How is it that my autistic son will be nineteen years old next month? How is he not still the cute little dude who used to fit on my lap; how is it that he is now so much bigger than me that I am now wearing his hand-me-downs? Time flies just as fast when…
While the use of virtual reality in teaching and supporting people with autism is not new, educators and others are finding new ways to use the technology. A Massachusetts school district, for example, has turned to the technology to serve its students with disabilities. According to a DisabilityScoop article, the Holten Richmond Middle School of…
OAR invites graduate students to submit research proposals for its annual Graduate Research Grant Program. Since the program was established in 2004, OAR has awarded over $269,970 in grants to fund 149 graduate research studies. Last year, OAR made grants to 11 students with grant awards totaling $20,372. OAR hopes to build on this success in 2020,…
Hire Autism, the employment initiative of the Organization for Autism Research, functions as a job board for those on the autism spectrum who are seeking employment. In addition to this function, Hire Autism also houses a Resource Center to support its users. The Resource Center provides information for both job seekers and employers. Businesses posting jobs on…
Getting a job is hard. Getting a job when you’re autistic is really hard. Keeping a job as an autistic…even harder. I have managed to be employed for the past five years since I finished graduate school. Honestly, I am not sure how I have done it successfully. I know it has taken a lot…
In 2017, three researchers, Collette Sosnowy, Ph.D., Paul Shattuck, Ph.D., and Chloe Silverman, Ph.D., at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute completed a one-year OAR-funded qualitative study, “Measuring What Matters.” The goal of the study was to develop a contemporary conceptual framework of stakeholder perspectives about outcomes for adult autism in order to inform better measures…
Whether a job provides financial support, personal fulfillment, social opportunities, or some combination of these, it is a very important component of adult life. In fact, what one does for a living is often regarded as a defining feature of that person and their role in society. Finding the right employment match for a student…
As school children across the country hoist their backpacks and return to the classroom, reports about issues in special education are making headlines. Lack of Confidence in Educator Preparation According to 2018 a survey of nearly 1,500 special education teachers from around the country, just 8 percent reported that their general education colleagues were…
OAR’s August 12 webinar about addressing problem behavior is available for viewing on our website. Led by Dr. Jane Barbin, the webinar covered critical topics such as: Reasons problem behaviors can occur Behavioral intervention plans Ways to collaboratively increase positive, replacement behaviors Of the 75 participants that provided feedback: 93 percent reported the content as…
OAR invites graduate students to submit research proposals for its annual Graduate Research Grant Program. OAR accepts proposals from students pursuing graduate studies in the United States and abroad. The maximum award for master’s candidates is $1,000, while doctoral and post-doctoral candidates are eligible for a maximum award of $2,000. Interested students may apply online, and proposals…
