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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Cut the wait Autism diagnosis 'takes far too long': New report lays bare experience of Northumberland families with NHS services. More

Success in the pool “My son hasn’t always had the best experiences with swimming teachers due to them not being trained in ASD and understanding his needs. The teachers for Halo’s autism swim course are incredible and have ignited my son’s excitement for swimming lessons.” More

Campaign We must keep pushing for more autism education says charity leader, amid growing anger and confusion over Government SEND plans. More

Healthy solutions How to make Healthy Eating Week inclusive for autistic children? Eating can be a stressful experience for autistic young people, explains Jo Galloway, but that doesn't have to limit their enjoyment or progress. More

Radio result TV writer Jack Thorne reveals how a Desert Island Discs interview led to his autism diagnosis. More

Animated experience Walk In My Shoes’ is the first educational training tool from the Donaldson Trust. Created in partnership with Erin Davidson. The animation aims to increase understanding of neurodiversity and reflects Erin’s experiences at the age of 14. More

Hidden difficulties New estimates suggest most autistic adults in England lack a formal diagnosis. More

System failure A survey of teachers at schools in England found that the majority have had less than a day of training in autism. The National Autistic Society, which is the charity behind the survey, says it highlights how "autistic children and young people are being failed”. More

Stages for autism ‘Improv comedy has been life-changing for my ADHD and autism – now I run a club to help others’. When Suzi Payton, 47, discovered she was autistic, has ADHD, Tourette’s and OCD, improvised comedy had entered her life at just the right time. More

Help at the dentist Sensory adapted dental rooms significantly reduce autistic children's physiological stress during a dental hygiene visit. More

Stopping safely The Metropolitan Police Service has released a guide for police officers exercising stop and search powers on autistic people, and for autistic members of public who may be subject to a stop and search. More

More drugs The proportion of children in England on antipsychotics has doubled in the last two decades. The broader use of antipsychotics in autistic young people begs questions about the safety over time and more research on this topic is needed. More

Autistic? You're fired Being sacked suddenly and for seemingly no reason is an all-too-common autistic experience, and one of the most unfortunate and unfair aspects of this is the reason for termination often boils down to inaccurate assumptions about the person’s character and intentions, not poor job performance. More

Art of autism At two years of age, David Downes began to draw. It would be another few years before he learned to talk, and another 30 until his autism diagnosis. "I could draw before I could communicate. Looking back it was obvious but there wasn't as much awareness back then”. More 

Future scoping Fast forward to 2032, what should mental health, autism and learning disability services look like for service users and staff? In this podcast, Matthew Taylor talks to Andy Bell, interim chief executive of the Centre for Mental Health, to unpack the answer. More

Two languages When parents learn their child has a developmental disability, they often have questions about what their child may or may not be able to do. For some families, one of these questions may be: “Will speaking two languages be detrimental to their development?” More

Speaking up In order to be an active participant in the transition planning process, your autistic teen needs to develop self-determination skills – the skills that enable individuals to speak up for what they want, what they’re interested in, and how they would like to accomplish it. More

Sport for all Youngsters with autism and learning difficulties are thriving in an inclusive club created just for them. Sean Baker used his own experience of autism to create Spectrum Sensory Sports. More

We want a tsar A report by National Autistic Society Scotland and Scottish Autism found that 96% of people surveyed support a commissioner to promote and protect the rights of autistic people. More 

Joined up thinking Gastro-intestinal conditions and autism seem to occur together. Accumulating research shows that there is more of an interplay between these conditions than previously understood, with ASD affecting GI conditions and GI conditions affecting ASD. More

Doctors on the spectrum “Autistic psychiatrists are an asset to medicine — but we need to better support them”. Conor Davidson, Royal College of Psychiatrists’ ‘Autism Champion’. More

Helping animals Teachers at a school for autistic students have turned to animals to work with their pupils. Springfields Academy, in Calne, has brought the farm to the pupils to avoid any anxiety which might come with leaving the familiar classroom setting. More

Age and autism The US DHHS has been presented with some of the issues surrounding autism and ageing. More

Autism on stage Autism champion Richie Smith hopes to inspire others by taking his audience on a journey through his mental health problems. More

Eye contact insight Why is eye contact different in autism? Yale researchers have identified a specific region of the brain associated with the social side of autism using innovative new technology. More

Mind the spectrum What is public transport like for autistic people? More

Mental health spotlight Mental health services are invited to use The Green Light Toolkit 2022 to kick start improvements in services for autistic people. More

Right to work Just 2 in 10 autistic people have a job, the lowest employment rate of all disabled groups. But diverse ways of thinking can bring huge benefits to companies. More

Positive parenting “Once you realize that the world is a big giant neurodiverse umbrella covering us all, you can begin to see that there is no single “best” path to take on your parenting journey”. More

Women, autism and eating disorder It’s 2011 and Nicola Shaughnessy is on her way to an academic conference when she stops to buy herself some lunch. As she reaches for a sandwich she suddenly hears a familiar voice from her childhood. More

Robot help Can an interactive robot help teach children on the autism spectrum how to navigate the social world? More

Employment gap Adults with autism and learning disabilities are rarely in paid employment. Not surprisingly, there are calls for businesses to become more inclusive. More

Fair justice Autistic people, like anyone else, can sometimes come into contact with the criminal justice system.  A new report illustrates how lack of support for young autistic people, both before entering and within the system, can have profoundly negative consequences on future life chances. More

Thinking in pictures Autistic scholar Temple Grandin: ‘The education system is screening out visual thinkers’. By favouring verbal thinkers, says the author and animal scientist, essential skills are being lost. Her new book aims to demonstrate the power of processing information in different ways. More

Eating disorders Accurate diagnosis is of vital importance in the treatment of anorexia nervosa in autistic women. More

Crowd pleaser An autistic family member was able to attend his sister's final school volleyball game of the season after the crowd offered to stay silent for him. Only the referee's whistle and the players talking were heard as Payton Carattini watched his sister Melina. More
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Unhealthy system A charity has called for a public inquiry into failings in mental health care. Mental health charity Mind made the call after a BBC Panorama programme showed a culture of abuse at the NHS-run Edenfield Centre, in Manchester. More

Wait for answers Children in Scotland 'waiting more than a year for autism assessment. The health secretary has been urged to bring down waiting times and offer children and parents the support they need. More

TikTok - good or bad? "In some ways TikTok has helped drive discussions around autism forward, and shift outsiders’ perspectives. But for real progress, we have to ensure “swipe up” environments aren’t the only spaces where autistic people are welcomed." More

Spectrum Sailing “We’ve seen kids in the first day, building friendships, and working together which is great, but it also lets them feel valued and that they’re included” More

Opportunity on the menu A "friendly" Wirral café is giving autistic adults opportunities they "wouldn't have been allowed" in days gone by. More

Mixed media Despite finding increased representation of adults in the media, a study points out that news stories often depict such individuals in a childlike way. More

Missing help Parents who see their children miss out on therapy detailed in their education, health and care plan (EHCP) can challenge it in the courts. More

Bravo ‘Bruno’ An autistic boy says it is a "dream" to voice a new character on Thomas & Friends.
Elliott Garcia won the role to play Bruno the Brake Car, who will star alongside Thomas the Tank Engine as the show's first autistic engine. More

Art of the spectrum A 14-year-old autistic boy from Cape Town, South Africa has found solace in drawing pop culture characters in his own style. Clayden Botes's art and its incredible details have even made their way into a clothing line. More

Learning sensory style New from HelpKidzLearn, Inclusive Stories. Fun and engaging, animated sensory stories and resources specially designed to focus on a range of learning intentions, developmental areas, and topics relevant for learners with a wide range of educational needs. More

Spectrumley Speaking In this podcast, hosts Haley Moss and Dr. Lori Butts speak with Lauren Melissa Ellzey. Lauren Melissa Ellzey, or Autienelle, is an autistic self-advocate, social justice influencer, and fiction author. More

New vision “I am on the autism spectrum and society needs to rethink how they view people like me. For far too long, society’s views on people with autism have been discriminatory and damaging.” More

Moving story Children on the autism spectrum may not always process bodily movements easily - they may find it difficult to 'see' body language.  More

On the ball Swindon Town FC have been giving out sensory packs which have been designed to improve the matchday experience for young autistic people. More 

Ice breaker An 11-year-old girl, who is autistic and has ADHD, has said she struggled to express herself until she discovered ice skating. Teddy Weston is a British and World champion in inclusive ice skating and is one of the first to represent NI. More

Turning teacher Jesse Cross (17) has a knack for coding, but it's not just a past-time or a hobby, it's a profession. More

Young voice heard A 12-year-old primary school student from Cashel, Co Tipperary, met with the Taoiseach on Thursday to urge the government to act urgently on the lack of supports for autistic children in Ireland. More

Access unequal Most autistic children in the Netherlands have used some sort of treatment or therapy according to a new study. But factors unrelated to their autism often decide who gets what help. More

Flying fear For Becca, being autistic means she worries about things that neurotypical people never give a second thought to - “Where are the gates in the airport? How do I get around the airport? What food is at the airport? I get sensory issues with take-off and landing but the unknown is a much bigger issue.” More 

Improve records Schools must collect isolations data the DfE has said this month. Behaviour guidance on the controversial use of so-called ‘isolation booths’ calls on schools to keep records of ‘removals’. More 

Parental advice The BBC has a wealth of parents experiences, autism tips and advice on it’s website. More

Friendly games Barrington Campbell received an autism diagnosis at 30 years old. He said he had struggles making friends while growing up and felt isolated. Five years later he's created Kagai Games, designed to provide tabletop games and events for people with social anxiety. More

Story time Try this easy to use interface for creating and saving your own social stories or visual schedules More

College lifeline  This university programme helps autistic students navigate the social and academic world of higher education More

Autistic strength Nathias Frederick opens up on dealing with Asperger's and speech problems as he tackles latest MMA challenge More

Not weird "I was born in what I like to call a time before there was such a thing as autism." After a late diagnosis J.R. Reed shares his journey to becoming an autism self-advocate. More

Searching for sleep Beyond the well-established importance of high-quality sleep to general health, providing support and therapy to improve sleep quality in autistic children also may help them develop better behavioral regulation as they grow older. More

Autism fine focus "If I wasn’t autistic, would my encyclopedic knowledge of dinosaurs be a problem?". Some models of autism frame special interest as something unsettling and obsessive. This is an unfair double standard. More

Get over us "It’s difficult being autistic in a neurotypical world. Some of us live in secret, others loud and proud, but we are united by a self-evident truth that we should be treated equally". More

Autistic on the inside "Autism runs in my family. My personal and professional partner David is autistic, as are his three grown children. Between my work, advocacy, and family life, I’m pretty much immersed in autism!" An autism advocate shares the importance of parents immersing themselves in autistic culture. More

Finding our futures “Your child will never speak or live independently,” the doctor told Kimberlee McCafferty flat out. His words dropped like an anvil, leaving McCafferty shaken. “I remember thinking, ‘That’s a pretty damning statement to make when the child is not yet potty trained.’” More

You need to know Timothy Rohrer, a young man with autism, has authored a book about inclusion, and he aims to stock school libraries and educate all. More

Making 'unbreakable' Parents of kids with autism benefit from a programme of scientifically backed strategies to build acceptance, mindfulness, optimism and resilience - and to improve family relationships. More