My father died almost 40 years ago. Nonetheless, hardly a day goes by without something Dad taught me coming into play. Sometimes it’s a direct memory. Other times it’s a turn of phrase, a joke, or a pun. He loved the English language, the spoken word, and the gift of conversation. What would he be…
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are psychiatrically hospitalized at significantly higher rates than peers with other developmental or psychiatric conditions, according to several studies from the past few years. Not only that, but they are more likely to go to an emergency department due to a psychiatric or behavioral crisis, more likely to be…
The new year is a great time to update your family, school, and crisis safety plans. Don’t have them? OAR will help you build them from scratch by providing Life Journey Through Autism: A Guide to Safety. Autism presents a range of safety challenges across the lifespan, whether it’s wandering incidents in childhood, cyberbullying during…
This blog post has been adapted from “Chapter 2: Childhood” of OAR’s resource “Life Journey Through Autism: A Guide to Safety”. While your neighborhood can (and should) feel like a safe and familiar space, consider the potential threats posed by physical elements outside your home: roads, parking lots, traffic, etc. Bodies of water (e.g., pools,…
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 is hosting a free webinar that addresses problem behavior using a successful team approach on Monday, August 12, 2019 at 1 p.m. ET, featuring Jane Barbin, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA. Register now or share information about the live, hour-long event, which will include the presentation followed by a brief Q&A session. Parents, other caregivers, clinicians, therapists, and…
Autism is a condition with no medically known cause or cure. This leads some parents of children on the spectrum to search for unconventional methods to alleviate its traits, including most recently the false idea that the digestion of bleach and other harmful chemicals will “heal” autism. According to an NBC article on the topic,…
Summer is the perfect time to teach your child safety habits that will build a foundation for independent living. It is also an excellent time to revisit and update your family safety, school safety, and crisis plans. Autism presents a range of safety challenges across the lifespan, whether it’s wandering incidents in childhood, cyberbullying during…
Public safety organizations and agencies have taken note of and are responding to the rapid rise of autism spectrum diagnoses in the United States. Over the last decade, command-level police leaders, public safety executives, and legislators have expressed an ever-increasing interest in autism training for frontline professionals and positive partnerships within the autism community. For…
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 second of eight previews to be featured in The OARacle this year. Approximately 10 percent of all U.S. high…
