In stressful situations, such as emergencies, people with autism may experience heightened challenges with communication and sensory perception. The sensory kit below includes items that may be helpful to officers, such as tips on assisting and interacting with a person with autism, as well as communication boards and visuals to make communication more accessible, and…
The Hussman Institute for Autism, in partnership with Towson University, and Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), are delighted to announce the release of this series of free, open-access, online training modules for parents and school-based professionals who support students with special needs. These comprehensive, user-friendly modules were developed under an MSDE grant, to address the need…
At the Hussman Institute for Autism, we see evidence of empathy every day among people with autism. Individuals on the autism spectrum experience powerful emotions and demonstrate concern for others. Many self-advocates on the autism spectrum report being overly in-tune with the emotions of the people around them, sometimes to such a degree that it…
A new study finds that adults with autism in supported employment report fewer communication problems, use more active coping strategies, and have higher “self-efficacy”—their personal judgment of their own capabilities—compared to those in unsupported employment. The new research, from the Freie Universität Berlin, surveyed 66 German, employed adults on the autism spectrum ages 22 to…
Nearly everyone is familiar with the traditional medical ID bracelet, which is a simple way to alert people to a medical condition if they interact with your loved one—especially in an emergency situation. The best known organization, MedicAlert, allows users to maintain a list of key contacts and medications that can be accessed by emergency…
A 9-year-old girl and her parents implemented self-management training so she (“Abby”) could learn to greet unfamiliar adults, not interrupt, and ask questions during conversation. One month after her parents faded out the self-management program, Abby maintained her new behaviors and generalized them to new settings. This style of intervention empowers families to improve their…
Ample research has found that video modeling is an effective way to teach students—especially those with autism—new skills. As noted in the Hussman Institute for Autism’s guide to supporting individuals with autism, “In skills training for children with developmental delays, the passive observation of a model demonstrating the target skill is often more effective than…
Instead of investigating the ability of individuals on the autism spectrum to identify emotions, a new study takes a different approach: how well can neurotypical adults interpret the behavior of adults with autism? Can neurotypicals determine what type of situation people are experiencing based on their reactions alone? A Dr. Elizabeth Sheppard and colleagues from…
The only significant predictor of self-reported life satisfaction in adults with autism spectrum condition (ASC) is whether or not they participate in society, a new study reports, indicating that more resources should be directed toward increasing community engagement for individuals with ASC. Researchers surveyed 43 adults with autism and 44 without about how much difficulty…
A 2010 study by Dr. Lynn Koegel and colleagues provided evidence that giving children choices related to their academic tasks improved several aspects of their performance. When given choices, the children initiated writing and math tasks more quickly, completed the tasks faster, decreased their disruptive behaviors, and demonstrated greater interest in the tasks. At the…
