From About.com Preschoolers: "A new 'interstitial' show on Nick Jr. is doing its best to encourage kids to interact using sign language. Signing Time, which debuts today, features Emmy-nominated children's performer Rachel Coleman in three five videos (three on air, two on NickJr.com) that teaches some basic words from the American Sign Language vocabulary." (10/12/09)
From Disability Scoop: "A Michigan girl's experience with her brother who has autism is the topic of a new short on the The Disney Channel. Melody Igafo-Te'o, 13, and her brother Michael, 15, are featured in a 2-minute segment called 'The Time I Realized My Brother was Different,' which is airing regularly on the cable channel." (12/3/09)
From Disability Scoop: "They have Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, autism and blindness, but it's the rock music that the band Flame is creating that's turning heads around the world." (12/2/09)
From Disability News: "The fashion world may be the last bastion of prejudice, a field that overtly discriminates against people because of their looks. So there is something both bold and troubling about 'Britain's Missing Top Model,' a reality show that begins on Tuesday on BBC America that pits disabled women against one another." (12/2/09)
From Squidalicious: "I was so pleased with Glee's portrayals of people with special needs in the episode Wheels ... and then last night's episode thread about a competing Glee club from a Deaf school dripped patronizing treacle. Blech." (11/27/09)
From Disability News: "Comedian Howie Mandel answers questions about his new book, 'Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me,' arriving in stores today. The book details his lifelong struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder." (11/25/09)
From USA Today: "In Extraordinary Measures, he's a loner scientist whose theories could treat a degenerative disease and save the children of a desperate father (Brendan Fraser).The kids, ages 7 and 9 by the end of the film, have Pompe disease, a genetic disorder that confines patients to wheelchairs and respirators, often ending their lives before they hit double digits." (11/24/09)
From JF Activist: "'A Place for All: Faith and Community for Persons with Disabilities' explores the courageous stories of persons with disabilities as the succeed in making their faith communities truly inclusive." (11/24/09)
From Disability News: "Jack Thorne, a co-writer for the BBC series 'Cast Offs,' says his own experience coping with disability inspired him to create a show that explodes a few myths about disability. Thorne has a condition called chronic cholinergic urticaria, which is basically an allergy to heat, and another co-writer, Alex Bulmer, is blind." (11/23/09)
From Disability News: "Nicola Clark, the mother of a British actress with Asperger's syndrome, has launched a campaign to stop non-disabled actors from portraying characters with disabilities." (11/18/09)
A post on the blog Hearing Sparks looks at video game characters with diabetes and hearing impairment. (11/18/09)
From Age of Autism: "Bill Maher weighs in on vaccination as an infallible medical miracle, and he credits Barbara Loe Fisher and Dr. Jay Gordon for their work. Is Michael Moore next to chime in?" (11/18/09)
From Disability News: "UK television executives have developed a new show in which six strangers are marooned in a remote locale and must struggle to survive. The catch: the show is fictional, but the actors are disabled in real life." (11/18/09)
From Disability News: "This week's episode of the Fox series Glee, which chronicled a high school team's effort to raise money for an accessible bus, ranked as the third most popular video on Hulu.com. The episode explored questions about human diversity." (11/14/09)
The episode "Wheels" sought to raise disability awareness, but for some viewers, the casting of a nondisabled actor as a wheelchair-using character was a speed bump. (11/13/09)
From About.com Deafness: "This much publicity for Marlee Matlin could help the deaf and hard of hearing community in the effort to get HR 3101 passed in Congress, because she is now the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) spokesperson for accessible broadband services and Internet media." (11/9/09)
Should Abigail Breslin get the part of Helen Keller over a deaf-blind actress? Should someone who really does use a wheelchair play the wheelchair-user on
Glee? How much do you care?
From Newswise: "Chandra Wilson, a mother of three and star of ABC's Emmy Award-winning Grey's Anatomy, and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) are pleased to unveil today a series of public service announcements (PSAs) on the safe use of children's over-the-counter (OTC) oral cough and cold medicines." (10/30/09)
From ABC News: "Glenn Close is speaking out for the first time on television about the legacy of mental illness in her own family. Her sister, Jessie Close, has bipolar disorder, and Jessie's son Calen Pick, 28, has schizo-affective disorder." (10/22/09)
From Special Ed Law Blog: "For some students who have autism, the movie could be a movie-social story about emotions: recognizing the facial expressions of different emotions and understanding how strong emotions can be overwhelming and have consequences." (10/20/09)
From the LA Times: "Team Asperger" is foiled by a lost passport. (10/12/09)
From Cinematical: "Based on a true story, the film follows a couple whose two youngest children were diagnosed with a neuromuscular disorder called Pompe disease. Rather than take things as they were, John Crowley quit his job and created a startup research company to help make advances that could help his children." (10/10/09)
Madonna, Guy Ritchie, and the R-word; plus, a teacher gets probation for spiking an autistic student's soda with hot sauce. (10/9/09)
The first two episodes of the season both had a plotline near to my heart -- a mother fighting for a sick child, bearing the burden of finding answers and providing support and holding the world together all on her own.
From About.com Kids TV and Movies: "HIT entertainment has announced plans for a Thomas & Friends movie, which will be a mix of live-action and CGI. In honor of Thomas' 65th birthday, HIT also has plans for a new CGI series that is set to premiere next year." (10/2/09)
From Disability News: "John Travolta's first public acknowledgement that his son had autism and a seizure disorder has drawn mixed reactions within the autism community, with some offering support and others criticizing him for not speaking out sooner." (10/1/09)
From Entertainment Weekly: "In following the Isaacsons' journey, Michel O. Scott's documentary, The Horse Boy, turns into a lyrical and stirring meditation on the mystery of autism." (10/1/09)
From NY Times: "What do you do if your autistic son is unresponsive to treatment yet inexplicably soothed by the proximity of horses? If you are Rupert Isaacson and his wife, Kristin Neff, you take him to a country where horses are as essential as water: Mongolia." (9/30/09)
From Disability News: "Pablo Pineda, a Spanish actor with Down syndrome, has been awarded the best actor prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival for his performance in the film 'Yo, Tambien' ('Me Too')." (9/29/09)
From Disability Scoop: "But on Wednesday, Travolta came forward about the diagnosis, saying, 'my son was autistic and he suffered from seizure disorder every 5 to 10 days' The comments came as Travolta testified in a Bahamas court against a paramedic and former Bahamas senator who are accused of trying to extort $25 million from the actor." (9/24/09)
From Disability Scoop: "Actress Katherine Heigl’s decision to adopt a baby with special needs puts her among a growing group of parents willing to take in a child with medical issues rather than wait years for a healthy baby." (9/23/09)
Of all the fantastic risks faced by the characters in the new animated film Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs -- enormous ears of corn dropping from the sky, avalanches of leftovers, spaghetti tornadoes, psychotic gummi bears -- there's one that may not seem so fanciful to some young viewers and their families: the risk of anaphylactic shock from exposure to peanuts. (9/22/09)
Disability Scoop interviews Zev Glassenberg, "the first person with Asperger's syndrome to compete on the CBS reality show The Amazing Race." (9/22/09)
From To the Max: "I just saw photos on Celebrity Baby Blog of Naleigh, the 10-month-old girl actress Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley adopted from Korea. Katherine's mentioned that Naleigh has special needs. I was fascinated and horrified by the comments on the post." (9/19/09)
From de-ice.net: An upcoming episode highlights the National Marrow Donor Program and brings together a donor and recipient. (9/17/09)
Remember that diabetes-themed season opener of the Disney series Hannah Montana that got pulled last year after parents of kids with diabetes got a gander at it? It's baaaaaack. (9/17/09)
From Disability Scoop: "The Grey’s Anatomy star announced on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Friday that she and her husband, Josh Kelley, are adopting a nearly 10-month-old girl from Korea." (9/12/09)
From Disability News: "Appearing on The Ellen Degeneres Show, actress Katherine Heigl announced that she and husband Josh Kelley are adopting a baby girl with disabilities from Korea." (9/12/09)
From Disability Studies, Temple U.: "Locke has a wide array of experiences and traits that get more screentime, but it seems he's still "the former wheelchair user" above all, maybe because disability can be just that overwhelming an element of identity sometimes." (9/11/09)
From AFP: "The US Department of Health and Human Services is poised to unleash characters from Maurice Sendak's classic 'Where the Wild Things Are' to help fight childhood overweight and obesity." (9/11/09)
Last season, it was Margie and Luke carrying the "people with special needs can do anything banner." This season, it's Zev and Justin. (9/10/09)
From The Hollywood Reporter: "Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet has signed on to do the English narration on "The Sunshine Boy," a documentary exploring autism by famed Icelandic director Fridrik Thor Fridriksson." (8/27/09)
From About.com Cancer: "When I read that Jon Gosselin spent a few hours at a children's cancer center the other day, I became a little angered. Yes, its all very nice that he spent a morning with these ill children, but why did he wait until his public image became tarnished to donate his time? Sounds like a little PR work to me, but hopefully I am wrong." (8/21/09)
From Autisable: "After the very public Meltdown of special needs contestant Susan Boyle on reality tv show Britans Got Talent people have been questioning whether other people with special needs ... can survive on reality TV Shows. Another British reality TV show, also produced by Simon Cowell has allowed a contestant with Aspergers Syndrome to proceed with being a contestant." (8/21/09)
From AutismLearningFelt: "Bones is a highly intelligent woman that has difficulty interacting socially with her co-workers, is a very literal thinker, and has problems displaying emotions." (8/18/09)
From BBC - The Ouch! Blog: "The BBC's disability website 'Ouch!' is planning a feature called Disabled Student Diaries. We want to follow 3 disabled students in their first few weeks at university, focusing on everything from access to lectures and campus, through to how you're getting on living independently away from home and your new social life." (8/19/09)
From NPR: "She yelled out one-word answers when she wanted something she liked. She'd sometimes repeat what other characters said to her. She thrived on intense, sustained hugs. She wouldn't always listen before diving into something, as it were. Ponyo was literally a fish out of water, trying to learn the norms of human interaction, but not always hitting the mark." (8/19/09)
From About.com Eating Disorders: "There are dozens of reports available saying that a 'close family friend' of Michael Jackson has concluded that the pop icon suffered from bulimia nervosa." (8/17/09)
From Easter Seals Autism Blog: "My job as moderator of the Easter Seals and autism blog rarely takes me to the world of country music, but thanks to the generous donation country music superstar Alan Jackson recently made to Easter Seals of LaSalle and Bureau counties, my eyes (okay, my ears!) have been opened." (8/6/09)
From About.com Bipolar: "It 'is a wrenching profile of a family torn apart. Dana and Hart Perry share the intensely personal story of every parent's worst nightmare: the death of a child by suicide.'" (8/4/09)
From Disability News: "'We hope this movie becomes the Rain Man of Asperger's,' said Dania Jekel, executive director of the Asperger's Association of New England. 'When people talk about autism they say, "Oh, you mean like Rain Man?" So maybe when people talk about Asperger's they'll say, "Oh, you mean like Adam?"'" (7/30/09)
From Disability News: "Andrew O'Hehir writes in Salon that films like the newly released 'Adam' are dull because they 'take their educational function so seriously, that they don't have any time or energy left to be, you know, movies.'" (7/30/09)
From Entertainment Weekly: "The title character of Max Mayer's Adam is a 29-year-old electronics engineer with Asperger's syndrome -- and yes, he is one of those charming, saintly, afflicted movie misfit child-men." (7/30/09)
From Disability News: "Rose Byrne and Hugh Dancy in 'Adam,' Fox Searchlight photoThe newly released film 'Adam,' starring Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne, is the tale of a young man with Asperger's whose life is changed when a beautiful woman moves into his New York apartment building." (7/30/09)
From Cinematical: The "R-word" has been dubbed over in the DVD version ... though considering the tone of this post and the comments that follow it, there's still a lot of work to be done in raising awareness of why the word needs to come out. (7/29/09)
From About.com Rare Diseases: "In the May 2, 2005, issue of People magazine, singer, choreographer, and American Idol judge Paula Abdul discusses living with reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), also known as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)." (7/29/09)
From Disability News: "In 'Adam,' Hugh Dancy plays a man on the autism spectrum whose difficulties with social interactions get in the way of his hopes for a romance with a neighbor, played by Rose Byrne." (7/28/09)
From About.com Rare Diseases: "Isabelle Brown, age 13, got her wish granted by a children's charity--to meet actress Emma Thompson. On July 15, Isabelle spent a day with Ms. Thompson on the set where the upcoming sequel to the movie Nanny McPhee is being filmed." (7/22/09)
From EW.com: "It was revealed Friday that an interview with SuBo -- that's Britain's Got Talent phenom Susan Boyle -- will air on Wednesday morning's Today show and that evening's episode of America's Got Talent, marking the first time since the end of BGT that the British singer will speak publicly about her meteoric rise to fame and the breakdown she experienced afterward." (7/20/09)
From Autism - Change.org: "Besides sharing a moniker, there's some other coincidinks between Brüno and Bruno [Bettelheim]." (7/16/09)
From Winter Ramblings: "Fox Searchlight Pictures has produced the movie ADAM, a love story about the challenges of falling in love for a young man with Asperger's sydrome. The movie, which will have limited theater release beginning July 29th, was written and directed by Max Mayer." (7/14/09)
From About.com ADHD: "Dr. Ned Hallowell, psychiatrist, best-selling author and expert in the field of ADHD, weighs in." (7/7/09)
From Disability News: "At the annual Little People of America (LPA) conference, the national advocacy organization called for the Federal Communications Commission to ban the word "midget" from broadcast TV. The group said it had filed an official complaint with the FCC." (7/7/09)
From PediaStaff: "Today, we are assuaging our guilt over the way we have treated MJ in the past twenty years -- and are adoring him and his music they way we should have all along. ... If we had been treating him with more compassion ... his story may have played out differently and he would still be here to share his talent with us today." (6/30/09)
From Special Needs Truth: "That's the real lesson for advocates of children with disabilities -- because those children are up to 10 times more likely to be sexually abused than their non-disabled peers. ... I will not endorse his troubling behavior with children just because he has died." (6/30/09)
From Ouch!: "The subject of this week's 13 Questions interview, actor with CP Jamie Beddard, has found himself playing a disabled role in London's West End, alongside a cast of otherwise non-disabled actors including Prunella Scales and Kacey Ainsworth." (6/26/09)
From About.com ADHD: "Ari Emanuel was diagnosed at an early age with ADHD and dyslexia. Today he is co-founder of Endeavor, one of the most powerful talent and literary agencies in the country." (6/23/09)
From OC Register: "Colby Curtin, a 10-year-old with a rare form of cancer, was staying alive for one thing -- a movie." (6/19/09)
From Winter Ramblings: "The program did justice to the often heart-wrenching, complex and inspiring stories of kids and families challenged by a wide range of special needs, while showcasing everyday families who answer their tough challenges with great love and remarkable fortitude." (6/18/09)
From Disability News: "Lauren Potter, a graduate of Riverside's Poly High School, has landed a part in an episode of the new Fox TV series 'Glee,' which premieres this fall. Lauren has Down syndrome." (6/16/09)
From Ouch! "Adam is a quirky romantic comedy starring Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne. Adam is a handsome but intriguing young man with Asperger's who has led a sheltered life - but all that changes when he meets his new neighbour, Beth, a beautiful and brainy writer damaged from a past relationship." (6/15/09)
From About.com Learning Disabilities: "This week, I had the pleasure of speaking with author and filmmaker Quinn Bradley, who was born with Velo-Cardial-Facial Syndrome (VCFS), a genetic disorder that typically involves learning disabilities, palatal defects, heart defects, and distinct facial features." (6/15/09)
From Pioneer Local: "As the 2006 winner of NBC's 'Last Comic Standing,' Blue often sets himself up as a target for humor before others can even think of putting down the guy with the spastic right arm."
From Winter Ramblings: "I believe that when it comes to special needs coverage in the media, including on Oprah, the coverage could and should be more balanced, more thorough and more inclusive of many disabilities, and presented by an array of experienced, knowledgeable voices and activists, not just Hollywood celebrities." (6/5/09)
From Ouch!: "'When will we get a disabled character in EastEnders?' had become something of a mantra for disability groups to chant. In a meeting at BBC Television Centre in London this evening, it was announced that a wheelchair-using actor will join the cast, along with a raft of other initiatives to increase visibility of disabled people in drama and entertainment shows." (6/5/09)
From Disability News: "Producers of the television program, 'Britain's Got Talent,' are getting public criticism for failing to provide support to contestant Susan Boyle, who has learning disabilities." (6/4/09)
From SEN: "Henry, who is dyslexic and currently on a UK-wide tour promoting reading, said: 'Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would have the honour of a Teaching Award in my name. It fills me with gratitude and shock because I was my fourth grade teacher's worst nightmare.'" (6/4/09)
From WebMD: "On the NBC show Heroes, Greg Grunberg plays an ordinary guy with extraordinary powers. In real life, he credits astonishing powers to his 13-year-old son, Jake, who has lived with epilepsy for the past five years." (6/4/09)
From Disability News: "Luxenberg uses his background as a journalist to construct a 'probing, wise and affecting new memoir,' trying to understand why his mother had told her children she was an only child when she actually had a disabled sister who had been institutionalized." (6/2/09)
From Disaboom: "Summer television programing brings new shows and new opportunities to smash stereotypes about people with disabilities. I've been pleasantly surprised by the number of major shows that feature at least one character with a disability." (6/2/09)
From CNN: "Singing sensation Susan Boyle has been taken to a private clinic suffering from exhaustion following her shock defeat in the final of 'Britain's Got Talent,' British media reported Monday." (6/1/09)
From Parent Dish: "In August of 2003, actor Jim Beaver's life started to unravel. His daughter, Madeline, was diagnosed with autism; two months later, his wife, actress and casting director Cecily Adams, was diagnosed with lung cancer." (5/26/09)
The Disney actress was named Honorary Ambassador of Education from the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders. This YouTube video captures her speech.
From JFActivist: "Immediately following the episode, members of LPA and others expressed their concerns about this show to the parties listed above. The response was minimal to non-existent. Today, the viral video created as part of the April 5 episode is still featured on the 'Celebrity Apprentice' webpage." (5/21/09)
From Deadbolt: "We caught up with arguably the strongest female competitor The Amazing Race has ever seen and her passionately persistent and determined son to find out how Margie and Luke felt about the final leg in Maui, what they would have done differently, how Luke's deaf condition was an advantage to them, what they think of Kisha and Jen now after the fact." (5/18/09)
From About.com Patient Empowerment: "Don't rely on a celebrity to give you advice about medical care or drugs. They've been paid to make commercials or speak. They are not trustworthy medical professionals. We need to remember to follow the money." (5/18/09)
Connor Gordon, who created the character of Lydia Fox, is the winner of the "ARTHUR/All Kids Can Character Search." (3/13/09)
From Disability News: "'A Nervous Smile,' a play premiering in New York, departs from the 'sunny side' of disability to explore the'darker side,' as characters plot to escape the overwhelming demands of caring for their teenage children with cerebral palsy." (5/13/09)
From Speak Up Librarian: "Phil asked Luke to admit that his mom is the Bionic Woman. He then asked Luke what was special about Margie. He responded that not all parents of deaf children sign and he was happy that she learned to sign so they could communicate with each other." (5/11/09)
From Star Tribune: The winner of a contest to create a special-needs friend for "Arthur" gets his meeting with Marc Brown. (5/8/09)
From About.com OCD: "On Monday, May 25, 2009, A&E will be launching a new reality television show called 'Obsessed' which examines the real-life struggles of people with anxiety disorders including OCD." (5/6/09)
From BBC Ouch!: "Why are people so astonished when they discover either that 1) a disabled person is actually talented; or 2) a talented person is actually disabled?" (4/27/09)
From About.com Deafness: "In the article, Matlin writes about growing up deaf. In the interview, she talks about being a deaf parent of hearing children and why she decided to write her autobiography." (4/23/09)
From About.com Celiac Disease: "Celiac disease has been a topic on not one but two TV shows in the past few days. I hardly watch television, so I'm fortunate to have learned about these episodes from a fellow blogger, the Gluten-Free Optimist." (4/21/09)
From Be Free for Me: "Team Kotu and Athena had the task of coming up with a new meal and marketing plan for Schwan's, a company that delivers meals 'right to your door with no muss or fuss .... " Well, Team Athena (members include: Melissa Rivers, Jesse James, Annie Duke, and Brande Roderich) won with the GLUTEN-FREE Triple Play Turkey Meatballs!" (4/20/09)
From Disability News: "By now, just about everybody has heard about Susan Boyle, the plain Scottish spinster whose extraordinary singing voice dumfounded the judges of a British talent show this week. ... But what many may not know is that Boyle, an unemployed church worker who cared for her elderly mother until her death two years ago, has a lifelong history of disability." (4/17/09)
From About.com Bipolar Disorder: "next to normal has opened on Broadway at the Booth Theatre following its sold-out engagements at both NY's Second Stage Theatre and DC's Arena Stage. ... The very interesting twist is that the mother Diana, played by Alice Ripley, is a mother apparently careworn and possibly struggling with bipolar disorder." (4/16/09)
From Parent Dish: "The best advice I can give parents considering a cochlear implant for their child is to remember that at the end of the day, your child is still deaf. When that cochlear implant comes off to go swimming or to bed, your child will still be unable to hear. So give your child all the tools they need to communicate in ALL situations." (4/16/09)
From Disability News: "Scott MacIntyre tells Entertainment Weekly that one of his motives for appearing on American Idol was to 'break barriers and break the perceived notions about blind individuals.' MacIntyre, who is legally blind, was ousted from the show last week." (4/15/09)
From Justice For All: "On Celebrity Apprentice, both teams had to come up with a commercial concept for the new smaller bottle of All Detergent. Well both teams decided that using the term Midget freely and openly throughout the show was cool." (4/10/09)
From About.com Deafness, a profile of deaf actress Deanne Bray Kotsur of
Sue Thomas F.B.Eye. (4/7/09)
From ParentDish: "The 'Heroes' star says his son Jake is the real hero. Jake, now 13, was diagnosed with epilepsy at age seven. It started with what Grunberg describes as 'staring spells,' and got worse from there." (4/2/09)
From MSNBC: "'Heroes' star's son better after brain surgery Actor Greg Grunberg calls the results of epilepsy procedure a 'home run.'" (4/2/09)
I've been hearing ads for the new two-sets-of-twins-plus-sextuplets extravaganza "Table for 12" for a while now, usually with half an ear while I'm working. It wasn't until this week that I actually caught the fact that one of those sextuplets has cerebral palsy, and that was enough to make me sit down last night for a DVR reprise of Monday's premiere episode. (3/27/09)
From Cinematical: "The 12-year-old titular hero, to be played by Logan Lerman, appears to be "just another New York kid diagnosed with ADHD, who has good intentions, a nasty stepfather, and a long line of schools that have rejected him" before he discovers that his father is Poseidon (the Greek god, not the doomed ocean liner)." (3/27/09)
From Speak Up Librarian: "Luke signed tonight that his mom is doing the communicating and he is doing the strategizing. They need to step it up for the next leg of the race." (3/23/09)
From Wired: "In his latest book, The Mirror Effect (on bookstore shelves Tuesday), he spells out a theory that stars are predisposed to narcissistic personality disorder long before they become famous. Their dysfunctional behavior is rewarded by Hollywood and portrayed as normal by the press." (3/18/09)
From Disability News: "The president of VSA arts, a non-profit that promotes programs for people with disabilities, says American Idol finalist Scott MacIntyre doesn't need pity votes. MacIntyre is legally blind." (3/12/09)
From About.com Infectious Diseases: "Danny Gokey has set up a foundation, Sophia's Heart Foundation, in honor of his late wife, whose main purpose is to raise money and support for children who have suffered poverty, disease, broken families, and broken dreams." (3/12/09)
From Disability News: "The word 'retard' has a prominent place in 'Miss March,' says Chicago Tribune interviewer Robert K. Elder. The Fox Searchlight film, about a young man who wakes from a coma to find that his girlfriend has become a Playboy centerfold, opens Friday." (3/12/09)
From Disability News: "The Gimp Project, opening this week in New York City, is a dance production that showcases the work of dancers with disabilities, including some with missing limbs." (3/14/09)
A throwaway line in the ABC family drama makes light of sneaking a peanut-butter sandwich into a peanut-free school. (3/16/09)
From Disability News: "Jodi Picoult's new novel portrays a family struggling to cope with their daughter's rare bone disease. The couple consider bringing a wrongful birth lawsuit, and arguing in court that they wish their much-loved daughter had never been born." (3/7/09)
From Disability News: "Lisa Loomer's new play 'Distracted,' which opened off-Broadway this week, explores the quandary of a modern mother faced with the possibility that her son might have attention deficit disorder (ADD)." (3/6/09)
From Disability News: "MacIntyre, who has Leber's congenital amaurosis, is legally blind. His field of vision is about 2 degrees." (3/5/09)
From Ouch!: "Actress and comedienne Kitty Mcgeever, who became blind at age 32, has landed a role in ITV prime-time soap opera Emmerdale." (3/3/09)
From USA Today: "Jodi Picoult's 2004 novel My Sister's Keeper has one of the great shocker endings of recent fiction. But here's another shock: The movie version, due June 26, has a different ending. And that's making some Picoult fans unhappy." (3/3/09)
From Disability News: "The BBC has received nine official complaints and scores of emails from parents who oppose Burnell, saying she is frightening children. She was born with a right arm that ends at the elbow." (3/2/09)
From Daddy Types: Maybe not so many people were really upset about that one-handed BBC children's show host. (2/28/09)
From Strollerderby: "A British television channel has been getting flack from parents over the decision to allow a woman born without a hand to star in a kids TV show. They say the kids are scared. I say the parents need to get over it. " (2/24/09)
From Disability News: "Pinki, who attended the awards ceremony with her father and her surgeon, told People magazine that she had been shunned by children and townspeople in her rural village in India. Pinki's birth had been a humiliation on her family, and villagers said her cleft lip was evidence of a curse." (2/23/09)
From Disability News: "Carrying signs carrying slogans like 'Respect Not Pity,' and 'Don't Reward Bigotry,' they made the case that Lewis has done more harm than good as an advocate for people with disabilities." (2/23/09)
From Disability News: "'Be My Brother,' a movie starring a man with Down syndrome, got the top prize at Australia's Tropfest festival on Sunday, and star Gerard O'Dwyer was named best actor. The festival is the world's largest celebration of short films." (2/23/09)
Disability News excerpts two opinion pieces. (2/21/09)
From Huffington Post: A profile of Jeremy Vest, a young man with Williams Syndrome who's one of the reporters on the MTV show. (2/21/09)
From Disability News: "Disability rights advocates have announced plans to protest the decision by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scientists to grant its Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to comedian Jerry Lewis this weekend for his telethon work raising funds for muscular dystrophy." (2/19/09)
From ABC News: "'They SEEM to be mocking my disability?' Paterson asked incredulously. 'I would say that decidedly they ARE mocking my disability. And that apparently who is blind or deaf or has an ambulatory disability or any kind of physical affect that gets to a leadership position in this country is going to be portrayed as if a bunch of third graders are still ridiculing them.'" (2/13/09)
From ParentDish: "Jacob has walked into a grocery store and watched his mom be teased for being a little person. The show can play an important part in society's acceptance of little people. I hate to say this because it sounds so cliche, but we have been called to be part of a show that really celebrates diversity, and I think it has changed a lot of people's viewpoints." (2/10/09)
From The Karianna Spectrum: "Viewers of Grey's Anatomy not otherwise exposed to autism may think that Dr. Dixon is an accurate portrayal - and that is hurtful, both for the people in their midst who may benefit from a label, and for those who they meet if they know the label before they get to know the person." (2/9/09)
From TV Sqaud: "The prospect of a news show featuring people with disabilities interviewing celebrities and people on the street sounds like a sick way to spend a Sunday evening. ... [But] How's Your News? -- which premieres at 10:30 [Sunday] night on MTV -- aims to change the audience's perspective on more than one level." (2/8/09)
From Disability News: "Premiering Sunday on MTV at 10:30 p.m., the show features a cast of reporters with disabilities who travel the nation in search of news and celebrities. It's produced by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, creators of South Park." (2/8/09)
From Disability Scoop: "A new show on MTV puts people with mental disabilities in the interviewer's seat. The show called 'How's Your News?' features seven adults with disabilities as they travel across the country attending events and interviewing celebrities and newsmakers as only they can." (2/6/09)
From JFActivist: "MTV's new "How's Your News?" show can be seen not as exploitation of people who have mental disabilities but rather as the expression of a subculture that has much to contribute to the mainstream but never had much of an opportunity." (2/6/09)
From Sepinwall on TV: "Whether people are laughing at or with the 'How's Your News?' team is the complicated question at the heart of the project, which has appeared in previous incarnations on HBO and PBS." (2/6/09)
From Autism - Change.org: "What CNN's report on the Bilson family misses is that it's not as simple as someone appearing and 'intervening' with a child and then all's going to be well. Learning is a work in progress for any student." (2/5/09)
From About.com Autism: "According to today's CNN article "Teen's family transformed after autism intervention," all is now well in the Bilson household. 13 year-old Marissa's terrible behavior is now manageable - thanks to one week's worth of therapy which would have cost the family $20,000 out-of-pocket had they not agreed to be televised." (2/5/09)
From Disability News: "This year's 'American Idol' TV show now has at least two contestants with disabilities. David Osmond, who has multiple sclerosis, has been voted on to the next round. Earlier, the judges selected Scott MacIntyre, a singer with a visual impairment." (2/4/09)
From the Daily News: "In a span of 4 minutes and 55 seconds, Armisen made no fewer three blind jokes, starting off by rolling onto the set in a wheeled chair and colliding with 'Weekend Update' host Seth Myers." (2/3/09)
From About.com Autism: "The way this miniseries is presented is, in essence, The Nanny on steroids. Here's a bit from the CNN article describing the show and its star, 13 year old Marissa Bilson. Marissa is autistic - and out of control." (2/3/09)
From Disability Scoop: "New commercials for the product feature professional athletes like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods alongside Jason McElwain, a man with autism. McElwain received national attention in 2006 when he scored 20 points for his high school basketball team in just three minutes." (1/29/09)
I get to be a judge, and can't wait to see what your kids come up with. (1/26/09)
From Winter Ramblings: "The two young actors with Down syndrome included in the episode entitled "Big Baby" and airing Monday, January 26th, are Matthew Von Der Ahe and Tim Borqueze. The boys, appear as students in a special education classroom and comfort their teacher after she collapses." (1/23/09)
From Celebrity Baby Scoop: "Ella-Jayne underwent life-saving surgery to correct a heart defect said to be brought on by a rare condition called Rubeinstein-Taybi syndrome. Baby Ella-Jayne was also rushed to intensive care for another surgery in the summer." (1/21/09)
From Disability News: "Melbourne animator Adam Elliot got an enthusiastic response from film industry insiders this week when his feature film, Mary and Max, opened the Sundance festival. The film focuses on a 20-year pen-pal friendship between an Australian 8-year-old (Mary) and an obese 44-year-old New Yorker with Asperger's syndrome (Max)." (1/16/09)
From The Special Parent: "Sometimes I worry about this however - did they pick Scott because he's token disability boy or is he going to be given a fair shot?" (1/14/08)
From Justice For All: "The craze for touch-screen gadgets, sparked by Apple Inc's popular iPhone, is raising worries that a whole generation of consumer electronics will be out of the reach of the blind." (1/13/09)
How about some special-needs life-swapping to give this guilty-pleasure show a little social usefulness? (1/13/09)
From Autism - Change.org: "I posted about the film Adam in Autism at Sundance last week. In addition to the hope I felt reading the film's description, I had a second reason to be hopeful. The film makers consulted directly with individuals who have an Aspergers diagnosis, including Autism cause member Jason Ross." (1/13/09)
From About.com Down Syndrome: "A new movie, Yonker's Joe, was released on Friday that features a main character with Down Syndrome. Tom Guiry, plays Joe Jr. the son of Yonker's Joe, a con man with few scruples played by Chazz Palminteri." (1/13/09)
From Justice For All: "During his decades of hosting the Labor Day Telethon, Jerry Lewis has helped to perpetuate negative, stereotypical attitudes toward people with muscular dystrophy and other disabilities. Jerry Lewis and the Telethon actively promote pity as a fundraising strategy. Disabled people want RESPECT and RIGHTS, not pity and charity." (1/13/09)
Autism on "Private Practice," Fragile X on "Deserving Design," osteogenesis imperfecta and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome on "Extreme Makeover: Home Addition." (1/12/09)
From Autism - Change.org: "The Sundance Film Festival this year is showing two films that feature characters identified as having Aspergers Syndrome." (1/9/09)
From The Karianna Spectrum: "Did Jett Travolta have autism? Does your neighbor Billy have autism? Does your daughter's classmate have autism?
Yeah, maybe. But it isn't your business." (1/9/09)
How do you like it when people think they know everything they need to about your child and family based on quick glances and gossip? (1/7/09)
From Celebrity Baby Scoop: "Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell and his wife Leighanne have extended their condolences to John Travolta and Kelly Preston following the death of their 16-year-old son Jett, who suffered from Kawasaki disease, just like their 6-year-old son Baylee." (1/7/09)
From About.com Autism: "Whatever his parents' religious beliefs, they did indeed provide him with appropriate medication." (1/6/09)
From WebMD: "Childhood Kawasaki Disease Unlikely Cause of Seizures in Travolta's Teenage Son Jett Travolta." (1/6/08)
From About.com Down Syndrome: "John C. McGinley, the actor who plays the irritable but caring Dr. Cox on Scrubs, is featured in this month's Exceptional Parent magazine talking about life with his son Max - an eleven year old with Down syndrome." (1/2/09)
From The Karianna Spectrum: "What happened today was sad. But attempting to link autism to the death is misleading and hurtful. The Travolta-Preston family and the autism community deserve more. The family has suffered a tragedy. And "autism" shouldn't be part of the picture." (1/3/09)
From CNN.com: "The 16-year-old son of actor John Travolta died Friday morning after suffering a seizure while vacationing with his family in the Bahamas ... Jett Travolta had a developmental disability that his parents, John Travolta and Kelly Preston, have linked to Kawasaki disease." (1/2/09)
From About.com Autism: "While this tragic event clearly new by any measure, it has become big news in the autism community because, for years, it has been suspected that Jett had untreated autism (rather than Kawakaki Disease, as reported by his father). The belief was that Travolta, a Scientologist, was unwilling to admit the possibility of autism." (1/3/09)
From About.com Rare Diseases: "Some researchers believe that Kawasaki disease is an autoimmune disorder stimulated by exposure to an environmental toxin. Kelly Preston has stated over the years that she believes Jett developed the disease due to exposure to household cleaners, fertilizers, and new carpeting they had installed in their home." (1/3/09)
Remembering the first four months of 2008, and all the posts that earned your comments. (1/1/09)
Remembering the last four months of 2008, and all the posts that earned your comments. (1/1/09)
Remembering the middle four months of 2008, and all the posts that earned your comments. (1/1/09)
From Disability News: "Connie Schultz, writing in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, says the recent Saturday Night Live skit about Gov. David Paterson reminds her of a philosophy of comedy attributed to David Letterman: '[W]e are free to attack what is volitional, but not those things over which a person has no control.'" (12/17/08)
From Disability News: "There's lots more out there today on the skit about New York Gov. David A. Paterson that appeared on 'Saturday Night Live' over the weekend. Here's a sample." (12/16/08)
From Entertainment Weekly: "I don't mind an offensive joke, but without the actual joke part, it%u2019s just plain offensive." (12/15/08)
New York Governor David Paterson wasn't amused by a Saturday Night Live sketch that depicted him as a bumblying blind guy. (12/15/08)
From Disability News: "New York Gov. David A. Paterson, who is legally blind, criticized a skit on this weekend's 'Saturday Night Live' that portrayed him as disoriented and bumbling and made disparaging comments about people with disabilities." (12/15/08)
That's the reaction on the Disability Studies blog to the news that Jerry Lewis will get a humanitarian award at the Oscars. (12/13/08)
From Ouch!: "Researchers at John Hopkins university have hacked the popular Guitar Hero video game to wire it up to a prosthetic arm, reports IEEE Spectrum. Players can 'fret' and 'strum' by moving their fingers together, with electrodes detecting their movements." (12/11/08)
From About.com Autism: "What actually bothers me about these ads, though, is that the theory behind them seems to be 'the earlier you're diagnosed, the better your future will be.' In fact, while kids who are diagnosed earlier do seem to be placed in typical classrooms more often, we just don't know how those kids fare in the classrooms - or how they do as adults." (12/11/08)
From Disability News: "An independent UK media regulator has found that the BBC violated the Broadcasting Code in airing a radio show in which an American comedian described Sarah Palin's son as 'retarded' and said his Down syndrome was proof that 'God obviously hates her.'" (12/10/08)
From The Karianna Spectrum: "Are people unfamiliar with Asperger's Syndrome now going to believe that such people are not only heartless, but actually devious and take pleasure in other people's emotional pain?" (12/6/08)
Disability News links to two articles about the film, a "harrowing, unsentimental portrait of a middle-class Australian family whose oldest son has severe autism compounded by attention deficit hyperactivity disorder." (12/6/08)
From Ouch!: "A disabled character from the controversial cartoon series South Park has made it onto the shortlist of the 2008 RADAR People of the Year Awards. The character, Timmy, has learning difficulties and is a wheelchair user." (11/19/08)
From Fearless Females, an item on Asperger syndrome and "Grey's Anatomy: "Personally, I thought she overplayed the part. I know a couple of adults who have AS and they are not as 'extreme' as this actor played." (11/15/08)
From AutismVox: "Kind of seems like Leary was a little unaware of the what other people (specifically people in the autism community) might feel upon reading his book. Maybe he was a little "mind-blind" in writing that chapter about autism." (11/17/08)
From A List of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago: "Can we just call a moratorium on representations of autism-spectrum disorders on television, which tend to be ridiculous and grotesque?" (11/17/08)
From the BBC's Ouch! site, an interview with RJ Mitte, an actor with cerebral palsy who appears in the TV series
Breaking Bad. (11/14/08)
From About.com Autism: "Autism United has decided that it's time to call off protests against Denis Leary and accept 'his apology for harming the autism community with his comments.'" (11/1/08)
From About.com Autism: "While I sincerely condemn Leary's nasty tone and insulting language, I do wonder whether whether he is voicing a frighteningly real possibility. In short, as autism gains publicity, is it possible that the term "autism" is being misused to mean 'inability to thrive in today's world?'" (10/28/08)
From Disability News: "Howie Mandel, Emmy-nominated host of NBC's 'Deal or No Deal,' is working to raise awareness about adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) through 'Adult ADHD Is Real,' a national advertising campaign." (10/18/08)
From About.com Autism: "Our autism community has proved to the world of second-rate showmen that we are the ultimate target for bullying - and a terrific source of publicity. Say the word autism in connection with an insult - or even suggest that autism might, perhaps, be overdiagnosed - and you can count on days and days of top-of-the-fold promotion." (10/19/08)
In an US magazine statement, Leary suggests reading the book to get his real views on autism. Unfortunately, it's not out until November 18. (10/16/08)
From About.com Autism: "By directly insulting US, the autism moms and dads, and suggesting that our kids are, in fact, lazy and stupid, he's appealing to our lowest instincts. What he wants is a good, solid, knock down drag out fight. Preferably in front of plenty of TV cameras, face to face with Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey." (10/16/08)
From Adventures in Autism: Leary "has targeted sick children. (Worse, sick children who don't have the verbal acumen that he does to defend themselves.) And the people I hold responsible for that is the medical profession that refuses to publicly identify children with autism as 'sick children'." (10/16/08)
From Disability News: "A coalition of performing arts unions today announced the launch of a major disability rights campaign to increase visibility and employment opportunities for actors, broadcasters and performers with disabilities throughout the entertainment and news media." (10/7/08)
From Cinematical: HBO's bio of Temple Grandin, previously announced to be starring Clare Danes, has added David Strathairn (as Grandin's college professor), Julia Ormond (as her mother), and Catherine O'Hara (as her aunt). (10/4/08)
From Diability News: In an interview with a Portuguese radio station, Saramago dismissed the threat as "a display of meanness based on nothing at all. ... Stupidity doesn't choose between the blind and the non-blind." (10/3/08)
About.com Autism looks at the dispute between two actresses on either side of the vaccine/autism debate. (10/2/08)
From Disability News: "'ER' casting director John Levey says using actors with disabilities 'brings a certain immediacy, electricity and authenticity to the material.' 'ER' has employed actors with disabilities for the past 15 years." (9/23/08)
From the New York Times: Realabilities: The First Annual NY Disabilities Film Festival will run from from Sept. 21 to 23. (9/15/08)
From Disability News: "Kathy Cox, Georgia's state school superintendent, found an unorthodox way to beef up the funding for three schools that serve kids with disabilities: She won $1 million on the Fox TV series, 'Are You Smarter than a 5th-Grader?'" (9/9/08)
The Disability News blog has video of the comment, and notes that "Commenters to the MTV site criticized Brand’s insertion of political themes into an entertainment event, but few challenged his use of language." (9/8/08)
From AP: The stars gathered on Friday night to kick off the Stand Up to Cancer campaign. (9/7/08)
The actor says he's been diagnosed with dyspraxia, which interferes with shoe-tying, among other things. (8/18/08)
And that scientist would be Temple Grandin. I admire the work of both women, but wouldn't necessarily have thought in terms of one playing the other. I'll be keeping an eye out for that movie, though. (8/15/08)
You thought your life was a soap opera? Now it really is one. (8/14/08)
Could Sean Preston have autism? (8/12/08)
And the celebrity ex-couple's vaccine disagreement continues. (8/10/08)
The
Project Runway star's kindness to a fellow flyer with Fragile X syndrome makes him "in" with all of us, I'm sure. (8/7/08)
"It's really about showboating ignorance really. I kind of took the high road and kept talking about healing, prevention. ... And if he would like, (he can) join me in the ring sometime on the WWE. I'll show you what I really think." (8/2/08)
The About.com guide to Autism has information about an event involving wresting and Jenny McCarthy intended raise awareness of autism. (7/26/08)
"CSI:IEP," "Supermarket Weep," and ten more shows that share our parenting experience. (7/25/08)
The About.com guide to ADHD writes about a scholarship for adults with ADHD that Pennington presented to an Atlanta arts college. (7/24/08)
Or, more specifically, actress Holly Robinson Peete and her husband, Rodney Peete, who are parents of a 10-year-old with autism. (7/23/08)
Maybe living with our kids would help folks get it. (7/22/08)
When Amanda Peet called parents who don't vaccinate their children parasites, she meant that in a
good way. (7/21/08)
For nonfiction special, directing, cinematography, picture editing and sound editing. (7/17/09)
According to TV Guide, the cast for the latest U.S. version includes "someone with OCD." (7/8/08)
I don't know quite what to make of this BBC reality show that pits women with disabilities against each other for the prize of a photo shoot and a fashion-magazine spread. Empowering? Exploitive? Both, probably. (7/11/08)
The blog for the BBC's Ouch! Disability Magazine has a mention of this "soap produced by and featuring actors with learning disabilities," along with links to see a trailer and character descriptions. (7/11/08)
Calls acceptance of a child's autism "a beautiful way of justifying heartbreak." (6/12/08)
A young man with Down syndrome shows his moves on
So You Think You Can Dance. (5/30/08)
Sweet Nothing in My Ear stars Marlee Matlin and Jeff Daniels as parents who disagree on getting a cochlear implant for their hearing-impared son. (4/18/22)
The book is now a Lifetime TV movie. (4/11/08)
Autism the Musical, a documentary about "five autistic children, their families and the dynamic woman who leads them to defy expectations by writing, rehearsing and performing their own musical," made its debut on HBO last night. (3/26/08)
There was a time, not really all that long ago, when the idea of Jenny McCarthy demanding the resignation of the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control would have sounded like a sketch idea for Saturday Night Live. No more. (3/10/08)
I'm no big fan of reality TV, but it does seem to be providing an opportunity, more and more now, for people with disabilities (and their families and friends) to tell their stories and raise their visibility. (2/20/08)
The episode airing on Sunday night features the family of 19-year-old Patrick Henry Hughes, whose inability to see or walk has not stopped him from becoming a musician, going to college, and performing in a marching band. (2/15/08)
Good Morning America did a report on whether pregnant women should drink, and featured a couple of OB-GYNs saying, "Heck, sure, why not." (2/4/08)
Whether you're there for the game or just to watch the commercials, there's an ad playing on the Super Bowl pre-game show Sunday you're going to want to look out for. It won't be hard to notice: It'll be the one with no sound at all. (2/1/08)
The pediatricians gave their thumbs-down early, but ABC went ahead and aired Eli Stone last night anyway, and now it's time for parents to have their say. (2/1/08)
The contentious debate over whether the mercury in vaccines could be a cause of autism is going to be getting another, um, shot with the debut next week of Eli Stone, a weird sort of lawyer/supernatural hybrid airing on ABC. (1/23/08)
Angela Martin, a Chicago wedding singer, auditioned in Philadelphia and got a ticket to Hollywood. (1/16/08)
Trace Adkins, country singer and spokesperson for the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), is the father of a six-year-old girl with a peanut allergy, and a contestant on NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice. Any money he wins from the contest will go to FAAN. (1/17/08)
It was 2,000 times the correct amount, not 1,000. (1/10/08)
The beneficiaries this time around are the Woodhouse family of Colorado, including 10-year-old Kayla, who has hereditary sensory autonomic neuropathy (HSAN), an extremely rare neurological condition that causes her to be unable to regulate body temperature or feel pain effectively. (1/11/08)
The singer, who has spina bifida, has donated his name and image to a fund-raising campaign. (12/3/07)
Dennis Quaid and his wife claim their newborns were overdosed because the blood thinner was poorly labeled. (12/6/07)
They were dosed with 1,000 times the amount of blood thinner they were supposed to have received. (11/21/07)
A blogger explains how union issues affect one family with an autistic child. (11/16/07)
The TV show Brothers & Sisters introduced an interesting special-needs political puzzle in a recent episode. (11/6/07)
Farrell revealed in an interview that his four-year-old son, James, has Angelman Syndrome, a genetic condition that's characterized by severe developmental disabilities, seizures, speech and motor difficulties. (10/17/07)
A mother and daughter share the disorder. (10/19/07)
The orange wristband Patrick Dempsey wore in the show's season premiere was given to him by a young cancer patient. (10/10/07)
An episode of Comedy Central's crass cartoon based its plot on the idea that kids with Tourette Syndrome can say anything they want and get away with it. (10/11/07)
In the Disney film, the young protagonist has a near-fatal reaction to peanuts. (10/2/07)
Would this baby really have so few complications? (10/4/07)
Jenny McCarthy says Jim Carrey fills that role for her son. (9/21/07)
My money's on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. (9/13/07)
One of the women vying to be America's Next Top Model this season has Asperger syndrome. (9/14/07)
Lewis apparently uttered a gay slur during the telethon's 18th hour, in a muffled reference to a cameraman's family member. (9/5/07)
If your kid is crazy for Troy, Gabriella, and the whole Wildcat crew, here are five ways for starters that you can use that passion for good. (8/20/07)
The
Wonder Years star and math whiz is the author of
Math Doesn't Suck. (8/24/07)
The heavy metal group Twisted Sister has donated proceeds from their album "Twisted Christmas" to Autism Speaks and Cure Autism Now. (7/31/07)
It's been interesting to see echolalia employed -- as what, a plot device? symbolic expression? general annoyance? -- in the new HBO show
John from Cincinnati. John, who is not in fact from Cincinnati but possibly from heaven or the planet Weird, communicates mostly by repeating what other characters have said to him, in ways that are inspiring or thought-provoking or just goofy. (7/19/07)
Here's a mystery some parents are trying to figure out about the new Nancy Drew movie (starring Emma Roberts, right): Why did super-smart Nancy perform a ballpoint-pen tracheotomy on a party guest having a severe reaction to peanuts instead of, say, checking the girl's purse for an EpiPen? (7/13/07)
Chris Benoit's son had Fragile X Syndrome. (6/29/07)
The Canadian comic actor took on the role when his cousin, whose son has autism, told him how much families struggle to get services like ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) paid for by Canada's health care system. (6/14/07)
Talk about ugly: The season finale of one of the past year's most successful new shows,
Ugly Betty, had a pretty unattractive plotline for children with food allergies and their families. (6/5/07)
The documentary follows a group of five youngsters with autism as they work with an acting coach to put on a musical. (6/7/07)
John Travolta seems to be in some hot water lately for not publicizing the alleged autism of his son Jett, not becoming a high-profile autism advocate, and even for not providing appropriate treatment, according to an acquaintance who has leveled child-abuse charges. (5/29/07)
According to French psychiatrists, Anakin Skywalker, the unstable young man who became Vader in
Star Wars' Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, presents a textbook case of BPD. (5/23/07)
David Neeleman and Ty Pennington admit their mistakes. (5/14/07)
Linda Ellerbee explains it all for kids. (4/18/07)
It's great that the word's getting out, but you have to wonder about celebs who act like they're just discovering this strange new diagnosis. Autism's been big news for a while, folks; why all the attention now? (4/9/07)
If you're a fan of
Little People, Big World -- the TLC series about a family where Mom, Dad, and one teen-age twin are Little People, and the other twin and two younger siblings are not -- be ready to resume watching tonight as the third season gets underway. (4/9/07)
Outrage is Imus' stock in trade, and it's doubtful that many of those who praise his work on behalf of children would let their children listen to his radio show. Is this a guy who deserves to be put on a pedestal? Is it possible to completely disassociate his day job from his do-gooding? (4/11/07)
If you've ever watched a family on a reality show and thought, "Why doesn't anybody ever ask about my family's story? It's just as interesting/dramatic/inspirational as this one," here's your chance to step and volunteer. (4/11/07)
The episode includes conversations with singer Toni Braxton, whose son has been diagnosed with autism, and Temple Grandin, who has written about her own experience with autism. (4/5/07)
It's great to see autism getting such a lot of TV time, and in such a variety of places. But the high profile's having some unexpected consequences at my house. (3/26/07)
An ADHD play? Let me guess: It's 15 minutes long, with five intermissions. (3/28/07)
If you've been holding out hope that one day, maybe Ty Pennington and crew will build you a house, ABC has fed your dream by renewing
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for another season. (3/22/07)
NBC will be auctioning off limited edition prints of the tumultuous paintings online to benefit The National Epilepsy Foundation. (3/12/07)
The wish of Taylor Hobson, a Texas 11-year-old with spina bifida, was to meet country singer Tim McGraw. Today her wish came true. (3/14/07)
Spring award show auctions are well underway at Clothes Off Our Back, the charity founded by actors Jane Kaczmarek and Bradley Whitford to turn cast-off celebrity couture into cash for causes including Cure Autism Now.
Children with special needs look at life;
Supernanny handles the hyper; dancing with a disability.
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition helps family with five autistic kids;
60 Minutes reports on autism; two comedy pilots have leads in wheelchairs.
Fanning sisters to co-star as disabled twins; Scarlett Johansson may donate condo to families of ailing children; family with five autistic children to get home makeover.
Kevin Bacon makes the best of "Six Degrees"; leukemia documentary wins Director's Guild award.
New movie has autistic character; Sigourney Weaver on adults with autism; stars come out for Diabetes Aware.
Golden Globe fashion auctioned for autism research; multi-star movie has character with ADHD; son's epilepsy behind Beckhams' move to L.A.?
Heroes star walks for epilepsy; teen with rare condition on
Grey's Anatomy; more on Patrick Dempsey and dyslexia.
Autism Every Day to screen at Sundance; Asperger's blamed for Bacharach daughter's suicide; "My So-Called Diabetic Life."
Adam Sandler helps out kids with cancer; learn more about the Roloffs' organization; children with diabetes ride Rose Parade float.
More celebrity goodies auctioned for Clothes Off Our Back and Cure Autism Now.
Triple amputee on the cover of
Esquire;
Scrubs doc walks for Down syndrome; are the Roloffs negligent parents?
Extreme Makeover rolls out cool wheelchair gear;
Brothers & Sisters has faith, but no cure for diabetes; truthiness is Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year.
Eva Longoria helps kids with cancer;
House treats another child with special needs; "Kids' Night on Broadway" aids autism awareness.
Actress Rachel Weisz: Drinking during pregnancy "fine"; new CBS series focuses on neurology; Volvo commercials actually do have a point.
Celebrities say thanks to benefit St Jude; kids with cancer on
Today; test your knowledge of musicians with disabilities.
Joely Richardson quits
Nip/Tuck due to daughter's special needs; children's charities honored on
Montel; eating disorder documentary debuts on HBO.
Romeo Beckham has epilepsy; Asperger syndrome on
ER;
Extreme Makeover helps another special-needs family.
Farrelly Brothers to translate
I'm With Stupid; A&E home makeover show features blind designer; fun with iPod.
Yankee catcher Jorge Posada's foundation for craniosynososis; Patricia Heaton on autism and Kevin Kline on diabetes; more diabetes on
Brothers & Sisters.Brothers & Sisters and diabetes;
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and cerebral palsy;
Night of Too Many Stars and autism.
Rapper Ludacris' charitable foundation; next on
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition; last on
House.More on the
House autism episode;
Little People, Big World starts second season;
Akeelah and the Bee offers inspiring message.
House treats a boy with autism; BBC's
EastEnders deals with Down syndrome; networks offer the shows you missed online.
Clay Aiken named to President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities;
Deal or No Deal dresses auctioned for autism benefit; disability fable Penelope reviewed.
Thriller
The Quiet uses deafness as plot device; offensive-sounding shows on Comedy Central and the BBC;
The Memory Keeper's Daughter and Down syndrome.
MDA Labor Day Telethon controversy;
Heroes star Greg Grunberg parent, of a 10-year-old with epilepsy; Autism Speaks celebrity photo gallery.
Emmy fashions auctioned for autism benefit; wheelchair from
ER auctioned for the ALS Association;
How to Eat Fried Worms and
The Cheetah Girls.Snowcake with Sigourney Weaver as an autistic mother;
The Ron Clark Story; contestant with Tourette's wins UK
Big Brother.
