Open Society

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is seen as the main intervention for autism–but the costly treatment takes its toll on autistic individuals.

Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders - In a recent response to a review of ABA literature, methodologies, and ethics, the authors of the response attempted to negate the compilation of research...

I saw it first on CNN. A “feel good” story. Autism was in the title so I clicked. The gist is, a group of college football players visited a middle school. One of the footballers saw a child sitting alone in the cafeteria and joined him. An autistic child. They apparently had a whole conversation.…

Autistic adults commonly experience sensory reactivity differences. Sensory hyperreactivity is frequently researched, whilst hyporeactivity and seeking, and experiences across domains, e.g., vision, are often neglected. Therefore, we aimed to understand more about the sensory experiences of autistic adults. We conducted a mixed-methods study, co-produced with stakeholders; recruiting 49 autistic adults who completed an online survey. Firstly, quantitative results and content analysis enhanced our understanding of sensory input/contexts associated with sensory hyperreactivity, hyporeactivity, and seeking across modalities. Secondly, thematic analysis developed themes relating to ‘Outcomes’, ‘Control’, ‘Tolerance and management’, and ‘The role of other people’, informing a theoretical model of sensory reactivity differences in autistic adults. These findings have implications for support services and improving quality of life for autistic adults.

Since 2018 I’ve worked on a research project focusing on sensory experiences of autistic people, now is a chance to read about it.

Supporting Autistic Flourishing at Home and Beyond - Alexis artwork. Autistic campaigner and activist, public speaker, author of Unbroken. Alexis' story is part of the report and has inspired her art work below.

Official Post from Pete Wharmby

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is proud to announce the release of a new technical assistance document describing the use of color communication badges. Color Communication Badges are an accommodation to support social interaction for people with a variety of disabilities and communication needs. Color communication badges were first developed…

ASAN ResourcesOther Resources ASAN Accessibility Resources Click here to see resources from other organizations. Inclusive Meetings: The Autistic Self Advocacy Network’s Community Living Summit Summary An important theme that self-advocates talked about at the Community Living Summit was the importance of being included in meetings about policies that affect us.…

The ADA Home Page provides access to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations for businesses and State and local governments, technical assistance materials, ADA Standards for Accessible Design, links to Federal agencies with ADA responsibilities and information, updates on new ADA requirements, streaming video, information about Department of Justice ADA settlement agreements, consent decrees, and enforcement activities and access to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) ADA material

(Printer-friendly PDF version | 1.8 MB) (Large Print PDF version | 2.1 MB) A Planning Guide for Making Temporary Events Accessible to People with Disabilities 2015 Table of Contents Introduction.

The sections within the report guide teams on how to consider sight, sound, smell, and touch, when designing or commissioning spaces. There is discussion of the different internal and external senses, including that of balance and knowing where our bodies are.

What is Universal Design on the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design website.

Photo © Jisc InfoNet | Flickr / Creative Commons [image: A small group of people, seen from behind, standing between bookshelves in a library, under a large white suspended sound dampening board.] Autistic Science Person www.autisticscienceperson.com https://twitter.com/autsciperson https://www.facebook.com/AutisticSciencePerson Sound dampening a space, especially at home, can be helpful for a lot of reasons. Many homes have appliances which can emit high-frequency noise from electricity that many non-autistic people can’t hear, but many autistic people can. Further, many autistic people have auditory sensitivity, and sounds can be a reason for sensory overload. Although some autistic people can wear headphones, earplugs, or ear defenders to reduce sound, other autistic people cannot use ear protection because of touch sensitivity around their ears or head. Further, autistic people who have auditory sensitivity and/or hyperacusis have to constantly try to shield themselves from noise to reduce fatigue, pain, and sensory overload.  Having a space at home where…

PDF | People on the autism spectrum are widely reported to have differences in how they process sensory information compared to people not on the autism... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

Most people have a favourite soft toy which they left behind as they grew up, but some adults rely on them to get through the day.

Jamie talks about his journey to the BBC, his four foot long lion and why he's proud autism is his super power.

Evidence based medicine has been corrupted by corporate interests, failed regulation, and commercialisation of academia, argue these authors The advent of evidence based medicine was a paradigm shift intended to provide a solid scientific foundation for medicine. The validity of this new paradigm, however, depends on reliable data from clinical trials, most of which are conducted by the pharmaceutical industry and reported in the names of senior academics. The release into the public domain of previously confidential pharmaceutical industry documents has given the medical community valuable insight into the degree to which industry sponsored clinical trials are misrepresented.1234 Until this problem is corrected, evidence based medicine will remain an illusion. The philosophy of critical rationalism, advanced by the philosopher Karl Popper, famously advocated for the integrity of science and its role in an open, democratic society. A science of real integrity would be one in which practitioners are careful not to cling to cherished hypotheses and take seriously the outcome of the most stringent experiments.5 This ideal is, however, threatened by corporations, in which financial interests trump the common good. Medicine is largely dominated by a small number of very large pharmaceutical companies that compete for market share, but are effectively united in their efforts to …

By Jorn Bettin & Ulku Mazlum A savage is not the one who lives in the forest, but the one who destroys the forest. – Ulku Mazlum The sickness of civilisation The exploitative nature of our “civ…