by Johanna G. Burke | Apr 23, 2026 | Blog
This Is Not the Autism People Like to Talk About Every April I watch the same thing happen. Autism Awareness Month arrives and suddenly everyone wants to talk about autism. Buildings turn blue. Puzzle pieces show up everywhere. Politicians post supportive messages...
by Johanna G. Burke | Jan 21, 2026 | Blog
There is a number that keeps getting pushed to the side whenever autism is discussed. It is not convenient. It is not uplifting. It does not fit neatly into awareness campaigns or inspirational soundbites. Roughly 30% of the autism population lives with what is now...
by Johanna G. Burke | Dec 5, 2025 | Blog
People often hear the word nonverbal and imagine silence. Stillness. A lack of understanding. Anyone who lives with or loves someone with profound autism may know how far from the truth that is. The absence of spoken words does not erase awareness. It does not erase...
by Johanna G. Burke | Nov 4, 2025 | Blog
There comes a point where awareness isn’t enough. Families like mine have been “raising awareness” for decades, and yet every phone call, every meeting, every battle for services still feels like we are starting from scratch. As many of you know, my son, Aidan has...
by Johanna G. Burke | Sep 3, 2025 | Blog
When your child has profound autism, your life revolves around managing their care. You fight for services. You sit through evaluations. You answer questions that feel cold and clinical. And then, somewhere in a government system, a number gets assigned. That number,...
by Johanna G. Burke | Jul 31, 2025 | Blog
If you’ve never lived it, you probably have a picture in your head of what autism looks like. Perhaps a child who struggles to make friends, or someone who needs a little extra support, but ultimately grows up to live independently. That’s not my world. For families...
by Johanna G. Burke | Jul 24, 2025 | Blog
When you have a child with profound autism, you learn quickly that “systems” don’t always work the way they should. I’m not just speaking as a parent—I’m a special needs attorney who lives this reality every day. Families like mine want to believe that group homes,...
by Johanna G. Burke | Jul 15, 2025 | Blog
As I mentioned in my last post, for the first time, a high-level government official has spoken openly about profound autism. During a recent press conference, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addressed what so many families have quietly endured for years—the reality that some...
by Johanna G. Burke | May 12, 2025 | Blog
During a press conference on April 16th, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became the first high-level government official to publicly address profound autism. His words carried deep meaning for me, for my son Aidan, and for families across the country who live with the reality...
by Johanna G. Burke | Mar 25, 2025 | Blog
New Jersey’s Community Care Program (CCP) replaced the Community Care Waiver (CCW) in 2017. While both initiatives were put in place by the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) with similar objectives in mind, there are several key differences. Key Differences...
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