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

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

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

 
 

Age and autism The US DHHS has been presented with some of the issues surrounding autism and ageing. More

Autism on stage Autism champion Richie Smith hopes to inspire others by taking his audience on a journey through his mental health problems. More

Eye contact insight Why is eye contact different in autism? Yale researchers have identified a specific region of the brain associated with the social side of autism using innovative new technology. More

Mind the spectrum What is public transport like for autistic people? More

Mental health spotlight Mental health services are invited to use The Green Light Toolkit 2022 to kick start improvements in services for autistic people. More

Right to work Just 2 in 10 autistic people have a job, the lowest employment rate of all disabled groups. But diverse ways of thinking can bring huge benefits to companies. More

Positive parenting “Once you realize that the world is a big giant neurodiverse umbrella covering us all, you can begin to see that there is no single “best” path to take on your parenting journey”. More

Women, autism and eating disorder It’s 2011 and Nicola Shaughnessy is on her way to an academic conference when she stops to buy herself some lunch. As she reaches for a sandwich she suddenly hears a familiar voice from her childhood. More

Robot help Can an interactive robot help teach children on the autism spectrum how to navigate the social world? More

Employment gap Adults with autism and learning disabilities are rarely in paid employment. Not surprisingly, there are calls for businesses to become more inclusive. More

Fair justice Autistic people, like anyone else, can sometimes come into contact with the criminal justice system.  A new report illustrates how lack of support for young autistic people, both before entering and within the system, can have profoundly negative consequences on future life chances. More

Thinking in pictures Autistic scholar Temple Grandin: ‘The education system is screening out visual thinkers’. By favouring verbal thinkers, says the author and animal scientist, essential skills are being lost. Her new book aims to demonstrate the power of processing information in different ways. More

Eating disorders Accurate diagnosis is of vital importance in the treatment of anorexia nervosa in autistic women. More

Crowd pleaser An autistic family member was able to attend his sister's final school volleyball game of the season after the crowd offered to stay silent for him. Only the referee's whistle and the players talking were heard as Payton Carattini watched his sister Melina. More
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Unhealthy system A charity has called for a public inquiry into failings in mental health care. Mental health charity Mind made the call after a BBC Panorama programme showed a culture of abuse at the NHS-run Edenfield Centre, in Manchester. More

Wait for answers Children in Scotland 'waiting more than a year for autism assessment. The health secretary has been urged to bring down waiting times and offer children and parents the support they need. More

TikTok - good or bad? "In some ways TikTok has helped drive discussions around autism forward, and shift outsiders’ perspectives. But for real progress, we have to ensure “swipe up” environments aren’t the only spaces where autistic people are welcomed." More

Try this There have been plenty of newcomers welcomed to the sport of rugby at the Palace Grounds in Armagh over the past five weeks. This comes after local autism support group, More Than Words, teamed up with Rugby Cubz NI, who provide modified rugby activities for children with autism and additional needs. More

Gut news A collaborative Australian study has challenged the increasingly popular theory that gut health drives autism and rejected the use of fad diets and so-called therapies such as faecal transplants. More

Seeking acceptance People on the autism spectrum often face discrimination and other challenges in everyday life. In Bulgaria, activists are working to raise awareness and reduce stigma. More
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Pandemic problems For adults and children on the autism spectrum, getting a COVID-19 vaccine is easier said than done. More

Autistic images When photographer Mary Berridge’s son was diagnosed with Asperger’s, she began to see his world in a new light. She set out to capture a series of everyday – and exceptional – stories, one image at a time. More

That’s our business  In this podcast Toni Boucher (author and autistic self-advocate) describes her “AUntrepreneur” programme which helps young adults launch their own businesses. More

Sensory search Since sensory differences became part of the diagnostic criteria for autism in 2013, an increasing number of autism researchers have been drawn to the thalamus. What is it and what does it have to do with autism? More

Meeting Melanie “There’s a sense of relief about it and a sense of mourning. Not because I don’t want to be who I am, it’s that I wish I’d known sooner so I could have understood exactly why things were rolling the way they were rolling". More

Access to work An autistic woman said her experience of work was traumatising and more consideration was needed for neurodiverse employees. More

SEND Support More than two thirds of teachers in England report that they never, rarely or only sometimes receive the support they need to teach learners with SEND effectively. Take a look at a new course for teachers and support staff. More

Early is better? Some therapies use play and other activities to reinforce skills that autistic children often find challenging. Trials show these methods can change a child’s trajectory for the better, but the evidence base remains thin. More

Seen and heard "2020 has been the best year of my life — for the first time, I didn’t feel the need to pretend to be someone I wasn’t. As an individual on the autism spectrum, I have lived my life oscillating between being ‘different,’ getting judged for it, and reacting by masking my neurodivergence to blend in" More

Let me in ​If museums can do more to reach out to the estimated 700,000 people in the UK with a diagnosis of autism, they will find a loyal and highly engaged audience. Museums were quick to implement Covid-19 safety measures and now they need to apply that same rigour to improving accessibility.  More

Letting it out “I have to admit reading that report I just cried because it was so jarring to find out that  the last 45 years of my life have been slightly different than I thought they were. It means I’ve always had Autism and didn’t know it.” More

Lost in lockdown The coronavirus pandemic has continued to negatively impact on both the mental and physical health of people with learning disabilities. Many people with learning disabilities reported finding it increasingly difficult to cope and have found the current lockdown
significantly more challenging than the first one. More

We're capable The Skills for Health Capabilities Frameworks describe the skills, knowledge, and behaviours which people bring to their work with autistic people. Training/CPD in England must facilitate staff to surpass these standards. More

Mixed results New research suggests that social media interactions and relationships benefit autistic folk. However, findings also suggest that some autistic people continue to be lonely and desire in-person relationships despite cultivating social media friendships. 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