A new California law will make conservatorship a “last resort,” as noted in an article on the Disability Scoop website. Instead, it promotes alternatives to conservatorship, makes it difficult to set up conservatorships and easier to get out of them, and ensures that even when under a conservatorship, people have choices. The law, which becomes…
RespectAbility, a disability-led nonprofit that advances policies and practices that empower people with disabilities, recently launched a new Content Lab in partnership with Netflix, which provided the funding. This is the fourth Content Lab organized by RespectAbility and the first to provide training and mentoring for writers, animators, and creative executives with disabilities who want…
In June 2022, a group of researchers from the University of California Santa Cruz published a paper in Autism in Adulthood, updating a 2011 study published in Disability Studies Quarterly that found that autistic people were overwhelmingly represented as children by parents, charitable organizations, the popular media, and the news industry. 2011 Study The 2011…
The 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, established by Congress in 2020, launched on Saturday, July 16. The lifeline number is a three-digit code that people can call to connect with mental health crisis counselors 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Both English and Spanish language callers can use the number and texting…
Autistic individuals and their families have an expanding number of vacation destinations and activities available to them. What makes Myrtle Beach, N.C., unique is its unified, community-wide approach. According to a Toronto Star article, Myrtle Beach and its neighbor Surfside Beach were the first vacation destinations in the United States to be certified as autism-friendly,…
A new study finds that global prevalence of autism has risen to 100 in 10,000 (or 1 in 100), up from 62 in 10,000 a decade ago. The study, “Global prevalence of autism: A systematic review update,” was published in Autism Research at the beginning of March. The researchers reviewed studies of the prevalence of…
With COVID travel restrictions and requirements easing, people are thinking of summer vacations once again. News outlets are reporting on a number of initiatives to make travel and vacations easier and more fun for autistic kids and adults as well as family members. Airlines, for example, are reopening or introducing programs to get autistic kids…
Tyson’s Run, a film based on the true story of an autistic teenager, was released on March 11. The film follows the journey of Tyson, played by Major Dodson, as he overcomes bullying and prejudice to compete and win his first marathon. In his professional life, Tyson’s father, Bobby Hollerman, is a football coach with…
The CDC recently revamped its developmental milestones checklists for the first time since they were created in 2004. The clearer benchmarks make it easier for parents and medical professionals to identify developmental delays, including those that may indicate autism. Part of the “Learn The Signs. Act Early.” program, the revisions are intended to ensure that…
With a new initiative recently introduced by the International Society on Autism Research (INSAR), autistic people and their family members can partner with autism researchers to assist with designing, conducting, and disseminating research studies. The goal is to facilitate working relationships between researchers and those who could benefit from the research being conducted. The INSAR…
