Autism Awareness Blog Hop!

 

Hi everyone! Welcome to my blog post to celebrate Autism Awareness Month. I want to thank RJ Scott for allowing me to participate in her blog hop to raise awareness of autism. Anyone who comments on this post will be entered to win a copy my new release Curiosity Killed Shaney. The contest will end on 4/15 at 11:59 EDT. An excerpt of the story will follow the blog post.

 

Autism Fact:  Autism is a spectrum condition. This means that while all people with autism share certain difficulties, the condition affects them differently.

 

Every day at work, I help to increase the independence of individuals with autism and help their families. I work in Vermont (USA) as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. BCBAs use the basic principles of behavior change through applied behavior analysis to increase skills (some include social, academic, play and self-help), increase levels of functioning and independence, and develop and increase verbal behavior in individuals with autism. Just because someone has a diagnosis of autism that doesn’t mean their lives can’t be full and enriched. I have, and continue, to work with some of the greatest kids and adults with autism and their families. Unfortunately, there are many myths about autism that continue to be perpetuated by popular media and misinformed people. Here are some of those myths and misconceptions I hear most and the truth behind them.

 

Myth: Autism is a hopeless diagnosis.

Early detection and intervention of autism is very important. In 1987, O. Ivar Lovaas, Ph.D., a pioneer in treating autism, published a long-term outcome study synthesizing 25 years of research showing that 47 percent of the children who received intensive behavior therapy in early childhood treated were able to reach levels of function equivalent to their peers without autism. In addition, a large majority of individuals with autism can go on to lead independent and successful lives.

  

Myth: Autism is cause by ________. (poor parenting, vaccinations, environmental factors, mental health issues.)

Autism is a neurological, developmental disorder that shows abnormalities in brain structure and neurotransmitter levels. Symptoms of autism generally appear around the age of two of younger. The exact cause of autism has not been determined however, genetics plays a part. If one twin has autism there is a 90% chance the other twin will have autism as well. Parents with a child with autism have a greater chance of having another child with autism than the general population. Lastly, there is no link between vaccines and autism. A 1988 study linking vaccines to autism has been retracted and false.

 

Myth: Autism is the diagnosis of the day.

Autism is not a new phenomenon. The earliest known description of a child with autism is 1799. Leo Kranner first described autism in 1943. Greater knowledge and early screening have led to an increase in diagnosing those on the lower end of the spectrum.

 

Myth: More individuals from lower socioeconomic classes are diagnosed with autism than those from higher socioeconomic classes.

Autism is not diagnosed more in any one socio-economic class. Actually, those in higher socioeconomic classes are more likely to have higher instances of autism diagnoses due to greater access to resources.

 

Myth: Individuals with autism are violent.
Though there have been recent news stories relating autism to violence, violent acts from autistic individuals usually arise from sensory overload or emotional distress, and it is unusual for individuals with autism to act violently out of malice or pose any danger to society. Many individuals with autism are self-injurers and are more of a danger to themselves than others.

 

Thanks for stopping by! Visit other stops on the Autism Blog Hop!!

 

 

  

Available at   

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Blurb: Shaney's curiosity is always getting him into trouble, including stumbling into a ritualistic circle and being imbued with an energy that will eventually tear him apart. He soon finds out that Hudson, a man he cares for deeply, might be responsible for his misfortune. Add in the betrayal by his best friend Todd and the desire of a demented occultist named Silas to control the energy inside of him and there seems to be no way out. Can Shaney find a way to rid his body of the nefarious energy before he dies a horrible death?

 

Excerpt

 

“How old are you?” Shaney asked. The silence was driving him batty.

The side of Hudson’s jaw twitched. “Twenty-six.”

“And Hudson. Is that like Rock Hudson or the Hudson River?

Another flinch of that muscle but that movement wasn’t an angry twitch. The man couldn’t be nervous, could he?

“Hudson River.”

“Cool. Named after a river. I think I was named after a three-year-old. Is your middle name River?”

“No.”

“Does anyone call you Huds for short?”

“No.”

“Uh-huh.”

And those were the last words they spoke to each other until they reached the cabin.

As the trees thinned, the one-story fishing cabin came into view. Not as eerie as Shaney had pictured in his head. The green paint was weathered and a few shingles were missing, but overall the building was well-maintained. The windows were the old metal frame kind with single panes of glass. Definitely a summer cabin. Winters in the Adirondacks got down right bitter, often dipping into the double-digit negative numbers. Shaney hated the cold as much as his balls did. Hibernation was his winter activity of choice. This, of course, made the other natives scoff since the area was all about winter sports. They were less than thirty minutes from the Olympic Village of Lake Placid. Maybe if they had something exciting, like Extreme Ice Fishing, Shaney could be drawn out of his warm apartment, if only for the entertainment value. He envisioned ice fisherman sitting on their buckets while skiers pulled behind snowmobiles zigged and zagged around them. One missed zag and fishermen, poles, and fish would all go flying.

“Shaney!”

Shaney looked up to see Hudson scowling; jaw clenched tight, dark eyes glaring. Man, had anyone ever looked that annoyed with Shaney?

“What?” 

“Care to join me?” He growled.

“Sure,” Shaney said and followed until the man stopped short. Shaney’s sneaker slid in the mud and he tried to stop, but his body plastered itself to Hudson’s backside. Shaney’s arms automatically wrapped tight around Hudson’s waist to steady his legs.

Oh, hells bells, this feels so good. The heat from Hudson went straight to Shaney’s groin and for just a second Shaney breathed in leather and earth and sweat. When his brain caught up, Shaney jumped back as if his body had come into contact with a hot surface.

Hot is right, he thought as his sneakers slipped again, and he ended up sprawled on his back in the mud. Without hesitation, Hudson reached down and grabbed Shaney’s wrist, yanking him upright.

Hudson surveyed Shaney from head to toe and Shaney felt every inch as a caress. Why did Hudson make Shaney squirm in his skin, make him desire the feel of the strong man over him, under him, behind him…anyway he could get him? After only two hours with the plaid-covered hunk, Shaney’s sexual tension had risen to levels that were about to blow his heads off—all three of them.

Suddenly, Hudson’s jaw unclenched and his eyes lightened. Even his shoulders relaxed. Shaney’s breath caught at the soft openness gazing down at him. Butterflies beat furiously in the pit of Shaney’s stomach. He ran his tongue across his bottom lip. Hudson’s eyes intently followed the movement. Slowly, he lifted his hand toward Shaney’s face. Was he going to touch Shaney? Yes, touch me. Shaney wanted to step closer and nuzzle his cheek into that palm. A slight hesitation of his hand, a flicker of something in Hudson’s eyes, and Shaney froze. Hudson’s hand continued up and a light brush of fingertips across the bump on his scalp sent shivers zinging down Shaney’s spine. There wasn’t enough air.

“Does it hurt?” Hudson asked in a low, rough voice as he watched his own fingers stroking Shaney’s head.

Please, don’t ever stop.

“Not too much anymore. I guess if I knocked it again, probably.” Shaney’s gaze never left Hudson’s face. How rare was that open honesty?

Hudson’s eyes flicked down to meet Shaney’s and for one perfect moment, Shaney stopped thinking. But as quick as a rabbit fleeing a fox, Hudson’s hand snapped back and the tension that had been momentarily absent, now filled Hudson’s face.