As we prepare to close the books on what likely has been the most unusual school year in decades, it’s safe to say things will probably continue to look different next year. Some students will return to the classroom full time with social distancing measures in place, while others will begin the year with remote…
At some point, it’s going to happen. A “normal-seeming” co-worker, friend, or relative will approach you in confidence and share that they are autistic. Since most of us have only been exposed to autism through freakish savant stereotypes via popular media, this co-worker, friend, or relative may look nothing like what you expect. Because of…
New York Jets running back La’Mical Perine announced his role as OAR’s new celebrity ambassador on the NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” show on February 26. “My little brother has [autism], something we’ve been dealing with since he was a baby…I wanted to…be able to make sure people know that it’s a serious thing,” he…
In November, OAR’s Board of Directors authorized funding for six new applied autism research studies in 2021. These new grants, totaling $240,000, bring OAR’s total research funding to more than $4.4 million since 2002. This study is supported by a gift from the Lisa Higgins Hussman Foundation. This is the fourth of six previews to…
In middle school and high school, adolescents are asked to navigate increasingly complex social waters. Learning how to adapt to these new conditions and build strong, healthy relationships can be an overwhelming task for autistic teens, but it is an important part of ensuring good mental health. Bullying is defined as “unwanted, aggressive behavior among…
I was diagnosed with autism at age 15, shortly after, I enrolled in an honors college program full-time. From a young age, I felt as if I was missing something. I wasn’t like many of my peers. I analyzed ideas differently. It was as if I was created with a different processing unit. Similarly, my…
OAR is currently accepting applications for the 2021 OAR Scholarship Program. Applicants can apply to either the Schwallie Family Scholarship or the Lisa Higgins Hussman Scholarship until Monday, May 3, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Each offers $3,000 scholarships to students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (DSM-IV/5 criteria) pursuing full-time, post-secondary, undergraduate education in the United…
As many of you know, April is National Autism Awareness Month. Despite the disruptions caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, OAR has been working diligently with teachers, parents, and other members of the autism community to gear up to raise awareness, educate others, and increase autism acceptance. What do you have planned for Autism Awareness…
It is a grey autumn day in New York City in 2002. We are standing in the waiting room of New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai Hospital waiting for the results of Josiah’s exploratory procedure. We are accustomed to seeing our son in a hospital setting. He was in the Neonatal Intensive…
