Can a quadriplegic, someone paralyzed from the neck down, drive a car?  Race car driver Sam Schmidt’s career came to an abrupt end when a crash in 2000 left him paralyzed. After 17 years though, project SAM (Semi Autonomous Motorcar), a car with various modifications, has helped Sam get back o…

A few universities in the midwest have started offering degrees to students with intellectual disabilities with focus on providing skills that encourage independent living, prepare students for employment and instill lifelong learning. Traditionally,  these students have not been able to meet a…

Having a sibling may help autistic people navigate their daily lives better, according to a new unpublished study. Researchers presented the findings virtually at the 2021 International Society for Autism Research annual meeting this week. (Links to abstracts may work only for registered conference …

The need for helpful autism resources is ongoing at every stage of an autistic individual’s development. It’s important to stay ahead of your child’s (or student’s) needs so you are ready to shift direction or take on a new course of action. The ultimate goal is that we find the people, programs and…

Using a new genetic approach, researchers are finding shared risk factors for seemingly unrelated conditions, ranging from autism to obesity1. The method, described in the November issue of Nature Genetics, provides intriguing hints about the role of genes in the distribution of certain traits and d…

TCS Auto Program in the Springfield Automotive Complex, Springfield, MA (c) J E RobisonWe are in our second year of the TCS Auto high school program and we’re starting to get questions about the program.  I’ve listed a few common questions and answers below.Who is behind the TCS Auto Progr…

It is estimated that in excess of one billion people, roughly 15% of the global population, have some form of disability. Of the one billion, between 110 and 190 million people have difficulty in functioning. This of course can have implications for employment, but it is clear that more needs to be …

A few years ago, New York Times published an article that had 36 questions. These questions could supposedly make two complete strangers fall in love with each other. How well do these questions work? The video below shows two people matched up for a blind date, and both of them are deaf. Patric…

News that two major animal research laboratories are likely to close down within a few years has left some researchers in the United Kingdom uncertain about the future of their work. Officials at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, a leading genomics center based in Hinxton, England, announced on 16 May …

By Lei Wiley-Mydske In this issue, Lei writes about creating the first autism lending library that is focused on the ideals of neurodiversity and autism acceptance. Now she is helping others do the same in their communities. This article is part of our cover series on four autistic trailblazers who …

Here’s how Brose describes what he’ll discuss during the session: Synapses, the junctions between nerve cells, are the key information processors in the brain. They mediate signaling between nerve cells by the release of chemical messengers — or neurotransmitters — from a sending nerve cell, and the…

Now that researchers have linked hundreds of genes to autism, they face the tricky task of teasing out when and where these genes are expressed in the brain. Two new papers published in Cell last year revealed a powerful shortcut to profiling gene expression patterns that may propel autism research …

by Dana Reinecke, PhD, BCBA-D Sharing and cooperative play are among the most difficult skills for children to learn, whether or not they have a diagnosed disability. Why is sharing so hard? Because it necessarily involves giving something up, and usually it’s something highly preferred that is…

I don’t need flowers, candy, cards or a special day to know that I am loved, especially by my son with Aspergers Syndrome. There’s a myth that people with autism can’t show love. But they can. You just have to notice because it won’t be expressed in ways you might expect. It may be subtle but it’s t…