For people with motor neuron diseases like ALS, eye movement may become the only way to communicate with others. Of course, there are many eye tracking solutions available that can be used in such situations, however, those solution can be quite expensive and not many people can afford it. They also…

San Francisco’s LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, along with other community organizations, are urging state regulators to approve Waymo’s permit for its 24/7 self-driving car service. These organizations argue that autonomous vehicles are safer and provide more accessibili…

Many children with autism have little to no functional speech, and their families are often desperate to help them communicate. In today’s connected society, these families are likely to hear about a variety of communication apps — some specifically targeted at children with autism — available for m…

“Synesthesia is a gift but it is also a beautiful language that needs its own translation.” Jeremy Sicile-Kira The essay below was written by 17-year old Abigail Delizo for a University of Toronto assignment for a course on Creating Community: Art, Identity and Belonging. Communicatio…

By Debra Muzikar Last year The Art of Autism posted a blog on Person First Language (PFL) which proved to be educational for me and I hope for others. This year I’m tackling the word neurodiversity, which is much more complex. I didn’t know some people object to the word until I moderated a neurodiv…

A newly formed group of leaders from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) is poised to generate funding opportunities for child health research, including autism science. The so-called Trans-NIH Pediatric Research Consortium brings together leaders from the NIH’s 27 institutes and centers. L…

Mice missing the Rett syndrome gene, MeCP2, from neurons that dampen brain activity have hallmark signs of the disorder, such as social abnormalities, repetitive behaviors and poor motor coordination. A new study suggests that most of these symptoms stem from MeCP2 loss in just two types of these so…

The timing of treatment is crucial for conditions related to autism — and more so for some conditions than for others, two new studies in mice suggest1,2. One study, published today in Neuron, suggests that mutations in the autism gene SCN2A can be treated into adulthood. But the other study, publis…

Considered the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence, Alan Turing’s idiosyncrasies have led some historians to speculate that he may have had Asperger’s syndrome. Editor’s Note: Asperger’s syndrome is a previously used diagnosis which was under the autism …

Moose and Lali are nonverbal and live at home; Jess and Dan are more cognitively able and live independently. All four have autism. Together, these characters represent the broad spectrum of autism in the play “Uncommon Sense,” which premiered at the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in New York …

Many people with autism have atypical responses to sensory stimuli: Some appear to be hypersensitive, such that a clothing tag is unbearably scratchy; others may be so tolerant that touching a hot stove top yields a burn but no pain. The prevalence of sensory issues among autistic people, as detaile…

If you ever get a chance to hang with Finley, you may notice that she sometimes “looks” at you peripherally. Particularly when the situation is intense. Doctors have asked us to work with Finley to “let us see her eyes” to help facilitate communication. And this has always bo…

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…

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