Since as many as 21% of school-age children in the United States speak a language other than English at home, it is likely that percentage includes a number of autistic children. It has long been assumed that exposing autistic children to two or more languages can exacerbate social communication challenges they may have. As a…
One of the biggest challenges minimally speaking individuals, including those who are autistic face is the prevalent misconception that speech is a measure of intellect. Speech is a complex motor function of the brain. Autistic people with limited speaking abilities may also experience atypical sensory processing and difficulty with initiating, inhibiting, and purposefully controlling movement.…
What is augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)? You may have heard the acronym AAC used by speech-language pathologists, assistive technology specialists, or other healthcare professionals. AAC stands for “augmentative and alternative communication” and refers to all the things a person could do to augment or modify mainstream styles of communication to fit their needs. It…
The Graduate Research Grant program awards up to $1,000 each to master’s students and $2,000 each to doctoral students conducting research related to autism. This year, OAR awarded eight grants totaling $13,655.12.These new grants add up to more than $305,755 to fund 179 graduate research studies since 2004. OAR received 32 study proposals this year.…
Autistic individuals face many challenges in life, which can be exacerbated if they belong to another community such as the LGBTQIA+ community. This month’s Resource Spotlight identifies resources to support individuals who are both autistic and a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. The Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network (AWN) is a group working to provide…
Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is driven by the communities for which the research is ultimately intended. The Gender and Autism Program at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., focuses on the intersection of gender identity diversity and autism. This is a field of research that requires deep community engagement in the design and execution of…
For this Research Review, OAR is featuring a study not funded by OAR, “[I] don’t wanna just be like a cog in the machine:” Narratives of autism and skilled employment, to highlight community-based participatory research. For this study, OAR Scientific Council member and the study’s principal investigator, Dora Raymaker, Ph.D., and their fellow researchers focused…
I am here today because I am not only proud to be autistic every day, I am here to spread my pride in identifying as autistic and a Black person to the world! You see, autism is in every community and every ethnic group. Autism pride is everywhere! In fact, I embrace ways that people…
It is natural for parents to wonder what role they play in the ABA process and how they can work effectively with an ABA therapist. When parents are active participants in their child’s treatment plan, the autistic child is more likely to succeed. Without your support and involvement, it is difficult to generalize skills and…
