A recent study that adapted Sex Ed for Self-Advocates, OAR’s online guide, for use in a direct-instruction intervention found that participants’ knowledge of interpersonal relationships increased on average between 16% and 20% on pre- and post-intervention measures. Participants also reported the intervention as helpful, with 92% indicating that their knowledge either improved or greatly improved…
With the rising inclusion of autistic students in general education settings, the challenges of managing a classroom can be more complex. An Educator’s Guide to Autism, one of OAR’s Life Journey Through Autism guides, provides educators with a plan for teaching an autistic child in the general elementary classroom setting. Uniquely, this guidebook includes a six-step…
In November, OAR’s Board of Directors authorized funding for eight applied autism research studies in 2024. These new grants, totaling $297,569, bring OAR’s total research funding to more than $5 million since 2002. This article is the last of the previews to be featured in The OARacle this year. Suicide and self-harm are serious global…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the current rate of autism diagnosis is one in every 36 children. This increase in the number of children diagnosed with autism is frequently a focus of autism acceptance in K-12 schools. However, this also means autistic children are increasingly present in local communities and…
What do you remember most about your relationship with teachers in kindergarten or the early school grades? Some people have fond memories—learning to read, making new friends, becoming attached to the teacher. Autistic children and other neurodivergent students, however, may have quite different experiences. While the literature based on non-autistic student-teacher relationships has established that…
The funny thing about getting older is that sometimes you don’t realize you’re getting older. Sometimes, it has a funny way of sneaking up on you. Sometimes, you don’t even realize that time is moving at all. I mean, if I’m honest, I’m an almost 40-something-year-old with the mindset of someone in their early 20s.…
Autistic children can unlock a more independent future by focusing on developing crucial skills now. As a parent, educator, or caregiver, it’s your goal to provide the tools and support necessary to help these children thrive in their daily lives. This not only makes routines easier for everyone, but it provides a foundation on which…
Dating as an autistic young adult can feel overwhelming. To autistic and queer young adults, it can seem like there is an extra layer of social situations, phrases, and emotions to understand. When I began dating women, I felt as if I was entering a different world. This blog post won’t teach you the basics…
Throughout my life, as far back as I can remember, I was a weird kid who happened to be lucky enough to have been born into a weird family. I love my family and loved my life as a child. We lived in very small towns with lots of forest nearby and I spent a…
The Report on the Condition of Education 2024, recently released by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, found that, in 2023, a record number of students with disabilities were enrolled in an educational institution. As noted in the report, “the number of U.S. students ages 3–21 served under IDEA increased from…
