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

Teachers go free The Autism Workroom is a new in-depth online course for anyone who works in a school or other childcare setting. There a three, free modules to try. More

Working future Bounce Back is for autistic Londoners who recently became unemployed or have worked previously. Participants will have access to courses, workshops and one to one support to develop action plans and achieve their goals, with the aim of gaining employment or further training. More

The eyes have it A mobile phone app that tracks a toddler’s gaze as she watches short videos can distinguish between children who later receive an autism diagnosis and those who do not with 90 percent accuracy, according to a study. More

Autism at the Oscars Many Oscar buffs have noted the historical facet of Anthony Hopkins' win, but the 83-year-old also achieved another, quieter milestone: He is apparently the first openly autistic actor to win. Hopkins revealed in 2017 that he has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. More

Masking and Mental Health The vast majority of women with autism have a history of “masking,” or camouflaging, their symptoms. They do this in order to make and maintain friendships, fit in at school and higher education, and pass as “normal” in a variety of social contexts, including the workplace. More

School for the senses Sensory rooms, trampolines and gardens: a new project aims to support schools in creating a more inclusive culture. More

Further Education 3 lessons Covid taught us about learners with autism. More

Different strokes Australian rower Chris Morgan never let his autism get in the way of his Olympic dream. He competed at the Beijing 2008 Games, took home a bronze medal at London 2012 and represented Australia at the Rio 2016 Olympics."If I had a neurotypical brain I wouldn't have achieved what I have," More

Sibling support Having a sibling may help autistic people navigate their daily lives better, according to a new unpublished study. More

Just me So often I am judged on behaviours outside of my control. I will be called rude for not being able to talk, difficult for my sensory needs and overreacting for my inability to regulate my emotions. More

From advocacy to an app While growing up with her autistic sister, Amanda, Celest Austin grew to appreciate her sister’s way of thinking. Dr. Austin was alarmed how most resources available did not nurture her sister’s unique way of thinking but instead tried to reprogram her with products and services labeled as “cures” and “treatments”.  More

The reason why... A new film is being heralded by some as a ​huge leap forward for autism representation More

Help early "It would've changed my life": New autism screening method hopes to reduce age of diagnosis and address barriers More

And finally "I was diagnosed with autism in my 70s and finally found out I wasn't just bad, mad, or sad." Emily Lovergrove's father told her she had 'never been normal' and the one school friend she had bullied her but she wasn't given any kind of formal diagnosis until she was 71. More

Strong bonds Researchers have been working together for the past several years to develop a better understanding of autism through a study that challenged them to fundamentally reimagine the concepts associated with social connection. More

Medical help An autistic man has described how he was conscious throughout surgery after the anaesthetic did not work. Corey Burke is working to train medical professionals to better understand people with a cognitive disability. More

Me too An Oxfordshire politician has shared the journey which led her to be diagnosed with autism as an adult. the diagnosis came after she began to research the ways the condition manifests in women differently to men. Now she wants to use her public facing role as a local councillor living with autism to raise awareness of the condition, and the different ways people experience it. More

Uncertain times "My life has been filled with uncertainty for a long time, but my son has helped me stay flexible, adjust expectations and persevere. The crisis isn’t abating anytime soon. Yet surprisingly, the uncertainty and angst feel familiar. I know this road. As a parent of a child with special needs, I’ve been traveling it a long time." More

Let's work Gordon Douglas spent most of his 20s on welfare, struggling to find an employer who would look past his "differences" and give him a break. The 34-year-old battled his way through job application after job application but, despite being highly qualified and intelligent, he often fell out of contention when it came to face-to-face interviews. More

Stay alert A free initiative launched this year to make it easier for people with autism and learning disabilities to navigate stressful situations is proving to be a huge success. The Autism Alert Cards enable police and other emergency service workers to communicate with autistic residents more effectively, helping those on the autism spectrum feel comfortable in difficult or frightening situations. More

Damaging delays New research has shown that more than 128,000 children and their families risk being ‘forgotten’ by the system as lockdown causes delays in autism diagnosis.​ More

Sound and sensitivity A tiny fish is helping scientists understand how the human brain processes sound, while also giving insight to autism. More

Cash crisis Almost 90% of English councils overspent on their budgets for teaching children with special needs last year, and the underfunding is set to continue into 2021. More

Finding out "I’m Autistic. I Didn’t Know Until I Was 27. Autism spectrum disorder is inseparable from who I am. I wish only that it hadn’t taken so long to find out." More

Anorexia and autism linked? In 1983, psychologist Christopher Gillberg posed a provocative question to the readers of the British Journal of Psychiatry: Could autism and anorexia nervosa share underlying causes?​ More

Tech can help "When my son’s speech and language delay was first highlighted, in 2016, there was a negative stigma attached to screen time with children, both for neurotypical and neurodivergent kids. It took a global lockdown to dislodge that viewpoint, and I'm glad that it did". More

Failing health Mental health services need to develop greater sensitivity to the mental health risks in autism. Right now they are failing adolescents and young adults with autism ​. More

Small talk is a big deal Having a casual conversation can be the most stressful part of some people's day. Sheree Somers knows what this feels like and she has some advice for us all to make things better.​ More

See strengths ”Having autism doesn’t mean I don’t have the same goals as you. It means that I am not able to talk and my body doesn’t behave like I want it to.” More

Family complications Older men and women are more likely than young ones to have a child with autism but as with virtually everything related to the spectrum the picture is a complicated one! More
...and while we are talking family links, just how genetic is atism? A lot as it turns out. More

Fit on the spectrum Take a look at this innovative fitness programme that aims to tackle fitness of young people with autism and other disabilities. More

Acceptance is key  New research that shows a lack of acceptance can significantly impact on the mental health of autistic adults. More

Help for parents "I have learned so much in my two decades of being a mother. My children have been my best teachers." More

Health equality please A lack of clear mental health support for people with Autism spectrum conditions is leaving vulnerable people at risk and costing lives, campaigners have warned. More

Sensory spectrum Differences in sensory sensitivity, processing and perception have always been part of our understanding of autism, but maybe it's a bigger part than we ever thought. More

Making friends making music "Nat’s now 28, and I have looked into so much that eventually I stopped looking. Nothing worked. I didn’t even know what “worked” meant. By the time Nat was a teen, all I wanted was to find something he liked to do. More

Fixing education figures Children's Commissioner for Wales, Sally Holland, said she was concerned some schools wanted autistic children removed to improve their results. More

The 'A' Word Anxiety exacerbates social communication problems in children with autism — and not the other way around, a new study suggests More

Sister support “Please don’t ask me how I am or how my day has been,” the sign said. “I really struggle with such vague and open questions.” Read the fascinating account of two sisters with autism upfront and central to their relationship. More

Sensory, structured and safe How do we create a school environment in which children on the autism spectrum can flourish! More

Primary importance “GPs and other primary care staff have a key role in ensuring that patients on the autism spectrum (and any carers) have equitable access to health care” Research Autism. Now GPs have a ‘fit for purpose’ learning programme that delivers. More

Team for change Ever wondered why good intentions and well-trained staff don’t always achieve the great outcomes we want for service users with autism? More

Revisiting regression In our modern understanding of autism should we take another look at the idea of regression in some youngsters with autism? More

Me myself 'I'm An Autistic Adult—Here's What I Want You To Know' Three women share how they learned to live (and thrive) with autism. More

Self regulated and successful "It felt like it was time for me to try new things, to meet new people and try to adjust to life,” Zachary Zupko has certainly done that and way more. More

Work not working The biggest challenge for people with autism in the 21st Century is getting into employment. More

It’s as easy as AAC Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is the term used to describe methods of communication that can add-on to or replace speech helping kids and adults with autism find a voice. More

Channeling autism A man is aiming to be the first autistic person ever to complete a solo swim of the English Channel. More

Focussing on futures There is no single development trajectory for youngsters with autism so trying to predict what the future will look like and what future needs will be is nigh on impossible. More