The Path to Economic Security: How Job Coaching Builds Financial Independence for Autistic People

Financial planning conversations for autistic people and families often start in an unexpected place: not a bank or a budgeting app, but a job. Research shows just how much is riding on that starting point. A study from Drexel University's A.J. Drexel Autism Institute found that autistic young...

From High School to Life After School: Supporting Communication, Problem Solving, and Self-Advocacy in Autistic Students

The transition from high school to the "real world" is often challenging and stressful for many young adults. This period involves a dramatic shift in expectations and experiences related to college and postsecondary education, employment, friendships and romantic relationships, independent living,...

Designing for the Gap, Not the Child: What Changes When Assistive Technology Asks the Adult to Learn

My younger cousin was six when I understood the problem I would spend the next two years working on. He was upset about something that had happened in the next room, and the adults who loved him most — his parents and me — stood around him running a checklist. Was he hungry. Was he tired. Was...

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...