Topic: Challenges

From communication difficulties, to bullying, to mood disorders, to finding meaningful employment and good healthcare, the autism community faces many challenges. The following articles, webinars, and family stories discuss some of these challenges.

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A photo of a teen and his father at a school graduation

Coming of Age: What Awaits Young Adults With Autism?

The road to adulthood begins for many teens when they graduate from high school and move on to a first job or college. But for people with autism, leaving high school is a more monumental step, one that will transform their relationship to services. How can they prepare?

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Autism Acceptance

In this webinar, Stephen Shore, M.Ed. discusses the autism acceptance movement and how to reframe the term disability. This webinar is 60 minutes long.

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Sex Education and Autism

Psychologist Eileen Crehan explains why sex education is so important for teens with autism and describes how her program in Chicago helps address some of the challenges.

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Employment and ASD: Preparing for the World of Work

In this webinar, Ernst VanBergeijk, a professor at Lesley University, discusses employment and job trends for people with autism, skills that help individuals with autism gain and retain jobs and how employers and co-workers can create an autism-friendly workplace. This webinar is 60 minutes long.

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What Is The ABLE Act?

In this webinar, Stuart Spielman, J.D. discusses the history of the ABLE Act, how many states have implemented ABLE and how ABLE accounts work. This webinar is 60 minutes long.

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Helping Students with Autism Navigate Back-to-School Time

Returning to school after summer vacation can be hard for any child. For a student with autism, this time of year can be especially stressful. Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have trouble adjusting to change. In fact, “insistence on sameness” and “difficulties with transition” are symptoms of ASD. A new classroom, schedule, teachers, classmates, or new school can trigger distress far beyond the typical back-to-school blues.

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