When Children with Autism Grow Up

In the public consciousness, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a disorder that affects only children. In truth, ASD is a lifelong condition. But how it affects older adults is a gaping unknown in autism research. Now, a new and significant grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will help researchers at San Diego State University understand how the disorder plays out across the lifespan.

Ralph-Axel Müller and Ruth Carper

“Developmental disorders do not end after childhood,” said Ruth Carper, a neuroscientist at SDSU and a co-investigator on the project. “Development is a lifelong process, and there is a real need to know what happens later in life for people with autism.”

Opinion: Need to Focus on Excessive Police Force of People with Disabilities

This op-ed in The Hill co-authored by Jay Ruderman, the president of the Ruderman Family Foundation, and Jo Ann Simons, president and CEO of the Cardinal Cushing Centers in Massachusetts, is truly important. In part, it’s because the authors point out something that doesn’t get much attention in mainstream (or, sadly, nonprofit) press coverage of police brutality: Persons with disabilities are its all-too-frequent victims.

Ruderman and Simons write about the deaths of Ethan Saylor, a 26-year old with Down syndrome who died of asphyxiation after being dragged by police from his seat in a theater in Frederick, Maryland, in 2013, and James Boyd, a homeless man (reportedly diagnosed with schizophrenia) who was shot and killed by police officers in Albuquerque in March of 2014.

Remembering Martin Sheets, Who Shined at Special Olympics

Martin Sheets, who became a face of the Special Olympics, winning more than 250 medals competing for more than 40 years in its events for people with intellectual disabilities, died on Thursday in Greensboro, N.C. He was 62.

He had dementia, his family said.

PayPal Exec Sees Asperger's Advantage

Fairfax, VA – Bestselling author, and founder of PayPal thinks people with Asperger’s have the right mindset to succeed in Silicon Valley.

In an interview with economist Tyler Cowen at George Mason University, Peter Thiel gave his reasons why won’t hire MBA’s, and why, in his mind, people who have Aspergers are the pals that get paid because of their determined focus and ability to ignore conventional rules for innovative ideas.

Raising Employment Expectations

After completing schoolwork, individuals with disabilities may be directed to a life of sheltered employment or a group home setting. University of Kansas researchers have been battling that type of guidance by proving that it is possible for individuals with disabilities to hold meaningful employment and live independently. Those researchers are sharing resources and training community members to spread the message, and now, they're taking it to other states.

Doctors Unprepared to Treat Patients with Autism, Study Finds

A new survey finds many health care providers admittedly know little about how to care for adults with autism.

Of 922 providers surveyed, 77 percent rated their ability to treat patients on the spectrum as poor or fair.

Barber Takes Crisis Out of Haircut

Haircuts once sparked meltdowns for 8-year-old Michael Flores, while also creating loads of stress for his mom, Joan. But thanks to one special barber, getting a trim has gone from crisis-inducing to comforting.

Michael has autism, and from his first haircut until very recently, even the mention of one caused tears and screaming. Joan Flores began cutting her son's hair herself to try to make the process easier, but even this elicited stress.