At the beginning of a new year, January offers a natural moment to pause, reflect, and look ahead. For OAR, 2025 was a year of continued growth, learning, and connection across the autism community. Throughout the year, we advanced our mission to apply research to the challenges of autism by expanding resources, strengthening partnerships, and…
This fall, OAR set out to provide free informational resources about autism to families, individuals, and communities across the country. With your help, we surpassed many of our goals for distributing paperback resources and increasing engagement with our Libby library. Goal 1: Provide Informational Resources to Support Families By the end of the fall outreach…
Clear, accessible health information is essential for autistic people and their families. OAR can help with these new free online resources focused on improving the health and wellness of autistic individuals. Pathways to Wellness is a user-friendly e-book designed to support autistic individuals, their families, and professionals in promoting healthier lifestyles. Created by Eden II Programs, this…
In October 2025, OAR’s Board of Directors authorized funding for eight applied autism research grants. These new research grants, totaling $397,372, bring OAR’s total research funding to $5.8 million since 2002. This article is the first of the previews to be featured in The OARacle this year. Communication difficulties remain a core diagnostic feature of autism, significantly affecting children’s academic readiness, social…
When your child receives an autism diagnosis, the world shifts, quietly, and then all at once. The air in the house feels different. Your thoughts rearrange themselves. And suddenly, you’re not only a parent, but an interpreter of a new language. Sharing that diagnosis with neurotypical siblings and extended family can feel like opening a door that may not feel very safe…
This year, nearly 1200 athletes took on a RUN FOR AUTISM event to support autism research. We’re incredibly proud of all of our athletes, and want to recognize a few outstanding individuals and teams with our first-annual RUN FOR AUTISM awards. The Standing Ovation Award: This award is presented annually to the highest fundraising individual with RUN FOR AUTISM, in…
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I thought I knew what I was in for. I had two autistic boys already, and I’m autistic too, so it seemed like it would be same old, same old. I expected speech delay, missed milestones, but an inevitable “everything will come around right” in the end. Turns out, I…
A congressionally mandated study by the National Academy of Sciences recommended that the Defense Health Agency (DHA) cover applied behavior analysis (ABA) for military families as a basic benefit through their TRICARE coverage. As reported by Behavioral Health Business, ABA has been a covered benefit through a demonstration program that began in 2014. But the National Academy report, released…
As OAR’s executive director, I have the honor of witnessing our community’s commitment to autistic individuals and their families each year. I see it in the students who receive scholarships, in the families who use our guidebooks, and in the researchers who take bold ideas forward. I also see it in advocates, educators, employers, and community members who stand alongside…
Autism is a complex, neurodevelopmental disability that affects many U.S. children and requires access to services and interventions to allow autistic children to thrive. Latinx, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native families with autistic children face unique challenges related to disparities in access to services. Those disparities, along with lack of health care access and poor clinical encounters, often…
