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The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Announces 6th Adult Autism Focused Endowment Fund Establishing the Nation’s First-Ever Post-Doctoral Fellowship for Direct Care Service Providers
The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation (DJFF), the nation’s first not-for-profit organization to exclusively focus on adult autism, has launched a ground-breaking endowment fund at the Medical University of South Carolina College of Health Professions (MUSC-CHP), adding to DJFF’s existing endowed...
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Vote the Spectrum: An Unprecedented Opportunity for All Voices to be Heard
The U.S. Surgeon General, considered “the nation’s doctor,” is charged with the overall health of the nation by providing Americans with the best scientific information available on how to reduce the risk of illness and injury. Historically, this has included issuing warnings on the dangers...
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A Collaborative Approach: Addressing Food Insecurity and Empowering Adults with Disabilities
New York City is experiencing unprecedented levels of food insecurity, with hunger impacting over 1.2 million New Yorkers in 2022.1 Visits to New York City food pantries and soup kitchens were up 75% in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic levels.2 Inflation costs soared along with the COVID-19 pandemic,...
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Zoning for Neuro-Inclusive Communities: Challenges, Foundations, and Lessons Learned
Across the United States, there’s a growing focus on making communities more inclusive for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. This shift reflects a broader commitment to ensuring that all residents, regardless of their needs, can find supportive and accessible living...
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Charting New Paths to Wellbeing: Catalight’s Compass Behavioral Program Launched This Month
In an industry where a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment is too often the norm, Catalight’s new Compass Behavioral program teaches neurodivergent teens and young adults life skills that are important to them and their idea of future success. The innovative treatment option truly places the...
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Fostering Independence for Young Adults with Autism and Low Vision
VanBergeijk and LaVoie (2024 April & January) established in previous issues of Autism Spectrum News that “autism is the most commonly reported co-existing developmental disorder in children with blindness and other severe visual impairment.” They highlighted the need for a proper...
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Advocating for Empowerment: Navigating End-of-Life Care for the Aging Autistic Population
While history began documenting autism in children in the early 1900s, it was not until later in the century that autism became recognized as a distinct circumstance. The first generation of children diagnosed with autism is just now moving into older age. With aging brings social, physical, and...
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Cultural Autism Studies at Yale: A Revolution
I have always been sensitive to cultures around me, especially those that remain largely silent or unseen. As a child, I would spend hours watching how crawdads moved together, what dances turtles did when they communicated, and what joy interactive playing brought to jumping spiders - every facet...
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Empowering Autistic Communities: The Role of Co-Creation in Research Partnerships
Participatory research is an approach that can empower autistic community members through the co-creation of knowledge, addressing power imbalances, and fostering meaningful collaboration between autistic community members and academic researchers (Stack & McDonald, 2018). By actively involving...
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Tips for Autistic Adults Navigating Full-Time Employment
Full-time employment is not something that is usually discussed in autism circles. When I was initially part-time, I had no idea how it looked at. All I knew was that I needed a full-time job to make a living, and it allowed others to pay for larger quality of life investments like homes or getting...
