OAR is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2018 Graduate Research Grants. The program awards up to $1,000 to master’s students and $2,000 to those in doctoral programs to conduct research related to autism. This year, OAR awarded 11 grants totaling $21,000, including four grants to student researchers in Canada, Israel, and South Africa. These…
Dr. Gerhardt, OAR’s founding Scientific Council chairman, gave a 45-minute presentation on the topic of transition planning, including a review of current national autism indicators; the definitions of quality of life; and the advantages of community-based instruction for targeting key skills in areas such as employment, transportation, extracurriculars, and communication. Of the 700 plus registrants,…
Parents know the challenges that come with advocating for their children with autism. One of the most important ways to support them is for parents to communicate regularly and clearly with school administrators to ensure that their child’s academic and social needs are being met to the fullest extent possible in the least restrictive environment.…
In October, OAR’s Board of Directors authorized funding for six new applied autism research studies in 2018. These new grants, totaling $176,090, bring OAR’s total research funding to over $3.6 million since 2002. This is the fifth of six previews to be featured in The OARacle this year. Research suggests that many preschool children with…
Self advocate Erin Clemens shares her thoughts regarding her undergraduate experience while studying to become a teacher, and what motivated her to finish college and beyond. This blog was originally posted on The Mighty. School was always a challenge for me. I remember struggling to understand what the teachers wanted from me. I remember fearing…
With her years of teaching experience, writer Amanda Ronan explores how the two distinct therapeutic approaches of art therapy and support dogs seem to have some interesting overlaps in the results produced with kids on the spectrum. This post was originally published on The Art of Autism. In my first years of teaching in the…
At a recent seminar, I was asked by several parents what they could do to best help their children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the challenging classroom environment of today’s schools. Having worked on both sides of this issue as an educator and parent of a child with ASD, I know well the challenges…
OAR is proud to announce that it will be offering its first free webinar featuring Peter Gerhardt, Ed.D., executive director of the EPIC School in Paramus, N.J., on April 3 at 2 p.m. ET. The webinar, Identifying Critical Skills to Promote More Positive Outcomes in the Transition to Adulthood for Young Adults with ASD, will…
Since its debut last year during Autism Awareness Month, OAR’s employment initiative, Hire Autism, has grown with more than 100 applicants, 31 employers, and an average of 25 jobs weekly. Most important, since October, Hire Autism has helped 13 individuals with autism find jobs. The program continues to serve the Northern Virginia area, with plans to…
