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…
Autism Awareness Month is a perfect time to foster peer acceptance and inclusion in schools. Widespread misunderstanding of autism is a common issue in schools across the country, which can in turn lead to a host of larger discriminatory issues like social isolation and even bullying. Last April, OAR released the interactive learning program, Autism…
After being diagnosed with autism in her 30s, University of Tokyo student Satsuki Ayaya uses her personal experiences to help generate new theories that autism is a perceptual, rather than mainly social, disorder and its symptoms as resulting from differences in the way the brain processes information. In autism, the brain is said to emphasize discrepancies…
This is the second part to Kat Albee’s blog post Finding Resources. In the conclusion of her blog series, Kat includes additional guidance for how those in the autism community can continue to advocate for themselves. Using The Internet If you are reading this, then you have an advantage unique in all of human history. No, it’s…
