By Austin John Jones Last time I talked about an “Over-Fascination with Certain Subjects That Everyone Else Thinks Are Dumb Or Pointless.” Another thing like that is when you do things over and over again. A lot. Getting up in the morning, taking your medication, listening to the same song over and…

We [artists} impart soul and well as DNA into every single heart/felt work. By Kimberly Gerry-Tucker I’m presently reading these two books concurrently and as is often the case, my blog writing is inspired by what I read: In Love With The World (A Monk’s Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dyin…

Engineers at De Montfort University have found an ingenious and inexpensive way of creating prosthetics. These engineers ground regular plastic bottles down and created polyester yarns from them. They then proceeded to create sockets that join prosthetic limbs to the body. Through this project, t…

Our autism anchors, Raphael Bernier and James Mancini, nominate candidates for the hottest topic in autism research in 2017. Runners-up include biological markers in the brain, adults with autism, genetics and its counterpart — the environment. In the end, Mancini and Bernier cede to their guest, Li…

Our autism anchors, Raphael Bernier and James Mancini, explain how mouse models can help scientists understand the causes of autism and evaluate potential treatments for the condition. From science to the community and back again, you can count on getting the inside scoop in digestible quantities wi…

Autism is usually identified by doctors during childhood, but a growing number of people are now being diagnosed with the condition in adulthood. A later diagnosis can be challenging because many intellectually able adults have developed ‘compensatory’ psychological strategies for coping with their …

NEW JERSEY MAN KILLED IN QUEBEC MAPLE SUGAR EXPLOSION – that is a headline you will never see, but tragedies like that happen every year. Yet the news is suppressed because no one wants to kill the cash cow.  The result: one unsuspecting innocent after another gives their life for tourism, as d…

By Maverick L. Crawford III Maverick talks candidly about being diagnosed with an intellectual disability and autism. His is an inspirational story of rising above his abuse and homelessness to find his personal strength and triumph. I remembered how awkward I appeared to be compared to my other si…

Today I watched the video below of a Dad from Malaysia and his son Luqman. The video is their story and brought tears to my eyes (or as my son Kevin would say – “your eyes are getting juicy mom“). The Art of Autism wishes a Happy Father’s Day to all the great dad’s out…

High intelligence, as measured by intelligence quotient (IQ), typically predicts good scores on tests of memory, facial recognition and other cognitive functions. This trend does not apply to children with autism, suggests a new study1. The study, published 7 October in PLoS One, shows that children…

How many cell types exist in the brain? Two new mouse studies bring scientists a step closer to the answer1,2. The exact number is still elusive, but the studies define hundreds of cell types, including dozens that were previously unknown. The work “provides a real blueprint for the diversity of cel…

Written on Kevin’s 21st birthday. By Debra Muzikar Dear Younger Me, It’s 1997. As you sit in the neurologist’s office watching 3-year old Kevin lining up toy trains, the doctor will inform you Kevin’s not interacting like “normal” children. You will hear the “A” word and you will feel sad. You wil…

“There is this myth that children with autism don’t have empathy. I’ve found the exact opposite to be true: children with autism are instead the most highly sensitive individuals I have ever had the privilege to know,” Elaine Hall When traditional therapies didn’t help my son Neal, who …

The Art of Autism interviews Gail Alvares, PhD, about her team’s research which was recently published in the journal Autism. The researchers reviewed data for 2,225 children and young people (aged 1-18) diagnosed with autism, about half of whom had intellectual disability, and half of whom di…