Scary. And necessary. Plenty of adults are reluctant to visit the doctor or dentist. But we’re also aware of the necessity and benefit that good health care provides in keeping us from serious illness. For children, however, particularly those with autism, fear can outweigh the benefits. So how can you as the parent make the…
“It feels like whenever my family and I are out in public, my autistic brother will have a full-blown meltdown. People always stare so I get really embarrassed, but I also worry about how angry he gets. What can I do about this?” This is one of the many challenges siblings grapple with when they…
In April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention upped its estimate of autism prevalence in children from 1 in 68 to 1 in 59. That is an alarming number. In our family, however, it is even higher. Of my wife’s and my four grandchildren, two — twin granddaughters — were diagnosed on the autism…
This article has been updated by the author in November 2022. Most articles about holiday celebrations focus on helping the autistic individual be prepared for the big day. Yes, it helps to do a social story, show pictures from prior events, and walk them through what to expect. But most of what needs to happen…
“Dina,” the documentary about a Pennsylvania woman with autism has already received several awards, including the grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival. “Dina” is about Dina Buno, a woman with autism, and her husband, Scott Levin, who is also on the autism spectrum. This documentary has already been shown to a select…
Women constantly deal with inherent gender biases in everyday conversations, jobs, and social life; new research shows that this gender bias is seen in diagnosing women with autism. The Guardian reported on a new study found the ratio of women to men with autism to be 3:1; these results were based on active screening rather…
On the surface, a visit to the dentist can certainly seem scary to any child, especially a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. According to a 2011 study, nearly half of parents with children who have ASD describe their children’s oral health as either poor or fair. After…
Melanie Makovsky, a blogger, writes about how back to school for her family is different, because two of her children have autism. In this article, originally posted on The Mighty, Melanie goes in depth on how her back-to-school season is different from most families. Sometimes it seems like back-to-school season is an extended and complicated…
OAR takes great pleasure in announcing the recipients of the Lisa Higgins Hussman Scholarship and Schwallie Family Scholarship for 2018. The two scholarships attracted over 500 applicants and the 49 awards total $147,000. Through this program, OAR has now provided scholarships to 318 students with autism – a total financial contribution of $954,000 since the…
Frasier Cox, a boy with autism, recently won best overall bedtime story in the Our Bedtime Story Competition. The annual U.K. competition for children between the ages of 5 and 11 offers winners the opportunity to collaborate with an illustrator and have their book published. Based on the 2017 theme of friendship, Frasier’s story, “There’s…
