It’s hard to believe we have been covering INSAR, the annual meeting of the International Society for Autism Research, for fifteen years. The autism research landscape, being expansive and varied, both has and has… not evolved during that stretch to focus on the needs of existing autistic people, and their families. (It should be noted […]
In This Article The Lows of ADHD I Thought I Hated My ADHD Life with ADHD: Next Steps Sometimes I really hate my ADHD. I hate how it makes me perfectionistic, stubborn, and inattentive. Or how it makes me unable to sit still and prone to attempt too many things at once. Yet sometimes (and […]
Insights derived from basic research are generally far upstream from clinical applications. Thus, it makes sense, in some respects, that scientists studying mouse models and molecular mechanisms tied to autism may feel removed from autistic people and their communities. But this distance can be frustrating. How do we know that our research priorities align with […]
Unraveled ties: Researchers used a novel method to disentangle some of the multitude of maternal factors—genetic and environmental—that influence autism likelihood in children. In their preprint, investigators analyzed maternal cousin pairs in a Danish national birth registry. Direct genetic effects, such as epilepsy and personality disorders, were shared with the mother’s siblings of either sex, […]
Autistic author, journalist, lawyer, and professor Katie Rose Guest Pryal is an invaluable autism parenting and neurodivergent self-advocacy resource, with several books plus a column at Psychology Today. We talked with Pryal about her recent and very excellent book on parenting neurodivergent kids, Your Kid Belongs Here. Shannon Des Roches Rosa: I really want people […]
This Teacher Appreciation Week, I’ve been thinking about my mom, who taught special education in Seattle Public Schools, and all our amazing teachers. I’m proud Washington is ranked the third best state in the nation for teachers. To all our teachers — than Facebook
For Mother’s Day, we asked New York Times readers to share their moms’ go-to sayings. More than 5,000 of you wrote in with adages that were wise, moving and often funny — from the golden rule to the importance of always wearing clean underwear. Scroll down to read a few dozen of our favorites, which […]
Scientists have expressed concerns about last week’s meeting of the newest Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), raising questions about the meeting’s content, process and impact on future U.S. federal funding for autism research. “The day was slightly unhinged,” says David Mandell, professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and former […]
If you are familiar with the empowering concept of the Double Empathy Problem—in which blaming autistic people for lacking empathy is reexamined and turned inside out—then you know that British sociologist and social psychologist Dr. Damian Milton came up with the concept in 2012. You know that the Double Empathy Problem (DEP) has resonated deeply […]
In This Article A Minimalist Lifestyle with AuDHD Underconsumption Core Looks Different for Us Minimalism and Neurodivergence: Next Steps I own two television remotes; ten pairs of the same ultrasoft leggings; eight very soft, very warm cashmere scarves in vibrant colors; four sets of prescription eyewear (including one pair of sunglasses); two identical pairs of […]
The English muffin has to be toasted evenly.Not too dark on the edges, not pale in the center.I clean the toaster before I use it. Every time.The jelly is homemade. Smooth. No seeds. These foods are not boring to me.They are the reason I can sit at a table at all. People think this is […]
At this year’s meeting of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) in Prague, one theme stood out above the rest for me: We are entering a new era of genetic medicine for autism. Much of the attention focused on rare genetic variants, such as changes in SCN2A, SHANK3 or UBE3A, that are known to […]
