In middle school and high school, adolescents are asked to navigate increasingly complex social waters. Learning how to adapt to these new conditions and build strong, healthy relationships can be an overwhelming task for autistic teens, but it is an important part of ensuring good mental health. Bullying is defined as “unwanted, aggressive behavior among…
I was diagnosed with autism at age 15, shortly after, I enrolled in an honors college program full-time. From a young age, I felt as if I was missing something. I wasn’t like many of my peers. I analyzed ideas differently. It was as if I was created with a different processing unit. Similarly, my…
OAR is currently accepting applications for the 2021 OAR Scholarship Program. Applicants can apply to either the Schwallie Family Scholarship or the Lisa Higgins Hussman Scholarship until Monday, May 3, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Each offers $3,000 scholarships to students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (DSM-IV/5 criteria) pursuing full-time, post-secondary, undergraduate education in the United…
It is a grey autumn day in New York City in 2002. We are standing in the waiting room of New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai Hospital waiting for the results of Josiah’s exploratory procedure. We are accustomed to seeing our son in a hospital setting. He was in the Neonatal Intensive…
In November, OAR’s Board of Directors authorized funding for six new applied autism research studies in 2021. These new grants, totaling $240,000, bring OAR’s total research funding to more than $4.4 million since 2002. This study is supported by funds from OAR’s Changing Lives Fund. This is the third of six previews to be featured…
In the Marine Corps, you may hear spouses talking about a motto similar to “Semper Fidelis.” “Semper Gumby” translates roughly to “always flexible,” thanks to the 1950s claymation character named Gumby. The ability to adapt and overcome adversity directly correlates with positive outcomes for military families. Executing a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move is…
This blog post has been adapted from “Chapter Four: Advocating for Your Child” of OAR’s resource “Navigating the Special Education System”. As many parents of autistic children know from personal experience, it takes more time and consideration to navigate the special education system than it does to send a neurotypical child to school. Some families…
We can all agree that last year was a bit hectic, to say the least. COVID-19 caused us to adapt to a new way of living and working and changed many aspects of daily life. Despite these changes, at OAR we were able to witness something truly remarkable, the inherent resiliency of our job seekers.…
In November, OAR’s Board of Directors authorized funding for six new applied autism research studies in 2021. These new grants, totaling $240,000, bring OAR’s total research funding to more than $4.2 million since 2002. This is the first of six previews to be featured in The OARacle this year. Between 50 and 70 percent of…
The New Year is a time for all families and individuals to look forward to creating new opportunities and starting fresh with possibilities. The challenges, hardships, and bad memories from the previous year are gone – a chapter closed in your life’s book. The New Year kicks off a new chapter and you, as the…
