New research highlights the quality of life and mental health issues of adults with autism
September 23, 2021
New research led by psychologists at Edge Hill University has placed a spotlight on the quality of life and mental health issues experienced by adults diagnosed with autism. […] The findings revealed that autistic adults had lower quality of life outcomes and higher autistic trait levels which related to age...
Helping children with autism and hyperlexia learn to understand what they read
September 21, 2021
Though still in its early stages, the cohort of eight children with ASD and hyperlexia that took part in the 6-week intervention demonstrated significant gains in reading comprehension and listening comprehension.
Nielsen Finds Disabilities Largely Missing From TV Ads
September 16, 2021
Just 1% of television advertising includes people with disabilities, new research indicates, even though this demographic accounts for more than a quarter of the population.
CDC Rolls Out New COVID-19 Resources For People With IDD
September 14, 2021
As the delta surge renews concerns about COVID-19 across much of the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is taking steps to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities understand and protect themselves against the virus. The agency is introducing a series of resources specifically aimed at this...
Report: Autistic Individuals Have Increased Risk of COVID-19
September 09, 2021
Autistic adults, adults with intellectual disability, and adults with mental health diagnoses have multiple risk factors for infection with COVID-19 and for experiencing more severe disease if they contract COVID-19, according to research from the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute at Drexel University.
The PA justice system often fails autistic people. Can these activists and judges bring reform?
September 07, 2021
From unnecessary confrontations with police to uninformed judges and needless incarceration, autistic people in Pennsylvania say the criminal justice system has long failed to meet their needs. Now, after a series of court-led panels, officials in the justice system and activists are working on reforms.
How Zoom helped the neurotypical world hear my autistic voice
September 02, 2021
Early career geoscience researcher Anya Lawrence says pandemic videoconferencing has brought her closer to her colleagues and others in the world of science.
Virginia Tech’s Mobile Autism Clinic is finalist for national community engagement award
August 31, 2021
The Virginia Tech Autism Clinic & Center for Autism Research’s Mobile Autism Clinic has been named a finalist for the 2021 C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award. The Mobile Autism Clinic started traveling to Virginia’s rural Central Appalachian region in 2018. Its mission: provide expertise and diagnoses for those with autism...
Tips to help kids with autism transition back to in-person school
August 26, 2021
Because of the pandemic, distance learning and hybrid schedules have been the norm for over a year, and many kids haven’t spent a full, regular week at school since March of 2020. For children with autism and other neurodevelopmental differences, transitions like this can be extra challenging.
‘We’re making an accessible place public’: Autism Trail seeks to break down barriers to deep nature
August 24, 2021
At the Autism Nature Trail at Letchworth State Park, everything, from the type of stone laid on the steps, to the engineered wood fiber that lines the paths, to the repeated patterns of three throughout the park, was handpicked with neurodiversity in mind. Each of its eight stations offers a...
August 19, 2021
Unpublished findings from a 2004 survey of 969 caregivers of people with autism suggest that about 1 in 5 moved to get higher quality services, according to David Mandell, associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
School Mask Mandate Ban Deadly To Students With Disabilities, Federal Lawsuit Says
August 17, 2021
Parents of 15 children filed a federal lawsuit late last week challenging Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ban on mask mandates in schools, which they said violates federal law and endangers students with disabilities by putting them at greater risk of contracting COVID-19. The children represented in the lawsuit, including several from...
