Autistic people are at an increased risk for intentional self-harm and death by suicide, but co-occurring psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, schizophrenia and depression drive those behaviors, according to a new study. Autistic people with and without psychiatric conditions also have a heighten…

Here's how 6-year-old Olivia Anders ran a lemonade stand in Troy, Michigan, to meet her fundraising goal for an autism service dog.Source: The Autism Site

Anlor Davin is an autistic French woman and Zen student. Medication opened the door for friendships, purpose and self-discoveries that have helped her thrive. This fall she will be leading a monthly meditation group in San Rafael, California to help others on the spectrum find their Zen. Anlor has j…

On the website of the company Neurocore, an illustration of an anthropomorphized human brain, complete with hopeful eyes and a wide smile, is pumping iron. “A stronger brain makes anything possible,” says the tagline next to the cheery brain. This concept — body-building for the brain — is the premi…

May is Mental Health Month. The three largest mental health facilities in the United States are jails. By Debra Muzikar Last night Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes profiled Tom Dart, The Sheriff of Cook County and the person who oversees the largest mental health facility in the United States – Cook…

“Dear Behavior BFF, How do I get my child to be more independent? I want her to handle dressing herself- things like getting out clean clothes, putting them on as much as she can, putting her dirty clothes in the correct hamper, etc. I know she is capable but she just chooses not to take care of the…

There are tools to help those with autism communicate with first responders, but too few people utilize them.Source: The Autism Site

When you see an Autistic Artist trying to support themselves and their passion – as with any Artist, Autistic or Neurotypical, please, strike up a conversation, ask questions, consider all the reasons and information put forward to you. By Margaux WoskThe opportunities for artists seem to be…

Two drugs that alter the activity of the hormone vasopressin seem to improve social communication in people with autism. The findings come from two independent clinical trials published today in Science Translational Medicine1,2. The results are encouraging, but some experts urge caution, saying the…

After five days jam-packed with thousands of research presentations and crowds, the 49th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) has drawn to a close. Over the course of the meeting, some 30,000 neuroscientists gathered to present and absorb the wealth of information in posters, lecture…

By Megan Amodeo Have you ever been stuck in a never-ending line at the grocery store? Or maybe you were at the DMV waiting to renew your license and the wait far exceeded what most consider humane? We have all been somewhere longer than we want to be at one time or another. “I don’t know about…

The post Outgrowing autism; scrutinizing cells; editing history appeared first on Spectrum. Source: Spectrum News

I’ve many times given advice on sensory seeking behaviours in autistic children, how to aid them and why they may occur. While explaining that a child spinning for example, is seeking to feed their vestibular sense or that a child stamping their feet is gaining proprioceptive feedback from the…

Ever wondered what the outcome was of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014 that swept the entire nation? A lot of money was raised from that challenge which is being used for research and projects for curing ALS.  Read the infographic below to find out more.Text description of infographic right…