Category Archives: Autism And Driving

BAS Family Conference

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Developmental Programs, Bureau of Autism Services will be hosting a free one-day conference for individuals with autism ages 17 and older and their family members, including parents, spouses, siblings and others.

This conference will provide provide strategies and resources about Advocacy, Relationships & Building Community.

 Conference Highlights:
  • Presenters sharing knowledge based on their personal and professional experiences
  • Resource Fair highlighting Pennsylvania Support & Advocacy Groups and organizations offering helpful information for adults with ASD and their families
  • Opportunities to socialize, connect and network
Saturday, September 19,  2015
Lancaster, PA
Registration is now open! To register for the conference, please email bettertogether@tiu11.org or call 1-844-300-4250 to request a registration form. This conference is free; there is no registration fee, but pre-registration is required. Continental Breakfast and Lunch will be provided. Registration deadline is September 8, 2015.
For more information, please contact  the Autism Services, Education, Resources & Training Collaborative (ASERT). Visit www.PAautism.org or call ASERT at 877-231-4244.

Autistic Teens Want To Drive

A study released by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Center For Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) looks at teens with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders and driving.  They found that, among their sample of 300 teens, two-thirds are already driving or expect to drive.

“As a clinician who specializes in children with disabilities, I was interested to find that so many teens with high functioning autism spectrum disorders want to drive and do,” says Patty Huang, MD, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician at CHOP and the lead author of the study. “We need to help them. Establishing a few indicators for these teens that will likely have an interest in driving is the first step in developing targeted strategies and interventions to support them and their families.”

The findings suggest that parents of teens with HFASDs would benefit from guidance in deciding if driving is the right choice for their individual family. Readiness to drive can be difficult to assess, and parents should be encouraged to seek the help of their child’s physician, an occupational therapist or driving instructor.

Modern Driver Institute is the only driver education provider in Pennsylvania that specializes in working with individuals with autism.   We recommend that driving goals be incorporated into your student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP).

Wretches and Jabberers Special Screening

Tracy Thresher and Larry Bissonnette visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photograph courtesy of Douglas Biklen

This April, the Autism Society and AMC Theatres have teamed up to bring the new film Wretches & Jabberers to 40 cities in a special limited release. Wretches & Jabberers is a ground-breaking documentary about two men with autism who embark on a global quest to change attitudes about disability, intelligence and communication.  The film’s stars, self-advocates Tracy Thresher, 42, and Larry Bissonnette, 52, have limited speech and type to communicate. Growing up, people presumed they had intellectual disabilities and they were excluded from typical schooling. They faced lives of social isolation in institutions or adult disability centers. When, as adults, they learned to communicate by typing, it dramatically changed their lives.

See it locally on Saturday, April 2 at noon at the AMC Neshaminy 24 in Philadelphia.

We are spreading the word about this film because it highlights the real lives of adults living with autism. Today, many individuals with developmental disabilities are facing a crisis. For example, Tracy is homeless and sleeps in a different place each night. Projected government budget cuts mean the already scarce services and supports provided by Medicaid are even more vulnerable. On the other hand, the film portrays the potential of people with autism as Tracy and Larry show audiences around the world that they are “the perfect example of intelligence working out itself in a much different way.”

This exceptional film is making one stop in a theater near you in April. This is a huge opportunity to raise awareness about the issues faced by adults with autism and other disabilities today. We appreciate AMC Theatres for providing this very rare opportunity for an independent documentary to have such a long run in large mainstream movie theaters. AMC is generously donating 10% of ticket sales to the Autism Society to commemorate Autism Awareness Month. Please visit www.amctheatres.com/wretchesandjabberers to buy presale tickets.

Our goal is to show our dedication and pride, fill theaters, increase awareness and support Tracy and Larry’s efforts by sharing their story with the world. This film has the power to make people pay attention to the critical issues faced by others like Tracy and Larry, and to acknowledge that everyone deserves respect and that we should always “presume competence,” which is evident if we just stop and listen.

We hope you are able to attend one of the showings. Please also help us spread the word by sharing this information with all of your e-mail lists, friends, families and colleagues, and encourage them to go see Wretches and Jabberers at a theater near them this April. The listing of theater locations and dates follows. You can watch the movie trailer or find more information at the Wretches and Jabberers website http://www.wretchesandjabberers.org, and don’t forget, you can pre-order tickets at www.amctheatres.com/wretchesandjabberers. Working together, we can change lives!