A brief summary of current issues and your chance to participate. Submitted by Connie Boyar, SF Autism Society Advocacy Chair The “Big Beautiful Bill”/ federal budget reconciliation bill will affect California DD system in several ways according to Disability Rights California. These cuts may be seen as early as July 2026 and likely after the…
We’re thrilled to announce that we’re making it easier than ever for our families to receive a lifetime America the Beautiful National Parks and Recreation Pass! A representative of the National Park Service will be present at our May 31, 2025 Spring Spectacular fundraiser to sign autism families up for a free, lifetime National Parks pass! Other passes require…
Submitted by Ashwin Krishnan Statewide Autism and Medi-Cal/Medicaid Data Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Prevalence in California ○ 4.5% of 8-year-old children in California were identified with ASD in 2020, significantly higher than the 2.8% national average (https://www.kidsdata.org/). ○ 1 in 22 four-year-old children in California are on the autism spectrum (https://www.cdc.gov/autism/data-research/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.go v/ncbddd/autism/data.html). ● Rising Demand…
(Article from flysfo.com.) SFO Opens First Sensory Room for Neurodivergent Travelers and Families Interactive space includes full-scale aircraft interior mock-up for pre-flight acclimation SAN FRANCISCO – December 16, 2024 – The San Francisco International Airport (SFO) announced the opening of its newest amenity: a Sensory Room specifically designed for Neurodiverse travelers and their families. This interactive room…
Friends of Children with Special Needs
Profound Autism: A Label to Help Those Who Need it Most Earlier this year, we addressed the confusion and discord that arise from people using one word — autism — to describe two different things, an identity and a disorder. In her excellent opinion piece in Spectrum News, Alison Singer addresses the same issue and…
From Housebound to Hiking Mt. Tam How Love and Determination Helped an Autistic Boy Break Through Neurosensory Barriers By Lisa Louis My favorite childhood memories include the creeks, fields, and forests of the Adirondack foothills where I grew up. The sound of wind blowing through pine trees, the babbling of a fast-running creek, glorious multi-colored…
Did you know? Stanford’s Adult Neurodevelopment Clinic is expanding, and this year will be in a position to serve more adults with autism. This year, Dr. Thuc-Quyen Nguyen, a psychiatrist, joins Dr. Janet Miller (psychologist) and clinical director Dr. Lawrence Fung. The clinic will be adding another psychologist in May. The expansion will allow the clinic to see…
Her opinionated “The Politics of Autism” offers timely lessons for the autism community, if you can overlook the flippant digressions Not to be confused with Jack Pitney’s 2015 work by the same title, Siegel’s new book, left, would have been more aptly named something like “Reality Checking Autism: A Better Path Forward,” suggests our reviewer.BOOK…
A new paper looking at autism prevalence in California tells us what we old-timers already know: autism rates here have increased almost exponentially over the past several decades.(1) Yet to this day, some academics suggest that the autism increase doesn’t exist.(2) These doubters question the consistency of data collection and point to greater skill on…