As we welcome the holiday season, we at Autism Speaks would like to wish you a happy and healthy end of the year! Thank you for your gracious 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. With your help, we are working to ensure that every person with autism has the support and resources they need to reach their full potential.

Increasing early childhood screening and timely interventions

Autism Speaks calls for greater investment in research and services
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a report showing an increase in autism prevalence among children in the U.S., from 1 in 54 in 2016 to 1 in 44 in 2018. This 24% increase in two years has renewed our efforts to advocate for government investments in research and services for people with autism. Autism Speaks is calling on Congress and executive branch agencies to invest in critical community issues, such as racial and ethnic disparities, co-occurring medical conditions and challenges across the lifespan. Learn more.

New series on navigating an autism diagnosis
This November, Autism Speaks hosted a two-part virtual series designed for autistic people, families, care providers and anyone seeking information on how to best navigate a new autism diagnosis. Participants heard from parents, topic experts, self-advocates and others sharing their personal experiences and expertise. Click here to view a recording of part one, targeted to families of young and school age children. Click here to view a recording of part two, targeted to young adults and adults.

WHO Caregiver Skills Training shows promising results in Italy
A new study published this October in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, and supported in part by Autism Speaks, offers evidence that the World Health Organization (WHO) Caregiver Skills Training (CST) program can help parents improve their skills and better engage with their autistic children. This has the potential to improve health outcomes of children with autism by enhancing their interactions with their parents at home rather than relying solely on clinical services. Learn more about the results.

Improving the transition to adulthood

Research highlights the importance of vocational activities for adults with autism
A study recently published in Autism Research, and supported in part by Autism Speaks, shows that vocational activities like employment, volunteer work and post-secondary education are associated with higher well-being and quality of life among young adults with autism. These findings highlight the importance of early, targeted employment services among transition-age youth, and the need for more programs to support young adults in the transition to independent activities. Learn more.

New study on the sexual health and activity of autistic adults and adolescents
New research published this autumn in Autism Research, and supported in part by Autism Speaks, reveals significant differences in sexual orientation and activity between autistic and non-autistic people across the lifespan. As the largest study on the sexuality of autistic adolescents and adults, these results may have important implications on sex education and healthcare in the autistic community. Learn more.

Ensuring access to reliable information and services throughout the lifespan

U.S. House passes historic investment in home and community-based services
On November 19, 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed $150 billion in home and community-based services (HCBS) as a part of the Build Back Better Act. This historic increase in funding came after months of advocacy from Autism Speaks, during which congressional offices received 14,000 support letters from autistic individuals, their families and many others across the disability community and country. Now we need the U.S. Senate to maintain the hard-fought wins that passed the House. Contact your senators and ask for their support today!

Autism Speaks amplifies its efforts to make resources diverse and accessible
Since April 2021, Autism Speaks has made huge strides in our diversity, equity, access and inclusion efforts. We are committed to serving everyone with autism and their families—inclusive of all abilities, ages, races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, socioeconomic status and belief systems—by improving the representation of this diverse community in our content, expanding the reach of our resources and increasing inclusive practices in our workplace. Read about our DEAI progress this year.

Increasing global understanding and acceptance of people with autism

Autism Speaks is now on Flipgrid!
Autism Speaks has expanded our education resources into classrooms across the world by joining the Flipgrid platform. Flipgrid is an online tool used by teachers worldwide to facilitate video discussions with a network of 100 million students. Our lesson plans on empathy and emotional learning feature profiles of our autistic community members alongside meaningful discussion questions to grow students’ understanding and acceptance of people with autism. Sign up today to view our lesson plans and join the conversation.

Autism Speaks podcast uplifts the voices of autistic adults
In the new episode of our "Adulting on the Spectrum" podcast, hosts Andrew Komarow and Eileen Lamb speak with autistic advocate Vanessa Castañeda Gill. Vanessa is the founder of Social Cipher, a social emotional learning platform that connects neurodivergent youth and their advocates, counselors, teachers and mental health professionals in an immersive virtual world. Listen to the episode or read the transcript here.