Author: Autism Today News.

Journey Early, who recently appeared on Season 2 of “Love on the Spectrum,” has always felt two steps behind her peers — and not just romantically. She didn’t show as many facial expressions and started talking later than the average toddler. As a teen, Early would hide her stuffed animals when friends visited and lie about her interests just to fit in. “I would go home and cry because I couldn’t figure out why I was so uncomfortable with being myself,” Early said. “I learned that I couldn’t make friends by being me, so I made friends by pretending to be…

Autism is more common than you might know. About 1 in 36 children has autism spectrum disorder, according to the CDC, and that number has been steadily increasing since the org started collecting data in 2000. More adults are being diagnosed with autism too, studies have found, leading to increased awareness and interest in the disorder. TikToks sharing signs of autism in adults and or little-known symptoms rack up millions of views, and more and more celebrities are starting to come forward with their own autism diagnoses (or sharing that their kids are on the autism spectrum). Related story Tallulah…

We’ve come a long way since Rain Man,” says Catherine Tan, PhD, referencing the 1988 film starring Dustin Hoffman as an autistic savant. For decades, this movie comprised most of the popular knowledge and imagination about autism. While the conversation has become more nuanced, there are groups who are working to expand the understanding of autism further. Tan is an assistant professor of sociology at Vassar College and author of a new book, Spaces on the Spectrum: How Autism Movements Resist Experts and Create Knowledge (Columbia University Press, January 2024), but her interest in autism began during college with a…

The rate of autism in the world and in Israel is on a constant upward trend as researchers continue to try and analyze its causes. A new study, published in the journal Pediatrics, revealed an additional possible genetic origin of autism.Researchers have found that when one of the siblings in the family is on the autistic spectrum, another sibling has a high chance of also being diagnosed on the autistic spectrum.In the last decade, the prevalence of autism has risen to one in 36, and scientists around the world are trying to find the reasons for this. The current hypotheses…

Coping with an autistic child is hard enough in normal times for parents; it is much more grueling during a war against terrorism.A new study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) that investigated the effects of the Hamas attack on October 7 has found that within a month of the horrendous events, both autistic and non-autistic children showed major symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Most worrisome was that autistic children – who ordinarily suffer from intense vulnerability – showed a more striking response, and their parents suffered higher levels of depression, stress, and anxiety.The important research accentuated the…

Anti-Bullying Week is a great opportunity to share stories and open conversation about a very sensitive topic. For individuals on the spectrum, bullying can be more prevalent, more severe and, due to communication challenges, even harder to talk about. This article shares personal stories about bullying to inspire change… Wanting to raise awareness of some of the challenges faced by autistic individuals, I spoke with neurodivergent advocates for this article to hear personal stories about bullying, with the hope it will help drive positive change. I started my journey by speaking with Dr. Emily Lovegrove (AKA “The Bullying Doctor”) during…

The Western Cape government has pledged millions to support pupils with autism. The Western Cape government has pledged R68 million to support pupils with autism. Two new special schools and an additional 28 classrooms at existing special needs schools will be built.Civil society organisations and parents of children with autism say it is a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done.The autism community has welcomed the Western Cape government’s R68-million boost for schools which serve pupils with autism, but say it is not enough.On 29 March, Western Cape Education MEC David Maynier announced that the money would…

When Keischa Pruden’s now 27-year-old son, Aaron, was first diagnosed with autism  as a young child, information about the disorder was fairly minimal. “At the time, there wasn’t much support or information for autistic people or their families at the time.” Fast-forward to today, Pruden is a licensed therapist and autism advocate and she wants the families she helps to have an easier time assimilating to an autism diagnosis than she did.  Dr. Richard Frye, a child neurologist and chief of neurodevelopmental disorders at Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, agrees that for families with children who have autism,…

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – A new program is expanding in Georgia for parents who have autistic children and different resources they have access to. In Dougherty County, there is still a shortage of Special Education teachers.School officials share how they can best connect parents to resources outside the classroom.“My son got diagnosed when he was around two and a half, about to be three. And from there it was kind of like a journey, a really hard journey making sure you got adequate resources and what was best. I knew from the beginning that ABA would be the best thing…

Autistic adults can be great parents or guardians. Just like allistic (non-autistic) people, some autistic people have the capacity or skills to raise a child, while others don’t. Many aspects of parenting and guardianship can be tougher for autistic people. The reverse, however, is also true: There are some ways in which raising kids might be easier if you are autistic (especially if the children in your care are also autistic). This article presents real-world experiences shared in interviews with autistic parents. It offers insights on parenting, answers for autistic parents, and parenting resources for those interested. WANDER WOMEN COLLECTIVE…