Managing behaviors: start with understanding communication In a very great number of conversations with families the issue of behaviors (or lack of) comes up when we speak about their autistic child. What I'm speaking about here is the behaviors that crop up in social situations like going shopping or eating out. The kind of thing [...]

Autism: understanding and setting expectations One of the most important yet least understood areas of special needs parenting is the area of setting expectations. Here Enda and Val talk about some of their experiences getting the balance right. For me the whole area of assessments, schools, special services, sports and expectations is an incredible conundrum. [...]

We offer a FREE Child Assessment Overcoming language disorders in the most unexpected places. For millions of children to world over, language disorders and deficits are a major obstacle to just about everything. I remember Conor's teacher saying to me once that 'he was so intelligent but fundamentally unteachable'. Imagine saying all that in just one [...]

A day in the life: autism miracles on NUI Galway campus……… University Press, Galway Ireland Teenager Conor Dodd, diagnosed as severely autistic as a child, now teaches special needs children to communicate. In this story of hope and miracles, we look at how this came about and what the future holds for Conor. Can [...]

Autism, communication and parenting: our journey to learning readiness. One of the most frequent questions I get asked by parents is 'how do I get my son to co-operate with me?'. If I were to translate this question into a term more familiar to teachers, it would be how to get 'instructional control' with [...]

Finding Dory speaks to disabilities in a powerful way I just saw Finding Dory, another wonderful production from the guys over at Pixar. And as with many connected with Hollywood and the film industry they are challenging society to think about what we all represent. In this case the challenge comes in the form of special needs [...]