The Autism Blog

Trick or Treat at the Autism Center!

Seattle Children’s Autism Center holds an annual Trick or Treat practice party in the welcoming halls of the Autism Center. A (very) autism-friendly event for the entire family. Bring friends! All welcome at this relaxed fun-filled event designed for your family. 

Come enjoy door-to-door trick or treating, costumes, treats, games, prizes, and our memorable sensory room.  Dr. Travis Nelson from The Center for Pediatric Dentistry will be on hand with toothbrushes and non sugar goodie bags.  Saturday October 26th from 10 am – noon.  Seattle Children’s Autism Center  4909 25^th Ave NE, Seattle 98105.  Plenty of parking in front.  Lots of volunteers to play with your goblins.  Come feel at home in the hallways of the Autism Center. 

8 tips for a safe and enjoyable Halloween for your child with autism:

1. Let your child practice wearing their costume at home. This gives you time to make any last minute modifications and time for your child to get used to it.
2. Write a social story describing what your child will do on Halloween.  
3. Create a visual schedule. This might include a map of where you will go.
4. Practice trick or treating in a familiar environment. Visit friends and family, if possible, even neighbors.
5. Keep trick or treating short and comfortable. Consider letting siblings (that might want to go longer) go trick or treating with a friend.
6. Use role play to practice receiving and giving treats.
7. If your child has difficulty with change, you may want to decorate your home gradually.
8. Remember, Halloween looks different for every child on the spectrum and you know your child best. Use your intuition and if you only make it to three houses, that’s okay!

Hope to see you there!

Here are a couple links to helpful Halloween information:

Trick or Treat Social Story

2019 CAC Trick or Treat Flyer

Welcome to the October edition of Ask Dr. Emily!

We often receive questions that we want to share with all our readers. To help with this, Dr. Emily Neuhaus, a clinical psychologist at Seattle Children’s Autism Center, will share insights in a question and answer format. Read full post »

This month’s Autism 200 series class is Autism 208: Crisis Supports : A Panel Discussion

Facilitator: Eric Boelter, PhD, BCBA-D

Panelists include: Elizabeth Landry, NW Justice Project, Gary Stobbe, UW Adult Autism Clinic, Beth Leonard, Developmental Disabilities Ombuds, Stacy Dym, Arc of King County, Gail Krieger, Medicaid/Healthcare Authority, Beth Krehbiel, Developmental Disabilities Administration, Arzu Forough, Washington Autism Advocacy and David O’Neal, Sound, Health Community Network Program

When faced with a crisis, where do individuals with severe autism and Intellectual impairment turn for support, treatment, services and stabilization? Those with complex mental health or significant behavioral challenges are not being served by current crisis services. Lack of appropriate services, held in hospitals, and inappropriate inpatient psychiatric placement are just a few of the alarming concerns. This panel session will take a closer look at what is available, challenges, gaps, barriers, and what should be done to prevent and intervene for people experiencing crisis, challenging behaviors and/or mental health emergency. This panel will address the needs of those enrolled in the Developmental Disability Administration (DDA) system. A future Autism 200 will address the needs of those not enrolled in DDA system.

Class Schedule: This class will be held Thursday, September 19, 2019 at Seattle Children’s Hospital in Wright Auditorium from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Please join us in person or watch on Facebook live. For more information see the  Autism 200 Series webpage.

Here is a link to the class flier: Autism 208 Crisis Supports FLIER Sept 19, 2019 

Link to class powerpoint:Autism 208 Crisis Panel.2019

Welcome to our series on Research. We continue with information about the WONDER study. Read about more research opportunities in our next research blog.

Who? Families with an infant under the age of 6 months with an older biological sibling (whole or half) with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and who use English as a primary language.

What? Seattle Children’s researchers want to better understand social brain development in infants during the first 3 years of life. Over the course of 3 years, there will be 5 in-person study visits at our research lab in Seattle. During the visits, researchers will: record brain activity and eye movement while showing your child pictures and videos, engage your child in play-based activities to monitor child development. Feedback about your child’s performance on developmental assessments will be provided. One caregiver will be asked to complete questionnaires around the same time as the study visits, and 4 phone interviews over the course of the study. Study visits will vary in length from 1- 2 ½ hours. Phone interviews and questionnaires will last approximately 1-2 hours. Appointments will be scheduled at a time that works well for your family. Families may receive up to $410-$425 by the end of the study for completing all the study activities. Children will receive a small toy at each visit. Parking validation is provided.

When? This study is currently enrolling participants. Contact the study team . Drs. Fred Shic and Sara Webb, Center for Child Health, Behavior & Development, are the co investigators of this study.

Please join us for Autism 207, the second of a 2 part series: “Transition to Adulthood”. People with developmental disorders are at an increased risk of abuse and neglect. This population also appears to be at an increased risk of exposure to intimate partner violence in childhood, which can produce lasting effects. At the same time, post-traumatic stress can be very difficult to detect and treat among developmentally delayed adults. This presentation will outline primary risks, as well as recommendations for assessment and treatment of trauma and neglect in adults with autism and developmental disorders.

Rachel L. Loftin, PhD, is a clinical and school psychologist who specializes in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). She has extensive experience in diagnosis, assessment, and intervention to help promote positive outcomes for people with ASD. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Loftin has been involved in cases involving special education, family, criminal, and civil law. She has particular expertise working with people with autism, intellectual disability, and other conditions that can increase social vulnerability and complicate interactions with law enforcement. Dr. Loftin’s clinical-research interests include interventions to increase independent function in young adults, strategies for increasing self-monitoring, transition to adulthood, and sexuality education and sexual identity in people with ASD.
Dr. Loftin is adjunct faculty in the Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Department at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and in the Psychiatry Department of the Yale School of Medicine

Class Schedule: This class will be held Thursday, August 15, 2019, at Seattle Children’s Hospital in Wright Auditorium from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Please join us in person or watch on Facebook live. For more information see the  Autism 200 Series webpage.