Animating autism PBS Kids is developing its first-ever series featuring a lead character on the autism spectrum and his neurodiverse friends. The animated show called “Carl the Collector” follows Carl, a raccoon with autism who loves to collect things, and his friends in Fuzzytown, a place where everyone is learning about themselves and those around them. More

Safe community "Being non-binary, queer, autistic, ADHD, I grew up really isolated, and didn't have a lot of community, didn't really have any tools or skills, or any good things going on in my life". Finding a safe community was a difficult task for Sonny Jane Wise, until they created one for others with a similar experience. More

No Bill Charities have accused the government of a "major breach of trust" after key reforms did not appear in the King's Speech. The Mental Health Bill, now seemingly dropped, contained provisions to reform the Mental Health Act 1983, which currently allows people with autism and other learning difficulties to be detained and placed in mental health hospitals. More
 
Hate crime A report finds that people with autism and learning disabilities are still facing hate crimes. Hate crimes against people living with disabilities between 2021 and 2022 increased by 25%. More

Turned away A new screening system for adults wanting an autism or ADHD diagnosis has rejected up to 85% of requests for a referral since it was launched, adding to concerns from campaigners who warn it could become a blueprint across the NHS. More

Hearing in colour A new analysis of thousands of sets of twins suggests that synaesthesia shares genetic roots with autism. Synaesthesia seems to be linked to what are known as non-social autism traits. More

No access An autistic man will receive £20,000 compensation after a “discriminatory” refusal to make the reasonable adjustments he requested for a job interview with the government agency responsible for NHS digital technology. More
 
Nicholas’s story ‘I’ve been locked up for 10 years because I’m autistic. Is a chance at life too much to ask?’ More

Job open (or wrapped) Gillian Jervis set up her and her husband's fish and chip shop to secure their autistic child's future after one horrible comment changed everything. More

Dehumanising policies Autistic people are struggling to access health, education and housing. More
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Author and campaigner Olivia Richards is a busy mum but still finds time to help other parents who have children with autism. More

Surviving school “It can be a challenging place to manage for most people, and when you’re autistic it can be even harder. Growing up I always felt different, like an outsider” More

Neurodiversity Nearly 30 years after Judy Singer coined the term in an undergraduate thesis, it is now almost universally used and understood: an idea that beautifully captures the plain fact that autism and a range of other conditions – ADHD, dyspraxia, dyslexia and more – are part of the endlessly different ways that human minds are wired. More

Hear us People First (Self Advocacy) is a national user-led self-advocacy organisation, for and run by people with learning difficulties, learning disabilities and autistic people. More

Life just makes sense If you're a Cat Burns fan, you'll know her lyrics are honest. It's something she wants to extend to her personal life too - which is why she's opened up about her recent ADHD and autism diagnosis. More

No break Parents of children with complex needs have said they are "devastated" over the closure of an autism school's respite centre in South Yorkshire. More

Under the surface Autistic Paralympic champion Jessica-Jane Applegate speaks about the challenges and misconceptions of her ‘hidden disability’ as an S14 swimmer. More
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Help app An autistic boy and his mother are appealing for help with developing an app to support his needs. Young innovator James Malthouse, ten, from Tavistock, is asking for help with raising money through his Crowdfunder campaign. More

ABA Ban Parents of children with autism in the Netherlands are calling on the government to ban a controversial treatment known as ABA, which some have compared to gay conversion therapy. More

Stop! Think… autism? “My autistic behaviour is constantly met by accusation and inconsiderate responses. I believe this is frequently for two reasons:
1. They don’t stop and think, could there be another explanation for this ‘odd’ behaviour?
2. Even if they realise I am autistic, they don’t know how to support me”. More

Autism freed me Getting diagnosed with autism and ADHD was “the best thing that ever happened” to Ellie Middleton. More

Hear me The “voice” of a 3-year-old teaches us about the importance of early detection, parenting support and the crucial role played by professionals and an open-minded society.  More

Getting there The train operator behind the country's busiest rail franchise has launched a guide to help people with autism travel with ease. More

Left in limbo The NHS autism service ‘crisis’ will leave tens of thousands of patients without diagnosis with 190,000 patients waiting for autism diagnosis by 2024 with ‘devastating’ consequences. More

Life partner A digital innovation that provides autistic adults with 24/7 support and practical tools to manage the challenges of everyday life has been shown to significantly reduce anxiety levels. More

On board Can video games and balance boards address movement and coordination difficulties in autism? More

Back to the future Take a look back at the research headlines from 2021 More 

Searching for support "It can be extremely challenging when Jack has a meltdown and it limits what we can do as a family and the places we can go because a lot of places aren't equipped for children with autism. It has left us feeling frustrated and still lost." More

Schools out What effect have the covid school closures in 2020/21 had on autistic learners? More

World’s Strongest Man “I always wanted to be successful for the people that have additional needs. I’ve done a lot of talks on it and I want everyone to know that, just because we’ve got a label on our heads, it doesn’t mean that you are different from anyone else, we’ve just got that additional hurdle we have to get over.” More

Motor missing Clinicians and scientists have described motor skill differences since the earliest conceptualizations of autism, yet these differences are not always considered as core to the diagnosis. More

Art of autism An artist famed for creating microscopic sculptures said his autism has inspired his success. Willard Wigan MBE, 64, was diagnosed when he was 50, but believes his mother knew he struggled at school and encouraged him to create his tiny works of art. More

Autism Works People with autism are being left behind today, with only 16 per cent in full-time employment. This inspiring book addresses the lack of understanding of the wonderful contributions people across the autism spectrum can make to the workplace. More

Same difference “In the viral video of an autistic man at his brother’s wedding, I saw my sister and me.” More

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

Not a crime Listen to Tom Oliver’s TED Talk on why autistic people are caught up in the justice system. More
 
Recruitment fair? There’s no doubt, that for large employers, high volume recruiting is a useful tool but it’s also true that one size doesn’t fit all, and nowhere is that more painfully obvious than with job applicants with conditions such as autism, ADHD or Tourette’s Syndrome. More
 
Media mess up Articles on TV and in the print media can be damaging! Autism can’t be prevented, nor can it be cured. More
 
Yes to amazing Sesame Workshop has announced its expansion of the ‘Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children’ initiative with new resources More
 
Sensory salad “As a child my mum thought I was deaf and blind”. Paul Isaacs explains some of sensory effects of his autism. More
 
You get me? New research suggests that children with autism struggle with the feelings of others because they might not use context to identify underlying emotions. More
 
Seeing like a child “My toddler loves her autistic sister — and has helped me challenge my own unconscious prejudices.” More
 
Silver screen spectrum Looking WITH autism Sara Wheeler discusses autism in the movies. More
 
Empathy wins A nurse who created a Covid-19 vaccine clinic for people with learning disabilities and autism has received national recognition. Rebecca Crossley devised the sensory-friendly space for patients who may find syringes, PPE and a busy, noisy clinic daunting. More
 
Think autism “When I was twelve years old, I suddenly learned to think, all at once, on a single day. Before that day almost no one would have thought that I would ever understand the world around me”. Dan Bergmann on his autism, and a breakthrough lesson. More
 
Autistic access Since the pandemic, more of us than ever are seeking out green spaces. What can National Parks do to make the beauty of nature enjoyable and safe? More

SEND Support More than two thirds of teachers in England report that they never, rarely or only sometimes receive the support they need to teach learners with SEND effectively. Take a look at a new course for teachers and support staff. More

Early is better? Some therapies use play and other activities to reinforce skills that autistic children often find challenging. Trials show these methods can change a child’s trajectory for the better, but the evidence base remains thin. More

Seen and heard "2020 has been the best year of my life — for the first time, I didn’t feel the need to pretend to be someone I wasn’t. As an individual on the autism spectrum, I have lived my life oscillating between being ‘different,’ getting judged for it, and reacting by masking my neurodivergence to blend in" More

Let me in ​If museums can do more to reach out to the estimated 700,000 people in the UK with a diagnosis of autism, they will find a loyal and highly engaged audience. Museums were quick to implement Covid-19 safety measures and now they need to apply that same rigour to improving accessibility.  More

Letting it out “I have to admit reading that report I just cried because it was so jarring to find out that  the last 45 years of my life have been slightly different than I thought they were. It means I’ve always had Autism and didn’t know it.” More

Lost in lockdown The coronavirus pandemic has continued to negatively impact on both the mental and physical health of people with learning disabilities. Many people with learning disabilities reported finding it increasingly difficult to cope and have found the current lockdown
significantly more challenging than the first one. More

We're capable The Skills for Health Capabilities Frameworks describe the skills, knowledge, and behaviours which people bring to their work with autistic people. Training/CPD in England must facilitate staff to surpass these standards. More

Mixed results New research suggests that social media interactions and relationships benefit autistic folk. However, findings also suggest that some autistic people continue to be lonely and desire in-person relationships despite cultivating social media friendships. More