Read insightful and timely articles by Dr. Ronit Molko on a wide range of behavioral health topics.
June 30
Coping with Stress in Unprecedented Times Part 2
In my previous post, I explored the tumult of unusual activity flowing into and out of our brains as a result of the novel Coronavirus and the worldwide response to it. The threat to lives and livelihoods, the near-total curtailment of social interaction and the departure from normalcy – all of these taken together are …
May 30
Coping with Stress in Unprecedented Times- Part 1
By Ronit Molko, Ph.D., BCBA-D Pity your brain. This unprecedented epoch we are experiencing is playing havoc with our most vital organ, the one that is designed to act as the air traffic controller of our bodies during the impenetrable fog of a lockdown. Our brain through our nervous system is constantly evaluating and detecting …
May 30
Why Businesses Should Care About ADA Website Accessibility
Following up on my previous post about the relationship between technology and autism services, I want to revisit my discussion with Daryn Harpaz, an ADA website accessibility and compliance consultant and CEO of ZenythGroup. During this extraordinary time of sheltering in place due to COVID-19 , it is particularly pertinent to focus on the accessibility …
April 30
A Different Kind of Autism Awareness Month
April is Autism Awareness Month, but unfortunately we will not see a Walk for Autism, Autism 5K, cookie fundraisers or Awareness Day celebrations during this extraordinary and unprecedented time.That doesn’t obviate the need or desire to increase awareness and understanding of autism throughout our country – and the world. It just requires some creativity to …
April 30
Helpful Tips for Your Child’s Routine Change
By: Ronit Molko, Ph.D., BCBA-D and Sally Burke, M.S. Ed., BCBA The sudden disruption in routine due to COVID-19 is challenging for all individuals to manage as we adjust to a new, and hopefully short-lived, normal of staying at home and ceasing most of our regular activities. For families of individuals with autism and other …
March 31
What Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Can Teach Us About Autism
Nearly three million Americans suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year, one quarter of them children. Most of these are mild, resulting in concussion, but 50,000 deaths result from TBI annually. At the same time, one in 59 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder each year. Three and a half million Americans live …
March 30
How AI Can Transform the Autism Services Industry
Imagine providing parents with an app that enables them to upload videos of their children, analyzed by computers applying algorithms to diagnose autism earlier in their development than currently possible. Imagine equipping autistic individuals with smart glasses that whisper instructions for navigating social situations in the user’s ear. Imagine two-foot-tall humanoid robots that could serve …
February 28
Wiring the Growing Brain: How Habits Shape Brain Development in Youth
The brain is a complex and wondrous organ whose basic structure is a web of electrical impulses. The early journey of brain development is vital to its functioning for the rest of its owner’s life. Brain development begins in utero and isn’t complete until roughly age 25. A baby is born with 85 billion neurons, …
January 30
The Current State of Website Accessibility for Disabled Individuals – Zenyth Group CEO Daryn Harpaz
The relationship between technology and autism services has been a focus of my thinking and writing lately. It’s an urgent topic that I feel deserves attention, but it’s also led me to a broader conversation about inclusivity (or lack thereof) of technology for the larger disabled community. As our lives become increasingly enmeshed with technology—phones …
October 30
Six Ways Technology Due Diligence Failure Can Kill Your Private Equity Investment
No matter what market you’re in, technology is a significant element of your business. Taxi companies learned this when Uber and Lyft employed sophisticated apps to topple their industry. Prior to the emergence of those two frame-breaking enterprises, few in the taxi industry would have considered themselves in the technology business. Even a high-touch industry, …
September 30
The Sexual Abuse Epidemic Among People with Intellectual Disabilities
In the era of #MeToo and increasing vigilance against sexual predation, there is burgeoning evidence that a significant cohort of people has been lost in the shadows.Although the exact extent of the problem is unknown, numerous studies have concluded that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities are at …
August 30
Disappearing Into Normality: Understanding Autism on Its Own Terms
The popular paradigm to describe individuals on the autism spectrum is linear: we conceive of individuals as mildly, moderately, or severely impacted by autism. These categorizations are also used diagnostically to determine how a person’s life and functioning is affected by their autism. Put another way, autistic individuals are referred to as needing lower-support or …