AUTISM NEWSLETTER MAY 2025 COMMENT

Age and autism Do autistic people get the same age related problems as neurotypicals? University College London researchers have published new research. More

Play boost Whole body play may help thinking skills in children. Research published in the journal Disability and Rehabilitation found that children who engaged in whole-body movement saw improved executive functioning. More

DOGE does damage The Trump Administration have reduced funding available for autism research despite pledging to ‘find the cause of autism’ by September! Key research projects—some of which were midway through completion are in trouble as a result. More 

Work rewarded An intensive care unit has received an internationally recognised award after being nominated by a patient. Kirstie Pope, 31, is autistic and said Kettering General Hospital deserved a Daisy Team Award for the care she received. More 

Type to talk Can AR technology help nonspeaking autistic people communicate? The HoloBoard augmented-reality system lets people type independently. More

Smart solution A new app has been launched which uses Artificial Intelligence (AI), to give carers who suspect their children are neurodivergent, "a better picture of what's going on" whilst waiting for a diagnosis. More 

Autism curve Diagnoses of autism have been rising exponentially. Arguments and conspiracy theories abound about why. So what's behind that steep upwards curve? Check out the podcast from the BBC. More

Farage’s fake ‘facts’ The National Autistic Society (NAS) has hit back at comments made today by Nigel Farage, MP and Leader of Reform UK, after he claimed that doctors are “massively over-diagnosing” children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and mental health conditions. More

Health inequality People with a learning disability simply aren’t getting the healthcare they deserve. Severe pain is overlooked when there’s little awareness of how symptoms present differently. Health advice is completely lost when communication isn’t clear enough. More

Name it! Eccentric, blunt-speaking characters who present as being on the spectrum are everywhere on our screens – but why are their creators so reluctant to state it openly? What we have instead are characters who are “autistic-coded”. If you haven’t come across the term “coded” or “coding”, it describes when a character very clearly has a particular quality or basis that is never made explicit. More