Autism and Criminal Behavior

Are Autistic individuals more likely to commit crime? Are they violent? Does their anti social behavior contribute to a lack of empathy for others and therefore lower their inhibitions to commit crimes? The Sandy Hook guys had Autism, right? 

So many questions, let’s take them all one at a time and maybe we can dispel some rumors and arm ourselves with facts. Are Autistic individuals more likely to commit crime? In a word, no. Of all the reports and studies I have read the researchers come to the same conclusions time and again. There is no substantial evidence to indicate persons with ASD are more likely to commit crime. That is not to say they are less likely to be influenced by others to commit an offense. Remember, especially in kids with ASD, they want to belong. Something as simple as "take this box to my friend in the blue house" could turn into drug dealing. I know this from personal experience. The individual with ASD may not know what they are transporting and even if they did, they would not be able to understand what makes it so bad. They do not understand the laws on search and seizure, and may not understand their Miranda rights.

Let’s look at some numbers, but first we need to understand the difference between aggression and violence. An aggressive act could and should be expected from and Autistic individual. Why? They may not always be able to express themselves properly and they commonly misread nonverbal clues. That does not mean the Autistic individual wants to hurt you, or even intends to cause harm. Autism is an intellectual disorder and this individual may not be able to fully understand the effect of their actions on another person. Aspergarians are different. They are very high functioning and understand the cause of their actions. Aspies are very rule driven people. They take the rules to have very concrete meaning and do not bend to rule breaking. So, if you tell an Aspie: do not hit, they take that instruction seriously and will correct others in other circumstances based on that rule. 

Violent crime is a premeditated, planned out event that causes great harm or death. Very basic, umbrella definition, but for our purposes this is the basic difference maker. Yes, some individuals with ASD do commit violent crimes. The odds that and individual with ASD will commit a violent crime are substantially small. A study conducted in 2013 of 313 Danish adults actually found that persons with ASD had a substantially lower rate of criminal conviction than their peers. The researchers estimated that 9% with ASD compared to 18% without, were convicted of criminal activity. 

So what explains the 9% that do commit crime? ASD has a frequency of psychiatric co-morbidity. What the heck is that? Co-morbidity simply means an additional disorder. One study found that of 114 individuals with ASD, approximately 70% also suffered with psychiatric disorder(s). These disorders can range from attention deficit disorder to schizophrenia. Another, more in depth study with a focus on violent crimes such as rape, murder, etc found that out of 37 cases 30% had "definite psychiatric disorder" and 54% had "probable psychiatric disorder at the time of the offense". 

So what causes this violence? There are two prevalent theories. The first involves Theory of Mind. As I mentioned before those with ASD have difficulties with social cues. A loose understanding of the Theory of Mind explains criminal behavior in individuals with ASD as this: The offender may not be able to understand that the victim is not having the same experience they are. This sounds scary, especially in terms of the violent crimes listed above. Basically it falls on the idea that the offender is unable to understand that the victim is not feeling the same way as the offender during the commission of the crime. The second theory points to an ASD individual's "abnormal and repetitive narrow interests". The explanation for the second theory goes something like this. People live life based on past experience. It is proposed in this theory that an individual with ASD may not have the same experiences, due to either peer or self isolation. Therefore the individual will only focus on internal drivers, rather than considering the social consequences for enacting those internal needs. 

Does antisocial behavior create lack of empathy? In some cases it can. In most cases no. All it requires is simple explanation in words. For instance, when my son hits me I tell him: "No Aiden that hurts mommy. You don't like it when you get hit, so why would you hit mommy?" He understands this explanation and follows with an apology or some other form of understanding. It’s important to do this early and correct the behavior, so the ASD individual can learn cause and effect. This approach may not work for lower functioning individuals on the spectrum, but even these individuals are not devoid of some form of understanding, it is just more fleeting. Sadly, most individuals with ASD on the low functioning end will be placed in a group home as their families may find it difficult to cope with their behaviors. 

The Sandy Hook suspect, Adam Lanza, did have Asperger's Syndrome and Sensory Integration Disorder, which is now understood to be high functioning ASD. That is not to say that Aspies are violent. Adam was also suspected to have suffered from schizophrenia, but this cannot be confirmed now since Adam committed suicide after the tragic events. Let's be clear that Aspergers and Autism did not cause the events that happened at Sandy Hook. The cause of these events is and was Adam Lanza. Adam's Aspergarian focus on guns could have been a major contributor to the reason why he used guns during the commission of this crime, but it is doubtful that the crime would have never happened if guns were not involved. That is due to Adam's obvious unstable state. Adam's mother, Nancy, never expressed fear of him to her family or friends. This indicates to me that she had no idea what storm was brewing within her son. It is extremely rare that an individual with Aspergers would carry out a violent crime like this, but experts do have a speculation as to why. Experts say that an individual with ASD do not commit crimes like this for selfish reasons. They do so to make a point. They want to bring attention to something that has harmed them. 

Personally, I cannot make that jump. I, like the rest of America, cannot accept that the offender was wronged in some way, so gives them a reason to murder 27 people, 20 of which were children. All of whom probably had no idea who he was or why he was behaving this way. I cannot speculate why Adam would commit these offenses, nor am I sure that I want to try. Only Adam knows why he did what he did. Instead I'd like to point out that Aspies, just like any other person, need to know they are loved, supported, and offered the same acceptance as anyone else. Your neighbor's child with Aspergers is not at all likely to commit a crime like this. Please do not ostracize them or blame them for Adam's shortcomings. Aspies are amazing people and they cultivate amazing experiences if you give them the chance to be part of yours.

Here are links to some of the articles I've read to aid me in this post topic:
Wikipedia: Sandy Hook School Shooting
Asperger's Disorder and Criminal Behavior
Violent Behavior in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Fact or Fiction?
Asperger's and Violence: Experts Weigh In

Please like us on Facebook to get the latest information and blogs. Thank-you for your continued interest and support.

Autism and GI Issues: A Gluten Explanation

Some very interesting research has been released lately in relation to gastrointestinal struggles in Autistic children. The CDC recently stated that children with Autism are 3.5 times more likely to suffer from chronic constipation than their typically developing peers. Aiden is one of those kids, he suffers with significant constipation trouble. In 2006 two researchers, Valicenti and McDermott, conducted a study involving 150 children, 50 with ASD diagnosis and 100 typically developing children split into two control groups. They found that 70% of ASD children suffered with GI issues, compared to the 40% of typically developing children in the control groups. Of that group 36% of children with ASD suffered from food allergies, compared to 5-8% of neurotypical children who develop food allergies in the control group.  This is something to stand up and take notice of. If you have a loved one with ASD, please strongly consider involving them with a gastroenterologist.

Children with ASD can suffer from all the typical gastrointestinal struggles such as gastritis, GERD, colitis, IBS, constipation, motility, food allergies/sensitivities, and overgrowth syndrome. It is important to understand why and this brings me to the meat and potatoes of this post. To understand the issues we must fist understand the digestive system. As you know food enters your body through your mouth, you chew food and swallow it. The food travels down your esophagus, to your stomach, and then passes through your intestines until it turns into waste. If you remotely paid attention in basic biology you have a firm understanding of your GI tract and how it generally works. But where we notice an interesting discrepancy is in absorption.

A big trend in the Autistic community is a Gluten free Casein free diet or GFCF diet. Some people swear by it and others see no change at all, some even report a worsening of symptoms. So why so diverse of a response? Well that answer is simple, we are all different. It is important to realize a very controlled study was conducted of 35 children with ASD. In that study 3 of 35 children benefited from a GFCF diet, three of them actually got worse, and the rest showed no change in behavior. Over 2.5 million years the human has been "evolving", but according to science we only see gluten introduced at the "end" of our evolutionary cycle. Gluten was only discovered because we transitioned from a nomadic hunter, to settlers and farmers. We began growing wheat, barley, rye, etc, and therefor we began ingesting Gluten. It is important to note here that Autism is now being linked to auto immune disorders due to strong family histories of auto immune disorders in relatives of Autistic individuals. I have psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, my relatives have psoriasis, my mother in law has auto immune disorders, and my mother has eczema. I focus mainly on my side of the family since Autism markers are found on the X-chromosome, not Y. This indicates the genes are passed to the child by the mother, not the father.

How does the immune system have anything to do with digestion and Autistic GI issues? One of the most highly affected chromosome's in ASD is Chromosome 16. One of the responsibilities of 16 is opening and closing of absorption pathways through a chemical called Zonulin. In situations of ASD or other auto immune disorders the Zonulin may not work properly and keep these pathways open, permanently. This compromises the integrity of the intestinal barrier resulting in a term called "leaky gut". When the gut leaks there is an activation of the immune system, the white blood cells rush to the area to fight, what they perceive to be, an infection. This fight results in inflammation and causes a restructuring of the intestinal wall. Gluten cases a Zonulin release, not seen in Casein. Both Gluten and Casein molecules are larger than other typical food molecules and to help the body the Zonulin may freeze the intestinal pathway open to pass these molecules. This activates the immune system. In scientific studies, the only other situation that causes this mass scale response is a bacterial infection. So the body processing Gluten causes the same mass scale immune system response as the body fighting a bacterial infection. This strongly supports one of Autism's prevalent theories and it works like this: During the fight the white blood cells are damaged. This causes those blood cells to become inflamed. After the fight these blood cells are not restricted to this area and can travel all over the body, one of those places is to the brain. This, in effect, transfers the inflammation to the brain causing a worsening of Autistic behaviors. To hear more about this finding please watch this very interesting and eye opening informational video and article. Fair warning it is about 30 minutes long and a lot of this is geared toward medical professionals. I had to really focus to follow the information, but it also contains worlds of other interesting information that maybe beneficial to you. I strongly recommend watching.

On a more generalized scale a review published in Pediatrics medical journal of 15 studies of 2,200 children provides firm evidence that children with ASD are highly prone to developing GI issues. It goes as far to say that children with ASD disorders are 3 times more likely to suffer from constipation or diarrhea. Children with Autism also appear to have double the risk of abdominal pain. To see more information please visit the article published in Medline Plus.

One article that explains the common struggles of ASD individuals and GI issues can be found here. I personally have found this article helpful in explaining chronic constipation, chronic diarreha, and GERD. It also explains ways you can help. Another helpful article, just released in at the end of 2013, can be found here.

Types of Autism

Wait a minute, you thought Autism was one thing. It certainly is not. In fact there are six types of Autism! Autism is a complex neurobehavioral disorder that presents itself on a sliding scale. What did I just say? A neurobehavioral disorder is simply a disorder of the actions of the nervous system as it relates to behaviors. To add to its complexity, Autism is on a sliding scale. This is important to understand, since each individual on the spectrum functions on a different level. This disorder also covers a wide spectrum of symptoms and impairment, which is why it can be difficult to figure out in some cases. That is why the proper name for this disorder is Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD. That's an eye opener, huh? So what are the types? Are their key differences?

Autism in general usually manifests itself by the age of three. We started noticing symptoms of Autism in our son, Aiden, since he was about a year old, but we did not know that was what we were seeing. Aiden had a few classic characteristics of Autism, but others that were not typical or very subtle. One I remember very clearly is his hand flapping. Just today I caught him exploring a nail file by rubbing the different sides on his cheeks. He does this with new textures. Why the cheeks? I have no idea, that's how he explores his world. A typically developing child would manipulate the object with their hands, feel it with their fingers, use their eyes to examine it, and maybe even use their nose to smell it. Another major issue we have always had with Aiden is his resistance to transitions. If Aiden is involved in one activity he will resist changing activities, sometimes even to the point of a tantrum.

Autism can also be classified in the area of uneven skill development. Every child in the course of their development has struggles and strengths, but they are usually all in the same range. A child with Autism will excel in areas of interest and struggle in others. They may particularly be good at math or science, but suffer in areas of writing or literacy. This is a point of tension for people, since its hard to understand how someone can be so smart in one area, but lack in another. Its hard to articulate to someone with Autism how one subject affects another and why they are all important, therefor it can be exceedingly difficult to engage their interest in subjects they do not care for. The typical cue that drives people to search for answers is a child's lack of communication or socially awkward behavior. This may not be apparent at all until the child reaches school. For instance, Aiden is very affectionate and engages playmates, but his is three, social awkward behaviors do not begin until around age 6. I can only hope we have gotten early intervention involved early enough to circumvent this painful effect of Autism. Of course my son is on the high functioning end of the spectrum. Individuals with severe forms of Autism will show all the classic signs of Autism and may remain non-verbal. I met a grandmother the other day who told me her grandson is Autistic and mute. He communicates to his mother through sign language.

Until recently the six types of Autism were diagnosed separately. I have asked many health care professionals why these types were lumped into one diagnosis. There were many reasons, but the most primary and concerning point for physicians as a whole has been resources and insurance. For instance, Aspergarians were not offered as many resources as "classical" Autism through their insurance companies. The insurance companies said there was no need for intervention, but if you have ever come into contact with an Aspergarian there is a need to teach them social coping skills and to help them adapt their sensory processing issues.

What are the six types of Autism Spectrum Disorder?

• Autism Disorder: This is what people think of when you say "Autism". There are marked impairments in social, cognitive, and behavioral areas. This child will struggle with peer interactions and "imaginative" play. The symptoms can be mild to severe in range. 
• Regressive Autism Disorder: This is very much like Autism, except for onset. In this type of Autism the child develops normally until about 18-24 months old, then they begin to regress. This type of Autism occurs in approximately 20-30% of cases. 
• Asperger's Syndrome: These children are incredibly intelligent. They score very highly on intelligence tests and have good verbal communication skills. They struggle with social interactions since they typically have a narrow scope of interests, usually limited to areas that interest them, much like children with Autism Disorder. Aspergarians may also exhibit odd, repetitive behaviors, and most of them are also diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It is not uncommon for an Autistic or Aspergarian to have a dual diagnosis with an anxiety disorder. 
• Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD): This is also referred to as atypical autism. This is a category specifically designed for children who present some signs of Autism, but do not fit into the other types. These children are a mixed bag of surprises. There is no "typical" PDD child. 
• Rett Syndrome: This disorder primarily effects girls. These children start to develop normally, but then slowly begin losing their skills usually between the ages of 1-4. They will exhibit stereotypical or classic autism hand movements. These children are usually severely cognitively impaired. 
• Childhood Disintegrative Disorder: This disorder is debated among mental health professionals, some believe it should be considered its own diagnosis. These children begin developing normally for at least two years, then they lose some or most of their communication or social skills. This condition is extremely rare. This is very closely related to Rett Syndrome. 

Resources: WebMD and Parents

The most important thing to remember about Autism and it can be summed up in one statement: "If you have met one child with Autism, then you have met one child with Autism". The Autism awareness ribbon is a made up of multicolored puzzle pieces and can often be associated with a rainbow. Every child with Autism is different from another. They may have some overlapping behaviors or mannerisms that help them fit together like a puzzle, but each piece is very different from the others. Their uniqueness is a blessing and a challenge. Like a puzzle, it is every parents goal to solve their child. Not to find a cure, but to find what works for them and help them cope to the world around them. Think of your Autistic child like a puzzle. Learn how to fit the pieces together so they can flow and find how they fit into this world. Its nice to hear people say its not a matter of them fitting into our world, but our world fitting into theirs. I love the idea and the message behind that, but it is not realistic. Its a sad truth, but your child is special to you, and you will conform to them, others will not feel this way. That is why I believe it is important to give my son all the tools he needs to cope with the world he lives in. I hope one day society will conform to him, like I do, but a lot of hard work needs to be done for this to happen effectively. 

Just as every mom I do the best I know how. My husband does the best he can as a father. We all do what we can as a village to help raise these special individuals we have been blessed with. Now we just have to reach out and show others how different our lives are and how wonderful our kids are. 

If you believe your child exhibits signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder, please, take them to a mental health specialist for proper diagnosis. 

We're here for you at Aiden's Hereos.

Family Life with Autism Part 2- Siblings to Autism

Hello everyone! So sorry for the lack of posting. A lot of things have been happening, I hope you've been checking the Facebook page and keeping in touch through that. Today I really wanted to talk about sibling to Autism and what their family life is like. Over this past month we have gone to many Autism Awareness events in the community and a lot of them involve the whole family. My daughter, Haley, will be 18 months old this summer. She is a sibling to Autism. I am also a sibling to Autism. My younger brother was diagnosed last year at the age of 25. This post is dedicated to her and all the other beautiful children out there who are Autisibs, as I lovingly call them.

In 2011 the BSRC (Baby Sibling Research Consortium) estimated that 1 in 5 younger siblings of those with Autism, will be on the spectrum themselves. That translates to approximately 20% of our Autisibs being Autistic themselves. In 2012 the BSRC reported that of the Autisibs, who did not develop Autism by age four, approximately 35% displayed Autistic behavior and were delayed in milestone development. What does all that mean? Children learn a great deal through peer modeling. My son has certain behaviors he displays due to his Autism. I have caught my daughter mimicking those behaviors. I strongly suspect this is what is happening here. On the other hand, my son is high functioning. He is three and can read most sight words and short sentences. His vocabulary skills are part of his Autistic brain and this has translated to my daughter. Haley has a large vocabulary for a child her age. However, if she is not Autistic herself (which we believe to be true), her peers will catch up to her in elementary school.

How do children who are typically developing adjust to having an Autistic sibling? The answer is typically very well. (Breathe a sigh of relief here) Remember in any family, typical or not, there is a level of sibling rivalry. Siblings live with this their entire lives, so they really don't know what life is like without the disability. Generally siblings of a special needs child will grow to be very compassionate, independent, and tolerant adults. Every child is different and how they adapt to their own situations will be different. Be sure to be open to discuss Autism with your typically developing child. Provide individual support for them and involve yourself in their life. When you have a special needs child it is easy to get swept into the world of research, education, and advocacy. That is not bad, but try to remember to step away and just be mom or dad. Take your child to soccer practice, go to their swim meets, and support their math league or drama team endeavors. All they want is for you to appreciate them as an individual.

How do you explain Autism to your typically developing child? That is variant on your child and how much you want to explain. Keep everything age appropriate. You shouldn't keep information from your child if they ask you a direct question. Try to find the best way to answer it. There are books out there that can help you explain disorders to your children. If you see your Autistic child entering a meltdown that can be an incredibly unnerving experience for your typically developing child. Take a moment to calmly take them by the hand and express everything is ok. Get down on their level and tell them as sincerely as possible that you as the adult understand what is going on and it is very important that they do exactly what you say. Give them a job. Please hold mommy's purse and stay right here, or please call daddy on the phone and tell him what you are seeing. Discuss this with your spouse, have your spouse give verbal directive over the phone and talk the child through the process your Autistic child is going through. If your spouse is with you, try to remove your typical child and distract them, especially if they are young. There are also social media groups and play groups available for kids and young adults that offers them support through a community that understands them.

How should an Autisib handle bullying? That's so hard for kids. Bullying is one of the biggest obstacles faced by an Autistic child. Express to your typical child what your expectations are. Be very clear and concise. I personally would want my daughter to stand next to and up for her brother. I would then tell her to tell me, her father, or another trusted adult about what happened. The adults need to handle the bullying situation, not the children. That does not mean I expect her to turn a blind eye to bullying. Bullying is wrong, regardless of the situation.

Here are a list of websites and books for you and your beloved Autisib:
Book- Siblings: The Autism Spectrum Through our Eyes
Book List for Autisibs
Facebook- SOAK
Facebook- Siblings of Autistic Children
Parent Website- Healthy Children
Parent Website- Autism Society of America
Organization- Sibling Support Project

I wish you the best of luck and all our support. If you or your child has questions please feel free to post a comment or contact us through our Facebook page.

Resource List from the ASGO Walk/Family Fun Day

I'm so sorry for my absence everyone. I have been battling a minor head cold and a pinched nerve in my back. Talk about a double whamming! I'm starting to feel better now. 

As some of you may remember, we attended the ASGO Walk and Family Fun day last weekend. For those who were unable to attend I wanted to share some of the resources we were introduced to. These are in no particular order. I have tried to group them based on their services. Most of these are specific to the Central Florida Area, but some of them can be found online or in other areas of the country.

Awareness/Accessories:

Xceptional Xcessories: This is a business created by a mom trying to fund her child's therapies. He is Autistic, epileptic, and has a rare genetic disorder. You can find Robin's items on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/XceptionalXcessories or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/XceptionalXcessories

Beads of Hope: Hope creates these hand crafted items to raise awareness for Autism. Hope's son, Nicholas, was diagnosed with Aspergers, a high functioning form of Autism, in 2011. You can find Hope's creations on her website: http://www.beadsofhopeforautism.com/ 

Care Facilities:

RAPID Programs, Inc: RAPID is a daylong activities center for adults with cognitive deficiencies, mental disabilities, Autism, and physical limitations. Their primary focus is to life skills training and social activities for those in and around Central Florida. RAPID services Seminole County, Florida. If you live in the Seminole County area and are interested in RAPID's services, please visit their website: http://www.rapidprogramsinc.org/

Children First: Children First offers Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care which involves clinical interventions, educational activities, and therapy services. They accept children from birth to 21 years old. Please visit their website for specifics on their services and locations:http://www.childrenfirsthomecare.com/home.html

Attain Inc: Attain is a childhood development center, adult day training center, and also offers community residential homes for Autism and other related disorders. This in depth company offers applied behavioral therapy and workshops. They are specifically tailored to Autism and other related disorders. For more information on their programs please visit their website: http://myattain.org/

Activity Organizations/Summer Camps:

Extreme Sports Camp: Exactly how it sounds, this unique organization offers different kinds of coaching for children and adults on the autism spectrum in different outdoor sporting activities. Located in Glenwood Springs and Carbondale, Colorado they also offer summer camps and weekend programs in the winter and summer! Some of their programs include: ski and snowboard lessons, private lessons, autism-support buddy group, and multiple other activities. Scholarships are available! For more information on this great program: http://www.extremesportscamp.org/

Creative Connections: Offered by the Orlando Museum of Art this program is specifically tailored to special needs children connecting them to art and the world around them. This program is offered to students ages 7-22 and is free. Held on certain Sundays this year from noon-1:30pm, this program requires advanced registration by calling 407-896-4231 x262. For more information on the Orlando Art Museum: www.omart.org

Joyful Music Therapy: For children ages K5-16 years old from June 10-July 31 on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday your child can experience a music therapy group led by a certified music therapist. The primary focus will be on social skills and self regulation for behavior modification. The students will learn songs, play instruments, games and make crafts. The cost is $85 per week, siblings may also participate at half price. for more information please visit: www.joyfulmusictherapy.net

Easter Seals: Summer Day Camp at Camp Challenge begins June 16-August 15. Located in Sorrento, Florida this camp is open Monday-Friday 7:30am-6:00pm for children ages 6-12 this summer camp offers sports and games, nature trail, arts and crafts, swimming, petting farm, and camp Olympics. It costs $200 per week and there are mult-child/ early bird discounts available. For more information please visit:www.fl.easterseals.com/campchallenge

Nathaniel's Hope: Do you just need a break? Doesn't every parent? Nathaniel's Hope understands. Drop your special needs child off in a safe place, with trained specialists, who will care for them while you run your errands. This program is available Fridays and Saturdays at local church locations from 10am-1pm. For more information, locations, and program details visit: www.NathanielsHope.org

Homeopathic Therapy: 

Young Living Essential Oils: Many families have been involving essential oils in their Autism therapy at home. This company has a specific blends offered for Autism therapies. For ADD. ADHD, and Autism they recommend their Clarity, Peace and Calming, Valor, JuvaFlex, SARA, Common Sense, Joy, Grounding, DiGize, and Brain Power blends. They also sell a diffuser. These oils are safe to use on the skin. If you are interested in incorporating Aroma Therapy into your treatment plan, please visit their website for more information: http://www.youngliving.com/en_US

Central Florida Therapy Centers:

Beyond Therapy: This company offers a range of pediatric therapies in one place. They offer Speech-Language, Behavior, Physical, Feeding/Swallowing, Sensory, Early Intervention, Occupational, and Pet Assisted Therapies. For more information, please visit their website: http://centralfltherapy.com/ 

Threshold Health Systems, Inc: Threshold has been around for 40 years and offers an all in one location for medical, dental, educational, and behavioral services dedicated to Autism. If you are interested in Threshold's services, please visit their website: http://threshold-center.org/

Behavioral Support Services, Inc: BSS provides behavioral ananysis, mental health counseling, psychological rehabilitation, targeted case management, and mentoring services for children and adults with an emphasis on improving their daily functioning at home, school, work, and in the community. To see what else is offered at BSS, please visit their website: http://bssinspires.com/

Spirit Horse: This is a horse rescue and rehabilitation facility that offers equine therapy and horse back riding lessons. This unique facility is located in Winter Garden, Florida. They also accept volunteer workers. If you are interested in this type of therapy, please visit their website:  http://spirithorsebtf.com/

The Pieces Fit Interventions: Pieces Fit is a therapy and training center that offers ABA/VB therapy, social skills therapy, speech and language therapy, parent training classes, and much more. Their founder majored in special education, is BCaBA certified, and was a special needs camp counselor. If you are interested in Pieces Fit, please visit their website: http://www.piecesfit.com/index.html

Developing Positive Changes: Servicing Central and the Suncoast of Florida this company is a consulting agency that specializes in treating those with behavioral disorders. They offer in home, in school, and in the community behavioral analysis services. If you would like more information on Developing Positive Changes, please visit their website: http://www.developingpositivechanges.com/