Blog – Page 3 – Ronit Molko, Ph.D., BCBA-D | Investment Consultant

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 wreaking havoc with how we think and feel.

Worse yet might be the increased uncertainty that accompanies all this. 9/11 happened over the course of a morning. Pearl Harbor was a rallying point for action. While the devastating emotional and psychological trauma of these events can be lifelong, the events themselves were flashpoints—over in a matter of hours. We were able to begin picking up the pieces and take corrective action more immediately. With Covid-19, we’re stuck inside our homes living this new distanced reality, with serious economic impact for many, for who-knows-how-long.

As I noted in Part 1 (Blog Part 1), experts in the field of psychology and brain science empathize with the challenges our brains are facing but also remind us that we can use our brains in an intentional way to manage our thoughts and emotions to some degree and create productive habits. We can accept that this is the new normal until it isn’t, remain positive, focus on the good things in our lives, and divert ourselves with creative and meaningful activities.

For individuals with autism individuals, the calculation is somewhat different. Most autistics thrive on predictability and structure, and struggle with change, even changes many would consider small and inconsequential. Having their lives turned upside down, as they are now, falls somewhere between extremely distressing and catastrophic.

For caregivers of children and adults with autism, the need to perform “social distancing” is incongruous. Their services are, by definition, one-on-one and in person. As Leann McQueen, a residential coordinator for the Young Adult Institute in Brooklyn, told ABC News about her organization’s services to young people with disabilities, “People need assistance with personal hygiene. Even being asked to wash your hands can be more challenging.”

Christine Motokane is an articulate self-advocate to whom I spoke when conducting research for my book, Autism Matters. In her blog, Redefining Normal: A Young Woman’s Journey with Autism, she outlines some of the challenges she faces in this extraordinary time. Everything that is familiar to her has closed – her workplace, her favorite restaurants, other non-essential business – even the weekly outings with her support person have suddenly ended.

“I had to spend and celebrate my 28th birthday at home. All of these sudden changes coupled with the fluidity and ever-changing nature of this situation, has caused my anxiety to skyrocket,” she writes.

This is particularly worrisome because anxiety is often a constant state of being for autistic individuals who are hyper-sensitive to stimuli like light and touch. While “social distancing” has relieved many of those with autism of the anxiety about shaking hands or otherwise engaging in unwanted physical contact with others, and may be comforted by the six foot barrier others are maintaining, they must also confront a degree of exacerbated uncertainty that we all find discomfiting but those with autism may be traumatized by.

Autistica, the UK’s leading autism research charity, notes that autistic individuals react to uncertainty by avoiding such situations, by over-preparing for them or by gathering information that might reduce the uncertainty. None of these strategies is well-suited to this crisis because it can’t be avoided, over-preparing can lead to hoarding and gathering information about an unknown can just result in heightened anxiety.

The strategies that I enunciated in the previous post to manage anxiety about COVID-19 probably apply to everyone, inadequate though they may seem. Keeping as much of the normalcy in our lives as possible, creating a routine and some structure to our days and engaging in activities that enable some type of social contact can ward off some of the avalanche of change in our lives.

This reminds me of a story I came across in my research about maintaining the positive therapy momentum for children with autism during COVID-19. One mother, in an effort to keep life as normal as possible for her son, wakes him up at the usual time, has him dress in school clothes, maintains the entire morning routine, ushers him into the car and drives him around the neighborhood for 20 minutes before returning home for “school”.

Unfortunately, many parents have neither the time nor the bandwidth for such an effective regimen, innovative though it is. They are struggling to keep it together themselves, juggling work at home with the intrusions of family and a lack of respite from 24-hour-a-day demands of caring for children and keeping them constructively busy.

For situations like that, it’s important not to let perfection be the enemy of good. There is no playbook for a circumstance none of us has ever encountered before. Any steps families take, even small ones, like maintaining wake-up and bedtime routines, creating regular family fun time (playing games, reading books, etc.), exercising and dedicating time to learning daily, will all help to maintain a sense of routine and normalcy which will accrue to the benefit of all of us, adults and children alike.

Published By:
Ronit Molko, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Advisor to Investors in Behavioral Health

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 risk with the ultimate goal being safety. This occurs at a primitive level within our brain without our conscious awareness. The primary element that challenges safety and stability is uncertainty. The brain is wired to detect fear and we have an overwhelming amount of fear-generating information right now.

COVID-19 has brought the world to its knees. First, there is the physical threat of a virus that is undetectable and about which we are learning as it unfolds. Second, is the constant mental anguish caused by the uncertainty about the future, even about tomorrow.

As a result, we are seeing extreme levels of stress, anxiety, and incremental increases in depression and addiction. The tidal wave of negative information and emotion creates a continuous brain hijack (as the brain works to manage this threat) and overwhelms our cognitive processing. This stress keeps us in a fight or flight state, affecting core brain capacities such as thinking and decision making. Hoarding of supplies and increased aggression in people are some observable results of these affected capacities.

So if you are feeling stressed, anxious, and exhausted, it’s completely normal under these circumstances.

Jump To Acceptance

In fact, Dr. David Kessler, who collaborated with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross on her treatise, On Grief and Grieving, says that what many Americans are feeling is grief. He says we have lost our normalcy, our future plans and our connection to others, ironically in a collective grief experience.

Worse yet is the uncertainty that imperils not just our health but our financial stability. We don’t know when this catastrophe will end – could this go on for six months, a year? – and that is flooding many of us with anxiety. Dr. Kessler calls this “anticipatory grief.”

Dr. Kessler recommends that we consider the six stages of grief that his co-author famously enumerated and jump as quickly as we can to acceptance. “We find control in acceptance: I can wash my hands. I can keep a safe distance. I can work virtually,” he told the Harvard Business Review.

Four Strategies to Tame Stress

Dr. David Whitehouse, the psychiatric medical director for Able To, a leading provider of virtual behavioral health care, told the Total Brain podcast of four keys to confronting the anxiety sparked by the COVID-19 crisis.

He recommends we identify what we are feeling; avoid catastrophizing, i.e., steer clear of talking ourselves into depression; focus on the positive; and engage our creative right brain.

We have about 50,000 thoughts a day, that’s 2,100 thoughts an hour.

Positive thinking has long been known to improve our overall outlook and boost our performance. Barbara Frederickson, a psychology professor and researcher at the University of North Carolina, has demonstrated that positive thinking opens us to more options than does negative or neutral thoughts. Rather than wallowing in negative thoughts and emotions, simply reminding ourselves that this situation is temporary can have significant salutary effects physiologically and emotionally.

“You can, in fact, drive that negative analytic off the table,” Dr. Whitehouse says.

Physical exercise is an elixir for stress as well. Pushing ourselves physically focuses our attention on the moment and boosts our depression-fighting endorphins. In fact, exercise is often prescribed for patients with mild to moderate clinical depression.

Deep breathing has a similar impact on us physically. It stimulates the vagus nerve, which acts as a crossing guard at the corner of flight and flight. By calming the fight or flight response, the vagus nerve allows our body to relax and our vital signs to settle back to normal. Research shows that our heart can synchronize with our breathing, so that reduced respirations produces a slower heart rate and lower blood pressure.

People who struggle with anxiety often feel that their lives are out of control. In fact, many who struggle with anxiety attempt to control every facet of their lives; when their plans fail, anxiety often comes back with a vengeance.

A relatively simple way to overcome this problem is to establish a routine. Setting a schedule and applying some self-discipline to stick with it allows us to control our daily activities to the extent possible. Adding this structure to daily living can also unlock additional free time to enjoy other things.

There is also one common sense measure we can all take to avoid driving ourselves crazy: limit our exposure to the news. At this point, there isn’t much new to learn about COVID-19 other than that we must isolate ourselves, wash our hands and practice social distancing. All the speculation about how much worse it will get or how long we must wait for normal life to resume, or for the new normal to unfold, produces anxiety without insight. So in this time, limiting exposure to news and information is self-preservation, and while I wouldn’t ordinarily recommend this, less information means more peace of mind.

What these prescriptions have in common is that they are under our control. If we commit to accepting the current circumstances, thinking positively, challenging our bodies and minds, avoiding the news and simply taking a deep breath, we can calm our brains and reduce our psychic pain.

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 of technology, which is powering all of our online interactions.

More than ever, the services available on websites must be accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities, now that online platforms are our primary method of communication and commerce.

Daryn and I discussed the current state of affairs with respect to online accessibility issues for disabled individuals, which I have noted as merely the tip of the iceberg in the urgent question of inclusivity in the Internet age.

You can read Part 1 of my review of that discussion in which Daryn revealed that it does not appear that businesses generally have prioritized accessibility of their websites, and that has cost them in terms of brand loyalty, sales and litigation. On the Federal level, a lawsuit is filed every hour against businesses whose services on the web are inaccessible to the disability community.

“We’re looking at 15% of the world’s population with a disability – that’s over a billion people, of which 61 million are in America,” Daryn notes. This is a massive cohort to write off. Excluding those with age-related issues, individuals with disabilities purchase half-a-trillion dollars in goods and services annually. They are also fiercely brand loyal to businesses that cater to their needs, and now businesses are finding that they are also willing to use the courts for relief. Losing their support is a colossal missed opportunity and—in those cases in which legal action is involved—can be very expensive to defend.

Target discovered the pain of ignoring the accessibility issue when it paid an estimated $10 million in fees and remediation to settle a lawsuit filed by a prospective customer who could not navigate its e-commerce platform. That says nothing of the loss of brand equity the company suffered, particularly in the disability community.

The business imperative tends to spur businesspeople to act, and so Daryn reminds them that, “more than 85% of websites that are visited do not provide an inclusive experience. And we know that over 80% of people with disabilities say that they would return to a website if it was accessible and they would shop more often and support that brand.”

ZenythGroup offers businesses critical services to help them achieve full digital accessibility and remain compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). After manually auditing websites and online platforms by using people with disabilities to provide real-world testing, the firm provides corrective measures to meet WCAG best-practice standards. Thereafter, he says, compliance is a critical, ongoing need because websites are fluid and require continual monitoring.

Ultimately, this is a problem not of technology, but of the heart. Here’s how Daryn put it:

“If you are, as a business, catering to society, regardless of ability, you’re going to succeed as a company. And if a business owner could meet, engage or otherwise interact with the disability community, I believe that they would see the human aspects of this and want to do better. It shouldn’t have to be under the requirements of a lawsuit or the threat of penalties and fees to want to do better. Instead, we should be enabling our community from a social aspect to be integrated and inclusive. And I think that says a lot about where we need to move in the direction of disabilities in general.”

It’s worth mentioning that a myriad of accessibility widgets and overlay solutions are now available on the Internet for download and claim to offer an easy-fix. However, being that these widgets are automated, they miss the majority of WCAG issues and are often confusing and challenging for people with disabilities to interact with.

While overlay solutions can play an initial role in providing a short-term patch, this band aid approach will only deliver minimal accessibility. Core WCAG issues must be resolved via manual testing, code remediation and continuous accessibility best-practices.

Daryn reminds organizations to work with a reputable accessibility company that can ensure your organization achieves and maintains ADA compliance with hands-on feedback from the disability community, ongoing manual testing, and a mature process that mitigates risk.

Article written for Forbes.com.

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 penetrate the consciousness of a population whose attention may be focused on the Coronavirus pandemic, social distancing and flattening the curve.

This is the 48th anniversary of the first Autism Month and in that time awareness has indeed exploded in concert with the incidence of the condition. Yet there is much work to be done before communities and policy makers have a firm grasp of the abilities, challenges and needs of autistic individuals. While the Covid-19 pandemic is a sudden global health issue today, autism is a daily global health issue that has been growing for decades and will continue into the future.

To recognize Autism Awareness Month while maintaining a safe distance from others will require individual initiative and creativity this year. Here are just a few suggestions for actions you can take to promote understanding of autism and autistic individuals.

1. Find Events That Have Been Moved Online

Not all events have been cancelled. For example, the South Austin Support Group in Texas has been moved to Google Hangouts, where parents and caregivers can find a supportive community to discuss issues they face. A similar group in El Paso has been moved to Zoom, where participants can see and talk to each other in real time.

2. Share Best Practices with Others

You likely know people in your community who struggle with the issues around autism, whether they are autistic adults, parents of children with autism, caregivers or others. Take this time to reach out to one or more of your neighbors to lend support and trade tips you have discovered.

3. Celebrate Your Child’s Accomplishments

With all the stressors that Covid-19 brings, it is easy for parents to become despondent about their children’s progress. More than ever, this is a time to appreciate whatever strides your children have achieved. Take a little time each day to congratulate yourself and celebrate your child for the progress they have made.

4. Educate Your Co-Workers About Autism

You may be reticent about sharing your personal issues with co-workers, but Autism Awareness Month provides an opportunity to make an exception. And while you may not be working alongside your co-workers these days, you’re probably still communicating with them extensively. Discussion of the effect of distancing, school closures, and changes in routines on home life is the perfect entrée to a short education of the challenges and triumphs of having a child with autism.

5. Join a Webinar

Catch up with the April 4 webinar Autistic Explosion with Dr. James Coplan, who employs 3D modeling to illustrate the scope and types of autism. It has been recorded and is available online.

6. Support an Autism-Friendly Business

Families for Effective Autism Treatment in Louisville has created a registry of autism-friendly businesses in their area. Verywell Health, an online resource for medical information, has compiled a list of autism-friendly national businesses that includes companies whose products and services you could be purchasing now, like Microsoft, Home Depot, Walgreens, Ford and Smile Biscotti. These companies are intentional about hiring and training autistic individuals.

7. Lobby Your Legislators for Changes During the Covid-19 Crisis

Writing for Spectrum News, disability rights activist Ari Ne’eman has identified several legal constraints on caregiving to people with disabilities, including autism. He encourages others to lobby for removing caps on worker overtime, permitting family members to serve as support workers, preventing “temporary” institutional placements and ensuring continued oversight of group homes and other institutions for the disabled. Read the entire article here.

8. Focus on Your Child

The best advocacy any parent can do is with their own child. Advocacy takes place with your child’s teachers, in your neighborhood, on the playground, at the City Council, or anywhere others need to be educated about autism and persuaded to treat autistic children appropriately.

9. Make Every Month Autism Awareness Month

With two percent of children born today on the spectrum, ignorance and misunderstanding of the issues affecting autistic individuals will have significant and long-term ramifications for our nation. Let’s work to improve awareness and insight year-round.

Published By:
Ronit Molko, Ph.D., BCBA-D

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 disabilities, the disruption can be especially challenging.

Although families deal with planned schedule changes or transitions, such as school vacations and summer breaks every year, what we are currently experiencing is different. This is a sudden disruption to our everyday routines with the added pressure of trying to create a viable learning environment to accommodate home schooling or online learning as schools try to complete the year in a virtual environment.

This sudden disruption means that both teachers and parents have not had adequate time to prepare for distance learning and that children have unexpectedly been pulled out of school. Children rely on set classroom schedules and routines and seeing the same friends and teachers every day. Now add into the mix the cessation of center-based services, therapeutic interventions, and possibly in-home visits being limited or put on hold to help minimize the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) across the United States. This will likely cause confusion and uncertainty for many. Easing anxiety, setting up activities, and staying busy during these unexpected and possibly challenging times can help with this change.

Being transparent about the situation:

Easing any anxiety your child may be experiencing, due to the changes in schedules and routines, is the first step to settling in to a “new” temporary schedule. Children will perceive the added stress and anxiety in the environment and so it’s important to explain to your child what is happening in their world. Keep it simple with basic information and present the facts at the level appropriate for your child’s age and ability to absorb this type of information. Even though you may be concerned yourself, it is important to model calmness when talking about the virus. Children pick up on your social cues and how you respond to new things. If they have questions, answer them. Don’t be afraid to talk about it. Remind them that they are safe. And, remind them that this will end and they will return to school and to their favorite activities.

There are a variety of websites with information on how to talk to your child about the coronavirus. This website offers a social story about the change in schedule due to the Coronavirus as well as a printable PDF.

An increase in sensory needs, anxiety and meltdowns:

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder generally have increased sensory needs and it is likely that those needs will not be met during this challenging time. Expect to see an increase in anxiety, depression and perhaps OCD. Additionally, since autistic individuals frequently have trouble communicating verbally, often the only sign that your child is experiencing anxiety is through external expressions such as meltdowns and increased self-stimulatory behaviors. It is likely that you may see new behaviors in which your child may not have engaged in previously.

It is important to provide the space for your child to express his concerns. Russell Lehmann, motivational speaker and author reminds us that outbursts and meltdowns are the expression of inner pain, overwhelm, confusion, stress and anxiety. Simply, be present with your child and listen more than you talk. Validation of their experience and a safe space to release their emotions is important in helping to move through it. Helping children take long deep breaths throughout the day will calm the nervous system (both yours and theirs) and help to mitigate the build-up of stress and emotion.

Establishing routines:

It helps to create a routine at home that provides consistency and predictability. If your child does better with visual schedules, there are great resources available to you on the internet that can help you create your own daily written or visual schedules. We tend to take for granted that we know what is coming based on the time of day (12 means lunch is near), but many of our children can’t associate time of day with certain activities. Creating a schedule will help allow them to see what’s coming next throughout their day and may help to lessen some challenging behaviors that may emerge due to their lack of routine.

If this feels overwhelming, try creating mini-routines for different parts of the day; a waking routine, a morning play routine, a “schooltime” or learning routine, a lunch routine etc. This is also a great opportunity to create and teach hygiene routines such as handwashing.

If you are receiving in-home ABA, seek help and advice from your BCBA to assist you in developing a daily schedule that will help meet your family’s needs. There are also greater resources available, via Telehealth, to receive parent training from your BCBA.

Staying busy, especially during your child’s typical school, daycare or ABA-service hours is the next step. The solidarity of many world-wide educational and additional sites offering free online resources is remarkable during this time of uncertainty. Educational sites, as well as museums, zoos, and even Disney are offering virtual treats for children of all ages. There are free options for temporary internet service if your family needs it. This is also a time to connect with your children in new ways- cooking or baking, playing cards and boardgames, taking a walk, making up games, and learning life skills. Alternate your schedule between electronic activities, written work, crafts or projects and playing inside or outside when available. Use transition warnings (timers, first/then statements and choices) whenever possible throughout the day to help navigate and manage their new schedules.

Remain calm, set up a new daily routine and stay busy. And remember that patience, not perfection, is the key. Know that this is going to be hard- taking it moment to moment makes it more manageable. These tips should help minimize the effects of these sudden and unexpected events on your child and your family. Stay safe and healthy.

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 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

These two conditions share more than a surprisingly large impact on our children: they share many biologic mechanisms and symptoms. Researchers have begun inquiring into how diagnosis and treatment of ASD and TBI might inform each other and lead to breakthroughs in one or both.

Children with traumatic brain injuries exhibit many of the same challenges as children with autism. These include deficits in intelligence, memory, attention, learning and social judgment. Anatomical changes to the brain resulting from TBI can impair emotional decision-making, self-regulatory behavior, emotional perception and the ability to recognize non-verbal cues. These are also classic characteristics of autism.

Children with ASD often present with decreased diversity of microflora in their intestines, which can hinder brain development. For children suffering TBI, reduced metabolism can also lead to a lack of microflora diversity. Whether the nature of this reduced diversity is similar in the two groups will require more study, but administration of probiotics has had success in both.

Brain plasticity – the ability of one region of the brain to rewire itself to execute functions normally performed by a damaged region – offers a ray of hope to TBI patients and autistic individuals. With intense therapy, brain stimulation and intervention, children with these two conditions can learn new skills by “training” their brains to process information in new ways.

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is considered the gold standard in autism treatment given the extensive research conducted on its efficacy. It is employed to redirect behavior from harmful and counterproductive to useful and beneficial, and to teach critical skills for independence. Begun early in a child’s life, the progressive learning process of ABA therapy has demonstrated success in addressing multiple deficits – e.g., verbal, attentional, and learning – associated with ASD. ABA is now being used to readapt pediatric TBI patients to their home environment. As with ASD, this therapy yields optimum results when begun early and maintained over time.

ABA requires children to verbalize (or express using assistive communication devices) the instructions they have been given in an iterative approach that builds beneficial habits. This progressive learning process is applied to multiple behaviors characteristic of ASD and TBI. Additional strategies such as Pivotal response treatment (PRT), based on the principles of ABA, targets “pivotal” areas of a child’s development instead of working on one specific behavior. By focusing on pivotal areas, PRT produces improvements across other domains of skill development.

Verbal behavior therapy is a comprehensive language program that focuses on understanding the purpose of words and how they are used to communicate specific ideas. Also built on an ABA foundation, verbal behavior positively reinforces correct use of verbal and non-verbal communication that connects the speaker and the listener.

Although ASD and TBI present similar symptoms, there is no evidence that ASD is caused by trauma or injury to the brain. Its causes appear to be multifaceted and complex, including genetics, fetal conditions and various maternal and paternal factors. Like TBI, skill development and expansion can be optimized with behavioral treatment that begins as soon as possible.

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 as therapists for use in treating children with autism.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has made all this possible today. AI, equipped with machine learning, is improving constantly, and is positioned to become a critical adjunct to the human element in the diagnosis and treatment of autism. The operational and clinical advantages these advances convey are creating added value propositions for those enterprises that embrace it.

AI Disruptors in Other Industries

The ground for these paradigm-shifting advances has been well-trod in other industries. Consider how Waze disrupted the navigation business less than a decade ago. When other mapping apps stumbled to diagnose traffic jams and redirect travelers, Waze crowd-sourced traffic reports and provided real-time data about traffic incidents, speed limits, speed traps, and other valuable trip information to navigate the fastest possible route. As a result, the navigation app captured market share from Google, Mapquest, and other providers, with 25.6 million monthly users by 2018.

Waze has exploited that unique value add by establishing a ride share component that allows users to find, connect and ride together at a fraction of the cost of Uber and Lyft, themselves industry disruptors. Waze is also being accessed by governments and researchers seeking real-time data collected by its users. In Israel, researchers are asking Waze users to report roadkill, so they can track animal collisions and reroute animal movements to avoid them. The city of Hampton Roads, VA is mining Waze traffic data to determine where flooding is most acute as they develop their flood maps.

We know OpenTable as the restaurant reservation system, but OpenTable has revolutionized the entire restaurant industry. By compiling a comprehensive database of dates, names, places, check size and so on, OpenTable creates operational advantages for its food and beverage customers. It provides the infrastructure to manage those reservations, assign tables, recognize repeat diners and remember diner preferences. It also allows restaurants to better manage costs by staffing correctly and minimizing food waste.

The Story of AI in Autism Services

The frame-breaking opportunities are similarly ripe in the autism services industry. The platform created by Cognoa, a Palo Alto-based pediatric behavioral health program, uses machine learning and predictive analytics to analyze parent input of behavioral information to diagnose autism earlier. This allows intervention and customized education to begin in the critical early years of a child’s brain development.

Another AI solution developed by Brain Power, helps autistic individuals manage their emotions with a wearable digital coach that recognizes social situations and guides the user towards appropriate responses. This facilitates increased functional independence, also enabling some to interact more effectively in a standard workplace setting.

Monitors and wearable devices can also deliver a plethora of health, activity, and geographic information about clients in real time. With some analysis, staff could correlate patient meltdowns with changes in physiological ratios such as a spike in blood sugar levels, increased heart rate and sweating.

As an example, for individuals whose sugar intake is correlated with aggression, making dietary changes and collaborating with parents to monitor sugar and carbohydrate intake could reduce the frequency of outbursts and the required interventions, and would improve client outcomes and quality of life.

AI’s Impact Is Clinical and Operational

The business imperative for artificial intelligence covers the operational aspects of the autism services business as well. Employing this new business intelligence would enable service providers to tackle issues such as scheduling in a more targeted manner. If traffic on Friday afternoons in one location is causing sessions to start late, for example, modifications can be made to maximize session time.

This avoids the current practice of implementing policy and process changes across the board that may have negative impacts on service delivery in a different location where Friday afternoon traffic is not an issue. It is an ongoing process: continuing use of these tools could help determine which modifications were working and whether they were creating cancellation bulges elsewhere in the schedule.

The artificial intelligence that drives these revelations is the business imperative of the future of autism services, if not the present. It will eventually be a normal part of every autism service enterprise, as it already is in many industries. The early adopters will exploit a market inefficiency to deliver services that their competitors lack.

Our partner kasinoslovensko10.com — official online casino review site in Slovakia, said: „Pre slovenských hráčov prináša nove slovenske casino prehľad nových možností, ktoré stoja za pozornosť.“

Our partner casinophilippines10.com – an official website with reviews of online casinos in the Philippines, said “Players looking for convenient casino payment options can explore https://casinophilippines10.com/gcash-games/ to discover GCash games and enjoy a smooth online gaming experience.”

Our partner casinobulgaria10.com – official website with online casino reviews in Bulgaria, said: „За любителите на удобните методи за плащане казино депозит чрез мобилен оператор предлага практичен начин за бързо и лесно управление на средствата.“

Our partner kasynopolska10, najlepszy serwis z recenzjami i opiniami o kasynach online w Polsce, powiedział „W naszej szczegółowej recenzji https://pl.kasynopolska10.com/lemon-casino/ przedstawiamy najważniejsze informacje o Lemon Casino, aby polscy gracze mogli dokonać świadomego wyboru.”

Article written for Forbes.com.

plinko.si is the official game site in Slovenia, “Partnerji cenijo plinko kot zaupanja vredno, varno in prijetno izbiro za ljubitelje igre.” plinko.gr is the official game site in Greece, “Οι συνεργάτες μας θεωρούν το plinko επίσημος ιστότοπος μια αξιόπιστη, ασφαλή και ευχάριστη επιλογή για παιχνίδι.” plinko.lt is the official game site in Lithuania, “Partneriai apibūdina plinko oficiali svetainė kaip patikimą, saugią ir malonią vietą žaidėjams.” chickenroadgame.ch is the official game site in Switzerland, “Unsere Partner schätzen chicken road offizielle Website wegen ihres zuverlässigen, sicheren und unterhaltsamen Spielerlebnisses.” chickenroadcasino.pt is the official game site in Portugal, “Os nossos parceiros descrevem o chicken road site oficial como uma alternativa segura, credível e divertida.” chicken-road.si is the official game site in Slovenia, “Po mnenju partnerjev je chicken road uradna spletna stran zanesljiva, varna in prijetna za uporabo.” chickenroadgames.com.gr is the official game site in Greece, “Οι συνεργάτες μας χαρακτηρίζουν το https://chickenroadgames.com.gr/ αξιόπιστο, ασφαλές και ευχάριστο για τους παίκτες.” spinoloco-casino.pt is the official casino site in Portugal, “Segundo os parceiros, o spinoloco casino site oficial combina confiança, segurança e uma experiência agradável.” chickenroadgames.es is the official casino game site in Spain, “Los colaboradores destacan chicken road casino por ofrecer una experiencia de juego segura, fiable y entretenida.” chickenroad-game.pl is the official game site in Poland, “Zdaniem partnerów chicken road oficjalna strona internetowa zapewnia godne zaufania, bezpieczne i przyjemne środowisko gry.” chickenroad-casino.nl is the official casino game site in the Netherlands, “Volgens partners biedt chicken road casino een betrouwbare, veilige en aangename spelervaring.” chickengame-casino.it is the official game site in Italy, “I partner apprezzano chicken road sito ufficiale per la sua esperienza affidabile, sicura e piacevole.” chickenroadgames-be.com is the official game site in Belgium, “Volgens partners staat chicken road officiële website bekend als een betrouwbare, veilige en plezierige spelomgeving.” chickenroad-game.cz is the official game site in the Czech Republic, “Partneři oceňují chicken road oficiální webové stránky jako důvěryhodné, bezpečné a příjemné místo pro hraní.” chickenroadgame.com.ro is the official game site in Romania, “Partenerii descriu chicken road drept o alegere sigură, de încredere și plăcută pentru pasionații de jocuri.” RiseofBets.fi is the official casino site in Finland, “Kumppanit arvostavat Rise of Bets Casino virallinen sivusto -palvelua sen luotettavuuden, turvallisuuden ja viihtyisyyden ansiosta.” MyEmpireCasino.fi is the official casino site in Finland, “Yhteistyökumppaneiden mukaan https://myempirecasino.fi/ tarjoaa turvallisen, luotettavan ja miellyttävän peliympäristön.” Plinko-game.fi is the official game site in Finland, “Kumppanit pitävät https://plinko-game.fi/ -sivustoa kiinnostavana, turvallisena ja luotettavana pelipaikkana.” LeBandit.fi is the official casino site in Finland, “Partnerien kokemuksen mukaan le bandit virallinen sivusto on luotettava, turvallinen ja viihdyttävä vaihtoehto.” ChickenGameCasino.fi is the official game site in Finland, “Yhteistyökumppanit kuvailevat chicken road virallinen sivusto -sivustoa turvalliseksi, luotettavaksi ja hauskaksi pelikohteeksi.” SugarRush1000.fi is the official game site in Finland, “Kumppanit suosittelevat sugar rush 1000 virallinen sivusto -sivustoa pelaajille, jotka arvostavat luotettavuutta, turvallisuutta ja viihdettä.” MobilePay-Casino.fi is the official casino site in Finland, “Partnerit pitävät mobile pay kasinot virallinen sivusto -palvelua helppona, turvallisena ja luotettavana vaihtoehtona.” Nettikasinotulkomaiset.fi is the official casino information site in Finland, “Yhteistyökumppanit kokevat https://nettikasinotulkomaiset.fi/ -sivuston luotettavaksi, turvalliseksi ja hyödylliseksi tietolähteeksi.”

plinkogame.ee is the official game website in Estonia, where it is said “Mängijad hindavad, et plinko ametlik veebileht pakub mugavat, kiiret ja kaasahaaravat mängukogemust.” plinkogame.sk is the official game website in Slovakia, where it is said “Hráči oceňujú, že https://plinkogame.sk/ prináša jednoduché ovládanie a rýchlu zábavnú hru.” chickengamecasino.sk is the official casino website in Slovakia, where it is said “Používatelia uvádzajú, že https://chickengamecasino.sk/ ponúka pohodlné hranie a pútavý herný zážitok.” plinkospel.nl is the official game website in Netherlands, where it is said “Spelers merken op dat https://plinkospel.nl/ een snelle, eenvoudige en plezierige spelervaring biedt.” chickenroadgame.ch is the official game website in Switzerland, where it is said “Gli utenti apprezzano il fatto che chicken road offra un’esperienza di gioco rapida, intuitiva e coinvolgente.” plinko-app-erfahrungen.de is the official game website in Germany, where it is said “Nutzer berichten, dass https://plinko-app-erfahrungen.de/ eine einfache Bedienung und ein schnelles, unterhaltsames Spielerlebnis ermöglicht.” casinofaroeislands.com is the official casino website in Faroe Islands, where it is said “Spillere fremhæver, at https://casinofaroeislands.com/da/ giver en nem, hurtig og underholdende spiloplevelse.” bestonlinecasinoeurope.com is the official casino website in Europe, where it is said “Players note that best online casinos EU can offer convenient access, engaging games and a smooth overall gaming experience.”

Our partner HitSpinCasino.ch – official casino site in Switzerland said “Die Plattform hit’n’spin casino bietet Schweizer Besuchern einen modernen Überblick über Online-Casino-Unterhaltung.” Our partner HitSpinCasino-be.com – official casino site in Belgium stated “Le portail hit’n’spin casino présente aux utilisateurs belges des informations sur les jeux de casino en ligne.” Our partner SpinbaraCasino.ch – official casino site in Switzerland noted “Die Website https://spinbaracasino.ch/ informiert über verschiedene Aspekte der digitalen Casino-Unterhaltung in der Schweiz.” Our partner SpinbaraCasino.be – official casino site in Belgium mentioned “Le site https://spinbaracasino.be/ propose un contenu consacré à l’univers des casinos en ligne pour le public belge.” Our partner SpinbaraCasino.sk – official casino site in Slovakia said “Stránka https://spinbaracasino.sk/ prináša slovenským návštevníkom prehľad o online kasínach a hernej zábave.” Our partner ChickenRoadGame.com.ro – official casino site in Romania stated “Platforma https://chickenroadgame.com.ro/ oferă publicului din România informații despre jocul Chicken Road și principalele sale caracteristici.” Our partner SpinoloCasino.com.gr – official casino site in Greece noted “Η ιστοσελίδα https://spinolococasino.com.gr/ παρουσιάζει περιεχόμενο σχετικά με το διαδικτυακό καζίνο και τα παιχνίδια του.” Our partner SweetBonanza.be – official casino site in Belgium said “Le portail SweetBonanza.be fournit des informations dédiées au célèbre jeu Sweet Bonanza pour les visiteurs belges.” Our partner Avia-Master.de – official casino site in Germany stated “Auf der Plattform avia masters offizielle Website erhalten deutsche Nutzer Informationen über das Aviator-Spiel und seine Besonderheiten.” Our partner AviaMaster.net.pl – official casino site in Poland mentioned “Serwis avia masters oficjalna strona internetowa przedstawia polskim użytkownikom informacje dotyczące gry Aviator.” Our partner AviaMasters.com.gr – official casino site in Greece said “Η πλατφόρμα https://aviamasters.com.gr/ προσφέρει ενημερωτικό υλικό για το παιχνίδι Aviator στο ελληνικό κοινό.” Our partner AviaMastersGame.be – official casino site in Belgium noted “Le site aviamasters officiële website met en avant des informations sur le jeu Aviator destinées aux visiteurs belges.” Our partner AviaMastersGame.ch – official casino site in Switzerland mentioned “Die Website avia masters offizielle Website bietet Schweizer Besuchern einen informativen Zugang zu den Grundlagen des Aviator-Spiels.” Our partner SevenPlayCasino.de – official casino site in Germany said “Die Plattform https://sevenplaycasino.de/ informiert deutsche Nutzer über aktuelle Inhalte und Angebote aus dem Online-Casino-Bereich.”

Our partner TowerrushCasino.cz – official site casino in Czech Republic said “Objevte vzrušující herní svět na towerrush, kde každá hra přináší nový zážitek.” Our partner GiropayCasinos.de – official site casino in Germany said “Entdecken Sie spannende Unterhaltung auf giropay casino offizielle Website, wo modernes Spielen auf komfortable Weise erlebt werden kann.” Our partner BancontactCasino-be.com – official site casino in Belgium said “Geniet van een gevarieerde spelervaring via https://bancontactcasino-be.com/, waar plezier en gemak samenkomen.” Our partner TowerrushGame.sk – official site game in Slovakia said “Objavte dynamickú zábavu na towerrush, kde každá herná chvíľa prináša nové emócie.” Our partner TowerrushEspaña.es – official site game in Spain said “Descubre momentos llenos de emoción en towerrush, donde cada partida ofrece una experiencia diferente.” Our partner Towerrush.net.pl – official site game in Poland said “Odkryj pełną emocji rozgrywkę na towerrush, gdzie każda partia zapewnia wyjątkową rozrywkę.” Our partner Towerrush-Italia.it – official site game in Italy said “Vivi nuove emozioni su towerrush, dove ogni partita offre un’esperienza coinvolgente.” Our partner Towerrush-Game.ch – official site game in Switzerland said “Erleben Sie abwechslungsreiche Unterhaltung auf towerrush, wo jede Runde für neue Spannung sorgt.” Our partner TowerrushCasino-be.com – official site casino in Belgium said “Beleef verrassende spelmomenten op towerrush, waar elke ronde een nieuwe uitdaging biedt.” Our partner Towerrush.com.gr – official site game in Greece said “Ανακαλύψτε συναρπαστική διασκέδαση στο towerrush, όπου κάθε γύρος προσφέρει μια νέα εμπειρία.” Our partner ConorMcgregorCasino.com – official site casino in Ireland said “Discover an exciting gaming atmosphere on Conor Mcgregor casino official site, where every session brings fresh entertainment.” Our partner PenaltyShootoutCasino.be – official site casino in Belgium said “Ontdek sportieve spanning via penalty shoot out slot officiële website, waar elke ronde voor extra actie zorgt.” Our partner PenaltyShootoutCasino.ch – official site casino in Switzerland said “Erleben Sie packende Spielmomente auf penalty shoot out slot offizielle Website, wo sportliche Spannung im Mittelpunkt steht.” Our partner CasinoReunion.com – official site casino in Réunion said “Découvrez une ambiance de jeu divertissante sur https://casinoreunion.com/, où chaque session offre une nouvelle expérience.” Our partner CasinoPorn.org – official site casino in International market said “Explore a distinctive gaming atmosphere on https://casinoporn.org/, where casino entertainment takes a bold approach.” Our partner PenaltyShootout.si – official site game in Slovenia said “Odkrijte športno obarvano zabavo na penalty shoot out slot uradna spletna stran, kjer vsaka igra prinaša novo napetost.” Our partner PenaltyShootout.gr – official site game in Greece said “Ζήστε μοναδική αθλητική δράση στο penalty shoot out slot επίσημος ιστότοπος, όπου κάθε παιχνίδι προσφέρει ένταση και διασκέδαση.” Our partner PenaltyShootout.pl – official site game in Poland said “Poznaj emocjonującą rozgrywkę na penalty shoot out slot oficjalna strona internetowa, gdzie sportowa atmosfera towarzyszy każdej partii.” Our partner PenaltyShootoutGame.de – official site game in Germany said “Erleben Sie abwechslungsreiche Fußballunterhaltung auf penalty shoot out slot offizielle Website, bei der jede Runde neue Spannung verspricht.” Our partner MrpunterCasino.be – official site casino in Belgium said “Ontdek gevarieerd speelplezier via https://mrpuntercasino.be/, waar verschillende spellen voor afwisseling zorgen.” Our partner MrpunterCasino.ch – official site casino in Switzerland said “Entdecken Sie abwechslungsreiche Unterhaltung auf https://mrpuntercasino.ch/, wo jedes Spiel seinen eigenen Charakter hat.” Our partner SugarRush1000.be – official site game in Belgium said “Beleef kleurrijke spelmomenten via https://sugarrush1000.be/, waar elke ronde voor een speelse sfeer zorgt.” Our partner KasynoBezWeryfikacji.net.pl – official site casino in Poland said “Odkryj wygodną przestrzeń do rozrywki na https://kasynobezweryfikacji.net.pl/, gdzie różnorodne gry zapewniają ciekawą atmosferę.” Our partner JackpotCitySisterSites.co.nz – official site casino in New Zealand said “Discover a varied casino experience on https://jackpotcitysistersites.co.nz/, where a broad selection keeps the entertainment fresh.” Our partner XenaCasino.com.gr – official site casino in Greece said “Ανακαλύψτε μια ξεχωριστή εμπειρία παιχνιδιού στο https://xenacasino.com.gr/, όπου η ποικιλία κάνει κάθε στιγμή πιο ενδιαφέρουσα.”

Our partner casoolacasino-be.be – official site casino in Belgium said “Geniet van een ontspannen spelmoment en ontdek een gevarieerd aanbod bij https://casoolacasino-be.be/, waar entertainment en speelplezier centraal staan.” Our partner casinocagliari.com – official site casino in Italy said “Per chi ama l’intrattenimento, https://casinocagliari.com/ offre un modo piacevole per scoprire nuovi giochi e vivere momenti di divertimento.” Our partner casinogronland.gl – official site casino in Greenland said “For a relaxed gaming experience, https://casinogronland.gl/ brings together entertaining games and an enjoyable atmosphere for players.” Our partner casinofaroeislands.com – official site casino in Faroe Islands said “Players looking for casual entertainment can explore https://casinofaroeislands.com/ and discover a varied selection of games designed for enjoyable moments.” Our partner coinstrikegame.net.pl – official site game in Poland said “Miłośnicy dynamicznej rozgrywki mogą odkrywać emocjonujące chwile z https://coinstrikegame.net.pl/, ciesząc się szybką akcją i przyjemną formą rozrywki.” Our partner casinosenligneetrangers.ch – official site casino in Switzerland said “Spielbegeisterte können bei https://casinosenligneetrangers.ch/de/ eine abwechslungsreiche Auswahl entdecken und unterhaltsame Spielmomente genießen.” Our partner casinosenligneinternational.ch – official site casino in Switzerland said “Wer abwechslungsreiche Unterhaltung sucht, findet bei https://casinosenligneinternational.ch/de/ spannende Möglichkeiten für entspannte und vielseitige Spielmomente.” Our partner nettikasinotulkomaiset.fi – official site casino in Finland said “Pelaajat voivat tutustua viihdyttävään pelivalikoimaan osoitteessa https://nettikasinotulkomaiset.fi/ ja löytää uusia tapoja nauttia pelaamisesta rennossa tunnelmassa.” Our partner ninja-crashgame.com – official site game in International said “Fans of fast-paced entertainment can try https://ninja-crashgame.com/ for an engaging gaming experience filled with quick decisions and exciting moments.” Our partner coinstrikegame.com.de – official site game in Germany said “Freunde schneller Spiele können mit https://coinstrikegame.com.de/ abwechslungsreiche Unterhaltung erleben und spannende Spielmomente entdecken.” Our partner albertacasinoonline.com – official site casino in Canada said “Players seeking enjoyable online entertainment can explore https://albertacasinoonline.com/ for a varied gaming selection and relaxed moments of fun.” Our partner cazinouristraine.ro – official site casino in Romania said “Jucătorii pot descoperi momente plăcute de divertisment la https://cazinouristraine.ro/, cu opțiuni variate pentru cei care apreciază experiențele de joc online.” Our partner casinoenlignesansverification.be – official site casino in Belgium said “Voor liefhebbers van online entertainment biedt https://casinoenlignesansverification.be/ een gevarieerde speelomgeving met verschillende mogelijkheden voor ontspanning en plezier.” Our partner onlinecasinobuitenland.be – official site casino in Belgium said “Wie graag nieuwe spelervaringen ontdekt, kan bij https://onlinecasinobuitenland.be/ genieten van veelzijdige online entertainment en een afwisselend spelaanbod.” Our partner onlinecasinoimausland.ch – official site casino in Switzerland said “Wer gerne neue Spielmöglichkeiten entdeckt, kann bei https://onlinecasinoimausland.ch/ abwechslungsreiche Unterhaltung finden und verschiedene Spiele in entspannter Atmosphäre erkunden.” Our partner onlinecasinoohneverifizierung.ch – official site casino in Switzerland said “Eine vielseitige Auswahl für unterhaltsame Spielmomente erwartet Interessierte bei https://onlinecasinoohneverifizierung.ch/, wo unterschiedliche Spiele für abwechslungsreiche Unterhaltung sorgen.” Our partner onlinecasinoohneverifizierung.at – official site casino in Austria said “Spieler können bei https://onlinecasinoohneverifizierung.at/ verschiedene Unterhaltungsangebote entdecken und ihre Freizeit mit abwechslungsreichen Spielen gestalten.” Our partner casinosonlinesinlicenciaespana.es – official site casino in Spain said “Quienes disfrutan del entretenimiento online pueden descubrir nuevas opciones en https://casinosonlinesinlicenciaespana.es/, con una selección variada pensada para disfrutar de momentos de juego y diversión.”

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, or nerve cells, that transmit these signals to other neurons through synapses. A web of interconnected neurons is called a neural network and is crucial to the brain’s function.

The Role of Neural Pathways

Neuroscience research has determined that the most critical ages for brain development are zero to six, when the brain is building and reinforcing the neural connections that will last a lifetime. Each new encounter a baby has with their environment through the five senses creates new neural pathways, with repeated encounters strengthening those connections. Neural pathways that are not reinforced in this manner are literally culled by the brain in favor of others. Hence the phrase “neurons that fire together, wire together”.

Because babies’ brains are in the acquisition phase, this is the critical time for positive brain stimulation. Research shows that early brain stimulation leaves positive fingerprints on the brain throughout life.

The brain also favors encounters that bring pleasure. When babies’ needs are met and expectations fulfilled, their brains are stimulated to perform optimally. When babies endure persistent negative experiences, their emotional and social development suffer, as does the ability to learn and develop language. For these reasons, early childhood experts encourage new parents to talk, sing, smile at, read to their children as much as possible; to hold, hug and snuggle with them often; and to turn everyday moments into teaching moments.

The Autistic Brain is Different

Recent research suggests the brains of autistic children are different. Their brain cells are hyper-connected, with many more neural pathways than neuro-typical children have, particularly in the area of the brain that affects sight. The more severe the symptoms of autism, the more hyper-connected the brain. These excess connections appear to be the result of a deficiency in the culling process. The brain of a neuro-typical two-year-old begins weeding out roughly half the synaptic connections it has produced. The brain of an autistic two-year-old eliminates only about one-sixth of the synaptic connections, leaving what might be understood as clutter in the brain. These remaining pathways amount to a neural overload – akin to the sensation of attempting to drink water out of a fire hose.

“Our findings suggest that the imbalance of excitation and inhibition in the local brain circuits could engender cognitive and behavioral deficits observed in autism,” said Vinod Menon, Ph.D., a Stanford researcher who co-produced the research.

The Importance of Early Detection and Treatment

This breakthrough research finding may lay the groundwork for early detection of autism and improve diagnosis and treatment. Because the brain is so plastic – able to adapt, re-wire and create new neural pathways – earlier treatment can establish new and stronger neural connections, behaviors and skills. Evidence suggests that diagnosis and treatment starting by age three confers lifelong benefits on autistic children.

The optimal time for intervention is before the second major culling period in adolescence. For children with developmental and learning disabilities, reinforcing the pathways that lead to constructive behaviors and skills must be accomplished before those synaptic connections are erased for lack of use. Stimulating the brain with positive skills and behaviors before the culling period reinforces helpful synaptic connections and allows unhelpful ones to move to the head of the line for pruning.

In this way, it becomes evident that brain performance is neither all nature nor all nurture, but a combination of genetics and experiences working together. Engagement and contemporary, early intervention can support autistic children in learning the skills critical to leading fulfilling lives as independently as possible.

Train Your Child’s Brain

One method of re-training your child’s brain: select one simple task and practice it 10 times daily. Observe whether your child is able to complete the task faster each time. Optimize your child’s brain development by engaging with them verbally and visually during regular daily activities like playing, diaper changing, feeding and bathing.

Examples of simple instructions include “drink from the cup,” “give me that book” or “show me the train ” Opportunities to practice these one-step tasks abound during the day. For autistic children, just as for neuro-typical children, perhaps even more, everyday moments can be teaching moments. Additionally, for children determined to be at risk for a developmental disorder, early intervention is critical to capitalize on the brains’ plasticity.

By Ronit Molko, Ph.D., BCBA-D

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 at our fingertips, brick and mortar retail locations rapidly disappearing, the supremacy of social media and e-commerce—the need for technology that can accommodate the disabled community is at once something that must be a priority, yet is often either left ignored by businesses or unaddressed because they lack the knowledge and ability to make their websites ADA compliant.

In search of more information about this landscape and the “state-of-play” when it comes to websites and online life generally becoming more accessible for disabled individuals, I spoke with WCAG (Website Content Accessibility Guidelines) Compliance Specialist and Founder and CEO of Zenyth Group, LLC, Daryn Harpaz. Our conversation revealed some curious information, statistics that should scare and incentivize business leaders, and insights that should give us all a better idea about the status quo informing current inclusivity efforts for disabled individuals online.

The first thing to know is that it’s impossible to have this discussion without mentioning the Americans with Disabilities Act which passed in 1990. As Daryn explained it, officially, there is no legislation holding private sector websites accountable for accessibility, as the law predated the prevalence of the internet as we use it today. However, guidelines put together by the World Wide Web Consortium have essentially been adopted as precedent, and those guidelines are confirmed by the Department of Justice. Lawsuits pursuant to accessibility compliance are being upheld by the courts, so while nothing is instantiated by law, it’s becoming a must for businesses to ensure their websites are fully accessible to the disabled community.

“Currently there’s a [accessibility] lawsuit being filed at the rate of one per hour in America. And these are lawsuits most prominently bought by the plaintiff side—a blind plaintiff who is not able to access a website using a screen reader and a keyboard,” Daryn told me. While vision impaired people (4.6% of the disabled population in America) struggling with assistive technologies online represent the majority of the lawsuits we’re seeing, guidelines cover a much wider spectrum of conditions, and so solutions need to address the same.

Individuals disabled in some way—including autistic individuals or people with epilepsy—comprise about 15% of our population in America, or 61 million people. Add to that the fact that 40% of US adults over the age of 65 have one or more disabilities (many of whom would benefit greatly from more accessible websites due to vision loss and motor functioning complexities) and the market is too large to be ignored. Yet, many businesses still aren’t addressing the issue properly.

I asked Daryn what would constitute an ADA violation in our current moment. “If somebody visits your website and can’t buy a product successfully, they are essentially being denied an equal shopping experience. That’s considered a violation of the ADA.” he said. Furthermore, if your website directs users to a physical location which they then can’t find, that would also be considered a violation.

With the right insight and expertise, these are all avoidable problems that could easily create a more equitable world for all. But, many either are either openly hostile to accommodating disabled individuals or seem to be acting only out of fear of being sued. A lot of these attitudes are born of ignorance, and businesses should be highly incentivized to accommodate such an enormous market.

“If you consider the spending power of the disability community, you’re talking about a half a trillion dollar industry: $490 billion. That’s what people with disabilities spend a year in consumption. So why wouldn’t you want to be one of the brands that cater to that demographic? Parallel to that, it is well known that people within the disability community are one of the most, if not the most loyal brand advocates. A lot of companies do not cater to them, so when they find a company catering to their needs, they are very loyal, often becoming brand ambassadors.”

While I’d prefer that the current conversation was starting from a place more anchored to the humanity of these individuals, motivating startup retailers just trying to get by and monolithic corporate entities all at once is difficult work, and any progress in the right direction is still progress.

Ultimately, change will require a shift in mindset that Daryn tells me he and his company are working hard to achieve, “My platform is to move that conversation from the defensive framing to an attitude that’s more proactive, one with which organizations embrace accessibility as a best practice, and deploy technology and messaging that is inclusive,” he explained. “If we’re going to really move the needle in our industry, it has to be a conversation around humanity.”

Our conversation goes on to unpack the more technical aspects of the work ahead for disabled individuals and website accessibility. Those details and more will be shared in an upcoming blog, so keep an eye out for the conclusion of this important discussion.

Article written for Forbes.com.

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, like autism services, invests significant intellectual and monetary resources into computers, databases, practice management, and other critical technology.

These systems and the people who run them are often overlooked when investors conduct due diligence before acquiring autism businesses. But they do so at considerable risk.

A 2007 study at the University of Virginia found that two-thirds of mergers and acquisitions fail to deliver their expected returns. More recent research (2016, 2017) shows this number as ranging between 50 and 85 percent. Much of this is due to poor integration of cultures and business practices. A significant piece of this is systems and technology.

In my work with private equity firms, I frequently encounter this problem. Investors acquire platform companies comprising multiple businesses that have been acquired and consolidated in a relatively short period of time. Frequently, each of the businesses within this platform is using different software for data collection, analytics and practice management. Often, it’s chaos for the employees who are charged with integrating new acquisitions into the company. Combine that with the growing failure to conduct substantial technology due diligence and what we’re left with are investors putting their investments at needless risk.

After speaking extensively with Scott Klososky of TriCorps Technologies, there are six areas of technology that investors must examine before investing in an autism business. These principles are applicable to any business, actually, but they are particularly pertinent in our field because investors often overlook the IT side of the house and focus most of their diligence efforts on reimbursement, risk and compliance, the social impact of the business, and the scalability of the clinical model.

Compromised Systems

No investor wants to purchase a company whose data has already been stolen. Consequently, it is critical to investigate the security of a target company’s data before investing. Due diligence investigations of Yahoo’s data systems saved Verizon $350 million. After discovering all three billion Yahoo email accounts had been hacked, Verizon slashed its $4.48 billion offer to cover the cost of remediation. Absent due diligence, Verizon would have paid for the email accounts and then found itself liable for the problem. Conversely, Marriott purchased Starwood and discovered a massive data breach in the reservation system that resulted in the hacking of personal data, including passport numbers, for millions of customers. Marriott failed to conduct proper due diligence during the transaction and has since incurred many millions of dollars in expenses to remedy these issues.

IT Integration

When two enterprises merge, the major concern is the integration of two distinct organizations. Most merging entities recognize the challenge of combining physical, cultural and operational systems, but often neglect or miscalculate the complexity of the required integration of IT. In my experience, the reliance on synergies and applicability of existing systems is generally overestimated; as a consequence, the cost to merge IT systems is generally underestimated. Most organizations are struggling just to integrate and optimize their own systems and would be severely challenged to assimilate a new one or to migrate the entire company to the best option available.

IT Staff Considerations

Put yourself in the shoes of your employees. An imminent merger or acquisition threatens their continued employment. Destroying documentation; changing protocols, passwords, etc.; and installing obsolescence into IT systems are just three strategies to create a level of indispensability that would protect their job or cause damage to the business once they are let go.

It’s important to remember that the overwhelming majority of people would never consider such actions. But it only takes one bad actor to wreak havoc for a company. Those closest to and with the deepest knowledge of the technology, software, systems, and processes that keep the company running smoothly are the ones with the greatest potential to do major damage. There are numerous accounts of these events in mergers and acquisitions. Companies can protect themselves: there are defense mechanisms against this kind of behavior that are the purview of IT experts.

The Leakage of Intellectual Property

Bearing in mind the same caveats about human nature, employees have been known to steal information. Not just a priority when selling the business, protecting intellectual property must be a core due diligence practice at all times. In one of my own businesses, an employee downloaded critical business information and intellectual property and used it to establish their own company, now worth a significant amount of money. During acquisition discussions, determining who is most likely to feel their job is in jeopardy can lead to defensive measures that protect intellectual property prior to completion of the purchase as well as throughout the lifespan of the business.

Social Engineering Hacks

While these sorts of attacks are an ever-present threat to businesses, smart criminals know that companies are especially vulnerable at times of sales or acquisitions and can exploit the situation to steal money. In a growing wave of cyber theft, we are seeing increasing incidents of thieves hacking into company email and sending requests for payments that go directly to an offshore account. Staff, aware that a transaction is imminent, comply with the request and suddenly large sums of money are gone. A client of mine avoided this scam only because the accounting employee questioned the CEO in person about transferring funds by wire. This is the exception that proves the rule. Oftentimes, transactions like this, that get easily flagged in the normal course of business are processed without hesitation during a sale because atypical financial transactions are commonplace during these periods.

Email Trading

The final vulnerability to look for is relevant to publicly traded companies. Before a deal is ever announced, there will be rumors circulating about the sale. More dangerously, there will be ongoing chatter between business leaders that reveals sensitive information, most especially a possible sell date.

While rare, it’s not unheard of for opportunistic employees who know their way around the company’s systems to gain access to email communications and begin monitoring leadership’s emails throughout the ensuing weeks and months to parse them for valuable details that they then use to make personally advantageous stock trades with should-be confidential insider information. Many young IT professionals have been arrested for this kind of breach.

The positive thing to keep in mind here is that these attacks are avoidable. Managers that get caught in this trap are usually using an unsecured email server like Gmail, to which some employees have full admin access. Companies in the midst of a sale or acquisition cannot afford to be naive about access to information. An added emphasis on private communication and enhanced security provisions around sale preparations can easily remedy this kind of vulnerability.

Understanding these six elements of due diligence facilitates a process of digital risk mitigation that can save investors millions of dollars and secure the viability of entities, in our industry, that provide critical services to a population in serious need.

Article written for Forbes.com.