Slope success Autistic skier, Annabelle Lamb said she was "super surprised" to win gold for Great Britain at the Special Olympics. More

Eyes have it Research from Japan has demonstrated the use of eye-tracking technology in the early diagnosis of autism. More

Only natural A care farm to support the needs of autistic children has been given the green light by officials. The project aims to provide activities at Fossefield Farm, Stoney Stanton, in Leicestershire. More

Art for autism's sake An autistic artist said he was honoured that his painting of a football stadium will be sold to raise money to help other people with autism. David Downes has painted Portman Road, the home of Ipswich Town Football Club, and is auctioning the art for the club's community foundation. More

It’s like this Originally developed by Training2Care, a British company, ARE is a revolutionary, hands-on training programme that allows participants to experience the sensory, cognitive and emotional challenges faced by people with autism. More

Shared goal Watford Football Club have been playing their part and promoting Autism Acceptance. More

Mothers needs New research highlights the unique challenges and needs faced by autistic women during motherhood, including late diagnoses and a lack of professional understanding. More

Our stories ‘Most neurotypicals have no idea how much effort I’m making, how well I’m doing, if you account for the fact that I have taught myself every last thing. Maybe they’ll never know how much work goes into it.’ Wired Our Own Way is a new anthology showcasing the diversity of the autistic experience. More

A mine of information A university campus built in a Minecraft world is helping autistic people to settle into student life. Parts of De Montfort University (DMU), in Leicester, have been recreated by student Eden Turner to provide a place for people to meet up and make friends while playing the hit video game. More

FC is back!?! Clinicians and researchers are rightly concerned about the return of Facilitated Communication in the guise of the Telepathy Tapes podcast. Many professional health organisations around the world have denounced the use of FC. Raising Children, an Australian government-funded website for parents, classifies FC as “ineffective or harmful”. More

Vision for education The autistic voice has been largely missing from educational research and policymaking. A recent research study, co-produced with autistic researchers, set out to change this. More

You decide Election 2024 - It’s time to vote so here are links to all available easy read manifestos. More

West End story Concrete Youth and Barnsley Civic have announced the West End run of SENSORY CINDERS, a groundbreaking new co-production which will be the West End’s first inclusive sensory pantomime specifically designed for audiences labelled with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). More

More isn’t more New research suggests that increasing the intensity or duration of interventions like applied behavioral analysis (ABA) does NOT significantly improve outcomes for young autistic children. More

Not out The government pledged that by the end of March 2024 they would reduce the number of people with a learning disability or autism in mental health hospitals by 50%. They have missed their own target. More

Health alert Common debilitating health conditions, such as anxiety, depression and neck and back pain, may be under-diagnosed in autistic people, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. More

Care or crime? A young man's help cutting a grass verge has been criticised as "criminal damage" on social media by some members of his local parish council, upsetting his family and residents. More

On camera “What was good about my diagnosis was I could say to Seth: ‘It means you’re like Daddy.’” – Dan Turner on being an autistic parent of an autistic child and exploring autism through filmmaking. More

Medical help Autistic doctors are valued members of the medical profession. Watch Dr Seb Shaw on the importance of reasonable adjustments to help doctors thrive. More

If not me Teenage autism campaigner Cara Darmody has begun a weekly protest outside Government Buildings – and has vowed to continue until her demands are met. The 13-year-old from Tipperary has two autistic, nonverbal brothers and became involved in campaigning after they were not assessed in a timely manner. More

Name change Councils and health services in Cumbria are changing how they refer to autistic people after a consultation. The terms Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) will no longer be used by the county's organisations unless for medical diagnostic purposes. More

Eyes have it Can a battery of eye-tracking measures accurately identify young autistic children? More

Inside autism Science journalist Sue Nelson shares her personal journey to better understand autism. Inside her autistic inner world is a cacophony of brain chatter, anxiety and sensory issues - recreated within a 360 degree soundscape - that impact her life and interactions with others. More

Autism understood “We have made this website so that everyone can gain a better understanding of what autism is, since most people we meet seem a little confused about what autism actually is”.  More

Failing children The ICARS Report (England) documents the experiences of 560 English children. It exposes an educational system which has failed children, especially those receiving SEND services, and their families with devastating consequences. More

Together as partners Telford and Wrekin are launching a borough-wide autism strategy to support all autistic adults in the borough to lead healthy and fulfilling lives, where they feel valued and supported. More

School avoidance Why are why are so many neuro-diverse kids refusing to go to school? More

Assessment explained If you think you or your child need support at school, home or at work, you can start getting help before having an assessment. What happens during an autism assessment? More

Bad practice What is being done to reduce the use of restrictive practices, including restraint, seclusion and segregation? More

Onside with autism The Wrexham and Ireland midfielder, James McClean has spoken of his pride at his autism diagnosis during a frank interview with Patrick Kielty on The Late Late Show. He said he was initially hesitant about getting tested as a diagnosis could further make him a target for rival fans. More

Tablet tool An electronic tool could help clinicians diagnose autism in children younger than age 3, according to two new studies conducted across six major autism centres in the United States. More

Waiting times More than 143,000 people are currently waiting for an autism assessment in England, according to the latest NHS figures. 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

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

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