Earlier this year, OAR laid out a set of ambitious goals to continue engaging community members in celebration of April’s Autism Acceptance Month. We worked with teachers, parents, clinicians, autistic individuals, employers, and researchers to support their local initiatives and increase autism acceptance. This recap describes what we accomplished in partnership with community supporters like…
Communication is critical in many aspects of daily life to indicate our preferences, needs, and decisions with others. However, not everyone communicates in the same way, so it is important to recognize the usage of alternate forms of communication, including augmentative and alternate communication (AAC), and how best to converse with individuals who may have…
One of the most significant characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a “delay in, or total lack of, the development of spoken language.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that approximately 40% of autistic children are non-speaking and do not develop sufficient natural speech or writing to meet their daily communication…
A new study finds that global prevalence of autism has risen to 100 in 10,000 (or 1 in 100), up from 62 in 10,000 a decade ago. The study, “Global prevalence of autism: A systematic review update,” was published in Autism Research at the beginning of March. The researchers reviewed studies of the prevalence of…
The fourth annual Active for Autism 5K & Kids Dash was another huge success, raising over $53,000 for OAR’s Changing Lives Fund. Throughout Autism Acceptance Month in April, over 250 runners representing four countries, 39 states, Washington D.C., and Guam dedicated their miles to autism research. OAR is grateful to all of the participants, fundraisers,…
In April, OAR teamed up with several researchers to deliver a spring webinar series on community-based participatory research (CBPR). The series featured researchers who conducted studies related to participatory research with autistic adults, healthy relationships on the autism spectrum, and suicide prevention. In highlighting their work, they provided effective strategies for fellow researchers on how…
On May 3, 13 incredible volunteers from across the United States joined Hire Autism staff for the spring Navigator training. They came from various backgrounds and diverse occupations, holding titles such as project manager, program director, peer recovery employment specialist, president, CEO, HR consultant, teacher, and nurse manager. These new navigators will join their peers…
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…
