Ageing with autism Scottish Autism has partnered with the Heriot-Watt University to use filmmaking and art to explore the hopes, concerns and needs of older autistic adults. More

Exam worry A teenager with autism may have to abandon their GCSEs if a classroom assistant is not made available for the start of the school term. Toni Humphreys' family asked for help in March but the Education Authority (EA) still has not finalised support. More

Accommodation please Finding a home for adults with complex care needs can be a challenge many families face. But one couple decided to try something new and developed a care home for their son which has gained international interest. More

Autism and employment Workplaces can be mood-draining places at the best of times, but for neurodivergent people they can be a minefield of overstimulation, frustration and fatigue. More

Guiding good practice Health professionals have responsibilities to ensure that people with a learning disability and autistic people receive good care. NHS England has updated it’s clinical guidance. More

Leading with care Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, explains the difference between leadership and management and highlights why it’s essential that every member of the workforce has a clear vision to work to. More

Autism and health The health conditions that tend to accompany autism in adolescence grow even more prevalent by early adulthood, according to a new longitudinal study. The findings underscore the importance of continually screening for these conditions in autistic children as they age, especially as they transition from paediatric to adult care. More

​Diagnostic delay Some children in Kent are having to wait up to four years for an autism or ADHD diagnosis. More

Wrong kind of autism? Fewer children will be eligible to get an autism diagnosis from the NHS. Only those who meet certain criteria are able to be referred for an autism diagnosis at the NHS in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. More

Not difficult 'We thought our son was just being difficult but finding out why has changed our lives’. Thomas was diagnosed six days before his fifth birthday. More

Sounds right As part of Neurodiversity Celebration Week 13-19 March 2023, musician Anna Neale discusses her personal experience of the brilliance and burnout of ADHD and Autism. More

Unbelievable ‘My GP told me I can’t be autistic, as I can drive a car and I work! I was then sent to the mental health team for depression and anxiety’. More

Consult us An Irish hospital consultant who was diagnosed with autism as an adult nearly a decade ago has said the benefit of discovering she had the condition has been “life changing.”Dr Mary Doherty, an anaesthetist in Navan Hospital, went on to found Autistic Doctors International, which has more than 700 autistic doctors worldwide. More

Autistic and marginalised Research has often fallen short when it comes to capturing the experiences of marginalised groups, such as those who: belong to a minority ethnic community, or whose first language is not English. A new report sheds some light on the issues. Download

Stuck in Hospital A new exhibition illustrates the invisibility of people with learning disabilities and / or autistic people in long-stay hospitals. More

Book an adventure A North Yorkshire author has written her debut children's book encouraging autistic youngsters to enjoy outdoor activities based on her own experiences. Allie Mason has written her debut publication - The Autistic Guide To Adventure - after her experience of being diagnosed as an adult two years ago, at the age of 23. More

Staying true A young mother recently diagnosed with autism admits she was never able to present her true self to her mother. Flo Bennett was diagnosed with autism five years ago, when she was 24 years old. She shared her experience on a BBC documentary Inside Our Autistic Minds and said it had helped her to open up to her family. More

Parent questions How can a parent tell if their child may be autistic? And what help can they get? The NHS has published a guide detailing the most common signs of autism in children. 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

Autistic Artist Samantha Gibb is a musical recording artist, an autism self-advocate, and an autism mom. More
 
Word matters Autistic people have strong preferences for terms to describe autism, with unpopular terms including ‘having autism’ or having an ‘impairment’ or ‘disorder’. More
 
Different futures Until recently, the idea that children with autism should be "cured" and assimilated into wider society has been a prevalent one. New guidelines have been released for autism in Australia that aim to change that view. More

Looking back with autism Journalist Sue Nelson was diagnosed with autism late in life – and it made her see her childhood and preferences in a completely new light. More
 
Eating Disorders Autistic people are sometimes labelled as “picky eaters” due to sensory sensitivity. They can start to set themselves guidelines or rules and may find it hard to identify hunger cues and have high levels of anxiety. These factors might make it easier to develop an eating disorder. More
 
Finding out Does learning you are autistic earlier in development lead to better adult outcomes? Take a look at this study. More
 
Waiting for diagnosis “The impact of waits of more than four years can reverberate for life. We owe it to our young people to ensure they get the support they need.” More
 
Creative support In what ways does art, crafting, and creativity help young people with autism? Aoife Casson invites us into her space by sharing a video of her crafting at home and explains how crafting has become such an important outlet for her mental health. More
 
Schools failing More than two thirds of councils inspected by Ofsted last year had “significant weaknesses” in how they support pupils with special educational needs (SEND) – the worst record since the watchdog started visits six years ago. More
 
Perfect present Give the seasonal gift that goes on giving - invite a friend  to receive the Autism Newsletter. It's free! 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

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

Secure silence The UK government has kept an autistic man in a secure hospital for half his life, and used the courts to silence his parents. More

Sleep study At the age of eight, Chase Mazurek has rarely had a good night's sleep. He has autism and ADHD and has trouble falling asleep, wakes in the night and gets up about 4.45am. His mother, Melanie, says it's been exhausting and has taken a toll on relationships and family life. More
 
Including us Much more must be done to make workplaces more inclusive for autistic people, according to Edinburgh-based Auticon, after it found that one in ten workers with the condition does not feel able to reveal their diagnosis at work. More
 
Getting a feeling For some of our children understanding emotions is particularly hard.  They may have communication challenges or struggle to read their own internal and physical signals.  Some of our children have high anxiety and therefore have a huge challenge when it comes to regulating their emotions. More
 
It’s about me ‘People said I was weak, lazy and fussy. I’m not – but I am autistic’. The late diagnosis of Melanie Sykes and Christine McGuinness came as no surprise to those who, like Sara Gibbs, have trodden the same path. More
 
Safe online Online dating can be an avenue for autistic people to meet new friends and potential romantic partners, but it brings with it some pretty serious dangers. People who you meet via online dating sites may not always be who they seem. More
 
Zayne’s world “At the beginning, life was really stressful and confusing, mixed with long waiting lists and no answers. We just wanted to be able to help Zayne the best we possibly could, but with very little knowledge and understanding of what he needed, it proved almost impossible to know what to do for the best.” More
 
Support for signing SignTown is an interactive web game built to help people to learn about sign language and Deaf culture. It uses machine learning to detect the user's ability to perform signs learned from the game. More
 
New numbers Autism rates are increasing yet again, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which finds for the first time that more than 2% of American children have the developmental disability. More
 
Giving voice Sean Porter made an app for non-verbal children and those with autism like his brother to help them communicate. More
 
It shouldn’t happen to a vet Mental health researchers at the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science are calling for participants for a study on how workplace stressors affect staff who live with autism. More
 
Capturing the spectrum Hoping to challenge misconceptions among the neurotypical, photographer Mary Berridge has spent more than five years capturing photographs of young people with autism. More
 
Right to write Nick McAllister found his words after a tough time looking for employment as an autistic writer. More
 
From science to support Working as a speech-language pathologist back in the early 2000s, Andrew Whitehouse saw one family after another struggling to get good care for their autistic children, some of them pursuing pricey, unproven therapies. More

​iPhones and autism Apple are reportedly working on an algorithm that will work with the camera in an iPhone to detect autism in children. More

Sibling story "I left a dream job to be closer to my autistic twin. The pandemic has forced many of us to rethink our lives, not least of which is how we work. For me, it meant returning home". More

Mental health New research highlights the quality of life and mental health issues of adults with autism More

Strength of the spectrum Daniel Sobel asks what would happen if we shifted our mindset and attitude – from thinking of the barriers of SEN to considering the strengths and skills that SEN can give students. More

Universities meet challenge Universities are becoming more autism-friendly with staff receiving training in autism, specific calm spaces created on campuses and advice and videos for autistic students. More

High fives for autism A mum has written an emotional letter to an Asda in Wigan, thanking a member of staff for his act of kindness towards her five-year-old son  with autism. More

Play help A mum from Croydon is speaking out as she seeks better support for autistic kids outside of school. Neve Knight said that while there are options to keep children entertained and active in Croydon during the day, precious few offer adequate support for SEN kids with specific conditions such as her five-year-old son Brody's autism and ADHD. More

Finding me “Dinosaurs didn’t only make our boy happy, they gave us a window into Ted’s world." ​How dinosaurs have transformed the life of Ted, a little boy with autism. More

Accessible art An art exhibit in Edmonton looked a little different this month, the lights were dimmed and the music lowered to provide a sensory-friendly experience. The small changes made a big difference for families with autistic children. More



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 of injusti
Rebel on the spectrum ‘People like me have a very aggravated sense of injustice’ More

Strategic intent England has a new autism strategy. Five things you need to know about the Government’s new autism strategy for England​. More

Tackling tough Covid, fostering, autism and football – midfielder Shaun Byrne opens up on difficult 10 days with the virus. More

​Ways to work A foundation is helping people on the autistic spectrum gain qualifications and jobs in the IT sector as software testers. More

Finding each other Writer Joanne Limburg diagnosed with autism at 42 reflects on motherhood. More

Hidden histories Over the past two decades, our cultural understanding of autism and what it means to be autistic has grown - though we have a long way to go. But there are entire generations of people who grew up when the popular conception of autism was a far cry from how it’s now understood. More

Thinking of others Cameron McIntosh has worked for weeks by himself to improve Dundonald — cleaning up litter, broken glass and dog poo. More

Holiday reading: The Passionate Mind In entirely accessible terms, Wendy Lawson lays out her groundbreaking theory of Single Attention and Associated Cognition in Autism (SAACA), an approach that explains autism in terms of the unique learning style of individuals on the autism spectrum. More

Reel life A Cumbrian filmmaker is preparing to show off a new film inspired by her experiences with neurodivergency. Sophie Broadgate asked women and non-binary people with autism to contribute to the film where their experiences will be shared and explored. More


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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