By Lisa Ackerman TACA marvels at individuals who can overcome huge obstacles. We look to these individuals for inspiration and guidance while we live with autism and often worry about the kids’ future. Here is one family’s story in Hawaii about their beloved son Keahi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNu1kJ4nEto Keahi is taking amazing steps toward a bright future.... Continue Reading →
What do I tell the community about autism?
By Lisa Ackerman Autism is hard to describe to someone whose life has not been personally affected by it (i.e. their own child, sibling, niece, nephew, neighbor, best friend’s child, etc.) When to you talk to someone about autism that is directly “unaffected” they already have a vision in their mind. The most famous, of... Continue Reading →
TACAnowblog has hit 100,000 readers!
By Lisa Ackerman Since April 2011, TACA has posted 90 different blogs from a variety of physicians, industry experts, parents and friends. This blog was launched with the singular goal of educating families and community about the latest autism news and information. We are excited to know we have hit this milestone of 100,000 readers!... Continue Reading →
Shh…. The Secret to Successful IEP Meetings: Part 1 – How to prepare
Blog by Summer Stech, Esquire – TACA’s Legal Advocate TACAnowblog series: Legal Advocacy The new school year is finally underway! Of course a new school year means it is time to start thinking about your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). Although many annual IEP’s are developed in the Spring - due to the prevalence of... Continue Reading →
Stem cells and autism
By Lisa Ackerman We know stem cell therapy offer treatment solutions for many other conditions (such as leukemia, lymphoma and other issues.) A newly approved FDA pilot study will look at stem cell therapy from cord blood & autism as a possible solution for treatment. The timeline for this pilot study is 1-2 years. Some... Continue Reading →
I have a dream…
Lisa Ackerman 49 years ago Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I have a dream speech." It is one of the greatest speeches of all time. This man and speech inspired a movement that defined history. Dr. King and his speech is STILL hugely significant 49 years later. The speech represents a rally cry... Continue Reading →
Gone Fishin’ – Part Two
By Lisa Ackerman Balance. Family time. Pedicure. Well, let’s not get crazy! All things I write about and rarely accomplish. Well for the next two weeks, I am doing it and I’m forcing my family to tag along. We are unplugging and getting away from it all. Mostly. By the time you read this we... Continue Reading →
A Three Hour Tour…
By Lisa Ackerman For years, there have been many comparisons between parenting a child with special needs or autism and the journey gone through inplanning a trip to Europe. Since I am a parent and this blog is focused on autism that is where this story will continue. The journey starts with you and... Continue Reading →
The Real Cost of Special Education: Considering the Return on Investment
Blog by Summer Stech, Esquire – TACA’s Legal Advocate TACAnowblog new series: Legal Advocacy Return on investment is defined as “a performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or to compare the efficiency of a number of different investments.” The benefit of the investment made is divided by the cost.[1] A greater benefit... Continue Reading →
The IACC reconvenes
By Lisa Ackerman Due to the Combating Autism reauthorization delays, the IACC met again this past week on July 10, 2012. Over one year has passed since their last meeting. Who is the IACC? (1) The IACC is described as follows: The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) is a Federal advisory committee that coordinates all efforts... Continue Reading →
Moving Autism Forward by Team TACA 