Mental Health Awareness By Christa Holmans, Neurodivergent Rebel May is Mental Health Awareness Month, one month a year where people wear green and talk about mental health. As someone who struggles with their mental health, I wish we would spend more time talking about these issues because th…

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 …

Autistic people who have rare mutations in autism genes tend to have lower intelligence quotients (IQs) than those with common mutations, according to a new study1. The results support the idea that a small subset of particularly damaging variants contribute to autism and co-occurring intellectual d…

“He sits in her lap in the wheelchair as she does her schoolwork and snuggles her throughout the day."Source: The Autism Site

“Gray skies are gonna clear up,” Susan Epstein sings into the phone. “Put on a happy face,” sings her daughter, miles away in a group home for adults with intellectual disability. (Spectrum is withholding her name to protect her privacy.) The two have not been in the same room in more than two month…

“I don’t see anyone talking about mothers. I don’t see anyone talking about children, and on top of those children, the kids who have special conditions."Source: The Autism Site

“He sits in her lap in the wheelchair as she does her schoolwork and snuggles her throughout the day."Source: The Autism Site

By Gretchen McIntire Sometimes an offering of grace is something we offer someone we love in the form of forgiveness but that can only be genuine if we first offer ourselves the same forgiveness. This comes with a radical change in mindset that we are generally always doing our best and that e…

Brain structures differ in volume depending on a person’s social environment and socioeconomic status, and between men and women, according to a new analysis1. The findings could help explain differences seen in the brains of autistic women and men, many of whom find social communication challenging…

This annual holiday is observed on May 20 to raise awareness about adoptable dogs living in U.S. animal shelters. Adopt, don't shop!Source: The Autism Site

In 2013, the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) — the ‘bible’ for diagnosticians in the United States and Australia — removed Asperger syndrome as a diagnosis separate from autism. In 2019, the World Health Organization followed suit, making the same chang…

A secure attachment offers three basic things: a sense of safety and security, a secure base from which to explore, and the ability to regulate emotions. Insecure attachments are often linked to aggression and anxiety.Source: The Autism Site

Autistic Author Interview Chase Taylor Ever since he was a little boy, Chase Taylor, has had a passion for letters and cute characters. Now that he’s an adult, he’s turned his passion into a series of children’s books that help children identify letters and words that begin with those letters.…

The relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to autism and traits of the condition have held steady over multiple decades, according to a large twin study 1. Among tens of thousands of Swedish twins born over the span of 26 years, genetic factors have consistently had a larger imp…