Neurotypical is an unprecedented exploration of autism from the point of view of autistic people themselves. Four-year-old Violet, teenaged Nicholas and adult Paula occupy different positions on the autism spectrum, but they are all at pivotal moments in their lives. How they and the people around them work out their perceptual and behavioral differences becomes a remarkable reflection of the "neurotypical" world — the world of the non-autistic — revealing inventive adaptations on each side and an emerging critique of both what it means to be normal and what it means to be human.

The average guy finds it hard to sit still and listen.  We jump to problem solving especially when we lack the words to express what we are experiencing.  Yet we yearn for connection with our children. On July 7, I moderated “Guy Talk: Fathers Roundtable” at www.autismbrainstorm.org with 7 guys who spoke openly about their struggles to be present with their children.

Developed by a multi-disciplinary team of 15 curriculum experts across the United States and supported by a world-renowned faculty, this first-of-its-kind course provides best and evidence-based practices for those who support the daily-living needs of transition aged students, young adults and adults with autism and related disabilities, because it’s online, it’s flexible and can meet your needs.

Down syndrome, more commonly known as "trisomy 21" is very often accompanied by pathologies found in the general population: Alzheimer's disease, leukemia, or cardiac deficiency. In a study conducted by Professor Stylianos Antonarakis' group from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva (UNIGE), researchers have identified the genomic variations associated with trisomy 21, determining the risk of congenital heart disease in people with Down syndrome. The targeted and specific study of chromosome 21 revealed two genomic variations, which, in combination, are the hallmark of hereditary cardiac deficiency. These results are being published in the journal Genome Research and add to other research conducted by the same team about chronic myeloid leukemia, a severe form of leukemia that often affects people with Down syndrome. The journal Blood is publishing these advances in the understanding of a disease which, like hereditary cardiac deficiencies or early Alzheimer's, affects the general population.

Gary Mihelish, the former president of the Montana chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has spent a couple of decades advocating for people with mental illness, fighting against the stigma, ignorance and isolation that often comes with those diseases.In late June at the alliance’s annual conference in San Antonio, he received one of its top honors, the Distinguished Service Award, recognizing his work before the Montana Legislature and, along with his wife, Sandra, in implementing the group’s family-to-family program for more than a decade. He also was elected to NAMI’s national board.

The goal of this tool kit is to provide a basic knowledge of advocacy and negotiation skills. The kit will show how to apply these skills to different situations throughout the lifespan of an individual with autism. The information in this kit has been provided by experts in the field who have both professional and personal experience with advocacy and autism. Each section has been prepared by a different person or group of people whose expertise is in that specific area. We hope you will find the information informative and relatable.

Schools across Montana that are trying to improve student success just got an extra boost in their efforts.Schools on the Fort Peck, Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations will receive $1.8 million over the next four years to support the well-being of children, not just academically, but socially and emotionally, by providing for continued “wraparound” services in their districts, the Montana Office of Public Instruction announced Thursday.

A training program designed to teach pediatricians to better identify kids with autism may be an effective way to decrease wait times and flag children with the developmental disorder at younger ages, researchers say. Currently many children suspected of having autism wait months to see diagnosticians for an evaluation, but researchers say that training community pediatricians to conduct assessments may allow kids to enter treatment programs more quickly. In a three-year study, researchers at Vanderbilt University trained 27 pediatric providers — including doctors and nurse practitioners — across the state of Tennessee to conduct brief evaluations in their practices of children who screened positive for autism. After participating in the two-day trainings, researchers found that the health care providers reached the same diagnostic conclusions as specialists 90 percent of the time. What’s more, providers reported making more autism diagnoses within their practices and said they were more comfortable discussing the developmental disorder. “The findings provide initial evidence suggesting early accurate diagnosis of autism may be possible and appropriate within many community pediatric practices,” said Amy Swanson of Vanderbilt who was the lead author of the study published online this month in the journal Autism. “Given the potentially harmful consequences of lengthy waits for comprehensive diagnostic evaluations, the potential impact of such training programs for advanced autism diagnosis within community practice settings could be quite powerful.”

A storied institution for the blind is promoting and expanding its online resources for educators across the country who teach students who have visual impairments—a move that coincides with a U.S. Department of Education directive that Braille instruction should be the default literacy medium for blind students. The 184-year-old Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Mass., which educated both deaf-blind activist and author Helen Keller and her instructor Anne Sullivan, is looking to increase use of Perkins eLearning, a collection of nearly 100 webinars, tutorials, and seminars.

Lime Lighter, which produces a readable digital score for people with low vision, and Goodfeel, a music notes-to-Braille translator, are being used in music schools across the world after being tested at Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School in Manhattan.

As part of the transition from childhood to adult life, planning inevitably includes housing decisions. Finding and securing housing and residential supports for adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) can be challenging for the individual and the family. Autism Speaks is trying to make this overwhelming journey easier through a series of tools to guide you through the process of establishing residential services and supports for your loved one with autism. By giving you the tools you need to make housing choices, we hope to make this often complicated journey as simple and successful as possible. The Housing and Residential Supports section of the Autism Speaks website contains several sections that will provide you with the information you need, help you search for housing options, and keep you informed of promising developments, resources, and news in housing and residential supports.

A Vanderbilt research program that trains community pediatricians to diagnose autism within their individual practices may lead to more effective treatment of the disorder that now affects an estimated one in 88 children. Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers released today in the journal Autism the results of a three-year study that evaluated the effectiveness of a training program designed to enhance autism spectrum disorder (ASD) identification and assessment within community pediatric settings across Tennessee.

Many affected by illness and disability find profound meaning, inspiration and identity in their differences, says author Andrew Solomon, who holds that it is diversity that truly unites us all.

The Federal Registry for Educational Excellence (FREE) makes it easier to find digital teaching and learning resources created and maintained by the federal government and public and private organizations.

Everyone agrees that physical education and athletics are an important educational component for every child.  Participation in sports and extracurricular activities provide important health and social benefits to all students, even more importantly to students with disabilities.   The benefits include heightened self-esteem, understanding the importance of teamwork, sensory relief, fitness, and mental and physical health.

The Journal of Adolescent Health released a special issue focusing for the first time on the relationship between bullying and suicide.  The special issue was assembled by an expert panel brought together by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  The panel looked at the latest research that examined youth involvement in bullying as a victim, perpetrator, or both and found them to be highly associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors.  The panel also examined the association of youth involved in bullying who experience suicide-related behaviors and other risk factors for suicide, such as depression, delinquency, physical and sexual abuse, and exposure to violence.

Many stories and events related to people with disabilities never make it into the history books or shared public memories. Familiar concepts and events such as citizenship, work, and wars become more complicated, challenge our assumptions about what counts as history, and transform our connection with each other when viewed from the historical perspective of people with disabilities, America’s largest minority. Knowing these histories deepens understanding of the American experience and reveals how complicated history really is. In addition, when history comes through artifacts, distinct themes emerge—for example, the significance of place, relationships, and technology—that are less apparent when only books and words are used.

Today, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released a new video where Department staff share personal stories and identify tools that support students experiencing bullying. In response to students suffering bullying in schools, ED has redoubled efforts to give parents, educators, and students the tools they need to stop harassment, including through the website Stopbullying.gov and civil rights enforcement.