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,…
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…
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…
In 2014, OAR’s Board of Directors authorized funding for seven new applied autism research studies in 2015. This additional $210,000 in research grants brings the total funds awarded by OAR to over $3.3 million since its first grants in January 2003. This is the last of seven previews that have been featured in The OARacle…
Executive function skills like flexibility, goal setting, planning, organization, big-picture thinking, and task completion are critical to our ability to live independently. Unfortunately, they are often profoundly lacking in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). OAR-funded researchers John Strang, Psy.D., and Lauren Kenworthy, Ph.D., from the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at the Children’s National…
Toilet training one’s child is a nearly universal challenge for parents, but it is a particularly distressing ordeal for parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While most typically developing children stop having daytime toileting accidents between the ages of 2 and 4, most individuals with ASD are either delayed in their acquisition of…
In 2014, OAR’s Board of Directors authorized funding for seven new applied autism research studies in 2015. This additional $210,000 in research grants brings the total funds awarded by OAR to over $3.3 million since its first grants in January 2003. This is the fourth of seven previews that will be featured in The OARacle…
In 2014, OAR’s Board of Directors authorized funding for seven new applied autism research studies in 2015. This additional $210,000 in research grants brings the total funds awarded by OAR to over $3.3 million since its first grants in January 2003. This is the third of seven previews that will be featured in The OARacle…
Ten years ago, I joined the Autistic self-advocacy movement because the state of our national conversation on autism was terrible. At the time, few opportunities existed for Autistic advocates to have a voice in discussions about research, policy, and service provision relevant to our lives. Many autism organizations refused to so much as acknowledge the…
