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

We're hiring. Badly! Read about William's experiences of interviews (and what's wrong with the way most firms do them). A great insight into how autistic job seekers are discriminated against. More

That's right "The rights of persons with autism must be taken into account in efforts to address the COVID-19 coronavirus", UN Secretary-General More

Family and autism "When my son was diagnosed, I was told the condition was hereditary. Suddenly my late mother’s ‘eccentric, bossy’ personality began to make sense" More

Diagnosing 'different' Two women explain the reality of going through life feeling 'different' to their peers but without anyone ever being able to explain why More

Quality improvement required Autistic children and adults report poor physical and mental health and quality of life compared with the general population, according to a new survey More

Finding a different 'normal' "I have been spending so much time trying to force him to be 'normal' — to follow the standard milestones for child development. It never occurred to me to think he was autistic. A month ago I didn’t even really know what that meant." Read one mother's story More

Coping with confinement 11-year-old Elliott gives other autistic kids his lockdown tips More

Trouble with transition Autistic young people  in transition  are more likely to have active medical needs and require a healthcare team that is familiar with autism More

Time to talk When Meta Auden realised her daughter disliked certain fabrics and zips, she began to make bespoke items — and ended up launching her own firm. Talking to her teen during this crisis has also given her invaluable tips for parents More

What planet? The world has lost a great autism advocate, writer and all round wit. PJ Hughes will be sadly missed. Celebrate his life with the book Me and Planet Weirdo More

Support Big Steps Big transitions like leaving school need really big support. A study of stress and coping when transitioning to adulthood with autism examines the issues. More

Undercover Moms A “hidden pool” of women who have grown up with undiagnosed autism is coming to light as mothers researching their children’s spectrum disorders recognise themselves in their findings. More

Together and apart The BBC Listening Project featured a conversation between a divorced couple who can now see that their different modes of communication placed a stress on the relationship. More

Looking for? What are professionals looking for when they conduct an autism assessment? More

On the subject of assessment, take a look at our ADOS2 course in Birmingham this Summer. More

Brain find Scientist in Ireland think they may be able to shed a bit more light on which areas of the brain are different in autism. More

Stress on test "We know that it is common for individuals with autism to have a more intense reaction to stress, and some of these patients seem to experience frequent constipation, abdominal pain or other gastrointestinal issues," David Beversdorf, M.D., associate professor, MU Thompson Center for Autism. More

Procesing autism there's a lot to take in and on when your son or daughter is diagnosed with autism. Read this moving blog from Jessica. More