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Debra Moore

Debra Moore is a psychologist who has worked extensively with children, teens and adults on the autism spectrum. She coauthored The Loving Push: How Parents and Professionals Can Help Spectrum Kids Become Successful Adults (2016) with Dr. Temple Grandin. She started the groups “Autism Spectrum Across the Lifespan,” and “Autism Spectrum HELPING HANDS Mentors” at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1646967. She contributed two chapters (one again coauthored with Dr. Temple Grandin) to The Nine Degrees of Autism (Routledge, 2015), which presents a developmental model of stages frequently experienced by those diagnosed as adults. She also wrote the chapter Internet and Gaming Addiction in Youth on the Autism Spectrum: A Particularly Vulnerable Population in Internet Addiction in Children and Adolescents (forthcoming, Springer Publishers).

How Do You Respond When You Suspect a Loved One Is On the Spectrum?

How Do You Respond When You Suspect a Loved One Is On the Spectrum? https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/loved-one-is-on-spectrum/

Question: Hi, I wonder if you can offer advice on how to deal with an adult son who, although undiagnosed, I am sure is on the spectrum. He does not do small talk, doesn’t understand why anyone should be interested in what he is doing, and has no interest in anyone else. Conversations are very […]

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One Mom’s Lessons from Raising Three Children on the Spectrum

One Mom’s Lessons from Raising Three Children on the Spectrum https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/raising-children-on-the-spectrum/

Jeannie married and had her first child by age 18. Carlos was a quiet, sweet natured baby. The year was 1998. For this first time parent, the word autism didn’t mean much. Unfortunately, it didn’t mean much to Carlos’s teachers or pediatrician either. As an only child for the first six years of his life, […]

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Reflections and Advice from a 20-year-old on the Spectrum

Reflections and Advice from a 20-year-old on the Spectrum http://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/reflections-advice-on-the-spectrum/

I first met Cosette and her mom when they were referred to me by their pediatric neurologist. He wondered if Cosette, then six years old, might be autistic. Our evaluation affirmed that yes, Cosette was on the autism spectrum, that she was clearly struggling, and that she needed assistance and resources. At that time, Cosette […]

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A New and Improved Approach to Social Skills

A New and Improved Approach to Social Skills http://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/social-skills-improved-approach-autism

Kids with autism usually struggle socially and often find the teen years especially difficult. Anxiety and depression can emerge or worsen, along with a sense of helplessness, worthlessness and loneliness. Mental health professionals often refer these teens to social skills groups. These groups teach lessons about how to “appropriately” interact in a neurotypical (NT) world. […]

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Life Advice from a Young Adult on the Spectrum

Life Advice from a Young Adult on the Spectrum https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/life-advice-young-adult-spectrum

A Conversation with Patrick… Patrick, now 27, is a kind, candid, and wickedly funny young man. I counseled him beginning in his teens, and was later able to share his story in The Loving Push, which I coauthored with Dr. Temple Grandin. Patrick and I spoke recently by phone. We hope some of his story […]

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Simple Ways to Avoid “Learned Helplessness” with Autism

Simple Ways to Avoid “Learned Helplessness” With Autism https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/avoiding-learned-helplessness-with-autism

I am a broken record when it comes to talking about learned helplessness! I think it is one of the most dangerous and damaging traps that kids or parents can fall into. Learned helplessness may be a term unfamiliar to you as well, so let me give you the basics, and 10 practical ways to […]

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Temple Grandin Wants Kids with Autism to Live Life to the Fullest

Temple Grandin Wants Kids with Autism to Live Life to the Fullest http://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/temple-grandin-wants-kids-autism-live-life-the-fullest

Dr. Debra Moore, a psychologist who has worked extensively with children, teens and adults on the autism spectrum, talks with Dr. Temple Grandin about how to provide ‘loving pushes’ so kids with autism can become successful adults. Dr. Moore (D ): As a psychologist, I ran into lots of spectrum teens and young adults who […]

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