Many parents of autistic children have put their children on strict gluten-free or dairy-free diets, convinced that gastrointestinal problems are an underlying cause of the disorder. But a new study suggests the complicated food regimens may not be warranted.

The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) assists state and local workforce development systems to better serve all youth, including youth with disabilities and other vulnerable youth. The NCWD/Youth, created in 2001, is composed of partners with expertise in education, youth development, disability, employment, workforce development and family issues. Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), the NCWD/Youth is housed at the Institute for Educational Leadership in Washington, D.C. NCWD/Youth offers a range of technical assistance services to state and local workforce investment boards, youth councils and other workforce development system youth programs.

He said that his son suffered from a form of autism and was “a phenomenal individual who is enterprising and creative” with an ability to recall the exact detail of every airline’s flight schedules. But the autism also made his behaviour highly challenging.

Federally funded research into fragile X syndrome will look at the biological factors of the disorder and ways to better diagnose and treat it, according to a research plan released by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Monday.

Whether you’ve got the words to express yourself or are reliant on actions alone or others to interpret, Ari Ne’eman, president of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, shares the tools to turn anyone into a self-advocate. It’s easier than you think. Start small, advises Ne’eman, who is on the autism spectrum himself. The key is to make yourself heard however you can.

Welcome to Parenting Resources at ZERO TO THREE.  Here you’ll find science-based information and tools designed to help parents and caregivers nurture their young children’s development.

Insurance premiums (monthly payments) would increase slightly for everyone if insurance companies pay for autism-related services and therapy. The authors calculated how many people have been getting autism-related therapy, and how much those therapies cost. Then they figured out how much it would cost private insurance companies to pay for it. They estimated that the monthly payments for all of the people insured by private companies would go up about 0.2-2%.