. Infrastructure projects are put on hold, economic development activities drop, parks lose services. However, cuts to programs impacting individuals with disabilities will cause significant, negative impacts on their lives, directly affecting their health and their ability to grow and live independently.

Keep in mind, these cuts can come through direct and indirect channels. Direct cuts could come in the form of lowered support for state-funded residential homes, school programs, respite services or other direct impact programs. The cuts could also come from indirect channels like lowering supplemental funds for dentists to provide services to low-income (read also individuals with disabilities) patients.

The result of these cuts? Individuals with disabilities may lose housing, healthcare services, vocational rehabilitation services, etc. Wait lists grow, dental appointments are missed, people get ill, and unemployment rises.

Just think about toddlers being diagnosed with Autism. We all know that early intervention is critical to the future outcome for a child with autism, however as funds are cut, wait lists for services are growing anywhere from 18-24 months. Think of a 20-month wait - your three-year-old is now five, and has lost two critical years of service.  How can we afford to allow this to happen as the costs will be so much greater in the future if we don’t take care of it now?

Or you could think about the adult with Autism who requires housing and medical assistance. What if they can’t manage their medications because their support staff was let go? What if their support for food was cut? What if they no longer get visits from social services? Is it cheaper to put them away in an institution? We all hear about how support for people with Autism drops off a cliff when they leave school, but that chasm will only get deeper if we cut funding.

To me, there is a fundamental difference in how people view programs like welfare, and it comes down to ratios – do you believe that there are more people that take advantage of welfare or are there more people that need it for help? While I believe that there are definitely people that are lazy and gaming the system, I think there are far more people that absolutely need the support that government programs can give them.

Some individuals with developmental disabilities may never be able to have a job or pay taxes (many do though), but that doesn’t mean that they are any less valuable members of society. We have a responsibility to assist people that need help. We shouldn’t slash and burn programs that provide healthcare, housing or other services for people with disabilities just because budgets are tight. Make it harder for people to cheat, but ensure that people that need services get the help they need.

 As members of the disability community, we all have a responsibility to let our legislators know that funds that support individuals with developmental disabilities are vital to their quality of life. We also have the responsibility to review the track records of candidates to see where they stand, and make sure we’re electing individuals not just for the R or D behind their name, but also on where they stand in the War on the Disabled.

Why are you here? - Comments on the ASA Autism Conference

ABPathfinder just attended the Autism Society of America National Autism Conference in San Diego, and we had a great experience. The show was pretty well attended (although numbers seemed to be off a little from past years), and ASA did a good job of getting people to the exhibit area. ASA board members were everywhere – how many of them are there, anyway? LOL.

As usual, we had the ABPathfinder booth setup, allowing us to show a demo of the latest version of our software to assist in Autism therapy management. Our goal is to increase accuracy, efficiency and information in data collection so therapists and educators can help more kids gain skills faster.

We had a great time speaking to parents, behavior analysts and special educators. They were eager to see new things to help kids and adults on the Spectrum, and I think we made some excellent connections with people.

There were some folks we had to draw into the booth, though, and it made me think about why people attend autism conferences. If you’re there just to hear speakers, then you’re not getting the full meaning of the conference.

Whenever you go to a conference, be sure to check out the exhibit hall. There are lots of nice people there. More importantly, it gives you an opportunity to experience new things that could help your practice or school in a friendly environment. At ASA alone, we saw a new game for improving reaction times, a sound system for increasing concentration and a new TV channel dedicated to Autism content to be presented on IPTV. There’s nothing to be afraid of – no one can force you to buy anything, and you just might find something very cool.

We love working with people in autism. We really respect and value everyone who has devoted their lives to helping people on the Spectrum, and we recognize the efforts you have made.  We built ABPathfinder (with the help of some great behavior analysts) specifically to help people like you. Once we get the conversation going, we make lots of new friends.

In the end, I’m writing this to remind people to remain open to new possibilities, to make new friends. You never know when someone can come along and change your outlook on things.

iPads are Bad

Okay, before you think I’m some kind of Luddite, hear me out.

iPads have revolutionized assistive technology for kids on the Autism spectrum. They’ve provided a relatively inexpensive tool for communication, learning and reinforcement. They’ve given kids a voice and they can provide kids with a fun reward for a job well done.

But when it comes to therapists and special educators, you should think twice about using an iPad as a support tool. Here are three things you need to consider:

1. It’s a distraction. Since more and more kids are using iPads as tools and as reinforcers, they will be laser-focused on the iPad as long as it’s in front of them, rather than focusing on their lessons.
2. It’s expensive. New iPads  cost $600 and may require that you purchase a mobile data plan, extending your costs for many months. When you look at multiple iPads across your practice, the costs add up quickly. One of our customers was facing a $30,000 bill for iPads.
3. It’s a costly missile. No matter what case you put on it, the iPad is a fragile device. If it gets wet, it’s gone. If you have an aggressive child, it can quickly become a $600 projectile.

While ABPathfinder’s Therapy Support Software works on iPads and Android tablets, we recognized these issues. So, we shifted our roadmap around and made a mobile interface our top priority.

Now, ABPathfinder is available on any web-enabled device - any smartphone (iPhone, Android, Windows 7), iPod Touch, Kindle Fire, iPad, Android tablet, PC, etc… There’s no need to buy special hardware; just use what you already have. And, smartphones are easy to hide, so it’s not a distraction to the child.

Technology can be a great benefit to your practice. We’re saving customers an average of 50% of their administrative time; time that could be used to reduce costs, spend more time with kids or bring more kids on to your practice. iPads are great tools for kids with Autism, just make sure they’re not creating more of a challenge than they’re worth.

May Flowers - Graduating with Autism

Last weekend, I attended the graduation party of the daughter of one of our employees. It was a beautiful, windy Kansas day, and a crowd of family and friends gathered under a white tent to congratulate Corinne on her accomplishments.

It was doubly exciting in that Corinne is on the Spectrum, and has faced the challenges of Autism with determination and spirit all her life. Her artwork inspires, and her passion for Teen Titans comic books speaks to her vivid imagination and love of stories. She has been hired as a teaching assistant for the summer, and she just received two scholarships for attending a local university. TWO!

But it also brings to mind the world that these kids go into once they graduate from high school. It’s a world of uncertainty. It’s a cliff, where support suddenly and significantly drops off.

Unemployment is high among those with developmental disabilities, and government support is under significant pressure – pressure that usually affects the disability community first when money is on the line. In Kansas, state support has been drastically cut, and the Governor’s new plan is to cut funding further in areas that directly affect people with disabilities: K-12 education, public transportation, social services… The list goes on.  On top of that, the Kansas legislature failed to pass health insurance legislation to cover the expenses of Autism care.

Yes, fiscal responsibility is absolutely important, but ask first who and what is being affected. Are we talking about a $400 hammer or a person with needs?

Now, more than ever, it’s important that people in the Autism community speak out. Let your elected officials know that care for people with disabilities is important; that it means something more than a line item in a budget; that life for these kids doesn’t end at high school; that it affects someone’s life and the lives of their loved ones.

Because eventually, your child will grow up. What kind of a world will they be going into?

I hope that Corinne is going into a world that’s as vivid and wonderful as the comic books she enjoys.

What does 1 in 88 mean?

By now, everyone in the Autism community has heard about the new numbers from the CDC – 1 in 88 kids are being diagnosed with Autism. But what does it mean? Unfortunately, it means that the demand for ABPathfinder’s services will only continue to grow.  

From a numbers standpoint, it means that 48,000 kids will be diagnosed with Autism this year in the US alone, an increase of 5,000 kids per year since 2009. In other words, between the ages of 2 and 7 there are approximately 280,000 kids in the US on the spectrum.

As a result, the stresses on Autism therapists of all kinds (BCBAs, SLPs, etc) are mounting. Demand for services continues to grow, and the old paper-based planning and assessment methods are limiting therapists’ ability to meet those demands. So, kids that either can’t find or can’t afford targeted therapy services are placed into the public school system, creating a whole new set of challenges for the schools and kids alike.

The problem isn’t going away, but there are people trying to help. Within the last week, Harvard researchers released the results of a trial where they used software to reduce the diagnosis time from hours to minutes. Assistive technology delivered on iPads or other devices continues to help kids find their voice.

For our part, ABPathfinder has developed software that assists you in building and implementing individualized therapy programs using your own therapy protocols. Our initial customers are seeing their administrative time reduced by up to 50%, allowing them to reduce unbillable hours, take on more kids, and more. What would you do with the extra time?

Here’s what I ask of you: be open to learning more about the tools that are available. Take the time to seek out things that can make your practice more efficient and effective. As Autism continues to grow, the need for your services will grow, too. How many more kids can you help?