Author: Autism Today News.

This article by Bennett Chair of Autism at Telethon Kids Institute and The University of Western Australia Andrew Whitehouse, Professor of Speech Pathology at the Menzies Health Institute at Griffith University David Trembath and Research Development Manager at Telethon Kids Institute Sarah Pillar originally appeared inThe Conversation on Tuesday 2 July. Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Bill Shorten, has proposed a number of policy changes to the scheme. It is hoped these will ensure its sustainability for future generations. The proposals and legislative amendments follow a nationwide discussion on the need for reform so the NDIS can…

Artesia had always struggled to understand people. She’d watched their behaviour and tried to mimic it, hoping to fit in. But she’d never quite got it right.She said it was only after she began seeing a psychologist at the age of 13 that she was first introduced to the term ‘autism’.”I didn’t know anything about autism, but I became curious,” she said.Artesia has a different understanding of social norms, communicating, and expressing empathy. But learning about ‘autism’ felt like a breakthrough.”It explained so much about myself,” she said.Artesia says receiving an autism diagnosis has given her a greater sense of self.…

Leigh Sales is no stranger to interviewing Australia’s most high-profile figures — be they celebrities, artists, sportspeople or politicians.It’s why she was tapped on the shoulder to mentor a cohort of autistic journalism students tasked with interviewing six big names (more on who later) for ABC iview’s new program The Assembly.But, as it turns out, it wasn’t just the students who learned about how to get the best interview.Sales shared with Backstory what drew her to the project and what new tricks she walked away with.Why did you want to be part of the series?”When the ABC approached me about…

Much attention has been paid recently to conflict within the autism community, between autistic adults and parents of profoundly autistic children — from a piece in Nature in May to a Spectrum article on the topic in January to a 2021 post on the “Today Show” blog about the “war” between these stakeholders. Though it’s true that interactions across this fault line, particularly on social media platforms, can be extraordinarily hostile, it has been our experience — as an autistic adult and the parent of a profoundly autistic 24-year-old son, respectively — that the real world looks different. Many autistic…

An element of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) that has historically been ignored but has recently been receiving more attention is neurodiversity. It is the subject of many new studies, and rightly so.Lydia Shadrach-Razzino, Partner, Head of Corporate/M&A, Baker McKenzie JohannesburgFor too long, neurologically diverse employees have felt the need to mask their way of looking at the world. Now, we are discovering that many amongst us are neurodiverse, and therein lies our collective strength. Neurodiverse employees are acknowledged for their role in significantly boosting team creativity and productivity but often don’t feel comfortable to reveal their neurodiversity.On World Autism…

The Department of Health has urged families and communities to support individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), also known as autism, to thrive and reach their full potential, and to refrain from discriminating against them. This as South Africa joins the global community today to increase awareness about autism and how communities can support autistic people. Every year, on 2 April, World Autism Awareness Day is celebrated to empower and help autistic people lead a full life.  The day is also used to empower the public, and health and welfare service providers with information, dispel misconceptions, and promote a deeper…

Perhaps to some, Tallulah Dorer-Perrin looks neurotypical (individuals with typical neurological development functioning). But that’s if you judge people at face value. Dorer-Perrin has autism – an “invisible disability” that makes every aspect of her life, including walking into a brightly lit lecture theatre alongside groups of loud students, doubly challenging. However, things changed since her enrolment at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 2022. Dorer-Perrin, a third-year Bachelor of Social Science student, learned to hold her own and her university experience altered her outlook on life. She speaks up when she needs to and has become an advocate…

April is Autism Awareness Month, a time when all of us can learn more, open our minds and step up to be a better ally for the ASD community:   Global (08 April 2024) — Across the globe, April marks Autism Awareness Month; an important time where everyone is encouraged to carve out more awareness surrounding one of the most misunderstood human experiences—life on the spectrum. Like many other days and months of recognition, the takeaway shouldn’t be to only focus on the matter for a specific period of time and then pay no mind to it for all the…

Tuesday 2 April marked World Autism Awareness Day.PHOTO: PEXELS/ TARA WINSTEAD A local organisation is calling for autism awareness to happen 365 days a year, not just in April.Tuesday 2 April marked World Autism Awareness Day and Autism Western Cape, a Rondebosch-based organisation that provides support, advisory counselling, training and advocacy services for the autistic community, says people on the spectrum still face many challenges. The awareness day is used as a platform to empower the public, health and welfare service providers with information and also to eliminate misconceptions and promote a deeper understanding of autism. This is to help…

Schola Amoris School will host an exciting fun walk in an effort to raise awareness on autism. This event is held annually to commemorate World Autism Awareness Day. Many organisations around the world mark this day by hosting fundraising initiatives and awareness campaigns. Schola Amoris School is a school for pupils with special educational needs and was one of the first three schools to be involved in the pilot project of providing education and training for pupils with autism in KwaZulu-Natal in 2006. The school started with two classes with a total of 15 pupils. Currently, they have seven classes,…