Ashley Michaels, M.A., BCBA, LBA

22/07/2025

12/07/2025

Ok this hierarchy of therapy provider needs is soooo good! Anything missing from the pyramid?

Image:: yourhumantherapists

04/07/2025

Wishing Everyone a safe and fun filled 4thnof July!!!!!

04/07/2025

Great resource from Kari Olea! 💙

23/06/2025

Love this infographic!

Vestibular input can calm or excite. Vestibular sensory input can be alerting or calming to our nervous systems, allowing us to learn, interact with others, and go through our day. Here, we’re unpacking everything you need to know about vestibular processing and the vestibular system. Let’s move! https://www.theottoolbox.com/vestibular-activities/

This type of movement is a powerful tool in therapy and at home.

11/05/2025

Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful mommy's out there today!

19/04/2025

A quick refute to RFK Jr. Press Conference on 4/16/2025 regarding the rise in the autism diagnosis. (Backed by science and data of course!)

by Dr. Kristin M. Kosmerl, Ed.D., BCBA-D, BCASE, IBA, CTRT-E, CTRT-C, ACAS, ADHD-CE, LBS, LBA
(Note: Dr. Kosmerl is a BCBA-D, and an advanced specialist in autism, ADHD and trauma. She is also a certified educator and administrator. However, she is not able to diagnose.)

Last night, I expressed my inability to find words in response to RFK Jr.’s statements. Let me clarify I had plenty of words, but none that I could use on social media without risking my professional integrity and certainly ones I did not want to testify to as an expert witness.
As a former public school special education administrator and clinic staff leader, I always advised my team to "sleep on your written response overnight" if reacting viscerally or with frustration. That is precisely what I did. I slept on it or tried to.

Autism rates have been climbing for the past 30 years. In 2000, 1 in 150 children were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. As of April 2025, 1 in 31 eight-year-olds are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. This increase has been rigorously researched by leading scientists and doctors worldwide for over three decades.

My Thoughts on the Increase:
- Increased Awareness: Greater public and professional awareness has contributed to higher diagnosis rates.
Improved Diagnostic Criteria: The DSM-III, introduced in 1980, first separated childhood schizophrenia from autism, leading to more accurate diagnoses.
- Access to Better Diagnosis and Specialists: Enhanced access to diagnostic services has played a significant role.
- More Specialists: The rise in specialists focusing on autism and related behaviors has improved diagnosis and treatment.
- Insurance Coverage: Insurance coverage for ABA therapy requires a confirmed autism diagnosis, which has led to more diagnoses.

Autism is NOT:
A disease
Preventable
A tragedy
Something “we are doing this to your children”.
Something “we need to put an end to”.
Caused by:
Vaccines
Environmental toxins
“Maternal activation so that something happens in the womb.”
Age of parents
Or obesity of the parents
Risk factors
Ultrasounds
Diabetes from parents

Autism DOES NOT
-“destroy” children.
-“destroy” families.

People with autism are valuable members of society and should be treated with respect: They
- Pay taxes.
- Work.
- Play sports.
- Write poems.
- Date. (Hello Love on the Spectrum!)
- Use the bathroom unassisted.
- Are 71 years old.

Some with profound autism may never do some of the things above, but all neurotypical people do not do these things as well.

The causes of autism will not be identified by September. However, the changes in diagnostic criteria in the DSM-III and DSM-V are often overlooked when discussing the rise in autism rates. Improved recognition and diagnostic criteria are significant factors, not just 25%.

What people with autism, their caregivers and advocates need:
- Respect: They are human beings deserving of respect, not pity.
- Access to Free Healthcare: This includes medical, behavioral, mental health, diagnostic, and assessment services.
- Funding and Availability of Services: Especially at the adult level.
- Better Oversight and Qualifications: Ensuring those who work with individuals with autism are properly trained and qualified.
- Better Education: Providing quality education tailored to the needs of individuals with autism.
- Support Without Daily Struggles: Access to necessary supports without constant battles with doctors, insurance, and educational or behavioral/mental health systems.
Acceptance and Respect: Embracing individuals with autism with acceptance and love, not pity.

I am including the link of the full transcript here- https://www.rev.com/transcripts/autism-survey-results

Reading RFK Jr.'s statements was even more horrifying than hearing them the first time. His remarks lacked regard and respect for individuals with autism or their families.

These remarks from a US government official are insufferable.


Dr. Kosmerl

19/04/2025

As a dad to three autistic kids for over 25 years, I’m overwhelmed, angry, and disgusted—but I need to speak up.

My oldest son experienced massive global regression. My youngest was nonspeaking for years. My middle son fell somewhere in between. I’ve lived every single day of their lives loving them, fighting for them, helping them learn to navigate a world that wasn’t built for them—and watching them overcome things the world assumed they never would.

I’ve laughed with them. I’ve cried with them. They frustrate me. They drive me crazy—just like every other kid in the world drives their parents crazy. Yes, I’m exhausted. Yes, I’m overwhelmed. Yes, I’m burnt out after 25 years of this life.

But my kids?
They’re the best things that ever happened to me.
They’ve taught me more than any book ever could.
They’re better than me in every way.

I know the daily struggles families face. I’ve lived in the trenches for over two decades. I know how hard it can be—especially for our kids with high support needs. But I also know life can be just as hard for those with lower support needs. Every experience is valid. Every story deserves respect.

Even through all the challenges—and mine are well documented—my kids didn’t destroy my family. They are my family. They’re my reason for living. They bring a light into the world that no one else can replicate.

What RFK Jr. is doing right now will not help our families.
Calling autism a disease to be “cured” isn’t progress—it’s erasure. Appointing David Geier, someone tied to dangerous and discredited science, isn’t leadership—it’s sabotage.
And let’s be clear: they are hijacking the autism community to push a harmful agenda that has nothing to do with supporting our kids or families.

This rhetoric doesn’t just spread fear—it reignites long-debunked myths, especially the dangerous and false claim that vaccines cause autism. That lie has already done enough damage.

Now, we’re seeing the consequences.
As of April 2025, the U.S. has reported over 700 measles cases—including two child deaths—and a rise in whooping cough cases, with multiple infant fatalities. These outbreaks are directly tied to declining vaccination rates fueled by misinformation and fear.

What we need is:
• Support, not scapegoating
• Research, not propaganda
• Respect, not erasure
• Acceptance, not fear
• Belonging, not blame

Our kids deserve better.
Our families deserve better.
We won’t be silent.