Try this There have been plenty of newcomers welcomed to the sport of rugby at the Palace Grounds in Armagh over the past five weeks. This comes after local autism support group, More Than Words, teamed up with Rugby Cubz NI, who provide modified rugby activities for children with autism and additional needs. More

Gut news A collaborative Australian study has challenged the increasingly popular theory that gut health drives autism and rejected the use of fad diets and so-called therapies such as faecal transplants. More

Seeking acceptance People on the autism spectrum often face discrimination and other challenges in everyday life. In Bulgaria, activists are working to raise awareness and reduce stigma. More
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Pandemic problems For adults and children on the autism spectrum, getting a COVID-19 vaccine is easier said than done. More

Autistic images When photographer Mary Berridge’s son was diagnosed with Asperger’s, she began to see his world in a new light. She set out to capture a series of everyday – and exceptional – stories, one image at a time. More

That’s our business  In this podcast Toni Boucher (author and autistic self-advocate) describes her “AUntrepreneur” programme which helps young adults launch their own businesses. More

Sensory search Since sensory differences became part of the diagnostic criteria for autism in 2013, an increasing number of autism researchers have been drawn to the thalamus. What is it and what does it have to do with autism? More

Meeting Melanie “There’s a sense of relief about it and a sense of mourning. Not because I don’t want to be who I am, it’s that I wish I’d known sooner so I could have understood exactly why things were rolling the way they were rolling". More

Access to work An autistic woman said her experience of work was traumatising and more consideration was needed for neurodiverse employees. More

Big heart Murray MacDonald, who runs a group called Autism on the Water, decided to start cooking soup and delivering them to people during the lockdown because he was lonely. More

Just wrong ‘Do not resuscitate’ notices have been given to Covid patients with learning disabilities during the pandemic, says Mencap charity, "Vulnerable people have encountered shocking discrimination". More

Accept it "Though there are a lot of people who are aware that autism exists, there are fewer who understand what autism is, so we still need to be out teaching the public and our first responders the basics of what it is to be on the spectrum, and how to best relate to us" More

Profound impact Read the Autism Europe report: Impact of COVID-19 on autistic people and their families across Europe More

Radical review The government has launched an independent review into the children's care sector in England. It will be lead by a former teacher, Josh MacAlister, who founded the social work charity Frontline in 2013.  More

My diagnosis Assessment and diagnosis of autism: what can you expect? A quick guide for young people and their families​ More

All about timing Autistic children have a harder time catching a ball than non-autistic children do, possibly because they are less able to predict its trajectory, according to a new unpublished study. Researchers presented the findings virtually this week More

Excluded again Becky Hunter and her 14-year-old son, Mackenzie, live in Skellow, a former pit village near Doncaster. Mackenzie has a diagnosis of autism, and is in year 10 at the Outwood academy in Adwick, where, in the academic year 2017-18, 27.9% of pupils were subject to fixed-term exclusions, the eighth highest rate of any school in England. More

Gender question The podcast 1800 seconds on autism asks if autistic people are more gender fluid. More

Amazing Kids Listen to children from different backgrounds share their unique experiences of the autistic spectrum in their own words. More

A girls journey "Whether positive or negative — or, more likely, a mix of both — there is no denying that having a diagnosis makes the difference between accessing healthcare and support, or receiving nothing at all. But the journey to diagnosis is often lengthy, confusing and frustrating" More

Get some in Autism self-advocate and personal trainer Mark Fleming discusses the importance of exercise for the neurodivergent. More




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Life of quality Researchers are finally turning their attention to autistic adults and trying to figure out factors that affect their quality of life. More

Keep getting up Naoki Higashida is the non-verbal author of bestseller The Reason I Jump. In Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8 he explains his behaviours and challenges others’ perceptions. More

Disabled or not Saffron is nine. When she received her diagnosis, her mother Sam did not think what the doctors described sounded like a disability. While Saffron does encounter the difficulties associated with autism, her family encourage her to regard herself simply as not neurotypical, rather than having a disability. More

Thinking different What does the research show regarding cognitive styles of people with high-functioning autism/Asperger syndrome? More

Predicting autism A machine-learning algorithm has analysed brain scans of 6-month-old children and predicted with near-certainty whether they will show signs of autism when they reach the age of 2 More

Take pride A network of school-based groups has been set up by a handful of young adults with autism who wanted to give other kids what they had mostly missed out on over their school years: social connections, self-confidence, acceptance and pride in their autistic condition More

Try Rugby Leo Gradwell Spencer, 11, was bullied at school and struggled with self-confidence until he attended a rugby training camp More

Skills for support And support for skills. Children and adults with autism need a knowledgeable, confident, skilled workforce of helpers if they are to get the better lives they so deserve. That's why we are running our Training for Autism Trainers Programme again this year. More

Can brain scans reveal autism? Recent reports suggest that MRI scans might be able to identify children who are more likely to have autism. It's time for a reality check. More
And while we are talking identification... early and accurate assessment and diagnosis are still not available universally. That's why we are offering ADOS2 trainning this June. More

A question of girls Conventional thinking suggests autism mainly affects boys. But more and more girls – and adult women – are being diagnosed with the condition. And up to 100,000 could be still undiagnosed. More

Matching jobs to autism Tom Cowley had a dream to create computer games, but after six years, had not been able to break into the business. He is autistic, which means he has difficulty communicating with, and forming relationships, with other people. He suspects that may have held him back from selling himself to employers. More
And on the same subjetc...Watch this interview with the author and autism advocate Stephen Shore. More

Teaching kids with autism. What's that like? We need help with a survey of peoples experiences teaching or supporting children on the spectrum. Take five  to help out. More

Fakery stopped A drug and dietary supplement maker has been ordered to cease operations after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that it was falsely marketing products as being able to treat autism and other conditions. More

Coming soon Watch out for a new autism online magazine that aims to talk sense about science and autism. You can subscribe now. More

Support Big Steps Big transitions like leaving school need really big support. A study of stress and coping when transitioning to adulthood with autism examines the issues. More

Undercover Moms A “hidden pool” of women who have grown up with undiagnosed autism is coming to light as mothers researching their children’s spectrum disorders recognise themselves in their findings. More

Together and apart The BBC Listening Project featured a conversation between a divorced couple who can now see that their different modes of communication placed a stress on the relationship. More

Looking for? What are professionals looking for when they conduct an autism assessment? More

On the subject of assessment, take a look at our ADOS2 course in Birmingham this Summer. More

Brain find Scientist in Ireland think they may be able to shed a bit more light on which areas of the brain are different in autism. More

Stress on test "We know that it is common for individuals with autism to have a more intense reaction to stress, and some of these patients seem to experience frequent constipation, abdominal pain or other gastrointestinal issues," David Beversdorf, M.D., associate professor, MU Thompson Center for Autism. More

Procesing autism there's a lot to take in and on when your son or daughter is diagnosed with autism. Read this moving blog from Jessica. More