The next day, Officer Lynema returned to his home -- only this time, he brought some very special backup.Source: The Autism Site

The ability to see plays a large role in the development of the brain — so it makes sense that there would be a connection between vision and autism, which is essentially a condition of brain development. When the eyes are open, vision is the dominant sense. Continuous input from the eyes links stim…

A new startup, WeWalk, which recently graduated from the Microsoft for Startups program, is making waves in the assistive technology world. WeWalk has invented a product by the same name that attaches to a regular white cane that not only detects obstacles for visually impaired people but also enha…

One of the tenets of ABA is to provide evidence-based practice. The best way to help us do this is to keep up with the literature! Each month, Sam Blanco, PhD, LBA, BCBA will select one journal article and provide discussion questions for professionals working within the ABA community. The following…

Hello, and welcome to Spectrum Launch — the newsletter for early-career autism researchers. This month, we have a Q&A with Andrew Jaffe, head of data sciences at Neumora Therapeutics, a Massachusetts-based biotech firm that develops treatments for brain conditions. Before joining Neumora in Sept…

Regardless of whether you are a current Medicare recipient or your eligibility is fast approaching, you should learn about the changes that Medicare is facing in the new year. Medicare, the national health program, is for U.S. residents ages 65 and older, those who are disabled, and individuals with…

When the principal called the boy's mom, she didn't even tell her that he was far off the school grounds -- she just said he wouldn't come inside.Source: The Autism Site

This week, Understood and teacher Ginny Osewalt share an innovative way you can help your child with handwriting.  If your child is a struggling writer or has dysgraphia, she may have poor handwriting and trouble with spelling and getting her thoughts down on paper. It may be hard for her to read ba…

By Kimberly Gerry-Tucker I have an abacus in my basement. It’s got a wooden frame and is about the height of a Kindergartner. My late mother worked in the school system over 25 years and when the classroom updated their room, my mother took the abacus from the discard pile. When I walk by it t…

I just finished a controversial new book, To Siri With Loveby Judith Newman. Reading this book made me feel like memoirs from autism moms are a thing whose time has come and gone . . .At the same time, I can’t help but believe the publisher who brought this story to market, and the reviewers who pra…

If you are like me, you love memes! You can sometimes go down a meme rabbit hole very easily, guffawing as a cat or  Gene Wilder makes some sassy statements by making references to ‘90s pop culture. Often times, you may also speak in memes – sending them to your friends on iMessage and letting…

The place of torture in a democracy is in the news again. “What if” we decide it is an acceptable practice in the war against terror? This near-future science fiction story by Art of Autism contributor Claudia Casser  explores one vision of what might hide under the bed. By Claudia Casser “You don’t…

Monkeys with a mutation in the Rett syndrome gene, MeCP2, show characteristics of the condition, such as sleep problems and sensory sensitivity, as well as social difficulties and repetitive behaviors reminiscent of autism1. The monkeys also show features that are difficult to assess in mouse models…

Antidepressants slightly boost the risk of autism and other brain conditions. Or they don’t, and it’s really factors related to the mother’s mental health that pose the risk1,2,3,4. That’s the confusing upshot from four large studies published since May, all looking at the effects of exposure to ant…