Positively Autism ~ Introduction to TEACCH ~ March/April 2010

Introduction to TEACCH
Volume 5, Issue 2 ~ March/April 2010

Positive Autism News

Holly Robinson Peete: "We Have to Respect" Views of People with Autism

In a recent article, actress and author Holly Robinson Peete (who also appears on the current season of The Celebrity Apprentice) shares some of her views about Autism. Presented as a list of eight facts about autism that are not being covered by the media, the article includes the fact that we should listen to "autism advocates who actually have autism." According to Peete, many individuals with autism that she has spoken with, share that they feel excluded from the national autism conversation. Peete shares a positive view of individuals with autism when she says that we should remedy this situation, and that "their opinions should be heard, valued and included." Click here to read the complete story.

New Biography Explores Unique Side of Notable "Thinker"

In the most recent installment of a book publisher's "Extrordinary Canadians" series, novelist Douglas Coupland explores the "quirky side" of notable thinker Marshall McLuhan. McLuhan was and English professor who became known as a "media-guru" during the 1960s by making the phrases "the global village" and "the medium is the message" a part of the popular lexicon. While McLuhan was never diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, it is suggested that some of his characteristics are indicative of autism: he "disliked being touched or jostled, was attached to his daily routine and to ritual, was obsessed with words and memorization, was not shy to correct anyone who had made an error." McLuhan's work and ideas were considered to be groundbreaking, and, in this biography, Coupland shows how these ideas may have stemmed from his "personal traits and the way his brain was 'wired.'" Click here to read the complete story.