Historians and authors have given many famous figures an armchair diagnosis of autism over the years: Albert Einstein, Michelangelo and Thomas Jefferson, to name just a few. Looking for signs of autism in historical figures and fictional characters can give us important insight into society’s changi…

Anne Torsiglieri’s "A" Train, at PlayMakers Repertory Company on April 25-29. BOX OFFICE: 919-962-PLAY, prcboxoffice@unc.edu, or https://tickets.playmakersrep.org/ The backdrop to the play was formed of art work of Art of Autism artists – curated by Keri Bowers by Shelly Leachman What a ride f…

“Design for accessibility, build for usability.” The importance of inclusive design has been emphasized by many people for a long time. However, creators and developers, more often than not, do not necessarily consider it as an important aspect of product conception and development. I…

We need to decide, are we going to continue to spend time debating semantics, or are we going to fight with a unified message? By Carly Fulgham My autism diagnosis didn’t enlighten my life until age 28, but of course the signs were always there when it came to the exchange of thoughts, feeling…

A large array of electrodes can record the activity of neurons across a wide swath of a monkey brain1. Monitoring neuronal activity in many brain regions simultaneously could reveal how that activity is altered in autism. Typical electrode arrays for recording brain activity must be fixed in place t…

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of course affected premiums and insurance purchasing in the United States. It guaranteed people with pre-existing conditions could buy health coverage and allowed children to stay on parents’ plans until age 26. But the roughly 2,000-page bill also included a host of ot…

Every child, every family situation and every parent is different but we can connect to autism through authentic stories like the indie film, A Boy Called Po. Inspired by one family’s journey with autism, we glimpse into the life of Po, an autistic boy and his father. In 2016, the film made its debu…

Hearing people always assume that there is only one way to enjoy music, and that is by listening/ hearing to it. In a world dominated and driven by able bodied privilege, that assumption is prevalent, and when a deaf person shows up at a concert, heads turn. However, deaf people can enjoy music in w…

New versions of the DNA editor CRISPR enable scientists to turn off specific genes in rats, detect mutations in human tissue and delete segments of the genome. CRISPR rats: A new tool kit enables scientists to edit genes in specific types of rat neurons1. Rat models of autism are popular due to the …

Autism rates have increased 150% since 2000.Source: The Autism Site

Biomedical research costs money. To understand the causes of a health condition or to develop treatments for it, scientists conduct experiments that require expensive reagents and equipment. Research institutions often do not have enough money to fund their staff’s projects, so the scientists apply …

The communication and language difficulties seen in people with autism are challenging to study in animals, for obvious reasons. But scientists have seen parallels between human speech and the songs of some birds. Young male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) learn to sing by listening to and imita…

The Art of Autism ends Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month with a message from Samantha Craft. By Samantha Craft If you are a voice for a marginalized minority of autistic people, who has faced continual discrimination, bullying, and isolation, spread kindness, acceptance, and tolerance. Be patient. …

By Taylor Cross Something you should ask yourself before continuing on with the rest of this article is “Why do people in general play video games?”  With that, I would tease “Why do people go the movies?” or “Why do people read horrible gossip magazines?” It’…