Gender numbers Is autism really a male-dominated condition? a new study suggests women have it just as often, but are diagnosed later in life. More

Fake ‘treatments’ The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) quietly removed a webpage that warned the public about dangerous products and therapies falsely claiming to treat autism. More

Safer future Faster diagnosis and tailored mental health support is needed to help prevent suicides among people with autism, a report has found.The study led by Bournemouth University analysed more than 4,000 responses from autistic people who had thoughts of suicide, as well as from people who have been bereaved. More

Training works A study published in the Journal of Research in Childhood Education showed that a novel autism training program among early education providers was feasible and well-received. The program successfully improved the providers’ knowledge of autism and how to navigate resources to support children with autism. More

Adapted applause Silent clapping, often referred to as "jazz hands," is becoming popular as a way to make events more neurodivergent friendly. A new study from Karolinska Institutet shows that both neurodivergent and neurotypical people are generally positive towards the practice, although opinions vary widely. More

SEND battle Sara Donnelly is a former headteacher and a mother of two children who both have special educational needs and difficulties (SEND). Her daughter Ava, who is 10, was out of school for months because mainstream school was not able to meet her needs and the family had to fight for a place in a specialist setting. More

Rhyme time If you’ve never tried a sensory story with children in your school/setting, try out this free one. More

More labels? Autistic individuals should be described in many other ways: how about friend, neighbour, relative, colleague, community member, partner, employee, parent… More

Legal question Should police officers be provided with condition-specific training in autism? NPAA Head of Policy Adam O’Loughlin considers the arguments for and against. More

More talk Ask your child’s school to chuck the crayons and bin the biros for No Pens Day on Wednesday 20 May – the chattiest fundraising challenge around. More

Good advice The National Autistic Society has teamed up with Access Social Care, a charity that specialises in legal advice for people in England with social care needs, to help autistic people and their families access easy-to-understand health and social care information at the click of a button. More
​
Drug discussions Effective conversations about medication for autistic children and young people and those with a learning disability are vital. More​

Holiday help Christmas is a time of joy and celebration, but it can be difficult for some autistic people. Check out this list of autism-friendly tips for the festive period. More

Not wrong All his life Andrew Davies has had a sense of not fitting in, that he was somehow broken, weird or there was something wrong with him.That was until he discovered he was autistic at the age of 70. More

Highs and lows What ‘High-Functioning Autism’ Means (and Why You Shouldn’t Call It That). Describing people as ‘high- or low-functioning’ is both medically inaccurate and dehumanizing. More

Not autistic enough? How underdiagnosis of ADHD and autism is impacting women.  Former Vogue model Leanne Maskell writes about how she discovered that she was neurodivergent. More

Food and autism Take a look at this study which examined the presence of autistic traits in a sample of adult women diagnosed with different Eating Disorders. More

The play's the thing A fledgling theatre troupe hopes its first production will tell theatregoers some of the things they do not know about autism. Members of The Sixth Sense Collective believe their performance of Irish playwright Jody O’Neill’s “What I (don’t) know about Autism” in Cambridge will put the condition in the spotlight. More

Volunteers needed Experts working to improve breast cancer care for autistic people are recruiting participants to share their experiences of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in the UK. More

Letters and language A recent study highlights that many autistic children show an intense interest in letters and numbers, which may play a distinct role in their language development. By analyzing clinical records and interviewing parents, researchers found that 37% of autistic children had a strong interest in letters, in contrast to just 3% of non-autistic peers. More

BRAvo A TV station in Norway uses reporters that all have learning disabilities. The TV station is called TV BRA, which means “TV Good”. More

Teen power Zoe is a therapist, researcher and autistic self advocate who specialises in empowering teens and adults with ADHD, autism, trauma disorders and other neurodivergence. More
​

How do autistic people experience maternity care? Dr Aimee Grant, Senior Lecturer in Public Health at Swansea University, tells us how her experience of autism and maternity care inspired her to research the topic. More

Social isolation Michelle Myers was diagnosed with autism at 41 and has spent her whole life masking who she really is. She has experienced first-hand the effects of stigmatisation, social isolation, and limited opportunities due to a lack of understanding surrounding autism. More

National crisis The National Autistic Society was formed in 1962 and opened the World’s first specialist school for autistic children in 1964. Recently, though the charity has felt the brunt of Government cuts in funding for care, with several services forced to close. More 

Hubs help The NHS has invested £200,000 for autism hubs to run in Derbyshire. In the hubs, charities and voluntary organisations will support children and young people - and their families and carers - with topics such as benefits, housing, employment, and clinical services. More

Teaching skills Breaking tasks down into their component parts and simplifying instructions will go a long way to helping autistic children master new skills. More

Augmenting lives Communication is key and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) can really help. AAC covers a range of strategies and tools which help children and adults communicate. These may be simple letter or picture boards, or very sophisticated computer-based systems. More 

Thinking differently Autism self-advocate Travis Misurell shares how the Future Is Now Coalition is working to make the US democratic process more accessible. More

‘Running is the ultimate stim' Insights from autistic ultra-runner, Ishmael Burdeau, into how the sport of ultra-running can be a place for autistic athletes to grow and prosper. More

Missing school A teenager with autism says going to school can feel "like hell" due to lack of help for additional learning needs. Leonie, 15, from Merthyr Tydfil, would beg not to attend school before she got tailored support. More

Care worsens The CQC's 2020 report said people with learning disabilities or autism were receiving "undignified and inhumane care"; 18 months on it says little progress has been made. More
 
Mind and body A family hopes to start a new charity to give young people with autism or learning disabilities the chance to take up martial arts. More
 
Meeting needs Recently released data from the Centers for Disease Control show childhood autism rates are at their highest level since the CDC began tracking data in 2000. About 2.3% of U.S. children. What are the priorities for support? More
 
Help in a box “Emergencies can be stressful for anyone. Then, when you add in a sensory processing disorder, they already don’t see and experience things in the same way we do,” A US firefighter has developed a sensory tool kit to help fire crews meet the needs of youngsters on the spectrum. More
 
Sibling support Having a younger brother with autism brings challenges. How can parents help? More

Right to work  An increasing number of companies are integrating neurodiverse individuals into the workplace as they recognize their growing number and the unique skills they bring to a variety of jobs. More
 
Food for thought A mum who has previously struggled to eat out with her autistic son has praised a restaurant for "going above and beyond" to help him. More
 
Autistic and unstoppable Sam Holness is an autistic endurance athlete. He's completed triathlons, an event consisting of swimming, cycling and running. He’s run numerous full 26-mile marathons and half marathons and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. More
 
Without the  mask Social psychologist Devon Price explains that masking is any attempt or strategy "to hide your disability." Price's new book, Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity, explores masking, and how to "unmask" and live more freely.
 
Care for carers Carers are key members of the team around the person they support, but the role can significantly impact their life, health and wellbeing. Good quality, consistent support is vital to enable them to continue their caring role. More
 
Where are the women? Despite recent breakthroughs in research, young women with autism are still commonly overlooked by parents, educators and medical providers. More
 
Learning moment After learning she was autistic at 38, writer and podcaster Tara McMullin began reassessing what she needed to thrive at her job. More
 
Legally speaking Autism is not a mental health issue – David Crisp argues for a rethink on healthcare and mental health legislation. More

Minecraft safety Famallama is a family friendly whitelisted server for the neurodiverse, (those with Autism, ADHD, and Special Educational needs). More


















​