In 2014, OAR’s Board of Directors and Scientific Council decided to make every effort to schedule their annual meetings in conjunction with autism conferences around the country whenever possible. This led to meetings in Boston and sponsorship of the Current Trends in Autism conference in November 2015, followed by meeting in Columbus, Ohio, and a…
OAR-funded researcher Laura C. Chezan, Ph.D., BCBA-D., an assistant professor of special education at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., conducted a study in 2015 to test the use of an intervention that teaches children with ASD and language delays to wait to receive something they request. Numerous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of functional…
It has never been easy for parents to visit the doctors for their children with autism spectrum disorder or ASD, rather it has been a scary thing for the children. After all, they are going to experience something for the first time. When a child is going to meet the pediatrician for the first time,…
When “The Big Bang Theory” first broke onto the scene, people who learned that I’m autistic would ask, What do you think about Sheldon? Honestly, I became so annoyed by the idea of a comic portrayal of a supposed autistic person that I wouldn’t watch the show, not even to find out whether Sheldon was like me…
The Autism Society Conference is a safe place to be around people who genuinely want the best outcomes for autistic individuals at every stage of their lives. The people who organize it do a great job at being inclusive — all voices are welcome and everyone has an opportunity to be heard. More autistic voices…
I was diagnosed as autistic at the age of 52. I had worked it out well before then! The realization came when my oldest child was diagnosed at age 11. I have a clear memory of being in the car with him as he had the routine post-school meltdown. “I’m a freak,” he cried and…
If you are a parent of a child with autism or a disability, you know the tug-of-war between the school and the parent is real and can be stressful. The IEP meeting every year is something many of us dread. You might attend seminars, ask for ideas in autism groups online, read various tips and tricks, try…
My employer, JPMorgan Chase & Co., faces an immense challenge every single day. We need talented people—especially those with technology expertise—and we need them now. Our competitors in the financial services field are facing the same challenge, but we’re not just competing against them. We’re battling for talent with giant digitally oriented companies, small financial…
In addition to its function as a job board for those on the autism spectrum who are seeking employment, Hire Autism also houses a Resource Center to support its users. The Resource Center provides information for both job-seekers and employers. Businesses posting jobs on the site can view basic information about autism, the interview process,…
In her 2011 OAR-funded study, Hsu-Min Chiang, Ph.D., an assistant professor in autism spectrum disorders in the Teachers College at Columbia University, analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 (NLTS2) to identify which factors predict that students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are most likely to be able to find a job after…
