Santa Claus

Autism Light #437 is Santa Claus.

Santa Claus who is also called Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, and simply Santa is a generous and kind old man who lives in the North Pole. Santa visits the homes of children on the night before Christmas (December 24) to give presents to children. Santa Claus is an Autism Light because of the multiple ways in which his appearance before Christmas Day has brought joy to individuals with autism and their families.

Santa does not discriminate in his giving except for the requirement that someone must have been good during the year to receive a present.  Not everyone believes in Santa Claus, but his story is kept alive by children, friends and family of children, and those rare individuals who are able to remain young in their heart even as they grow older. Just because some people don't believe in Santa doesn't mean he is not real anymore than people not believing in God means God is not real.

We don't know exactly how old Santa really is, but he is older than anyone reading this or their grandparents. Santa Claus gives special permission for his designated representatives to dress like him and gather information on the type of presents children want. Those representatives are allowed to be called "Santa" after an intensive training to reflect the true spirit of the real Santa.

In 2015 there were two specific incidents in the United States where Santa interacted with a child with autism in Michigan and North Carolina and showed his character of being an Autism Light.

Santa in Michigan: Landon Johnson is six years-old and has autism and he visited Santa at the Rivertown Crossings Mall in Grand Rapids, Michigan the first week of December 2015. Landon told Santa he was worried that his behavior during the year caused by his autism might have landed him on Santa's 'naughty list'. Santa told Landon "It's okay to be yourself" (Fox 17 News, Bob Brenzing, Be Yourself: Santa's Message for Boy with Autism, December 7, 2015).

Here is a news story on the impact that Santa had on Landon Johnson's life.



Santa in North Carolina: Brayden Deely has autism and visited the Caring Santa event sponsored by Autism Speaks at the South Park Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 29, 2015. His parents couldn't persuade Brayden to sit on Santa's lap, so Santa got down on the floor to spend time with Brayden (USA Today, Xavier Walton, Santa Lays Down on Floor for Boy with Autism, December 3, 2015). Some beautiful pictures were captured of the encounter.

Below is the news story on the touching impact that Santa had for Brayden and his family.




Sensitive Santa in Western Australia:  Sensitive Santa events are in no way limited to the United States. Sensitive Santa events in Western Australia are very popular in 2015 with children with autism (ABC News, Roxanne Taylor, Sensitive Santa Proving a Hit with Kids with Autism in WA, December 6, 2015).

Sensitive Santa in West Virginia: Mindy Dawson was Autism Light #104 for her role in organizing a Sensitive Santa events in West Virginia.

Websites: You can learn more about Santa Claus at the following websites. 

• SantaClaus.com
• The North Pole
• Official NORAD Santa Tracker
• Santa Claus Wikipedia Article

Special thanks to Santa Claus for being an Autism Light. The kindness that Santa and his official representatives have shown to children with autism this year and in the past is a shining light. May we all give to others in the spirit of Santa not just in December but all through the year. Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism. Photo: The photo in this post is in the Wikipedia Creative Commons and was taken by Bailiwick Studios in Rockford, Michigan.

Belmont University Music Therapy Program

Autism Light #436 is Belmont University Music Therapy Program.

Belmont University is located in Nashville and is the largest Christian university in Tennessee. Belmont was founded in 1890 and in 2015 had over 7,000 students. Belmont began their Music Therapy program in 2014. Belmont University's Music Therapy Program is an Autism Light for the way in which it's training will equip students to make a difference for autism through music therapy.

Belmont University's Music Therapy Program has about 70 students and is the first four-year undergraduate program in Tennessee for music therapy. The academic program equips students to utilize music with a person's healing and recovery (Tennessean, Belmont Launches Choir for Children with Autism, December 16, 2015). Music therapy is used often with people with autism.

The following is a video on Belmont University's Music Therapy Program.

Community Choir for Children with Autism:  Belmont is partnering with the Rising Star Music Fund to create a free Community Choir for children with autism in 2016. Registration for this new choir will be held on January 10, 2016 at 2:30pm at the Massey Performing Arts Center room 12 on the campus of Belmont University. They are planning the first concert for April 17, 2016 (Tennessean, Belmont Launches Choir for Children with Autism, December 16, 2015).

Belmont's music therapy program is launching a free community choir next semester for children with autism. https://t.co/SSZvaCisgG

— Belmont University (@BelmontUniv) December 17, 2015

Prospective Students: If you are interested in the Music Therapy program at Belmont University visit their Undergraduate Music Therapy Program web page.

Special thanks to the Belmont University Music Therapy Program for helping to create a choir for children with autism. We are confident that this opportunity will enrich the lives of many children with autism in the Nashville area.  Belmont University is to be commended for making it a priority to develop a curriculum in music therapy that will shine a light or autism as the graduates take their knowledge around the world.

Search the Music Therapy label at Autism Light to find other posts on Music Therapy.

 Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Tara Triantafilo

Autism Light #435 is Tara Triantafilo.

Tara is a family cat who lives in Bakersfield, California. She is owned by the Roger and Erica Triantafilo family. In May of 2014 a dog attacked the family's then 4 year old son Jeremy, who has autism. Tara is an Autism Light because she saw the attack and fought off the dog, saving Jeremy from more serious physical harm.

In May of 2014 a Labrador-Chow mix named Scrappy who lived next door to Jeremy Triantafilo grabbed the boy's leg and started shaking the boy back and forth. Tara ran outside and used her feline body to literally push Scrappy off of Jeremy.  Video surveillance of the confrontation showed the determination of Tara to intervene when the dog was attacking her family.

Here is a news story on Tara the Cat being proclaimed a hero on the Today Show that aired May 15, 2014.

A clip of the encounter between Tara and Scrappy on YouTube went viral and was viewed more than 24 million times (Cat Tara gets Award for Saving 6-year-old Autistic Boy from being attacked by a Dog, Daily Mail, June 19, 2015).

Here is a video of a news story that an ABC News affiliate in Bakersfield, California did with Jeremy Triantafilo about his cat Tara.

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: In 2015, Tara, a cat, received the annual "Hero Dog" award from The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Los Angeles.

Since the attack Tara and Jeremy have developed a closes bond as one can imagine. Special thanks to Tara for helping save Jeremy from a vicious dog. Tara is representative of the many cats around the world who have been an extraordinary shining light for humans with autism. Tara will be the 4th Cat and the 20th Animal added today to the Autism Light Animal Page.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Shirley Ellen Woodward

Autism Light #434 is Shirley Ellen Woodward.

Shirley Ellen Woodward dedicated her life work as an advocate for individuals with autism and their families.  Ellen Woodward was born on January 13, 1946 in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada, and passed away on January 25, 2014 at her home in Huntington Bay, New York, at the age of 68. She had battled cancer bravely for several years. She is survived by her husband John Neff Woodward and two children, Amanda Lea Woodward and John Matthew Woodward. The funeral service for Ellen Woodward was held on February 6, 2014, at the Greenlawn Presbyterian Church. Shirley Ellen Woodward will be placed on the Autism Light Memorial Roll today.

Her obituary shares this about her amazing contributions for autism.

Ellen will be remembered for her visionary and skilled work on behalf of children with autism and developmental disabilities and their families. In her leadership positions at the Developmental Disabilities Institute in Huntington, NY and more recently at the Cody Center for Autism Development Disabilities at Stony Brook University, she was a pioneer and advocate for the early diagnosis and treatment of developmental disabilities, and an innovator in demonstrating how scientific findings and new techniques could be incorporated into university curricula and service programs.

Her legacy includes her participation in writing the autism diagnosis and treatment guidelines for the state of New York and her role in building and launching the Applied Behavioral Analysis Certification program at Stony Brook. Her particular gift was to see the whole range of needs of families affected by autism and to strategically develop and implement programs and services to address those needs (Shirley Ellen Woodward Obituary, Nolan & Taylor-Howe Funeral Home).

Education: Ellen Woodward earned her BFA and MSW degrees from Stony Brook University. She earned an Ed.D degree from Hofstra University on Long Island, New York.

Retirement: Although her heart wanted to continue to work, Dr. Ellen Woodward retired from the Cody Center in 2011, because of her health.

Obituaries: You may read more information about Shirley Ellen Woodward in these obituaries.

• Shirley Woodward, 68, Champion of Autistic Children, Dies (Newsday.com, January 27, 2014)
• Shirley Ellen Woodward Obituary, Nolan & Taylor-Howe Funeral Home

Memorials: Shirley Woodward's family requested that in lieu of flowers any donations in her memory be given to Autism Speaks.  Her Memorial page at Autism Speaks continues to receive donations.

Special thanks to Shirley Ellen Woodward for her leadership to shine a light for autism in New York. The autism community is grateful for her life and work. May the memory of her passion for autism inspire others to give of themselves to make a difference for those who need a voice.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.