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2025 Autism Research Year in Review – Scientific Progress During a Challenging Year
2025 has been a monumentally challenging year for scientists in general and for autism researchers in particular, but despite drastic federal funding cuts, scientists continued to make progress toward understanding autism’s causes, improving diagnosis, and developing more effective treatments and...
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COVID-19: Helping Families With Special Needs During a Public Health Crisis
As a mother of a daughter with autism and intellectual disabilities, as well as a professional in the human services field, I am all too familiar with the unique challenges facing families of individuals with special needs. The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic brings additional worry. In these...
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Addressing the Psychological Fallout of The Coronavirus Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic in the United States has led to great efforts to prevent the spread of the virus and to prevent fatalities. But the problems that people will face due to the pandemic will go beyond medical issues. In addition, it will be important to address a variety of psychosocial...
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An Autism Spectrum News Interview with Temple Grandin
Temple Grandin has been at the forefront of autism awareness for the past 50 years. She has seen autism unfold from an unknown to a much better recognized diagnosis, yet she is keenly aware that gaps in understanding and unfulfilled priorities remain. This issue of Autism Spectrum News is...
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Girls and Autism: Overcoming the Gender Gap to Ensure Best Outcomes
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 1 in 59 children has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with boys being four times more likely to be diagnosed than girls (Mandy et al., 2012). Recently, through a meta-analysis of epidemiological studies, it was concluded that the true ratio may be...
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Using Summer Programming to Prepare for Post-Secondary Education
Each year 50,000 young adults on the autism spectrum turn 18 years of age (Roux et al., 2013). How can parents and educators ensure that these young people are ready for the transition to post-secondary life? A good number of these young people are academically ready and prepared for the...
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Hormonal Fluctuations and Women with Autism: A Call for Increased Awareness and Assessment
The topic of hormonal influences on women with autism has received scant attention from health care researchers. The responses to hormonal fluctuations and/or depletion of estrogen are varied and present challenges in health care prevention and promotion for some women with autism. Treatment...
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Guiding Your Child with Autism Through Puberty
The early changes of puberty usually occur between the ages of 9 to 13 years (Odel, 1989). They are noticeable in girls by the budding of breasts and then pubic hair, with menstrual periods starting between 11 to 14 years of age. Boys usually develop testicular enlargement and then pubic hair...
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Giving Girls a Chance: Educating Females with Autism
While autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more prominent in males, females are also diagnosed at much lower rates (Autism Speaks, 2019). Females diagnosed with ASD require similar services in addition to diverse gender specific supports from their special education teachers and related service...
