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

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

Diagnosis reaction "She asked how I felt about the news, and I couldn’t speak; I took a moment to catch my breath and say, “Shocked.” I’m not sure why I said that, as I wasn’t — but the relief I felt was unreal. I had waited for what felt like forever to hear those words" More

Let's talk work As many as 10,000 young people with autism could gain work placements over the next two years, thanks to a sponsorship deal with telecoms company TalkTalk. More

Knowledge is power Kate McMurdo decided to arm herself with some legal skills when Lewis was diagnosed with autism aged four. After she struggled to find a suitable school for Lewis, she used her legal skills and secured funding for a place at an independent school. More

Tough Transition “Falling off the cliff” is the term often used by worried parents and family members when young adults with autism and other developmental differences turn 18. More

That's Super The Community Integrated Care Learning Disability Super League gives people with learning disabilities and autism the chance to live their dreams as rugby league stars, playing a specially adapted version of the sport for the clubs that they love.  Now they are award winners! More

Seeing signs Schools are failing to spot ADHD and autism, which could be contributing to a rise in exclusions, an alternative education provider has said. Kelly Rowlands, who runs schools for excluded children, said seven out of nine of her pupils arrived with undiagnosed neurodiversity issues. More

Autism explained It's never easy but Robyn Steward explains autism, and all the terms that go with it better than most. Listen to a podcast with Robyn. More

Terms of engagement How to approach the difficult world of dating on the spectrum More

Make time make sense “First, then” is a technique used to help organize the day, or the session, or the next three minutes. More

Home is where it's at In a new guideline, NICE says children, young people and adults with learning disabilities, who have behaviour that challenges, should have the right support to live their lives in the community like everyone else. More

Also Adults "Autistic children become autistic adults and, as the first generation of mainstreamed students grow up, we need to start having 'an adult conversation' around autism." More

Designed by autism Every detail of the new Shrub Oak International School near NYC—from windows to wall colours—was crafted with autistic students in mind. More

Travel chaos Travelling on public transport can be pretty stressful at the best of times. However, for someone who is autistic, venturing on their everyday commute and facing the unknown can be an incredibly overwhelming experience. More

Ready or not? The number of individuals with ASC entering adulthood each year is expected to double over the next 6 years. What can they expect? Jobs, independence, somewhere of their own? More

Problem diagnosed Putting autism diagnostic services in the hands of a private provider hasn't worked in Kent and hundreds of children are still waiting. More

Help at hand Biometric technology could be the future of autism care. Wristband sensors can monitor tiny physiological signs and alert support workers and clinicians to an individual’s growing anxiety. 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

Your experiences count How have you found working with children with autism? We need your help with a survey. Five minutes of your time will help us build a great set of data which we'll share with you in our new online magazine. Survey

Yellow not mellow Researchers in France and Japan claim to have found that boys on the spectrum dislike the colour yellow. More

Emotion coaching "Many intervention programs used by schools focus heavily on behavior management, but we found that supporting emotional regulation is an important tactic in helping children develop interpersonal relationships and complete school activities" - Jan Blacher of Unversity of California, Riverside. Take a look at the research. More

Out of sight - not right Disabled children in England with severe behavioural and complex mental health issues are being "separated and hidden" from society, a review warns. The Council for Disabled Children (CDC) says these children should not be put into institutions at an early age. More

Who's hiding? “I saw it [being autistic] as an opportunity, not a weakness,” says Jonathan Andrews, 22, who recently won campaigner of the year at the European Diversity Awards. Jonathan  was once advised to hide his autism from prospective employers. Instead, he is making his name by doing just the opposite. More

Go low with Bo  Parent and  clinical psychologist, Bo Hejlskov Elven, specialises in challenging behaviour. In this new blog he offers insights into how the low arousal approach informs his new book (written in collaboration with Tina Wiman) on parental strategies for managing the most challenging behaviour of any child. More

Obsessed with talent Parents and teachers should do more to embrace the preferred interests of those with autism, researchers say, pointing out that such aptitudes can be calming and form the basis for careers. More

Different for doctors Dr. Steve Sulkes discusses the challenges of treating patients with special needs, the importance of educating medical professionals on different brains, and how treating a neurodiverse patient during his residency forever changed his outlook on medicine. More

Play my way Join us for the Big Autism Play Day. A jam-packed day full of ideas about how to support a child’s social, emotional & communication development by building on their sensory profile & interests – through play! More