Autism

Authorities in Orlando, Florida are looking for answers after a teenager on the autism spectrum — who had been reported missing — managed to make her way through airport security with neither a photo I.D. nor a boarding pass for any flight, armed instead with only a drink coupon. The young lady had found the […]

Eight-year-old Baiz Weerts of Illinois has always wanted to meet Santa Claus. Unfortunately, because of his autism and extreme anxiety, the young boy has become too overwhelmed to meet Santa for the past six years when the Christmas season rolls around each year. Speaking to CBS News, his mother, Sheila Weidner Seelye, explained that her […]

Paddy McGuinness lit his Twitter account on fire roughly 12 hours ago after a heated encounter with a complete stranger over whether his family “looked disabled” enough for handicap parking. “Just had a deep breathe and walk away moment,” McGuinness penned at the beginning of his mini Twitter storm. McGuinness proceeded to explain that he […]

This Halloween you may notice that some children will be carrying blue, pumpkin-shaped buckets on their annual trick-or-treating rounds. As Newsweek reports, those buckets signify one (or both) of two things: that the person carrying it is trying to raise awareness about autism, and/or that the person carrying the blue pumpkin is autistic. Last year, […]

Adaption plays a huge role in the life of anyone who has autism. This can be especially true for parents trying to accommodate autistic children in a way that allows them to complete tasks that may just be easier for neurotypical children. Something as simple as getting a haircut, for example, can be overwhelming and […]

An autistic man has filed suit against The Walt Disney Company, demanding front-of-the-line access to rides and attractions at Disney parks. His reasoning is that his disability prevents him from making use of the same process the park uses for other disabled guests. As The Orlando Sentinel reports, the man, identified in court documents only […]

Middle school is known for being a challenging time in life for many kids. There are a lot of changes taking place and many are struggling to figure out who they are and to build up their self confidence. Middle school is even harder for an 11-year-old boy who has autism, and one middle school’s […]

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang made his second appearance on American talk show The View on Thursday and addressed everything from his support of recently fired SNL cast addition Shane Gillis and the controversial accusations from Kimberly Watkins, a former employee of Yang’s test preparation company, Manhattan GMAT. Yang also spoke about how his son’s […]

Jeanine Malave, a mother of three from New York, lived every parent’s worst nightmare when she realized her autistic toddler was missing. Speaking to WPIX11, Malave explained that she was in her kitchen doing dishes on August 30 when she realized her 3-year-old son Jariel, who has autism, was not in her room. Considering she […]

A second grade student’s act of kindness for a distressed classmate is gaining some viral attention this week. A photo caught the moment that the 8-year-old Kansas boy held the hand of an autistic classmate who was overwhelmed and crying on their first day of school. As The New York Post reported, the image was […]

The “no re-entry” policy that most large venues have bar guests from exiting the establishment and coming back in. For families of someone with sensory needs, this type of policy is enough to make them reconsider going to a venue such as a sporting event stadium at all. The Philadelphia Eagles teamed up with a […]

Despite being around since 1969, adding a new member to the muppet family isn’t something PBS or Sesame Street takes lightly. In fact, Julia was the first new addition to Sesame Street in more than a decade. As those who follow the longstanding children’s series know, Julia is somewhat unique to the show because she […]

Echosmith drummer Graham Sierota landed in hot water recently when Blink 182 rocker Travis Barker put him on blast for having inappropriate conversations with his 13-year-old daughter on Instagram. As The Inquisitr reported yesterday, Travis was “disgusted” when he learned of the messages Sierota had been sending his daughter for years. Some of the messages […]

The father of an autistic boy says that his Milton, Massachusetts, neighbors sent him a hateful letter demanding that he get rid of the “dumper [sic] diving children’s playthings” in his yard, or else they’ll call the Board of Health. As Boston’s WHDH-TV reports, however, the Board of Health did indeed visit, and they sided […]

An end-of-the-year award ceremony — where parents watch from the audience as teachers present students with various superlatives — is a very common tradition. They are held in schools across the U.S. as a means of celebrating the accomplishments of the students during that school year. What was intended to be a lovely award ceremony […]

The family of an 11-year-old autistic boy is speaking out after a teacher at his private school selected him to win the “Most Annoying Male” award at an end-of-year ceremony. The incident took place at the private Bailly Preparatory Academy in Gary, Indiana. As CBS News reported, the award was given at a ceremony held […]

A Colorado school teacher is accused of cutting eight inches of hair off of a special-needs student, and his parents say that the school is stonewalling efforts to have the teacher held accountable. As The Grand Junction Sentinel reports, Xander Scotland’s son, also named Xander, is on the autism spectrum and has special needs. As […]

In honor of Mother’s Day, WKBN caught up with Robin Suzelis of Canfield, Ohio, who shed some light on being the parent of multiple children with special needs. Suzelis is the mother of 12-year-old Evan and 7-year-old Dean, who have both received a diagnosis of moderate to severe autism. Robin told the outlet the diagnosis […]

Comedian and mother-to-be Amy Schumer threw her fans for a loop during her comedy special Amy Schumer: Growing that dropped on Netflix this week by revealing that her husband, Chris Fischer, has autism. As The Inquisitr reported a few days ago, Schumer has since elaborated on her decision to reveal her husband’s autism during her […]

It seems tech companies all over are taking a stance against so-called anti-vax content, and some of the biggest companies in the world have joined the fight. As previously reported by TechCrunch, YouTube began to demonetize channels and videos that promoted anti-vaccination beliefs — ads run before and during monetized content uploaded to the platform. […]

Outrage spreads across the autism community in the United Kingdom after the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) established a change in policy that forces all autistic drivers to report their spectrum disorder diagnosis even if it doesn’t affect their ability to drive. According to The Guardian, The National Autistic Society (NAS) has stepped forward […]

When Haley Moss was only a couple of years old, her parents recognized that there was something different about her. She was incredibly intelligent and talented in certain areas but struggled in social situations. When she was 3-years-old, she was officially diagnosed with autism. Doctors told Haley’s parents that life would be a battle for […]

A 9-year-old autistic boy at Wurtland Elementary School, Kentucky, was subject to awful abuse by his teacher in a way no child should ever have to deal with. On Sunday, Angel Nelson shared video footage of her son’s teacher dragging him by the arm down a hallway in front of his classmates. She was horrified […]

An autistic student died, having reportedly stopped breathing while being restrained by staff, in an incident now under investigation by local police. The incident took place at the Guiding Hands School in El Dorado Hills, California, where authorities say the 13-year-old was put in what was known as a “prone restraint” for close to an […]

Jersey Shore: Family Vacation star Jenni “JWoww” Farley recently revealed in an interview with Hollywood Life that her 2-year-old son Greyson, who she previously revealed was struggling with speech delays this summer, has been officially diagnosed with autism, reported E! News. On the show this summer, JWoww spoke about how her and husband Roger Mathews’ […]

Many take their job for granted, assuming that it will always be there or that they can easily find a new one if needed. They might grumble about their boss or their day-to-day stress. However, some individuals dream just to have a job they can call their own. For those with special needs or developmental […]

Jaap Van Zweden is one of the finest conductors in the world. Raised by a poor family in Amsterdam (his mother was a hairdresser and his father a piano teacher), Van Zweden showed a love for the violin from an early age. By eight he was performing, and as a teenager, he won a national […]

Maddox Ritch — a 6-year-old boy with autism — went missing at a North Carolina park on Saturday, Fox News reports. Ritch was last seen at Rankin Lake Park on Saturday at 1 p.m. said the Gastonia Police Department. Gastonia is 20 miles west of Charlotte. While at the park, Ritch was walking with his […]

According to research carried out by a team at Cambridge University’s Autism Research Centre, women with polycystic ovary syndrome (referred to as polycystic ovarian syndrome in the United States) are more likely to have child with autism, Science Daily reports. The study was published in the Translational Psychiatry journal. PCOS is a condition that causes […]

A Louisiana woman with autism was held in a cage and forced to eat her mother’s ashes, in addition to a host of other alleged instances of sexual, physical, psychological and financial abuse at the hands of her relatives who were supposed to care for her. As KMBC-TV reports, the alleged abuse took place between […]

In a somewhat shocking allegation, two Indiana parents have filed a formal suit against the LaPorte Community School Corp., naming in their documents a teacher and two special education assistants. as well as a number of other educators and administrators. This lawsuit comes in reaction to finding that their 8-year-old autistic daughter was being strapped […]

Complaints came in to officials in the George Township area of Michigan, where neighbors are upset over a young boy’s ducks. Dylan Dyke is a 12-year-old child dealing with autism, and he is now at risk of losing his service ducks, Nibbles and Bill, reports the New York Post. His parents are currently fighting against […]

According to the BBC, supermarket chain Morrisons has introduced a weekly “quieter hour.” Aimed at reducing stress during shopping by eliminating loud music and minimizing other noises and lighting, the initiative is designed to create a welcoming atmosphere for shoppers with autism or who shop with children with autism, or others who are disturbed by […]

Whether a vaccine-autism link exists or not – despite being discredited – has been a hotly debated topic for years. With the CDC recently revealing that the rate of autism being diagnosed in children is continuing to rise, it makes sense that this particular topic would resurface. According to an article in the New York […]

Fans of the Real Housewives on Bravo will most likely recognize reality star Jacqueline Laurita for her time on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, which she was a cast member of for a number of years. Most fans will also know that Laurita’s son, Nicholas, with husband Christopher, is autistic, as her son’s diagnosis […]

The 911 call in which Joseph Daniels reported his missing son, 5-year-old Joe Clyde Daniels, has been released, revealing chilling details about the alleged murder of the autistic child. As Yahoo News reports, Tennessee authorities released audio of the call Sunday night. Early in the morning of April 3, Joseph Daniels called 911 to report […]

A man told his girlfriend to rape his 11-year-old son with autism because he felt the boy was gay. AL.com is reporting that Sean Cole and his girlfriend, Khadeijah Moore, were both convicted of sodomy, rape, and sexual abuse of a child younger than the age of 12. Both of them will be sentenced May […]

A school bus aide is accused of sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy with autism. Arizona Central is reporting that Samantha Rose Poirier, 18, was arrested Tuesday after a surveillance video showed her kissing the autistic boy and letting him touch her breast. The Mesa school bus aide was charged on suspicion of one count of […]

A woman overwhelmed with taking care of her 11-year-old son who has autism reportedly tried to decapitate him. The Miami Herald is reporting that Kristina Petrie, 46, felt she had failed in raising the child and feared the 11-year-old boy and his brother would grow up to be liabilities in society. The March 12 incident […]

Autistic children are being given bleach by their parents to consume bleach to cure their condition. It’s a dangerous practice that is being linked to a U.S cult known as The Genesis II Church, Newsweek reports. Genesis II was created by Jim Humble, a former member of The Church of Scientology. Based on the “About […]

A woman from Baker, LA faces charges after leaving a nonverbal autistic child inside of a truck in 35-degree weather for several hours while she played Bingo on Friday. According to The Advocate, it was around 4:45 p.m. when someone anonymously called the Baker police to report a truck sitting in the same spot for […]

UPDATE [12:40 p.m. ET] – R. Kelly issued a video statement Wednesday morning regarding the allegations that he had bullied an autistic fan named Lenny Felix. As quoted by the Mirror, Kelly said that it’s “totally not true” that he intentionally makes fun of people with the condition, and that he wasn’t aware of Felix’s […]

A lot of guests gathered around the Journey Into Imagination fountain at Epcot on Saturday, and it wasn’t to watch the waters jump. They were there to see a young boy swimming through it. Earlier in the afternoon, crowds began to flock to the fountain/pond stationed next to the Imagination pavilion and not far from […]

New research suggests that fatherhood after the age of 40 is not as uncommon as what you may think. In fact, there are now far more men over that age who are becoming fathers to newborn babies. The study published Thursday in the journal Human Reproduction suggests that the average age of fathers in the […]

A 9-year-old child with autism was attacked by bullies. A group of boys took a wooden board with a nail through it and hurled it toward Romeo Smith as he was walking away. The victim was left with a nail in his head. If that were not shocking enough, police want to try to “mediate” […]

An autistic teenager died after being forgotten about and left in a van for several hours in 91-degree heat, the Independent is reporting. Authorities say the 19-year-old, whose name has not been released, was found slumped over in his seat in a van parked outside of Cosmos Earth, the care facility where he lived in […]

The state of Pennsylvania legalized medical marijuana last year and now they are preparing to finally start awarding licenses to businesses. With these first licenses expected to be awarded as soon as Tuesday, June 20, things are finally starting to come together to allow patients in-state access to the medicinal herb. Interestingly though, it’s not […]

A series of dangerous incidents involving fidget spinners has parents, schools, and even government officials worried about the safety of this latest toy fad. At least two children in the United States were hospitalized after swallowing fidget spinner pieces, according to News 4 Jacksonville. While the concerns over dangers are very real for parents of […]

April is Autism Awareness Month, which is accompanied by the popular “light it up blue” slogan made famous by Autism Speaks. Well-meaning individuals and businesses make donations and switch to blue exterior lighting on April 2, and throughout the entire month, in order to raise awareness of autism. However, many autistic adults are actively participating […]

Her name is Julia! She’s just 4-years old, with red hair and green eyes, and this gorgeous little girl loves to paint and pick flowers. And when she speaks, Julia often repeats what she’s just heard Abby and Elmo say. Julie has autism. Meet Julia, a new Muppet on @sesamestreet who has autism. Learn all […]