Author: Autism Today News.
I mean, how was I supposed to know, when we as a society don’t really talk about autism? And when we do, it’s generally stories of tragedy and stigma, or judging the validity of someone’s autism because they don’t look or behave a particular way. Even most information online about autism is shrouded in shame, with negative language and the belief that we need to be changed.Autism isn’t a bad thing: it’s a beautiful thing. And my diagnosis after regularly seeing a psychologist has changed my life because, finally, I understand. It feels like everything makes sense, especially when I…
Photo credit: Alibaba Group | Published on July 18, 2024 Alibaba Group recently introduced an artificial intelligence-powered tool to create picture books for autistic children, building a pathway for them to express their feelings and impressions of the world through art. Since launching online in June, more than 50,000 people have used the feature, which generates audio-enhanced artbooks from a prompt fed into Alibaba’s Qwen family of large language models (LLMs). The digital tool is an educational resource for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) – a developmental disorder affecting around one in 100 children globally, according to the World…
LEWES, Del., September 30, 2022 (Newswire.com) – The BeMe team are proudly taking on the National Autism Events calendar from Planning Across the Spectrum whose team carefully created it in 2018 and have mindfully curated and expanded upon it since. The calendar includes events organized in all US states by groups which exist to assemble Autistic individuals, their families and caregivers, care teams and their communities, providing meaningful opportunities to connect with and support one another. “Each day, there are upward of 30 events listed in the calendar. These range from online, in-person and combinations of online and in-person events. Therefore, even if…
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — We are less than three weeks away from the 11th Annual Aces for Autism Banquet, which is one of the organization’s biggest events for donation efforts and raising awareness for their mission.Each year families as well as those who support Aces have the opportunity to buy items up for auction, listen to speakers and unite with the Aces community. Each donation is significant for the organization and has especially led to the creation of their state of the art facility.“Donations and supporting Aces for Autism goes a long way. There’s a saying in the autism community,…
A teenage girl with autism has allegedly been bashed by a group of youths in Melbourne, leaving her with two black eyes and scared to leave her home. The alleged attack, which happened at Altona Pier on Wednesday afternoon, was posted online and sent to the victim’s sister. The girl was allegedly punched more than 50 times and left with serious injuries.A teenage girl with autism has allegedly been bashed by a group of youths in Melbourne. (9News)The alleged incident happened at Altona Pier. (9News)Year 9 student Dakota had been walking along the pier with a friend when she was…
Scientists have grappled with the puzzle of autism’s origins for decades – now a study suggests a bad cold or flu during pregnancy could be a cause.They’ve shown that when the mother’s immune system is ramped up in response to a viral infection, it can stunt the development of the growing baby’s brain.Female embryos seemed protected from these effects, but one third of male embryos were impacted to some degree, according to the research on mice.This aligns with the fact that autism is more prevalent in boys than girls, said the team from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in New York. Researchers have…
(SACRAMENTO) A new study led by UC Davis researchers finds widespread differences in brain development between autistic boys and girls ages 2-13. The study, published recently in Molecular Psychiatry, found sex-specific changes in the thickness of the outer layer of the brain, called the cortex. The findings are notable because so few studies have addressed cortical development in autistic girls, who are diagnosed with autism less often than males. Nearly four males are diagnosed with autism for every one female. “It is clear that this sex bias is due, in part, to underdiagnosis of autism in females,” said Christine Wu…
Diagnosis, earliest possible intervention and finding the best available resources—supporting your child on the spectrum is well, a lot. South African parents just starting out on this journey may wonder where to start… South African parents with special needs children often comment in awe (and envy) about the resources available to children in first world countries. When speaking to these parents, most agree: in South Africa you need to be wealthy to provide a high quality of life for your child on the spectrum. Is this true? Surely a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)—already facing daily struggles to fit…
Today we’re releasing two important resources together as a part of our Proud and Supported Series: A Self-Advocate’s Guide to Safer Sex What Do I Need to Know About Sexual Assault? Everyone deserves access to sex education. But information about what sex is, and ways to make sex safer for everyone involved, isn’t always accessible. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities can and do have sex and deserve accessible sex education! “A Self-Advocate’s Guide to Safer Sex” talks about things like: Why people have sex. How to have safer sex. What pregnancy is and how to prevent it. What STIs…
A webinar on Autism and Neurodiversity: Unlocking Human Potential will be held at 11.30 a.m. on Sunday. It is presented by Buddhi Clinic and The Hindu as part of the wellness series.The webinar is tailored for young people and their families. Neurodiversity encompasses a range of developmental conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, and epilepsy. Individuals with autism face challenges in language development, communication, socialisation and emotional expression. They may also experience hypersensitivity issues such as heightened responses to touch, sound, noise and tactile sensations.Ennapadam S. Krishnamoorthy, behavioural neurologist and neuro psychiatrist, founder-Buddhi Clinic and…