Sixteen-year-old Fiacre Ryan’s life was transformed because of the Rapid Prompting Method, an innovative way of dealing with the effects of autism, and he now wishes to expand its use in Ireland and lower the stigma often associated with autism. Diagnosed with autism at age three, it was difficult for friends and family to fully communicate with Fiacra. After reading the … [Read more...] about Non-Verbal Autistic Teenager Given A Voice
Autism
A Different Key
ABC’s John Donvan captures the challenges, activism and inspiration of living with autism. ℘℘℘ Robert Foster Kennedy was born in Belfast, where he studied to become a doctor at Queens College. In 1942, Kennedy published a chilling article in the American Journal of Psychiatry. As described by veteran ABC News television correspondent John Donvan in his fascinating new book In … [Read more...] about A Different Key
Mother Courage:
How Ruth Sullivan Changed the World for Autistic Children
href="https://www.irishamerica.com/in-this-issue-2016-aug-sept/">Tom Deignan, Contributor
There’s no way for John Donvan to put it gently when it comes to Ruth Sullivan, an Irish Catholic mother of seven and pioneering woman in the world of autism.
“She just thought it was all bullshit,” says Donvan with a laugh, though he adds Sullivan herself would never use such language.
It was the 1950s when Sullivan, and her husband, began raising their family.
Sullivan … [Read more...] about Mother Courage:
How Ruth Sullivan Changed the World for Autistic Children
Hibernia: Ireland and U.S. Join to Improve Literacy
The Irish and American governments are joining together in the fight against illiteracy. They plan to tackle poor literacy levels, improve classroom teaching, and encourage student exchanges between the two countries. The U.S. Secretary of Education, Richard Riley, and the Irish Minister of Education, Dr. Michael Woods, are implementing the proposal.Part of the plan entails the … [Read more...] about Hibernia: Ireland and U.S. Join to Improve Literacy