Business: JT FireStarters Mission: JT FireStarters is a business that is owned and operated by an adult with autism. Our mission is to provide job training for autistic adults who experience challenges in finding work in the community. We bring them rewarding and fulfilling employment opportunities.…

I am pleased to announce the first-ever change in the style of this blog.  I hope you find it more accessible and usable. Circus at The Big E, West Springfield, MAJohn Rando's Long Wheelbase Shadow restoration takes 1st at the RROC National MeetFlowers in the GardenOn the big stage, Big EVolcan…

By Keri Bowers and Debra Muzikar As part of the Art of Autism California Road Trip in May, The Art of Autism honored people who are unsung heroes in California. As we traveled up and down the state we had the opportunity to stop at people’s homes and their businesses. This is the second of a t…

Only eighty people in the world have been diagnosed with HSAM (Highly Superior Autographical Memory) and Becky Sharrock was the first from Australia. By Ron Sandison As a toddler Becky Sharrock screamed when cuddled. “I can remember every detail from my infant years. It felt unnatural to me to be h…

Acts of kindness can touch our hearts, especially when we receive blessings from strangers. One new mother, Rebekka Garvison, found that a stranger's compassionate actions transformed a potentially negative experience for her and her baby.Source: The Autism Site

Autistic people can find it very hard to break into the labor market. We might be extremely anxious about working or the job application process, have had a traumatic experience in the workplace, be very anxious around people or have low self-esteem. By Jeanette Purkis There are many reasons why peo…

This week Sesame Street introduced their first autistic character – a puppet named Julia. Julia is the first new Muppet since Abby Cadabby appeared in 2006. The puppeteer who plays Julia is a mom of a child on the autism spectrum. To find out more about Julia click here. Source: The Art of Au…

The Austrian doctor Hans Asperger cooperated extensively with the Nazi regime and may have sent dozens of children to their deaths. Horrific details of his involvement were revealed yesterday in the journal Molecular Autism and will be detailed in a forthcoming book called “Asperger’s Children: The …

Into Your (Joe’s) World by Michael C. Kregler As a composer, I’ve always tried to follow this self-imposed advice: in order to create authentic and convincing music, be sure to a) study great composers, and b) write within your own experience. The latter would become especially significant when, in …

The post At the intersection of autism and trauma appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

Elise Robinson’s newest office mates are a ficus tree, its broad variegated leaves enjoying the light from a narrow window, and a pair of small succulents perched one above the other at the edges of bookshelves. And these are just a fraction of what Robinson has in her home in Wellesley, where an ex…

This later Jamestown church sits about 100 feet from the original wood pole structureWas one of the founders of the Church of England’s first permanent settlement in Virginia a secret Catholic?  Earlier today archaeologists from Jamestown and the Smithsonian announced the discovery of four grav…

80% of people on the Autism spectrum are unemployed or underemployed. Microsoft took a huge initiative a few years ago to start hiring people on the spectrum for technical jobs. To encourage other organizations to do the same, Microsoft, in collaboration with the University of Washington Information…

Interview by Jenny BristolIllustration by Rebecca Burgess Hari Srinivasan is a minimally-speaking autistic advocate and college student at UC Berkeley, California. He works tirelessly as a student, research assistant, and teacher. He is a Psychology major with a minor in Disability Studies, and s…