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What is Rett syndrome Rett syndrome is a postnatal neurodevelopmental disorder that affects girls almost exclusively and is first noticed in infancy. It is characterized by normal early growth and development followed by a slowing of development, loss of purposeful use of the hands, distinctive hand movements, slowed brain [...]
What is Asperger syndrome? Asperger or Asperger's syndrome (AS) is a developmental autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The discovery of Asperger Syndrome (AS) dates back to 1944. Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger described the syndrome when he was treating four boys with similar symptoms. His writings remained relatively unknown until 1981 [...]
Hold My Beer A Film by Brian Tashima Produced by Second Player Score and Autism Empowerment <span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span [...]
Recognizing Autism Spectrum Symptoms, Signs and Characteristics Individuals on the autism spectrum will have symptoms from a very young age, beginning before the age of three. Some autistic children show hints of future challenges within the first few months of life. In others, symptoms may not appear until 24 [...]
Coexisting Conditions Individuals affected by autism are at an increased risk of experiencing additional cognitive, emotional, or behavioral disorders. It is very common for individuals on the autism spectrum to be dealing with other challenges and coexisting conditions. Sometimes these co-existing conditions are noticed and diagnosed before the diagnosis [...]
Autism Empowerment wants visitors to be able to access reference information, resources, and support through our website, through our programs, and support services. Having knowledge is empowering. We created this page to connect you with other not-for-profit organizations throughout the United States and worldwide that are also dedicated to providing [...]
Acronym and Initialism Directory An acronym is an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word. An initialism is an abbreviation consisting of initial letters pronounced separately (e.g., DDA or IEP) Alphabet soup is often used as a metaphor for an abundance of [...]
Autism Facts Quick Start New visitor? Please check out "Understanding Autism, A Few Quick Notes." This Autism Quick-Start section is meant to provide a quick introduction to basic autism facts written in conversational language. Autism is a Developmental Disability Autism is considered a developmental disability and neurological [...]
Understanding Autism The amount of information available online about autism is often overwhelming to sift and filter through. We aim to provide support with that process by curating content that is enriching, empowering, inspiring, engaging and meaningful. At Autism Empowerment, one of our key goals is to provide meaningful [...]
Getting an Autism Spectrum Diagnosis / The Diagnostic Process Autism varies widely in severity and as it is a spectrum disorder, it will present differently from one person to another and from male to female. Signs and symptoms may go unrecognized, especially if they initially appear as mild or [...]
Karen Krejcha Bio Karen serves as Executive Director and Co-Founder of Autism Empowerment and also as the Board President. She is Editor of Spectrum Life Magazine and the host of the Autism Empowerment Podcast. Karen considers Autism Empowerment her calling and passion. She [...]
What are Pervasive Developmental Disorders / PDD / PDD-NOS? The diagnostic category of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) refers to a group of disorders characterized by delays in the development of socialization and communication skills. Parents may note symptoms as early as infancy, although the typical age of onset is [...]
Community Collaborations Autism Empowerment is physically based in Vancouver, Washington. We are considered part of Southwest Washington although we are also very close to the Oregon border and interact frequently with the Portland, OR metro community. We believe it is important to be actively involved in our community. Community [...]
In Language You Can Understand Autism is a spectrum disorder and neurological difference that includes a broad range of symptoms. For purposes of this page, we're using "autism" to represent all autism spectrum disorder / differences including Autism, Asperger Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD/NOS). With autism, [...]
How is Autism Treated? It is important to remember first that autism is on a spectrum. As such, there is no one size-fits-all autism treatment, therapy, intervention or coping strategy. There are many therapies for autism and as you do your research you will see that there is also [...]
 Actually Autistic Adults in the Real World A Day in Our Lives… By Jenny Bristol Illustrations by Rebecca Burgess  The autistic population is just as diverse as the non-autistic population. To learn about a day in the life of adults on the autism spectrum, we invite you to [...]
Dr. Anson Service Bio Dr. Anson Service is a licensed mental health counselor and part of a team that assesses individuals for autism, ADHD, and more at Adventure Psychological Services. Dr. Service has been a regular columnist for Autism Empowerment's Spectrum Life Magazine [...]