Author: Autism Today News.

  Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (“GTCO” or “the Group”) has announced dates for the 2024 GTCO Autism Program and follow-up consultations. This year’s program is themed “A Spectrum of Possibilities” to promote inclusivity, self-advocacy, and empowerment for persons on the Autism Spectrum. The theme A Spectrum of Possibilities aligns with GTCO’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and its goal of creating a society where everyone can thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their background or abilities. The theme acknowledges and celebrates this diversity, recognizing that each person living with autism has their own unique strengths, challenges,…

Disability Awareness Month Event Examined Shifts in Higher Education  MEDIA CONTACT: Jonathan Saxon, jsaxon@bowiestate.edu, 301-860-3607 (BOWIE, Md.) – Bowie State University marked Disability Awareness Month with a day- long conference on Oct. 20 centered around understanding neurodiversity and autism in the university setting and strategies to support students and faculty. Dr. Lorraine Wolf, Boston University’s director of disability and access services, shared her insights on how efforts to include autistic students in higher education settings have shifted in her 40 years of clinical experience. “It really has changed over the years,” said Dr. Wolf. “When we started talking about Asperger’s coming…

Walking into Casa Azul Coffee on Jan. 11, Jannett Ruiz and Adriana Carvajal made their way to a group of tables by the windows.The women sat down with their coffees and waited for their fellow moms to arrive.Ruiz and Carvajal are co-founders of Pláticas AzulesFW, a Facebook group for Hispanic mothers in Fort Worth who have children with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disabilities. What is autism spectrum disorder?Autism spectrum disorder is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others. It also affects how they communicate, learn and behave.Although autism can be diagnosed at any age,…

Siblings of autistic children have a 20% chance of being autistic themselves — about seven times higher than the rate in infants with no autistic siblings.That’s the key finding of a new paper by UC Davis MIND Institute researcher Sally Ozonoff and the Baby Siblings Research Consortium. The consortium is a collection of more than 20 research groups at universities worldwide.Ozonoff is a distinguished professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She has studied the recurrence of autism in families for decades.The new study is based on a large, diverse group of families at research sites across the United States, Canada, and the United…

September 18, 2023 Several high-profile autistic and neurodivergent speakers will come together at inaugural event hosted by UOW Grace Tame, Tim and Judy Sharp, and a list of other high-profile speakers will come together at the University of Wollongong (UOW) in early November for an inaugural conference to raise awareness of neurodivergence, identity and self-determination. The conference, Neurodivergence, Identity and Self-determination: Enhancing understanding and connections, will take place over the weekend of Saturday 4 November and Sunday 5 November 2023. It is being organised by My Life My Decisions in conjunction with the UOW Autism and Neurodivergent Alliance. Conference organiser,…

PENSACOLA, Fla. — Halloween is about two weeks away.A local non-profit is taking the time to spread awareness of autism before the holiday.Autism Pensacola aims to create a positive Halloween experience for the autism community.Director Mary McClellan says this is done through their Blue Pumpkin Campaign.On Halloween – kids trick or treating may carry blue pumpkin buckets to identify they’re on the autism spectrum.McClellan says children may not respond as others normally would.They may avoid eye contact, not answer questions, or not wear a costume.”The best thing to do is to get at the child’s level,” McClellan said. “You can…

Alicia Kimberley has always struggled to find things for her nine-year-old son Corbin to do.Corbin has autism and has little interest in sport. He’s also found it hard to connect with other children.”He wants to feel a part of something,” she said.”Most kids do that with sport when they’re part of a team, but when you have kids that aren’t like-minded in their physical abilities, that can be quite difficult.”But there’s one thing Corbin does love: video games.For the first time in his life, he has been able to play video games in a safe space designed for people like…

Former first lady Melania Trump revealed in her upcoming memoir that false claims about her and former President Donald Trump’s son, Barron, having autism fueled the “Be Best” campaign, an initiative she launched aimed at helping children.An excerpt from her upcoming book, Melania, reveals details about the aftermath of speculation in 2016 from comedian Rosie O’Donnell in which she tweeted a video that questioned whether then-10-year-old Barron had autism.”Barron Trump autistic?” O’Donnell asked in the since-deleted tweet. “If so, what an amazing opportunity to bring attention to the AUTISM epidemic.”According to The New York Times on Friday, Melania writes in…

On June 23, 2024, Dr. Adriana Di Martino, research director of the Autism Center at the Child Mind Institute, received the 2024 Open Science Award from the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM). This prestigious award honors her significant and sustained contributions to open science in the realm of autism research. Through her pioneering work in brain mapping and biomarker discovery, Dr. Di Martino has redefined the landscape of autism research and made groundbreaking strides in understanding autism-related brain connectivity. In particular, she has created and led the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE). Since its launch in 2012, ABIDE…

Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc has announced dates for the 2024 GTCO Autism Program and follow-up consultations.  This year’s programme, a statement issued by the organisers on Monday, is themed: “A Spectrum of Possibilities.” It is to promote inclusivity, self-advocacy, and empowerment for persons on the Autism Spectrum. The theme aligns with GTCO’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and its goal of creating a society where everyone can thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their background or abilities.  The theme acknowledges and celebrates this diversity, recognising that each person living with autism has their own unique strengths,…