Making friends and maintaining friendships can be a challenging task for any child. For children with autism, difficulties with social and communication skills can make the task exponentially more difficult. Add in time for appointments and therapies and it can seem impossible. Let me reassure you that it’s not. Through a team approach and some…
Thinking upon three autistics, my middle son (age 20), my adult partner, and myself, I came up with this list of eight suggestions for more effectively interacting with our loved ones, friends, and colleagues: Having predictability in my day. I do best when I know what to expect. I don’t like surprises of any sort; not…
Many children are born with two natural fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud noise. For me, it all started at a railroad crossing. It was night: the sun had gone down and I was sitting between my mom and dad in the family car. We came to a stop and, all…
OAR’s inaugural Active for Autism 5K and Kids Dash on April 14 in Alexandria, Va. raised over $15,000 for OAR. The top fundraiser, Sadia Heil, raised $1,000 while former OAR intern Kyleigh McGrail supported OAR through the Virtual 5K and raised over $250. The money raised will help OAR fund new research, award scholarships to…
OAR is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2019 Graduate Research Grants. The program awards up to $1,000 to master’s students and $2,000 to those in doctoral programs to conduct research related to autism. This year, OAR is awarding 11 grants totaling $20,372. These new grants add up to more than $269,970 awarded to fund…
OAR’s new online resource focused on sexuality and sex education for teens and emerging adults on the autism spectrum, Sex Ed. for Self-Advocates, is now available on OAR’s website. Sexuality and sex education is an important subject in terms of personal growth, development, and safety, but it can also be a daunting one. OAR is excited…
In October, OAR’s Board of Directors authorized funding for eight new applied autism research studies in 2019. These new grants, totaling $228,036, bring OAR’s total research funding to over $3.7 million since 2002. This is the fifth of eight previews to be featured in The OARacle this year. Both children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)…
This post originally appeared on The AWEnesty of Autism. It is re-posted here with permission. This post was created with the help of my 17 year old son Ryan, who is autistic. Thank you Ryan for offering your insight as you continue to take on a world that you struggle to understand and that struggles to understand you day…
Rhi, a self-advocate, addresses the misconceptions about those on the spectrum. This piece was originally posted on Rhi’s website in early March. It is re-posted here with permission. I was going to write about what autism is, but as I wrote it transmogrified into what autism isn’t, so here is my list of what autism is not:- 1. Autism is…
