Big plan NHS England’s Long Term Plan was published in January 2019 and outlined proposals to improve the health and wellbeing of autistic people - Robyn Steward considers what the plan means for people on the autism spectrum and offers some simple tips for NHS staff and services. More

Under pressure "I was born autistic and I will die autistic. As I grow, the pressure to act “less autistic” grows, but guess what — I can’t do that." More

Excluded A Sheffield mum is calling for more support and awareness about a form of autism called Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) after her seven-year-old son has been excluded from school four times in the past year. More

Online and safe When Stuart Duncan started Autcraft, a private Minecraft server for people on the autism spectrum, he had no idea it would become the community it is today. With more than 8,200 members, Autcraft lets children and adults on the autism spectrum play Minecraft in a judgment- and troll-free space. More

Brother to brother Many autistic children in Turkey can't get a place in school and struggle to get an education.
So when Zafer Elcik realised his autistic brother, Alper, wasn't getting the support he needed, he created some games on his smartphone to help him learn. Now thousands of autistic children are using their app. More

Waiting no game A Gwynedd mum says she has had to wait almost a decade so far for an autism diagnosis for her son.Helen Whitney, from Llanbedrog, started the process in 2009, when son Adda was just two years old. More

Making sense of sensory Experts once considered sensory and motor problems, such as hypersensitivity to sound or an unusual gait, to be only secondary traits of autism. But mounting evidence suggests that such traits play a central role in the condition. More

Sleepless on the spectrum Sleep problems can impact daytime behaviour, quality of life, and overall health. Reserachers have compared sleep habits in young children with autism with children from the general population. More

Care concerns The Care Quality Commission(CQC), the independent regulator of health and social care in England, says there is a problem with the profile of learning disability and autism services. More

Stop (motion) success Students who have spent months crafting stop motion films have seen them make it to the big screen at a special premiere. More

Art from outside Susan stopped speaking aged four, and has since communicated only through her acutely detailed drawings. As her first UK exhibition opens, her sister and curator reveal an extraordinary life – and talent More

Mine safety When Stuart Duncan started Autcraft, a private Minecraft server for people on the autism spectrum, he had no idea it would become the community it is today. With more than 8,200 members, Autcraft lets children and adults on the autism spectrum play Minecraft in a judgment- and troll-free space More

Home front "Call it mother’s intuition, or call it years and years of practice, but I knew something was wrong. It was the delayed effect. My son has had a tricky day at school. He has held it together for nearly seven hours. Then he walks through the front door, and bam!" More

Talking puberty Puberty isn’t a picnic for any kid. Mood swings, voice changes, and temper tantrums can test the limits of parenting patience. But for kids on the spectrum, everything goes to 11. More

From a distance Long wait times have been a persistent issue for families waiting to see an autism specialist, with waits often exceeding a year. Additionally, children with autism living in rural areas have added costs associated with traveling long distances for health care. Can Telehealth help? More

I can self regulate Researchers have analyzed whether self-regulation would be a good predictor of resilience. This study shows that helping these young people to bounce back from adversities by acquiring self-regulation skills such as setting goals and adjusting their path after a misstep, equips them better to do well in school and in life. More

Designed for me Children with autism have a range of particular needs when it comes to the ideal learning environment, and these are unlikely to be provided for by standard classroom design. So what is good school design for autism? More

Fighting to fit in For adults with autism, the early years navigating school and playground friendships can be the toughest. But a diagnosis can provide answers and a light at the end of the tunnel. More