Kristen Essex joined OAR at the beginning of October as business manager. She looks forward to working with OAR in “most aspects of the day-to-day management of the organization,” including helping out with grant writing and other fundraising initiatives. She is already at work on ideas for the annual campaign. Essex was previously the publisher…
Being a teenager is not easy, but teenagers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face particularly daunting challenges when it comes to social and communications skills. Elizabeth Laugeson, Psy.D., a licensed clinical psychologist and an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior,…
In 2012, OAR awarded funding from the J. Ernest Brophy Memorial Fund for Autism at OAR to support a housing research study by John Maltby, M.S., at the Westchester Institute for Human Development Impact. The Institute addresses major social and health issues affecting people with disabilities and vulnerable children and develops and delivers medical, clinical,…
On the recent anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Labor Secretary Tom Perez said, “People with disabilities want to work. They want to be independent and self-sufficient. They even want to pay taxes. They want the feeling of pride and purpose that comes with waking up every morning, performing a job, and earning…
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal law that prohibits discrimination of individuals with disabilities. It requires employers to make modifications (which are called reasonable accommodations) that enable a person to participate in the interviewing process or to perform his or her work. In my coaching practice, I have seen many cases where…
Understanding (and leveraging) the factors that impact work performance is crucial for any adult, but it can be especially important for adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). These individuals often have sensitivities to things that don’t bother other workers, such as fluorescent lighting or having to shake hands. At the same time, they tend…
The Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism was established in 1998 by former NFL quarterback Doug Flutie and his wife, Laurie, in honor of their son, Doug, Jr. who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. Today, he is 23 and, like many of his peers, faced with new challenges that come with…
When OAR launches its employment Web site later this year, it will offer job seekers with autism in the Northern Virginia/Tyson’s Corner area a place to find meaningful employment opportunities and the supports necessary to succeed long term. The Web site will be tailored to meet the needs of both job seekers and employers. The…
As an autistic self-advocate, I consider myself fairly lucky to have been relatively unaffected by bullying for most of my life. However, it is an unfortunate fact that many other autistics are very likely to be affected by bullying at some point in their lives. We have trouble making friends; we have interests that might…
OAR-funded researchers Joshua Plavnick, Ph.D., and Brooke Ingersoll, Ph.D., Michigan State University, conducted their study, Enhancing Traditional Group Social Skill Instruction using Video-based Group Instruction Tactics, in 2013. The purposes of the study were to: Compare the effects of video-based instructional tactics to traditional direct instruction with modeling on the social skill performance of children…
