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Here’s what you’re in for: A fortnightly scoop of what’s new in Autism research, news and community feeds. Each edition of The Autism Digest will contain a neat highlight reel of content that we think you’ll find useful or interesting, curated by the team at Human Health.

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Latest Research and News

Recent publications

🔍 Improving identification and support for Autistic people assigned female at birth: This article provides recommendations for clinical practice and research to improve equitable access to assessment and earlier identification of Autism, and tailored support in education, identity development, health care, and social and professional sense of belonging. Link to article

🧠 Therapy outcomes for Autistic adults in a primary care service in England: For Autistic adults with anxiety or depression, psychological therapy in primary care reduced anxiety and depression symptoms. However, compared to non-Autistic adults, Autistic adults were less likely to experience reliable reduction in or recovery from these symptoms, and more likely to experience deterioration in their mental health. Link to article

👪 The importance of parenting self-efficacy and social support for family quality of life: For parents of Autistic children diagnosed ~1 year ago, those with higher parenting self-efficacy and social support reported higher satisfaction with quality of family life. For all participants, overall satisfaction with quality of family life increased since diagnosis, but satisfaction with physical/material well-being decreased. Link to article

🗣️ Differences between self-reported and caregiver-reported social motivations among Autistic and neurotypical youth: Autistic youth had lower levels of social motivation. They also had low correspondence between self- and caregiver-reported motivation toward peers. Contrastingly, their self-report corresponded to caregiver-reported social skills and difficulties.
Link to article

New in News

👷 Employment for Autistic people and people with learning difficulties in the UK: ‘Engage to Change’ has partnered with 800 employers to provide paid placements for youth. Participants express a sense of newfound purpose since gaining employment. The initiative has secured extra funding, and will take forward the lessons learnt to ensure support is funded across Wales. Link to article

🔓 Unlocking hidden talent: The power of neurodiversity in modern organizations: Global company SAP report enhanced innovation and team management skills since implementing their Autism at Work program. By taking steps such as providing necessary accomodations and sensitization training, organizations may unlock hidden talents, foster innovation and gain a competitive edge by embracing neurodiversity. Link to article

📸 Autistic actor Chloé Hayden is leaving Instagram: The Heartbreak High star has shared that she will continue to have an Instagram presence, but it will be managed by her team after she experienced interactions on the platform that have affected her mental and physical health. Link to article

🆘 Bystander effect – Autism may make people more immune to phenomenon: A recent study identified that Autistic employees were more likely to intervene in a crisis, regardless of the number of people present. The results implied that Autistic employees may be more likely to report inefficient or dysfunctional practices, and less likely to feel social pressure to remain silent. Link to article

Featured

New Broadway Musical Features Autistic Core Cast

How to Dance in Ohio is a new coming-of-age musical about human connection. Based on an award-winning documentary about the real experiences of Autistic individuals, it follows seven young Autistic adults at a group counselling center as they prepare for the spring formal dance. It is a heart-filled story that explores the intersect between Autistic identity and important themes including race and gender expression, physical disability, relationships and independence.

The musical is breaking grounds in Autistic representation, with all seven core characters played by openly Autistic performers. Many of these cast members have evolved in their acceptance and understanding of their own Autistic experiences throughout the development of the show, with cast member Ashley Wool expressing that “…I feel like it's upgraded my advocacy in certain ways, because it's forced me to deconstruct a lot of my own internalized ableism.”

The musical has also been designed with sensory sensitivities and accessibility in mind, and opens on Broadway on December 10. Visit the website here.

Community Corner

🗺️ Starting the Journey – Getting an Autism Diagnosis: The team at Human Health have written a guide to some of the common steps taken when moving towards an Autism diagnosis. Read the full post

🎉 Writing this down now so that I have proof its not just a dream: Reddit user luckyelectric shared a celebratory moment, when their Autistic son enthusiastically played with a peer and shared a toy. Read the full post

🏠 16 ways to make your home Autism friendly: Instagram user neurodivergent_lou shared some tips, including creating a sensory safe space, installing wall hooks, and using dimmable lighting. Read the full post

🏃‍♀️ Millie reflects on what being Autistic means to her: The National Autistic Society has shared an interview with Millie, a member of the England Athletics Club who also organises fitness and running classes. Millie explains why she enjoys exercise and how it has helped her confidence. Read the full post

Resources and Tools

📖 Autism Hub webpage: A knowledge-base for current information about Autism, including live feeds of the latest clinical trials and publications, news articles, community stories, and more. Visit the Autism Hub

💬 Support groups: You can find a list of Autism support groups and organizations on the US Autism association website. Link to list

📱 Health tracking: Human Health is a free mobile app that helps you track Autism symptoms and treatments. Download the app here

🌈 Sensory toys: Got-Special Kids has a wide range of sensory toys available. Link to their website

Inspiration and Motivation