In 2020, Sreenidi Bala, a teenager from Farmington, Connecticut, started a passion project that would change the lives of hundreds of autistic students. Four years later, Bala was named the Prudential Emerging Visionaries Employees’ Choice Award winner for her Code for All Minds initiative. The award came with $10,000 she can use to expand her…
In an article on the Fraser website, the writer notes that movies and tv shows have often gotten “much about the autism experience wrong.” From titles like Rain Man and The Good Doctor giving the impression that autistic individuals are emotionless savants to Atypical and Music, which uses a neurotypical actor to portray an autistic…
Alarming statistics from a study done by researchers at Kennedy Krieger Institute indicate that suicidal thoughts and behaviors may begin in autistic children at a very early age. Responses from over 900 caregivers of autistic children ages 8 to 17 were analyzed in a nationally distributed survey. According to the study published in JAMA Pediatrics…
In March, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) released its 2019-2020 IACC Autism Research Portfolio Analysis Report. The report analyzes research funding activities across the United States to track autism research funding of federal agencies and private research organizations across the United States. The report provides comprehensive information about U.S. autism research funding to help…
In January, the American Library Association (ALA) announced the winners of the Schneider Family Book Awards, as well as the titles selected as honor books. The Awards recognize an author or illustrator for the artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. In two of the three categories, the award-winning books feature…
A study published in December in Disability and Health Journal found that people with cognitive disabilities, such as autism as well as other intellectual and developmental disabilities, reported significant difficulties in receiving high-quality health care. Adults with autism showed no differences when compared with adults with other cognitive disabilities. In addition to its findings, this…
PBS Kids is bringing its first autistic lead character to tv screens this coming fall in a series named for the that character, “Carl the Collector.” In the PBS Kids press release, Carl is described as “a warm-hearted autistic raccoon who loves collecting things. His talents – a laser-focus pursuit of his goals, attention to…
With the holidays upon us, many of us are traveling – to get away for a vacation or to visit family members. For autistic people, as well as the parents of autistic children, travel has often been too stressful and overwhelming to consider. Recent news articles have highlighted progress in the travel industry, with airlines,…
In late September, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that nearly 500,000 people, mostly children, who had lost Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage due to procedural errors would be reinstated, according to The New York Times. On September 29, HHS released a letter sent to state health officials emphasizing…
How to Dance in Ohio, a new musical, will open on Broadway on December 10, 2023, at the Belasco Theatre, with previews beginning November 15. The show follows seven autistic adults in Columbus, Ohio, as they prepare for their first dance. They spend 12 weeks practicing their social skills as they get ready for the…
