October has marked a celebration of disabled people in the workplace since 1945. Now known as National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), this occasion invites all people to recognize the challenges and accomplishments of disabled workers and the importance of disability inclusion in the workplace. In honor of NDEAM, OAR is excited to present its…
“Help Wanted” signs seem to be commonplace these days. According to news and business reports, employers across the country are struggling to find workers, and many workforce experts state there are more jobs than available workers. Some equate this to high unemployment benefits or low wages. However, many employers are offering comfortable living wages, especially…
Early identification and treatment can prevent challenging behavior from escalating and becoming firmly established in autistic children. Decades of collaborative research in the United States has shown that parent-implemented behavioral interventions can help to reduce that challenging behavior. However, in China, where more than 2 million children have autism, evidence-based practices have not been systematically…
Communicating how you do your best work is essential to employment success. By understanding their individual needs and communication styles, autistic job applicants and employees can advocate for the tools they require to do their best work. Parents and teachers can begin early to develop that understanding by modeling and teaching self-advocacy skills through understanding…
My little brother was diagnosed with severe autism. He wasn’t able to focus on his tasks or studies. One day I realized his interest in smart devices while he was playing with my smartphone. I immediately looked for content and apps that were educational and fun, but found none that suited his needs. They were…
On a plane and road trip into Maryland, our family stopped in Annapolis, the state capital, and I wondered aloud where would be a good place to eat lunch. Noticeably excited, Ian, our eighteen-year-old autistic son, said, “I know.” So Ian pulled out from his luggage in the trunk a well-worn copy of the comfort…
How can parents and educators foster self-determination skills in autistic young adults and engage in student-centered transition planning? Student-centered planning, also called “person-centered planning,” is an approach to transition planning that prioritizes the interests and aspirations of the individual student. Specifically, the focus is on helping students develop the tools and skills necessary to design…
When I first entered the gates of Mercyhurst University in the spring of 2017, I was excited, but also scared. I was nervous at the prospect of having to navigate college life and make friends (something that has been very hard for me) as an autistic individual in a new environment. Mercyhurst was my college…
