Contestants must submit a fun sock design As part of its Giving Back Program and its mission to show what people can do when given a chance, John’s Crazy Socks is sponsoring an Autism Can Do Scholarship. This program will present a $3,000 scholarship to a person on the autism spectrum in the United …

To understand another person’s point of view, children with autism need to actively suppress their own, a new study suggests1. People with autism struggle with theory of mind — the ability to guess others’ thoughts and feelings. This may contribute to their social difficulties. The new work hints at…

Hello, and welcome to the Community Newsletter! I’m your host, Chelsey B. Coombs, Spectrum’s engagement editor. What do psychotherapists who treat adults know about autism? A thread about a study in Autism offered some insight this week. A blind spot in mental healthcare? A study by a participatory…

A new strain of mice carries large mutations that more closely mimic the genetic variations seen in some people with autism than do two previously created strains. Together, the mouse models may help researchers understand autism and test new treatments for the condition. The mice either lack a copy…

Parents often ask with concern why when their child has made a gain of some kind in development do they seem to reverse in others? As an Autistic I can tell you that many times when reaching a new milestone, we may revert to a previous special interest or sensory seeking behaviour for comfort and re…

The excessive volume of commercials has struck everyone who’s watched television.  You’re watching a show at a comfortable volume, and there’s a commercial break, and suddenly you are blasted out of your seat.  If you had the volume on 5 it feels like it just went up to 100, all by itself.…

As we close out 2021, The Art of Autism would like to acknowledge our 2021 top blog posts. All of them were older blog posts yet still get a lot of traction because of search engine ranking. We are grateful to the many people who submit to our website. #1 Samantha Crafts: Female and Autism / Asp…

Although autism is a behavioral diagnosis, many children with the condition share a physical trait: obesity. For years, the link between autism and obesity was anecdotal. But over the past five years or so, researchers have begun to take a more objective look. A study published 2 November in Pediatr…

Sounds, smells and social encounters are just a few of the challenges that Leironica Hawkins, an artist on the spectrum, faces every day. Here, Hawkins uses comics to illuminate what she calls her “invisible disability.” Andrea wants to relax, but her roommate has sprayed the apartment with a disinf…

The Art of Autism is taking nominations for informative blogs. Here are our nominations so far for favorite all around blog – magazine style. Vote for Best Female Autistic Blogger here. To vote click on who you want to vote for and hit the vote button at the bottom. Disclaimer: This is an info…

The Va-J-J House, a Tapestry of Life Written from the Heart of Aunt Lea Lance As a friend of The Art of Autism, Aunt Lea has shared in blogs and discussions on this forum. This time, to protect the privacy of fictionalized characters in her novel, she is using her pseudonym: Aunt Lea Lance –…

Bathrooms can be very dangerous, both to the disabled and the elderly. The smooth surfaces, awkward movements, and generally solitary usage of the bathroom makes it one of the most common areas for accidental falls and injuries to occur, both for the elderly and the disabled. However, given the prev…

In the last few years, we have read quite a bit about how technology has allowed our brain to control devices or objects around us without the use of limbs. (If you haven’t, you can read about some examples here, here, and here). Futurism.com, a great website that posts about how human potenti…

By Ron Sandison Last week at the Milestones 15th Annual Autism Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, my wife Kristen and I were on a panel with three other couples, discussing, “Love and Marriage on the Spectrum.” During this event, I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Fred Volkmar, Professor of Child Psychi…