Skip to main content

Families

Scholarship Applications Accepted Until May 4

OAR is accepting applications for the 2020 OAR Scholarship Program through Monday, May 4, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Applicants can apply to either the Schwallie Family Scholarship or the Lisa Higgins Hussman Scholarship. Each offers $3,000 scholarships to students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (DSM-IV or V criteria) pursuing full-time, post-secondary, undergraduate education in the United…

Read More

Hire Autism to Release New Resources for Job Seekers

As a part of Hire Autism’s national expansion, OAR will debut new online job seeker and parent resources throughout the year. We know that navigating the job search can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. Our first round of new guides aims to provide job seekers with step-by-step instructions on how to build strong resumes and…

Read More

Autism Representation in the Media

Set to release this month on Disney+, Pixar’s newest animated short film, “Loop,” has sparked excitement throughout the autism community. According to Pixar, the film’s plot is set to follow a non-verbal girl with autism and a bubbly young boy during a canoeing trip. This news comes after the release of another Pixar short film,…

Read More

Scholarship Applications Accepted Through May 4

OAR is accepting applications for the 2020 OAR Scholarship Program through Monday, May 4, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Applicants can apply to either the Schwallie Family Scholarship or the Lisa Hussman Scholarship. Each offers $3,000 scholarships to students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (DSM-IV or V criteria) pursuing full-time, post-secondary, undergraduate education in the United States.…

Read More

OAR Launches Hire Autism Nationwide

OAR created Hire Autism with the goal of helping individuals with autism find meaningful employment opportunities. Following the completion of its two-year pilot test in Northern Virginia, OAR is ready to expand Hire Autism to all 50 states. Hire Autism supports job seekers through various aspects of the job search process, from career exploration to…

Read More

Guide to Safety Is a Useful Planning Resource

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…

Read More

Parent’s Research Guide

OAR will release an updated Life Journey Through Autism: A Parent’s Guide to Research with the generous support of the American Legion Child Welfare Foundation on December 13. A Parent’s Guide to Research holds a special place in OAR history as the first of nine installments in the Life Journey through Autism series. Released back in 2003, the guide aims to help families…

Read More

Child Safety Outside of the Home

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,…

Read More

Availability of Sensory-Inclusive Spaces Expands

Sports arenas have well-deserved reputations for being extremely loud, crowded, and over-stimulating, as anyone who has ever been to a game knows. Now NFL franchises are finding ways to accommodate individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or other developmental disabilities. The Philadelphia Eagles, for example, recently opened the first NFL sensory-inclusive room at Lincoln Financial Field,…

Read More

If Technology Is On Your Gift List, Read This

Are you looking to purchase a technology product as a gift for someone with autism? If so, please do not go out and buy the latest hyped technology gizmo you just saw on a home shopping channel or read about online. Rather, spend some time first to consider what your family member with autism spectrum…

Read More