Starting college can be a huge transition. For many incoming freshmen, it includes moving into a dorm room, learning new college lingo, navigating a campus, attending large classes, and staying on top of homework. Incoming freshmen might also want to join a campus club, attend a tutoring session, or visit a professor during their office…
PBS Kids is bringing its first autistic lead character to tv screens this coming fall in a series named for the that character, “Carl the Collector.” In the PBS Kids press release, Carl is described as “a warm-hearted autistic raccoon who loves collecting things. His talents – a laser-focus pursuit of his goals, attention to…
Starting a new year is the perfect time to move forward with new beginnings and challenges. Whether your resolutions consist of eating more fruits and vegetables, running your first marathon, or surpassing your fundraising goal, RUN FOR AUTISM is here to support you in every way. Looking for a spring race? Or maybe a race with warmer…
OAR is excited to announce that applications are open for the Synchrony Tech Scholarship. Unlike OAR’s other scholarships, which support autistic students pursuing two- and four-year degree programs, the Synchrony Tech Scholarship supports autistic adults interested in pursuing or advancing their careers in IT-related or technical fields by obtaining a technology-related certification. Scholarship award amounts…
OAR set a goal of distributing 15,000 print and digital copies of our information resources through our Higher Education on the Spectrum campaign in the fall of 2023. We surpassed this goal by distributing a total of 17,062 resources to autistic college students, parents, and university professors and staff. These resources cover topics such as…
OAR’s Board of Directors awarded eight new research grants for the 2023 Applied Research Competition. These new grants, which total $297,569, bring OAR’s all-time total research funding to more than $5 million since 2002. OAR received 138 letters of interest and invited 54 applicants to submit full proposals. From the full proposal submissions, OAR’s reviewers…
OAR’s Kit for Kids peer education program teaches elementary and middle school students about their autistic peers. The Kit’s main component is an illustrated booklet entitled “What’s Up with Nick?” This colorful, kid-friendly booklet tells the story of an autistic student named Nick, as seen through the eyes of a neurotypical peer. The story teaches…
The number of autistic children in general education settings has grown substantially over the past two decades, as noted in a 2016 Education Week article. In the United States, this increase was due in part to the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which mandated that…
Behavioral intervention for autistic children focuses on building many skills in a short amount of time through individualized programming. That goal requires effective and efficient teaching strategies, such as prompting, which promotes the acquisition and independence of skills. However, not all prompts are effective for all learners. In her OAR-funded 2021 study, “Stimulus Prompts in…
“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” – Margaret J. Whitley With the increased number of individuals diagnosed with autism comes a need for increased understanding and acceptance. In order to create that acceptance, more and more schools are including students with disabilities, including autism, in learning…
