For me, it was very apparent at an early age that there was something different about the way our son Fynn was developing. Fynn didn’t speak more than three words, he didn’t attempt to pull up or walk, and he didn’t interact with the people around him. All these delays signaled to me that he needed…
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 RUN FOR AUTISM Endurance Challenge is back for its third year! Join us for this 30-day exercise and fundraising challenge dedicated to autism research. Starting on November 1, we challenge participants to complete one, two, or all three endurance challenges by November 30. Walk, run, swim, and/or cycle for the 30 days in November while logging your mileage as you…
Inclusion is not a new concept to society or education. The belief that all students, regardless of their background or abilities, should be included in the general education setting and in our communities has roots dating back over 50 years. Early efforts that laid the foundation for inclusion include the civil rights and disability rights…
With friends, sometimes you can go “home” again. Last August our autistic son Ian, along with his two parents, took a one-week vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. It was unusual for a number of reasons. First, the vacation was with four of Ian’s neurotypical friends, whom he hadn’t seen in almost 10…
Has OAR made a positive impact on your experience as a member of the autism community? If so, please help us reach a wider audience and raise funds by reviewing OAR on the GreatNonprofits website. Once you add your review, spread the word to your friends and colleagues. Reviews can be as brief as a…
Today, I am awestruck as I watch two of my sons laugh, roughhouse, and play soccer in the backyard. For most families, joyful moments like these between siblings are frequent, everyday experiences. But for some families with autistic children, positive interactions between siblings can seem out of the norm or even rare. In our case,…
The word “autistic” has always been stigmatized, its meaning is eclipsed by ideas of screaming children and socially unacceptable behaviors. But autism affects every person differently and is often not seen by the public eye. For me, autism has always played a large role in my life. Although I am not autistic, my younger brother…
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,…
After two years of being virtual, the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) is back to an in-person race this October. The MCM is consistently one of OAR’s biggest events with 2022 marking the 17th year of OAR’s participation as a charity partner for the MCM and MCM 10K. For the first time, OAR also has entries…
