Studying Understanding Without Speech: Neuroimaging Minimally Speaking Autistic Individuals

Minimal speakers (MS) represent one-third of the autism spectrum, yet only 2% of autism research participants (Russell et al., 2019). Research conclusions based on people unlike minimal speakers in significant ways may be skewed, leading to profound misunderstanding. We aim to correct...

Training Communication Partners for Nonspeaking Spellers: A Replicable, Evidence-Informed Framework

I have watched my adult nonspeaking, autistic son be offered a letterboard by someone untrained in his primary form of communication: spelling. His thoughts were clear, but the board wasn't properly placed, no relationship had been established, no motor coaching was provided — and nothing came...

Re-Envisioning Our Unnecessarily Disabled Futures

Most disabled adults are forced to live segregated, impoverished lives absent of the security, life expectancy, community, and agency that all human beings deserve. For those of us from historically marginalized communities, including non-speakers, the isolation can be even more profound. The life...

More Than Spoken Words: How DSPs Help People Find Their Voice

Everyone has a voice, even if they don't communicate through speech. Expression can take many different forms — from gestures and facial expressions to communication devices, pictures, and written words. When people with developmental disabilities are given the tools, support, and opportunities...

NY State Governor Hochul Announces 30 Awards Statewide Totaling $25 Million to Expand Health Clinics and Improve Access to Healthcare Services for People With Developmental Disabilities

On Monday, April 13, 2026, Governor Kathy Hochul announced 30 awards with a $25 million investment to help address health equity for people with developmental disabilities who often find it difficult to find comprehensive healthcare that meets their needs. This critical statewide initiative was...

Bringing the Arts into Direct Support: How Theatre Programs Empower People with Developmental Disabilities

A career on Broadway isn’t the only way to incorporate a love for theatre into a job. Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) often find meaningful ways to include the arts and performance into their work every day. Shayna Stroh, a DSP at Family Residences and Essential Enterprises (FREE), who has...

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...

Large-Scale Study Finds Autistic Youth Far More Likely to Be Hospitalized for Mental Health Conditions

Authors Call for Multifaceted Approach in Addressing Critical Care Gap Autistic youth are hospitalized for mental health reasons at dramatically higher rates than their non-autistic peers, according to a new peer-reviewed study led by Catalight researchers Ben Pfingston and Lindsey Sneed, Ph.D.,...

Autism Science Foundation’s Next Gen Sibs Project Expands with Support from Aligning Research to Impact Autism (ARIA)

University of Miami and King’s College London added as new sites On October 14, 2025, The Autism Science Foundation (ASF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and funding innovative autism research, announced it would expand its Next Gen Sibs Project from six to eight university...

NY State Governor Hochul Announces $25 Million to Expand Access to Health Care for People With Developmental Disabilities

Grants Will Improve Access to and Quality of Physical Health Care Services in ‘Health Care Deserts’ Delivers on Governor Hochul’s State of the State Proposal to Create Regional Disability Health Clinics On Thursday, September 25th, 2025, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that $25 million...