Autism

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Autism Resources & Research

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Purpose Black families experience additional barriers to accessing autism-related supports compared to White families. Community organizations can help mitigate the negative impact of systemic inequities and lack of support that Black caregivers of autistic family members experience. Little is known about the types of support Black families seek from these organizations. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the support needs of Black families raising autistic children as evidenced by communication patterns in a community-based statewide autism organization. Our research questions were: (1) What are the autism-related support needs of Black families raising autistic children; and (2) How do familial demographics influence these support needs? Methods We explored the support needs of Black caregivers of autistic family members by analyzing a subset of 1,460 entries (16.8% of the total communication entries) within a database of communication entries from a community-based autism organization in one southeastern state in the United States. We analyzed the frequency of support request types and the relationships between support requests and familial demographics (i.e., rurality, gender, age). Results We found that Black families most often requested family or individual support, school-related support, and behavioral support. Families requested support with bullying, social services, and health insurance less often. We found significant interactions between the three most requested services and the rurality, gender, and age of the autistic family member. Conclusion We conclude with suggestions for autism support organizations seeking to better meet the needs of Black families.

Bringing together the global Autism Community.

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In this webinar, Vanessa Bal, Ph.D., talks about the presentation of autism in adults and how a diagnosis is determined. She also highlights some considerati...

Carving up the spectrum allows for more targeted research and interventions. But that only works if everyone does it the same way.

Since 2022, I have had a steadily increasing number of verbally-fluent adult clients seek autism assessment. In fact, this has occurred with such regularity that I was able to, with support from my clinical agency, build and complete an entire post-doctoral residence around providing adult autism and ADHD assessment. A little about me: I’m a psychology professor, a researcher focusing on cool things like autism and religion, and a psychological diagnostician. I am also autistic; I was clinically

Internally, many undiagnosed adults with autism say they feel different from those around them.

Black autistic individuals have shaped history, culture, and advocacy, yet remain underrecognized due to systemic erasure, racial bias, and digital segregation. This piece explores their contributions, challenges exclusionary narratives, and calls for true representation and equity.

Every few months, 52-year-old Peter* would find himself in trouble with his wife. Sitting silently during an argument and unable to speak, he couldn’t process anything levelled at him. He didn’t know what was wrong, except noticing that he had a weird pattern of “getting stuck in a rut”, hyper-fixating on interests such as programming and PC gaming...

“Looking back, it was obvious,” Agatha said. “I don’t know how we missed it.” She was telling me about her son, Elijah, now 20. “When he was one, he had no words. He flapped his hands continuously. He was quiet and I remember thinking we were lucky to have such a good baby. When he was a bit older, we could just pop Peter Pan on and he’d sit and wa...

Many of us have heard of burnout, that grinding exhaustion and loss of motivation driven by pressures from work, but for those suffering from autistic burnout it stems from the demands of everyday life. “It’s a very new field of research,” says Francesca Happé, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at King’s College London. “We know anecdotally tha...

ATLANTA (AP) — Natasha Nelson, a 35-year old entrepreneur in Stone Mountain, Georgia, didn't have an innate sense of social norms. She didn't know why people meeting for the first time would choose to engage in small talk instead of deep conversations, or why people like to make their beds.

A Personal Perspective: I was diagnosed with autism in my adult life. People diagnosed in later life often have lingering trauma from bullying and lack of support.

Is high functioning autism real? Discover definitions, characteristics, and challenges surrounding this term.

Explore the DSM criteria for autism, changes in diagnosis, and challenges faced in understanding ASD.

Discover what are the 5 autism spectrum disorders and their unique traits in this informative guide.

Discover the DSM 5 autism diagnosis standards, including criteria changes and severity levels for accurate assessment.

Chris McDougle of the Lurie Center for Autism explains the complexities around getting an adult ASD diagnosis

Explore dsm 5 tr autism's diagnostic criteria and its significance for effective advocacy.

Discover the essentials of dsm-5-tr autism, including diagnostic criteria, characteristics, and support strategies.

For over 45 years, Autism Canada has had a national perspective on the issues currently facing those on the autism spectrum, their families, caregivers, and allies. Autism Canada’s primary mandate is to advocate alongside and support individuals on the spectrum, their families and caregivers living in Canada.

I do psychological evaluations, consults, and therapy with autistic people, because I'm autistic, myself. I thought it might be an idea to discuss further how the DSM criteria differs from the autistic experience. The DSM is problematic in that it's ableist, and vaguely describes autistic traits.