By Nils Skudra As a fan of the Harry Potter franchise, I always enjoy watching scenes from the films or reading excerpts from the books. One character I am especially intrigued by is Hermione Granger, Harry’s academically gifted and fiery best friend whose intellectual skills prove vital in the succ…

As parents, we want our kids to want to have good behavior. They should want to behave because it’s the right thing to do, right? Yeah right. This is why all parents should use token economies. Have you met a 3 year old with an innate desire to good for this world? It’s in there somewhere but at age…

“Don’t mollycoddle autistic kids”.* How many times have we sat in an audience with other parents, nodding our heads when Temple Grandin gives this advice? After she speaks, we applaud. We get our pictures taken with her, post them on the refrigerator and on our Facebook page. We even get our child…

Autistic Pride Day is June 18, 2017 Autistic Pride Day, an Aspies for Freedom initiative, is a celebration of the neurodiversity of people on the autism spectrum on June 18 each year.  Autistic pride recognizes the innate potential in all people, including those on the autism spectrum.&nbs…

What’s the most interesting difference between Indian autism and American autism?  I think it’s the way parents and others perceive it.Indian and American scientists both lament the low level of scientific understanding in their respective countries.  What’s interesting is how that affects…

Delivering a healthy copy of a gene mutated in children with spinal muscular atrophy dramatically improved the children’s survival and symptoms in a small clinical trial1. The trial’s success suggests gene therapy might treat single-gene conditions related to autism. Spinal muscular atrophy type 1 (…

Mauricio and Claudia Urrea’s daughter Daniela inspired them to create an organization that partners with companies to find work for those on the autism spectrum. By Mauricio Urrea Spanish version here. 19 years ago, God chose us to take care of a special angel. As parents we never imagined how…

“To the parents of children on the Spectrum, I implore you to focus on nurturing and supporting your child’s passions (even if they seem unusual, you never know if they may lead to a career) and embracing their individuality and eccentricity, rather than opting to work with a psychiatrist.R…

Serving others produce a chemical reaction in your body that makes you feel a natural high and better about yourself. By Ron Sandison Recent research studies have shown that people with autism who drink or use legal drugs are more likely to become addicted to or otherwise abuse these substances then…

Less than three years ago, two landmark publications in Science gave researchers a quick and easy recipe for tinkering with genes1,2. The papers described a new tool — a modified enzyme called CRISPR-CAS9 — that allows researchers to reach into the genome and snip, or substitute, DNA sequences with …

Robert Watkins (center) By Scott Kramer Robert Watkins passed away on Saturday, March 31 from health complications. This arrived as a great shock to family, friends and the larger Atlanta, Georgia community (and beyond) who came to know Robert as a compassionate, friendly and charming self-advocate …

Researchers are testing a new way of making science, especially chemistry, accessible for blind students. This method involves creating edible and non-edible gummy version of models of molecules that can be felt by students with their tongues. Many science books have detailed and stunning imagery…

By Michelle Damiata Autism is not just a disability; Autism is something that requires understanding and empathy. Autism is a mental disability that affects a child’s social skills and learning skills as well. It can also affect the way a child’s thinking and it can make it difficult to comprehend …

In September, the Florida State University football team made a visit to a Tallahassee middle school that would become famous. At lunchtime, student-athlete Travis Rudolph noticed sixth grader Bo Paske eating alone, so he joined Bo for the meal. Bo, who has autism, often sat by himself in the lunchr…