This spring, OAR awarded $28,258 to support 10 peer education grants through its Peer Education Grant Program. With these grants, OAR has helped educate more than 193,000 children through the Kit for Kids since 2012. The grant program seeks to support projects that have the goal of promoting autism awareness and acceptance among K-12 public schools, nonprofits,…
OAR supports local communities with valuable resources, assists autistic individuals preparing for employment, and raises funds to support autism research studies. You can join our mission and help make a difference. Here’s how you can help. Goal 1: Support the autism community with information (autistics, families, educators, professionals). OAR’s collection of guidebooks, manuals, curricula, and…
Arlington, VA, April 2, 2024 – In celebration of World Autism Day, the Organization for Autism Research (OAR) is excited to launch a new online lending library through the Libby app, by OverDrive. Users can now borrow autism-related books to use for free on their personal devices through the App store, Google Play store, Amazon…
As an educator, I would often encounter students who presented challenging behaviors in the classroom. These behaviors would seem to appear for no apparent reason. I could not determine a function or antecedent and I was confused and frustrated. It hurt me to know that my student needed something that I did not know how…
Perhaps the most common myth about autistic children is that they do not have the ability, motivation, or desire to establish and maintain meaningful relationships with others, including friendships with peers. This, for the most part, is not true. There is no doubt that autistic children have social deficits and communication or language delays that…
Join OAR and a series of expert presenters to learn evidence-based strategies to help nurture a positive school culture and teach practical skills that lead to greater independence. Together, let’s help autistic students unlock a greater sense of happiness, independence, and sense of belonging. If you are a teacher, parent, or autistic individual, do not…
In November, OAR’s Board of Directors authorized funding for eight applied autism research studies in 2024. These new grants, totaling $297,569, bring OAR’s total research funding to more than $5 million since 2002. This article is the second of eight previews to be featured in The OARacle this year. Despite the growing body of autism…
As we celebrate the beginning of a new year, OAR is also looking ahead to the ambitious goals it has set for 2024, including goals for Autism Acceptance Month. Join us to promote autism awareness and acceptance in your community and across the country. Goal 1: Support the autism community with information (autistics, families, educators,…
As a 2006 study pointed out, every single ethnic group includes people with disabilities, making them the world’s largest multicultural minority. In the United States, people with disabilities represent 27% of the population. During the 2021-2022 academic year, 7.3 million learners between the ages of 3 and 21 received special education services under provisions of…
One of the first phrases to come to mind when talking about special education is the Individualized Education Program, whose abbreviation, IEP, instantly becomes one of those acronyms you will remember for life. Mention IEPs to parents and teachers alike, and their reaction tells the story. The term conjures up unpleasant memories and is frequently…
