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Bridging the Gap: Advancing Research and Services for Autistic Adults
Several factors have led to a general improvement in the outcomes of children and adolescents as they become adults. Both earlier diagnosis and better treatments play important roles in this improved outcome, although it must also be noted that a minority of individuals remain significantly...
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Autism BrainNet: Promoting Understanding of Autism Through Brain Donation
Like every unique person, autistic people contribute to the richness of our experience in the world. But autistic people also face challenges that vary in severity and complexity. The Simons Foundation supports multidisciplinary research into many aspects of autism with the hope that new knowledge...
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Tailored Professional Development for Licensed Care Staff to Support Community Living for Adults with Autism
Across the next decade, we can expect a 123% increase in the number of youth with autism transitioning out of school-based services (IACC, 2017). These increases have placed a growing demand on the service systems supporting transition-aged youth and adults and magnified the need for effective and...
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Autism Treatment Should be Guided by Recent Research Reflecting the Expansion of the Diagnoses
When I first began working as a behavioral interventionalist while pursuing my undergrad psychology degree in 1996, we treated children with autism in much the same way many providers do today. Over the past three decades, we’ve learned a great deal about autism. So, why are many still relying on...
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Exploring Autism Traits Among Jeopardy Contestants
The popular television quiz show Jeopardy requires contestants to have broad trivia knowledge. As rote memorization is a common strength among individuals with High-Functioning Autism (HFA), it is of interest as to whether Jeopardy contestants have higher symptomology of HFA than the general...
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Genetics, Diagnosis, and the Male-Female Gender Gap in Autism
I hesitated to write this article. What business does a psychologist like me have writing about genetics and the gender gap in autism? I am not a geneticist. At most, genetics plays a small role in my professional life. But questions kept nagging at me. Some are specific to autism spectrum disorder...
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Helping Youth with Autism and Co-Occurring Low Vision and Blindness
The prevalence of autism has been increasing over the years. The CDC estimates that 1 out of every 44 children has an autism spectrum condition (CDC, 2021). It has changed from a low-incidence disability (i.e., 1 in 10,000) to a more common one. Blindness, on the other hand, is currently considered...
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Opportunities Abound for “Students of Autism’
Countless ‘students of autism’ work tirelessly every day, all over the world, to learn everything possible about the neurological disorder. They read voraciously, observe closely, and listen deeply. In many cases, their thirst for knowledge is so insatiable and their passion for the cause so...
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Is It Genetic? My 40-Year Journey of Misdiagnoses for My Son
Forty years ago, my son Matthew was born. At the time of his birth, he had no apparent health issues. We began noticing that he wasn’t developing like a neuro-typical child when he wasn’t hitting milestones like rolling over. Since then, we have gone through countless tests and been given...
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Research-Based Recommendations for Building Self-Advocacy Competence
Self-advocacy, an essential ingredient in our quest for satisfaction and fulfillment in life, is a learned skill that involves self-awareness, social and communication strategies, and behavioral competencies. Self-advocating involves communicating a person’s needs so that another person is able...
