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Texas Medicaid adds future coverage for autism… Update as of July 15, 2021: Due to COVID-19, the implementation of coverage for autism services was delayed. The benefit implementation date has been confirmed for February 1, 2022.   On June 15, … including applied behavior analysis (ABA), for all Texas Medicaid-enrolled children.  An estimated 80,000 children with autism in Texas rely on Medicaid for their healthcare  and have been unable to access the most basic, evidence-based … The added coverage will ensure access to appropriate services, resources and interventions, including ABA, following an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. This timely access to care may influence individuals’ life outcomes, including reducing …
Autism and Employment: The Need for a Full-Spectrum Perspective…   As parents actively engaged in the autism community, we've both celebrated successes and navigated challenges related to employment for those on the spectrum. … by a growing population of very diverse individuals. For Jill’s son Jonathan, who is 24 and has profound autism, the idea of employment is not a realistic option. He is nonverbal, set in his routines, and can sometimes exhibit …
Autism diagnosis on the rise, according to trends study…   A new study published in JAMA Network Open shows that the number of children and adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased by 175% over a decade. Researchers analyzed electronic health records and insurance claims data from over 12.2 million people from 2011 to 2022. Over that period, autism prevalence across the lifespan rose from 2.3 per 1,000 people to 6.3 per 1,000 people.   While this study offers …
Priorities for the Autism Community During this Time of Crisis… We have been monitoring this activity and communicating with our congressional champions to ensure that the needs of the autism community are addressed during this critical time. Congressmen Chris Smith and Mike Doyle, co-chairs of the Congressional Autism Caucus, sent a  letter to congressional leadership  this week expressing some of our concerns and requests for …
NFL players show support of Autism Speaks… That's right – you can now bid on the very cleats worn by your favorite NFL players and coaches, custom designed to support Autism Speaks. As part of the league-wide My Cause My Cleats initiative, which began in 2016, players across the league are … raise money for organizations near to their hearts.   This year, several players and coaches chose to show their support of Autism Speaks and the autistic community by rocking custom footwear in NFL stadiums across the country, including D’Onta …
Expert Q&A: Understanding autism emotional regulation… is the ability to cope with situations that cause emotions like stress, anxiety or frustration. Sometimes, people with autism have a harder time regulating their emotions. They may rely on unique self-soothing strategies to deal with intense … smells.   In this Q&A, Arianna Esposito shares emotional regulation strategies.   What are some signs that a person with autism is dysregulated? Every person with autism manages their sensory input in a different way and their emotional regulation skills can vary. It’s difficult to make …
Appreciating all the little things on the autism journey… This is a post by Kimberlee Rutan McCafferty, author and mother to two sons on the autism spectrum and an Autism Family Partner at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Kim is also the author of a  blog  about her two …
Autism Speaks MSSNG database provides data for world’s largest autism whole-genome sequencing study, revealing 134 autism-linked genesAutism Speaks MSSNG database , the world’s largest autism whole-genome dataset, recently provided researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) with access to …
What is epigenetics, and what does it have to do with autism?… By Alycia Halladay, PhD, Autism Speaks former director of research for environmental sciences. What is epigenetics, and what does it have to do with autism? If you’ve been following autism research in recent years, you have probably read—many times—that genetic, or …
Autism Speaks Launches MSSNG Portal for Open-Access Genomics Research… Video (Responsive)."]} New York, N.Y. (September 1, 2015)  – Autism Speaks, the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization, today launched the  web-based portal  for its  MSSNG  database, making the …