Heart n Soul Allsorts, based at The Albany in south-east London, brings together adults with learning disabilities and autistic people to take part in creative sessions led by artists. The programme changes each week, and no two sessions look the same. More

Seeing you Awareness is one thing, but acceptance is another. For Mark Wright, it all started when his daughter drew an apple. More

Health equality Autistic women say smear tests can leave them feeling distressed, dismissed and in pain, with some avoiding them altogether out of anxiety. Research funded by Cancer Research Wales will assess how barriers to cervical screening for autistic women can be removed. More

School memories Anna Higgins felt she never really fitted in at school. She assumed the experience was confusing and overwhelming to everyone. Only when she received an autism diagnosis in her 20s did she begin to appreciate her school days had been particularly challenging - making her aware she may have struggled to fulfil her potential. More

Inclusive touch  Princess Anne was the guest of honour at a tag rugby competition for players with learning disabilities. Tag Fest 26 was organised by the charity Wooden Spoon, which aims to build inclusion through the sport - the Princess Royal is the charity's patron. More

Safeguarding fails Since 2016 the CQC, the independent regulator of health and social care in England, has prosecuted just 11 providers relating to the care of people with learning disabilities, despite the fact that care can fall short and negligence is a reality. More

Autistic strength “Last year, over spring break, I took my then 10-year-old son to Disneyland. For years, I had been reluctant to visit the park, unsure of how my son, who is autistic, would handle the large crowds, long lines, and sensory overload. I needn’t have worried.” More

Health help A three-year plan focused on prevention, independence, and community care has been launched to transform support for people with learning disabilities and autism in Birmingham and Solihull. The strategy sets out 10 key areas for action, with a central ambition to reduce avoidable hospital admissions and enhance preventive services. More

Soccer sacks A football association has teamed up with an autism charity to create and distribute sensory bags across the local football community. The Jersey Football Association and Autism Jersey have launched the bags containing items that could help children and adults self-regulate in over-stimulating environments. More

Saving lives The Zero Suicide Alliance (a national initiative hosted by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust has launched ‘Autism and Suicide Awareness Training’. It’s designed to coach people through spotting the signs and supporting an autistic person. More

Change the system In a new report the Autism Alliance UK makes one overriding point: that to genuinely improve lives and outcomes for autistic children, young people and adults, governments across the UK must invest in systemic change, addressing the deep barriers faced by autistic people which have been present for decades. More

Inclusion and Ofsted Assessing inclusion is rarely straightforward when determining whether a school’s approach is genuinely improving the experiences of vulnerable students. More

Signs of success A former Royal Marine who admits he "couldn't cope" with his autistic son not talking has hailed a communication system for helping him find his voice. Three years ago, the family were introduced to Makaton, which uses signs, symbols and speech to help people of all ages who need support. More

Diagnosis doubted The National Autistic Society has warned that a recent Government review risks fuelling an "increasingly polarised debate", with "too much attention placed on questioning people's motivations for seeking a diagnosis”. More

Novel voice As a child, Woody Brown was underestimated, infantilised and dismissed by specialists and teachers. Now 28, he has written an acclaimed debut novel set in an adult day care centre that gives people like him a voice. More
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Autism alert More than 5,500 autistic people now carry a Thames Valley Autism Alert Card, and Autism Berkshire, the charity behind the scheme, is keen to increase take-up during Autism Acceptance Week 2026. More

Sensory need An 11-year-old primary school student has started a petition calling on the government to ensure there is a sensory area in every classroom for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). More

Talking Head With his eccentric style and quirky stage presence, David Byrne, the iconic frontman of the band Talking Heads, emerged as one of the most distinctive figures in ‘70s and ‘80s music. He discusses his experiences of being on the autism spectrum throughout his career, emphasising both challenges and creative advantages linked to being autistic. More

Award Hillingdon Council is celebrating after its Youth Justice Service became the first in the country to achieve national recognition by a charity for its work to improve support for autistic people. More

Open comic Hundreds of autistic people from around the UK have helped shape new guidance on how to make comic festivals and conventions welcoming. Researchers were taken aback by how many fans took part in an online survey on the issue, as part of the University of Cambridge project. More

Art works Emy is proof that misconceptions are usually very wrong. Her artwork appeals to people all over the world, without the need for words. Emy and her one-to-one support worker, India
– on how Emy’s art has built connection and communication. More
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More inclusive Specialist resource centers (a form of "Inclusion Base") within mainstream secondary schools may be linked to stronger academic progress, improved attendance, and a greater sense of belonging for autistic pupils, according to a new three-year study from the University of Surrey, published in the journal Autism. More​

Story time Try this easy to use interface for creating and saving your own social stories or visual schedules More

College lifeline  This university programme helps autistic students navigate the social and academic world of higher education More

Autistic strength Nathias Frederick opens up on dealing with Asperger's and speech problems as he tackles latest MMA challenge More

Not weird "I was born in what I like to call a time before there was such a thing as autism." After a late diagnosis J.R. Reed shares his journey to becoming an autism self-advocate. More

Searching for sleep Beyond the well-established importance of high-quality sleep to general health, providing support and therapy to improve sleep quality in autistic children also may help them develop better behavioral regulation as they grow older. More

Autism fine focus "If I wasn’t autistic, would my encyclopedic knowledge of dinosaurs be a problem?". Some models of autism frame special interest as something unsettling and obsessive. This is an unfair double standard. More

Get over us "It’s difficult being autistic in a neurotypical world. Some of us live in secret, others loud and proud, but we are united by a self-evident truth that we should be treated equally". More

Autistic on the inside "Autism runs in my family. My personal and professional partner David is autistic, as are his three grown children. Between my work, advocacy, and family life, I’m pretty much immersed in autism!" An autism advocate shares the importance of parents immersing themselves in autistic culture. More

Finding our futures “Your child will never speak or live independently,” the doctor told Kimberlee McCafferty flat out. His words dropped like an anvil, leaving McCafferty shaken. “I remember thinking, ‘That’s a pretty damning statement to make when the child is not yet potty trained.’” More

You need to know Timothy Rohrer, a young man with autism, has authored a book about inclusion, and he aims to stock school libraries and educate all. More

Making 'unbreakable' Parents of kids with autism benefit from a programme of scientifically backed strategies to build acceptance, mindfulness, optimism and resilience - and to improve family relationships. More

Big heart Murray MacDonald, who runs a group called Autism on the Water, decided to start cooking soup and delivering them to people during the lockdown because he was lonely. More

Just wrong ‘Do not resuscitate’ notices have been given to Covid patients with learning disabilities during the pandemic, says Mencap charity, "Vulnerable people have encountered shocking discrimination". More

Accept it "Though there are a lot of people who are aware that autism exists, there are fewer who understand what autism is, so we still need to be out teaching the public and our first responders the basics of what it is to be on the spectrum, and how to best relate to us" More

Profound impact Read the Autism Europe report: Impact of COVID-19 on autistic people and their families across Europe More

Radical review The government has launched an independent review into the children's care sector in England. It will be lead by a former teacher, Josh MacAlister, who founded the social work charity Frontline in 2013.  More

My diagnosis Assessment and diagnosis of autism: what can you expect? A quick guide for young people and their families​ More

All about timing Autistic children have a harder time catching a ball than non-autistic children do, possibly because they are less able to predict its trajectory, according to a new unpublished study. Researchers presented the findings virtually this week More

Excluded again Becky Hunter and her 14-year-old son, Mackenzie, live in Skellow, a former pit village near Doncaster. Mackenzie has a diagnosis of autism, and is in year 10 at the Outwood academy in Adwick, where, in the academic year 2017-18, 27.9% of pupils were subject to fixed-term exclusions, the eighth highest rate of any school in England. More

Gender question The podcast 1800 seconds on autism asks if autistic people are more gender fluid. More

Amazing Kids Listen to children from different backgrounds share their unique experiences of the autistic spectrum in their own words. More

A girls journey "Whether positive or negative — or, more likely, a mix of both — there is no denying that having a diagnosis makes the difference between accessing healthcare and support, or receiving nothing at all. But the journey to diagnosis is often lengthy, confusing and frustrating" More

Get some in Autism self-advocate and personal trainer Mark Fleming discusses the importance of exercise for the neurodivergent. More




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Big noise A new study may explain why people with autism are often highly sensitive to light and noise. More

Diagnosis and me ​"My rule-following autistic brain wouldn’t allow me to think of myself as really autistic until someone officially diagnosed me as such" More

Stop with the stereotyping These days, it seems fashionable to speculate about whether or not someone is on the autistic spectrum. Is this acceptable? More

Socially speaking A number of myths about autistic people abound. It's a great myth that autistic people lack empathy. However, the more you get to know an autistic person, the more you realise just how caring they can be. More

That's accepted We are approaching April, Autism Awareness Month.  Please do not be fooled. Awareness is not the same as acceptance and inclusion. More

Guide to 'me' When Dr Camilla Pang was eight, she asked her mum if there was an instruction manual on how to be a human. She was sick of getting things 'wrong' and being told that her behaviour wasn’t 'normal'. She wanted, above everything, to feel like she fitted in. More

Drawing on autism A teenage autistic author published her new comic to show those with autism they are not alone More

Describing different For artist and writer Charlotte Amelia Poe, 30, every day feels like a walk across a frozen pond. “It’s how it’s always been,” she explains. “You’re trying to navigate it and stay safe, but you’re aware that at any moment the ice is likely to crack, and at that point you will sink into the water.” More

Times of trouble With the current covid19 virus spreading anxiety and uncertainty in the autism community, why not send this newsletter to someone who might just need some positivity right now. Subscription link

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

Big plan NHS England’s Long Term Plan was published in January 2019 and outlined proposals to improve the health and wellbeing of autistic people - Robyn Steward considers what the plan means for people on the autism spectrum and offers some simple tips for NHS staff and services. More

Under pressure "I was born autistic and I will die autistic. As I grow, the pressure to act “less autistic” grows, but guess what — I can’t do that." More

Excluded A Sheffield mum is calling for more support and awareness about a form of autism called Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) after her seven-year-old son has been excluded from school four times in the past year. More

Online and safe 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

Brother to brother Many autistic children in Turkey can't get a place in school and struggle to get an education.
So when Zafer Elcik realised his autistic brother, Alper, wasn't getting the support he needed, he created some games on his smartphone to help him learn. Now thousands of autistic children are using their app. More

Waiting no game A Gwynedd mum says she has had to wait almost a decade so far for an autism diagnosis for her son.Helen Whitney, from Llanbedrog, started the process in 2009, when son Adda was just two years old. More

Making sense of sensory Experts once considered sensory and motor problems, such as hypersensitivity to sound or an unusual gait, to be only secondary traits of autism. But mounting evidence suggests that such traits play a central role in the condition. More

Sleepless on the spectrum Sleep problems can impact daytime behaviour, quality of life, and overall health. Reserachers have compared sleep habits in young children with autism with children from the general population. More

Care concerns The Care Quality Commission(CQC), the independent regulator of health and social care in England, says there is a problem with the profile of learning disability and autism services. More

Stop (motion) success Students who have spent months crafting stop motion films have seen them make it to the big screen at a special premiere. More

Autism plays a part Actress and playwright Anna Kyle talks about how realising she had Asperger Syndrome has helped her understand and cope with life More

Art of autism At the age of 15, Niam Jain has achieved a level of respect and recognition in North American art circles typically reserved for much older artists. More

Seeking social My brother Michael leaves the best voicemails, is a great traveling companion and does a spot-on impression of our late grandmother. Michael is also on the autism spectrum, and has been my life’s best reference for loving someone who is neuroatypical. More

Crisis? this crisis "We had to fight for even a basic assessment. Now we’ve been told the school setting he needs is not available" More

Not helping A survey of Scottish autistic people has found that over half have had negative experiences while trying to access mental health services. More

'Getting' autismThree golden rules for supporting autistic pupils - we need to move beyond generalisations and bust some of the myths around autism, says Luke Beardon. More

That's part of it Mounting evidence supports the idea that motor and sensory differences are notable features of autism. More

I declare If you have autism should you disclose that fact when you're trying for a job? If you've been hired without sharing your spectrum condition with your boss, should you tell him or her about it? More

Inside story Disproportionately higher numbers of people with learning disabilities are in prison. Around 7% of people in the criminal justice system have a learning disability, compared with around 2% of the population. More

Life of quality Researchers are finally turning their attention to autistic adults and trying to figure out factors that affect their quality of life. More

Keep getting up Naoki Higashida is the non-verbal author of bestseller The Reason I Jump. In Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8 he explains his behaviours and challenges others’ perceptions. More

Disabled or not Saffron is nine. When she received her diagnosis, her mother Sam did not think what the doctors described sounded like a disability. While Saffron does encounter the difficulties associated with autism, her family encourage her to regard herself simply as not neurotypical, rather than having a disability. More

Thinking different What does the research show regarding cognitive styles of people with high-functioning autism/Asperger syndrome? More

Predicting autism A machine-learning algorithm has analysed brain scans of 6-month-old children and predicted with near-certainty whether they will show signs of autism when they reach the age of 2 More

Take pride A network of school-based groups has been set up by a handful of young adults with autism who wanted to give other kids what they had mostly missed out on over their school years: social connections, self-confidence, acceptance and pride in their autistic condition More

Try Rugby Leo Gradwell Spencer, 11, was bullied at school and struggled with self-confidence until he attended a rugby training camp 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