Last month we celebrated OAR’s 20th birthday. At this time two decades ago, OAR was three weeks old, and Mike Maloney and I had driven to Baltimore to pitch OAR to Dr. Peter Gerhardt. After a few beers, Peter readily accepted the challenge to lead OAR’s Scientific Council, and Mike and I headed back to…
Like starting a new chapter in a book, a new year brings anticipation of what we can expect. Starting the new year with resolutions sets us up for success and gives us a jumpstart on achieving our goals, whether those goals are to eat healthier, help an autistic loved one get a driver’s license, or…
“Put on your oxygen mask first before assisting others.” If you have flown on a plane, you likely have heard this safety phrase. It is a perfect metaphor for the importance of taking care of yourself in order to best help others. Mindfulness exercises have been empirically shown to directly and indirectly benefit parents of…
OAR is excited to announce that Synchrony has pledged $200,000 over the next two years to support the Synchrony Scholarship for Autistic Students of Color and the Synchrony Tech Careers Scholarship. These two new scholarships will receive $50,000 each for their initial scholarships to be awarded in 2022. The Synchrony Scholarship for Autistic Students of…
As an autistic college student, how can you endure others’ judgment, discrimination, and misconceptions and find the confidence to be yourself? You can take steps to develop your own support systems that will promote self-advocacy and self-acceptance and help you thrive. Kathleen Burkhardt, an autistic self-advocate and previous winner of the Schwallie Family Scholarship, shared…
Film portrayals of autism and other disabilities have enormous power. When neurotypical or non-disabled people see representation of autistic or disabled people in film, it serves as “easy education” — they learn from the messages in the movie. That is why misrepresentation in the film industry regarding autism and other disabilities is a serious issue.…
During this time of year, it’s easy for us to get caught up in making multiple trips to retail stores and spending hours online shopping, stressing over finding the perfect gifts for everyone on our list. There is a popular quote from Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas: “It came without ribbons! It came without…
Compared to the start of school last year, there was much for children and parents to celebrate when the 2021-22 school year started, including the fact that most children could attend school in person and the availability in November of vaccines for children under 12. That good news, however, was complicated by ongoing issues related…
OAR’s newest scholarship, the Synchrony Scholarship for Autistic Students of Color, is being made available in partnership with the Disabilities Diversity Network at Synchrony, a Fortune 150 company, as part of their national “Education as an Equalizer” initiative. The Synchrony Scholarship for Autistic Students of Color provides targeted financial support for autistic students of color…
In November, OAR’s Board of Directors approved five new research studies for funding, for a total of $196,272, bringing OAR’s all-time total research funding to more than $4.4 million since 2002. OAR received 137 pre-proposals in the 2021 Applied Research Competition and subsequently invited 47 applicants to submit full proposals. Twenty full proposals were then…
