Autistic and funny with it Comedian Hannah Gadsby - how an autism diagnosis changed her life More

At home with autism Why do so many parents home-school their children with autism? Ofsted’s recent report says that special educational needs, medical, behavioural or other well-being needs were the main reasons behind such a move for parents and their children More

Autistic mother and daughter “She’s still the same girl she was before she got diagnosed,” I said, tears dripping down my face. “And I’m still the same woman you married, too.” More

Autism at work Our brains don’t all work the same way. One New York-based software company sees that as a competitive advantage. More

Need is different from want "My eldest autistic son lives with daily and debilitating levels of anxiety, most probably on account of engaging with an intolerable and inflexible neurotypical world which bombards him endlessly with noise and communication that is not easy for him to decipher." Read about the need for self-regulation activities and the dangers of using them as rewards. More

Order, order! Structure and security are important to all people.  They  are basic human needs. But being autistic often means that these needs are even more critical. More

Cost of camouflaging "Masking or camouflaging is something just about everybody does on a daily basis. Depending on where you are or who you are with, you act a certain way. People with autism have to do this on a much deeper level. We live in a world that was not designed for us, so we learn to 'hide' the things that make us seem different." More

Picture power SymbolWorld is a website created by Widgit Software specifically for symbol users. It has material for all ages and includes news, personal contributions, stories and learning materials. More

Which way with PDA? The Pathological Demand Avoidance profile of autism might need an adapted approach and a different set of tools. More

Seeing sound, hearing colours What can synaesthesia tell us about autism? More

Story of autism and art Kambel Smith was diagnosed with autism when he was eight years old. Over the past ten years, his father has engaged him in daily improvised storytelling, encouraging Smith to participate in the created narrative by making drawings and sculpture. The results are visible in galleries around the globe. More

Autism plays a part Actress and playwright Anna Kyle talks about how realising she had Asperger Syndrome has helped her understand and cope with life More

Art of autism At the age of 15, Niam Jain has achieved a level of respect and recognition in North American art circles typically reserved for much older artists. More

Seeking social My brother Michael leaves the best voicemails, is a great traveling companion and does a spot-on impression of our late grandmother. Michael is also on the autism spectrum, and has been my life’s best reference for loving someone who is neuroatypical. More

Crisis? this crisis "We had to fight for even a basic assessment. Now we’ve been told the school setting he needs is not available" More

Not helping A survey of Scottish autistic people has found that over half have had negative experiences while trying to access mental health services. More

'Getting' autismThree golden rules for supporting autistic pupils - we need to move beyond generalisations and bust some of the myths around autism, says Luke Beardon. More

That's part of it Mounting evidence supports the idea that motor and sensory differences are notable features of autism. More

I declare If you have autism should you disclose that fact when you're trying for a job? If you've been hired without sharing your spectrum condition with your boss, should you tell him or her about it? More

Inside story Disproportionately higher numbers of people with learning disabilities are in prison. Around 7% of people in the criminal justice system have a learning disability, compared with around 2% of the population. More

Sensory does it Hospitals are using a cart full of tricks to calm patients with ASD and allow them to get the care they need. More

Painting with the spectrum "My art is the easiest part of my life. Everything else is the hard part." Read this great interview with Rebecca Ann Reed, an artist with Aspergers. More

Game for it Brad Hennessey made one of the toughest decisions he'd ever had to make. He took the game he'd spent two years of his life on and he trashed it. He wanted to make something different. Something that mattered. He wanted to make a game that reflected his life experience as a young man living with Autism. More

Take a seat for autism A teenager with autism has found a unique way to help others “see the light” when it comes to autism awareness. Tory Ridgeway gave Windy Hill Elementary School in Owings—where he was once a student a special gift: a bright blue bench. But it’s not just any bench. It’s a buddy bench. More

Teachers help Two great resouces for teachers from TES: A podcast by Uta Frith and Gemma Corby tells us her best strategies for teaching students with autism More

A landscape for autism Was Alfred Wainwright the fell walker and author of intricate Lakeland guidebooks on the autism spectrum? More

A class for autism Has socio-economics got anything to do with prevalence of autism diagnoses? Turns out it probably has. More

What's in a name? 'Autistic person' or 'person with autism? Read this interesting article that looks at the pros and cons of these different ways of expressing that a person is on the autism spectrum? 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

Logical enough ‘Listening to your heart and being in touch with your emotions – usually seen as positive things – may lead to decisions that are not so rational’. People with autism may make more logical decisions say researchers at King’s College London. More

Autism seen 'As a family we visited  many museums. Niam always walked by the paintings and art quickly, as if he was running, wanting to get over with the visit.  I erroneously assumed Niam was not paying attention, as he was not displaying “typical ” behaviour.  It was my fault I was not thinking or looking outside the box. My son was learning outside the box and I missed it.' Read this great blog. More

Words fail me The 'hidden' world of non-verbal cues, clues, nods and winks can lead to serious breakdown in communication for people on the spectrum. Paul Siebenthal gives an expert account of how it feels. More

Hands held Brain in Hand is a unique assistive technology system that enables individuals to be their best - confident, active, supported and in control. See Rosie King talking about it on BBC's One Show. More

Diagnosis down under  Australian children are missing out on vital early help for autism spectrum coditions because of a lag in diagnosis, according to the Australian Medical Association. More

Probably the best autism training in all the world Well of course there’s no such thing. All trainers in the autism field feel like they don’t know enough and are always striving to do better. That’s where our Training for Autism Trainers course comes in. Join other trainers (experienced and new) for two development days. More

Get the gen on gender Autism Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow Dr Donna Werling summarizes what is known about why less females are diagnosed with autism. More

Christmas play Well after Christmas actually. It’s back - The Big Autism Play Day 4! Check out dates in early 2017. More

Gifted Give the gift that keeps on giving - sign up a friend or family member to our monthly autism newsletter (best of all it's free!). More