As we head into the holiday season, we at Autism Speaks would like to
thank you for your ongoing support of our mission to promote
solutions, across the spectrum and throughout the life span, for the
needs of individuals with autism and their families. Because of YOU,
we are making a meaningful difference by providing resources and
supports to help people with autism live their best life. In this
month's Mission Spotlight you will read about our research that
improves the clinical care of autistic people across the lifespan, our
continued work in employment and advocacy and our ongoing commitment
to providing reliable information and services, and sharing of
kindness in our community.

Being a catalyst for life-enhancing research breakthroughs

Autism Speaks launches four Research Planning Grants

Autism Speaks recently announced funding for four new research
projects centered on improving the care of people with autism. The $300,000
Research Planning Grants will be awarded to researchers working to
develop models of care for adolescents and adults with high support
needs and for those experiencing significant challenging behaviors
across the lifespan: [link removed]


Grant applications open for research on central auditory processing
disorder (CAPD)

Autism Speaks, with generous support from the Royal Arch Research
Assistance, anticipates funding three research projects focused on
improving the quality of life for people with co-occurring ASD and
CAPD. In a new request for applications, researchers are encouraged to submit projects that examine the impact of CAPD on neurobehavioral outcomes, potential treatments for
CAPD and clinical approaches for the evaluation and treatment of CAPD: [link removed]


Increasing early childhood screening and timely interventions

Good news for Virginia marketplace plans

Insurance provider Anthem recently reversed its exclusion of applied
behavior analysis (ABA) in its 2021 HealthKeepers plans after the
Virginia Bureau of Insurance identified the exclusion as a violation
of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. Families who
purchased these plans on the individual marketplace and have been
denied ABA coverage should reach out to Anthem immediately. If you
have any questions, please contact [email protected].

Improving the transition to adulthood

New video shines the light on autism employment

People with autism face significant barriers to employment that lead
to a lower level of well-being and quality of life. In a new episode
of "Science Spotlight", Arun Karpur, Director of Data Science and Evaluation Research at
Autism Speaks, discusses the employment challenges faced by autistic
adults and the benefits of hiring this segment of the workforce: [link removed]

Autism Speaks hosts event offering education about employment

Autism Speaks recently hosted a Pathways to Employment
event in New England that provided autistic job seekers and business
leaders alike with valuable information about employment in the autism
community. Self-advocates shared their employment journeys and career
paths, and employment experts discussed best practices to support this
segment of the workforce: [link removed]


Ensuring access to reliable information and services throughout the
lifespan

Connecting Spanish-speaking constituents with needed resources

Autism Speaks has increased support of our Spanish-speaking
community. Last month, the Autism Response Team
hosted their first Facebook Live event in the Voces Latinas de Autism
Speaks ([link removed] )
group to share resources and work through the key points of the 100
Day Kit, all en Espanol: [link removed]

The results were impactful, with over 100 participants joining the
live event and nearly 500 people streaming the video following the
session. Le animamos a unirse al grupo y ayudar a compartir nuestro
trabajo para poder conectar a nuestros constituyentes de habla hispana
con recursos y conocimiento.

Increasing global understanding and acceptance of people with autism

Autism Speaks shares stories of kindness

In honor of World Kindness Day, Autism Speaks shared the stories of
two autistic teens who received the gift of kindness from their
communities. 17-year-old Andrew S. ([link removed] )
found true friendship when his high school football coach welcomed
him onto the team, and Warren W., age 17, ([link removed] ) was thrilled to be crowned Homecoming King of his senior class. These heart-warming acts of kindness highlight our vision of a world where people with autism are understood, accepted and encouraged to meet
their full potential.

New podcast shares the story of a transgender college student with
autism

In a new episode of the Autism Speaks "Adulting on the
Spectrum" podcast, hosts Andrew Komarow and Eileen Lamb speak with Seth Garner, an
autistic college student who is majoring in radiologic technology.
Seth describes his experience growing up as a transgender man, his
interest in music theory and his hyper fixation on VHS tapes and old
technologies: [link removed]

Shop on AmazonSmile and a percentage of your purchase will be donated to Autism Speaks: [link removed]

 




Autism Speaks | 1060 State Road 2nd Floor | Princeton, NJ
08540
© 2021 Autism Speaks Inc.

Autism Speaks and Autism Speaks Design are registered trademarks
owned by Autism Speaks Inc. All rights reserved.







[link removed]