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Press Release

Arlington, VA, May 9, 2024 – The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) is thrilled to announce its continued partnership with Olight, a leading manufacturer of premium lighting products, during Autism Acceptance Month. Olight generously hosted a charity sale, with proceeds benefiting OAR’s vital mission of advancing autism research and support.

For the second consecutive year, Olight demonstrated unwavering commitment to the autism community. In April 2023, Olight’s inaugural autism awareness charity sale raised an impressive $112,849 for OAR, demonstrating the tremendous support of its loyal customers to the cause. This April, Olight continued its commitment by raising $45,225 in the charity sale and supporting OAR’s Active for Autism 5K as a Gold Sponsor.

The funds raised through these initiatives play a critical role in OAR’s mission to apply research towards the challenges of autism.  This partnership allows OAR to fund vital research projects aimed at enhancing the lives of autistic individuals and their families and drives real-world impact through that research and the distribution of autism resources.

“Olight’s goal is not only to illuminate the world with exceptional lighting products but also to inspire hope and make a positive impact,” said Mavis Xiao, the Chief Marketing Officer of Olight. “Through our partnership with the Organization for Autism Research (OAR), we strive to raise awareness about autism, providing support for greater understanding, acceptance, and brighter futures for individuals and families affected by autism.”

Kristen Essex, Executive Director of OAR, expressed deep appreciation for Olight’s ongoing support, stating, “The continued partnership with Olight has been instrumental in advancing our mission. Their dedication to supporting the autism community is truly commendable and makes a meaningful difference in the lives of autistic individuals and their families and supporters.”

The collaboration between OAR and Olight exemplifies the power of corporate social responsibility in fostering greater awareness and acceptance of autism within our communities. Together, they are illuminating hope and advocating for a more inclusive society.

For media inquiries or further information about the partnership between OAR and Olight, please contact Rachel Luizza at outreach@researchautis.org.

 

About the Organization for Autism Research:

The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) is a national non-profit organization formed and led by relatives of children and adults with autism. OAR is dedicated to promoting research that can be applied to help families, educators, caregivers, and individuals with autism find much-needed answers to their immediate and urgent questions. Learn more at www.researchautism.org.

About Olight:

Olight is a global leader in designing and manufacturing high-quality illumination tools, offering a wide range of innovative products for outdoor enthusiasts, professionals, and everyday users. Olight is committed to producing reliable and durable lighting solutions while contributing positively to society through charitable initiatives. Learn more at www.olight.com.

Sensory processing challenges are not uncommon for autistic kids. Common triggers can include anything from scratchy clothing to loud noises or bright lights. These triggers can create a sensory overload that makes your child feel overwhelmed or upset. They might avoid trying new things and consistently seek out quiet places to be alone. 

As a parent or caregiver, it’s essential to recognize sensory overload symptoms and to know what to do to reduce potential dangers both at home and in educational settings. By recognizing how sensory overload affects your child, you can take active steps toward helping them manage their senses safely.  

How to Recognize Sensory Overload Symptoms 

Have you ever noticed your child become extremely upset when they feel overwhelmed with their surroundings? The stress response completely takes over when a child is overstimulated, making behavioral and emotional regulation feel nearly impossible. It becomes easier for them to hurt themselves or put themselves in harm’s way. Some of the common symptoms of sensory overload include:  

  • Stimming; 
  • A wave of fatigue; 
  • The desire to cover their eyes or ears; 
  • Panic; 
  • The desire to escape; 
  • Discomfort; 
  • Restlessness; 
  • Irritability.

Understanding some of your child’s triggers is a great place to start. When you know what overstimulates them, you can create a home environment that helps them feel safe and secure. You can even create a sensory room in your home with things like weighted blankets, tactile pillows, and mood lighting that can help your child feel calm and comfortable.  

Creating a Safety Plan 

Unfortunately, even understanding your child’s triggers doesn’t mean they’ll always be protected from sensory overload. Having a safety plan in place can help to keep them protected when those moments occur. 

Start at home by improving your security. Make sure there are locks on doors and windows that your child can’t access to protect them from any potential accidents. It’s not uncommon for children with autism to become overwhelmed at times, and they might not take their surroundings into account, making them more susceptible to things like tripping over items or running into the street without looking. It’s also important to teach your child safety skills to use at home. Let them know where they can go and what they can use to calm down. Keep things organized and clearly labeled so they have easy access to the things that can help them. Practice a safety plan with them several times, the same way you might with a family fire drill. When it becomes muscle memory for them, they will have an easier time making safe, healthy choices that will provide them comfort.

Of course, keeping your child safe at home is only half the battle. What happens when you’re at a local park or playground and they become overstimulated? It’s just as important to have a safety plan in place by choosing safe play areas. Scope out your local parks and choose one that isn’t overly crowded and doesn’t have a lot of noise. Choosing a park that is somewhat secluded, fenced in, or doesn’t have a lot of nearby traffic can also help your child stay safe if they get overwhelmed and want to hide. Parks with a lot of clear signage can also be a comfort for your child, helping them to follow directions safely and effectively. If, for some reason, your child’s favorite spot seems to be busy and loud one day, consider bringing headphones along, or suggesting a different area for a while.

Working with your child’s school will also help to ensure they stay safe when they’re away from home. Encourage their teachers to have sensory tools in the classroom, like alternative seating options and fidget toys that help to keep autistic kids more grounded. Additionally, make sure your child’s educators understand basic first-aid skills. 

If your child does get overwhelmed and starts to panic, or even ends up harming themselves, you should have confidence that their teachers know how to provide assistance. It’s even worthwhile to encourage teaching first-aid in the classroom. Not only will it help your child with self-regulation if they’re starting to feel overwhelmed, but they might end up getting the help they need from a fellow classmate. Teaching first aid in schools can be incredibly useful for mitigating risks as children spend more time on their own. Kids as young as five can learn basic life-saving skills, so don’t hesitate to encourage their teachers to prioritize these techniques.

Sensory overload doesn’t have to be disastrous or dangerous. By having a safety plan in place and understanding what most upsets your child, you can protect them no matter where they are. 

Indiana Lee is a writer from the Pacific Northwest with a personal commitment to shedding light on important issues surrounding autism. Outside of writing, she enjoys the outdoors, reading, and jigsaw puzzles. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

 

Alarming statistics from a study done by researchers at Kennedy Krieger Institute indicate that suicidal thoughts and behaviors may begin in autistic children at a very early age. Responses from over 900 caregivers of autistic children ages 8 to 17 were analyzed in a nationally distributed survey. According to the study published in JAMA Pediatrics in early April, among parents of children 8 years old and younger: 

  • 36.2% reported their child wanting to die. 
  • 35.3% reported their child wanting to end their own life. 
  • 18.1% reported their child having a suicide plan.

“The results are concerning,” noted Dr. Benjamin Schindel, a fellow in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities at Kennedy Krieger Institute and lead author of the paper. “We were very surprised to find that the expression of suicidal ideation began so young in these children with ASD. This rate seems to be significantly higher compared to their neurotypical peers.”

The original point of collecting the data was to develop a better awareness of suicidal thinking among autistic children, he said. However, when the number of particularly young children having such thoughts was revealed, the urgency behind this research shifted.

One of the major concerns, the research team said, is that limited suicide screening tools and interventions are available for young children with developmental disabilities. Dr. Schindel noted that Kennedy Krieger has begun screening their patients starting at age 8.

The survey was completed by participants in Kennedy Krieger’s Interactive Autism Network. Among all parents surveyed: 

  • 40.5% reported their child wanting to die. 
  • 19.3% reported their child wanting to end their own life. 
  • 7.4% reported their child having a suicide plan.

Dr. Schindel urged parents to “check in on their children’s mental health and alert their health care providers if there are concerns so that they can be connected to preventive mental health services, like counseling and, in some cases, medication.”

Dr. Paul Lipkin, a neurodevelopmental pediatrician and professor of pediatrics in the Center for Development and Learning at Kennedy Krieger Institute and a member of the research team said the results illuminate the need for further research to find out if suicidal thoughts among autistic children translate to actions. “We need to have an open dialogue about these statistics to help fight the stigma and make sure these children are getting the help and support that they need.”

Sherri Alms is the freelance editor of The OARacle, a role she took on in 2007. She has been a freelance writer and editor for more than 20 years.

Shea Savage started her job as development associate on April 3. Her primary goal is to identify resources that will enable OAR to continue providing information and services to autistic people and their loved ones. She looks forward to “connecting with donors in positive and meaningful ways” to increase OAR’s impact on the autistic community.

“I love that I’m working with an organization that focuses on quality of life and improving opportunities for autistic people and their communities in the here and now,” Savage said, noting that her younger brother, Jack, is autistic. “In my home state of Vermont, I grew up connected to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, thanks to community events I attended with my brother, volunteer positions with Special Olympics, and my time working as a one-on-one personal care provider. In addition to my relationship with my brother, I also have several close autistic friends.” Because of Jack, she is particularly excited to see that OAR’s resources don’t stop at childhood, but touch on every part of life.

Her professional experience includes a position as a personal care attendant, supporting individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities so that they could participate in community activities and volunteer work. While she was an undergraduate, Savage worked as a global human rights and advocacy intern, preparing for and facilitating an advocacy day on Capitol Hill for Special Olympics. During that internship, she also created a video on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

She received a master’s degree in ethics, peace, and human rights with a concentration in human rights and social justice from American University in 2023 and a bachelor’s degree in political science from George Washington University in 2020.

Her work at OAR is off to a good start, Savage noted, with a warm and supportive welcome from staff. “It’s clear that OAR staff is a very passionate and talented group, and I feel very lucky to be working with them.”

The sixth annual Active for Autism 5K & Kids Dash raised over $55,000 for OAR’s Changing Lives Fund. This year, 416 virtual and in-person participants, representing two countries and 27 states plus Washington D.C., dedicated their miles to autism research. OAR is grateful to all the participants, fundraisers, donors, and sponsors who helped to make this event an outstanding success! We’re already looking forward to next year.

Check out our 2024 Active for Autism 5K & Kids Dash pictures on the RUN FOR AUTISM Facebook page. Follow the page to stay up to date on all future RUN FOR AUTISM events.

You can also support OAR and autism research this year by joining the RUN FOR AUTISM team for the 2024 Marine Corps Marathon, 10K, or 50K.

If you are interested in joining us for the 2025 Active for Autism 5K & Kids Dash, sign up for the interest list and we’ll email you when registration opens.

Hire Autism posts featured articles on various employment topics to provide much-needed answers to common job search-related questions. Read the newest articles:

To make sure you see all the newest information, sign up for Hire Autism’s monthly newsletter by creating an account.

Have a topic you would like to see us write about? Email us at mail@hireautism.org. 

OAR has helped educate more than 194,000 children through the Peer Education program since 2012. With the second cycle of grants, which opened on April 15, OAR continues its commitment to fund peer education and the promotion of autism awareness and acceptance in grades K-8 using the Kit for Kids program materials. Starting this year, OAR will award grants of up to $10,000 for school district-wide projects; OAR will continue to award grants ranging from $500 to $5,000 for all other projects of lesser scope.

Who Can Apply?

Teachers, administrators, parents, youth group organizers, and autism professionals interested in organizing an autism awareness initiative at a school or other community-based organization may apply. Eligible organizations include but are not limited to K-12 public schools, districts, libraries, and 501(c)(3) non-profits in the United States. This includes U.S. military installations overseas. School districts and organizations that serve low-income communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

See the application for further instructions and details.

What Does the Grant Cover?

OAR supports projects that use OAR’s peer education materials to increase autism awareness and acceptance among students in kindergarten through 8th grade. Examples of projects include awareness campaigns, workshops, and presentations. Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to, OAR’s peer education materials, print costs, honorariums and travel expenses for guest speakers, venue rental, and refreshments.

When Are Applications Due?

OAR is currently accepting applications until June 24, 2024, for projects starting as early as September 1, 2024.

How Do I Apply?

Get more information and the application on OAR’s website. For questions and comments, contact Vivian Muhumuza at programs@ researchautism.org.

While Autism Acceptance Month has come and gone, we know many of you wish to remain active, do more for the cause, or start something new. Here are some ways to do just that.

Volunteer Your Time

Are you a parent, educator, or autistic individual who:

  • Wants to share your unique advice or story with others through a blog post? 
  • Is interested in teaching children about autism acceptance? 
  • Would enjoy distributing informational resources to organizations in your community in need of autism supports? 
  • Would like to work one-on-one with an autistic job seeker to help them find employment? 

If you answered yes to any of these questions, OAR is always looking for more volunteers. Learn more and apply today.

Raise Money for Autism Research

Do you:

Show Off Your Impact

Share your photos and feedback: 

Many of OAR’s successes reflect the commitment and hard work of volunteers, donors, and followers. You are one of them. Thank you for joining our April campaign and for continuing to stay involved with us throughout the year!

Autistic individuals deserve access to health information that’s tailored for their needs. Do you want advice on how to advocate for yourself at your next doctor’s visit? Are you wondering how to discuss important topics like puberty, dating, sexuality, and sexual assault with an autistic teen or adult in your life? These OAR-created and funded resources offer information for autistic individuals and their families about physical, mental, and sexual health.

Sex Ed for Self-Advocates 

This guide is a sexuality and sex education resource written specifically for autistic people age 15 and up. Autistic people sometimes don’t have the chance to learn about sexuality and sex in ways that work for them, so OAR created this guide as a starting point to change that. In each of the nine sections of the guide, self-advocates will be able to read articles and watch brief videos before testing their knowledge about a given topic and practicing new skills. This is also a great resource for parents and caregivers to use in early conversations about sex education with their autistic family member.

A Mental Health Guide for Autistic College Students 

Every student experiences stress at some point during college. Created by a team led by Vanessa Bal, Ph.D. and Evan Kleiman, Ph.D. at Rutgers University, OAR’s Mental Health Guide for Autistic College Students is intended to help autistic students promote their own well-being and know when and where to seek mental health services during college. The guide addresses challenges that may come up, as well as tips to promote well-being and cope with feeling overwhelmed. It also offers practical advice for navigating access to mental health care for autistic college students and their parents.

Everything is Connected to Everything: Improving the Healthcare of Autistic and ADHD Adults 

All Brains Belong VT created this online resource that provides guidance for medical professionals and autistic individuals in addressing multiple health conditions and improving the health of autistic patients. Autistic and ADHD adults often have multiple intertwined health conditions, yet the healthcare system can get in the way of clinicians addressing multiple medical problems at one time. Treating these intertwined medical conditions as separate may result in a person not getting better. Thinking of these medical conditions as a group (or cluster/constellation) may result in more improvements. OAR and the Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR-P) provided funding for this resource through the Community Grant Competition.

Search & Snicker™: Conversations About Relationships & Sexuality  

Search & Snicker™: Conversations About Relationships & Sexuality offers important tools needed to provide healthy guidance about intimate relationships to autistic adults and other neurodivergent individuals. Developed by First Place AZ and informed by the neurodivergent community and best practices, the guides are available as PDF downloads targeted at three distinct groups: family members, direct service providers, and healthcare providers. OAR and the Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR-P) provided funding for these guides through the Community Grant Competition. 

I am the mom of four amazing kids (Connor, 25; Riley, 17; Grace, 12; and Kane, 8). I work as a life coach, teaching advocacy skills to parents to assist them in advocating the best they can in and outside of the school system. I am also working on my master’s degree in counseling. I have been involved with OAR for 10 years, and I will be running the Chicago Marathon as part of the RUN FOR AUTISM team for the tenth time this year. I have two sons with autism and have spent years spreading awareness and educating others about autism. My kids have taught me so much about life, and it has certainly been an adventure. I am so very blessed to be their mom, and, though we have had our share of challenges, I wouldn’t change a thing. We are Team Fink and “we commit, we don’t quit!”

My oldest son was 7 when he was diagnosed with autism. I remember sitting with him to tell him that we had a meeting to go over all the tests they had done and that he has autism. Many people didn’t know a lot about autism when he was diagnosed. There were no motivational blogs or support groups. I felt alone and scared because all I read were the things my son wasn’t going to be able to do, like live on his own, maintain a job, show empathy, and the list goes on. I told my son, “We are going to have to work hard to overcome some things, but we can do it. We are going to have to write our own story.” And we did.

He went on to make friends, be kind and empathetic, and graduate from college. Today, he lives on his own in a different state and works as a manufacturing engineer. What a story he is writing!

My second son was diagnosed with autism at 15 months old. He was nonspeaking until he was about 5. He was in therapy for many years (occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and developmental therapy). We hit the jackpot with his supportive therapists. I don’t remember ever having a formal conversation with him about his diagnosis.

I raised my kids to know that everyone has challenges in life, some you see and some you don’t. I raised them to believe that your challenges don’t make you who you are, they are just a part of who you are.

When my younger son was 8, he asked a lot of questions about his diagnosis and said he remembers looking at it as a good thing with lots of perks. He viewed his individualized education program (IEP) in such a positive way due to all the “perks” that helped him succeed in school. How cool is that! He and his older brother knew they had autism, but it didn’t define who they are, it was part of who they are. 

He is now 17, a junior in high school with lots of friends. He is a talented runner for his school’s cross country and track teams. He is thriving. He too has the opportunity to go to college and have the experience of living on his own. I know that no matter what struggles lie ahead, he will get through it because he works so hard at everything he does. He doesn’t know how to quit.

My sons have and continue to learn to accept their autism diagnosis. Some days are harder than others, and some days we come across people who don’t understand, which makes life hard for them to navigate. I encourage them to work hard on their goals, not give up, and remember to accept themselves and not let others get them down. I also remind them how much they have overcome and encourage them to keep fighting every day.

The biggest thing I taught them was how to advocate for themselves. It started at home with learning to request things in an appropriate manner. I had them attend their school meetings and IEPs as early as elementary school. A lot of people asked me why I would have them there. It was important for them to see their team working hard to make sure they were successful as well as seeing their mother advocate for them to get what they needed to succeed. Watching me effectively and appropriately advocate for their needs helped them learn to do that for themselves. By ninth grade, each son was able to advocate for themselves in their school meetings and get the help they needed. They now advocate for themselves in all aspects of their lives. This is one of my greatest accomplishments as a mother.

I have learned a lot about life and people in the process of raising all my kids. They have taught me that we can do hard things. We can face adversity, put in the work, and rise above the challenges. You could say we thrive on the challenges in our lives. There are also real struggles, and we may kick and scream the whole way through, but taking the time to celebrate the victories along the way is the best part. I should have done more of that.

Celebrating the “small” victories is so important. When my boys were little, I didn’t take the time to celebrate the things they were accomplishing because when one thing was accomplished, another issue arose and we had to figure out how to help them. I missed some opportunities to praise my kids and show them to take the time to be excited about achieving goals. Now we celebrate all the successes.

We continue to face new challenges as they grow, but we set goals and put plans in place to achieve those goals. I remember feeling like I would never see the light at the end of the tunnel. As the years have gone by and the hard work has paid off, we see it getting brighter and brighter as the days go on.

My kids have inspired me to try new things and have given me the courage to push through my own struggles as their mom. They have taught me that working as a team is key. By working as a family, we have managed to overcome a lot and strengthen our bond. We are not perfect, and it may be chaotic at times, but we show up for each other and encourage each other to succeed and celebrate each other’s accomplishments. My daughter came up with the best tag line for our family when she was 4 and learning to ride her bike without training wheels, “We are Team Fink and we commit, we don’t quit!” It has been our tag line ever since and a constant reminder to push through when things get hard. 

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