Autism is defined by the US Department of Education as:
Autism means a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.
Please note that the Palo Alto CAC does not recommend or endorse any particular organization or program, but includes this information for the benefit of families with special needs kids.
Autism Society
The Autism Society, an USA grassroots autism organization, which exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism. They do this by increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the spectrum, advocating for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the latest information regarding treatment, education, research and advocacy.
Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks is a autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. They publish a resource guide on interventions, advocacy, schools, after school programs and other resources. Information about some interventions. There is also a general resource guide on books, movies, websites etc.
National Autism Center: Free Manual on Autism for Educators
The National Autism Center is May Institute’s center for the promotion of evidence-based practice. It is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) by providing reliable information, promoting best practices, and offering comprehensive resources for families, practitioners, and communities.
TACA
Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) is a national non-profit dedicated to educating, empowering and supporting families affected by autism. Autism Journey Blueprints (2012): click here to download the PDF
Early Support Program for Autism
The Early Support Program for Autism is a collaboration between Stanford Children’s Health and Children’s Health Council to provide supportive services at no cost to families after diagnosis.
Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism (TPGA)
Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism (TPGA) is a one-stop source for carefully curated, evidence-based information from autism parents, autistics, and autism professionals .
Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew
Article by Ellen Notbohm from her book Ten Things Every Child with Autsim Wishes You Knew. She also has a blog on Autism.
About Autism
Basic autism related information and resources for parents and general public by Autism Resource Centre (S) WeCAN Early Intervention Programme. Lots of idea’s, resources for parents with young children on the Autism Spectrum.
Interacting with Autism
A video based resource with video’s explaining autism, treating autism and understanding autism.
A is for Autism F is for Friend
This is a video summary of my book A is for Autism, F is for Friend – A Kid’s Book on Making Friends with a Child Who Has Autism- the short movie explains autism.
Research-Based Approaches to Autistic Ways of Learning
Research Paper of Karla McLaren with information she gathered on approaches to autistic ways of learning and seeks input from the community.
Kit for Kids peer education resource by OAR (Organisation for Autism Research)
The animated web video is about some behaviors and characteristics that may make Nick and other kids with autism seem “a little different.” The video can be used in classrooms where students with autism are learning alongside their typically developing peers. The activity workbooks builds on the video “What’s Up with Nick?” story and can be used for (peer) education lesson.
Autism Fun Bay Area
Autism Fun Bay Area, based in San Francisco, California, was founded in 2012 by concert pianist Stephen Prutsman and his wife Sigrid Van Bladel, parents of a young teen with autism. Our “Azure” events aim to make music and the performing arts accessible to audiences for whom regular performances are typically off limits or difficult due to behaviors or sensory challenges.
MochAA
Mochaa offers support to mothers and families of children with special needs. Mochaa attends conferences and local special education activities in order to reach out to gain new members as well as to raise community awareness of the needs of the special needs parent. Mochaa provides a comfortable setting for parents of children on the autism spectrum, as well as parents of children with any other special needs, to interact and share questions, feelings, successes, information, concerns, problems, and sometimes socially awkward topics in regards to parenting and caring for special needs children.
Fiddle Foundation
The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation is the first organization in the United States with the specific mission to develop programs for adults living with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) with exemplary organizations who have expertise in running and implementing successful programs.
Autisic Speaks
A blog on how it feels to be on the Autism spectrum by Lydia Wayman.
Temple Grandin: The world needs all kinds of minds
Temple Grandin, diagnosed with autism as a child, talks about how her mind works — sharing her ability to “think in pictures,” which helps her solve problems that neurotypical brains might miss. She makes the case that the world needs people on the autism spectrum: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers, and all kinds of smart geeky kids.
The forgotten history of autism by Steve Silberman
A TED talk on the forgotten history of autism by Steve Silberman a writer whose articles have appeared in Wired, the New Yorker, the MIT Technology Review, Nature, Salon, and other publications. He is the author of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity.
NBC Timeline “On the Brink”
Parents of children with autism compare it to falling off a cliff. “The picture is nothingness,” says one mom profiled in the hour-long segment. On the Brink,” a powerful new report, three years in the making, that puts a spotlight on autism’s ‘aging out’ crisis. Over the next ten years, an estimated half a million young people with autism will turn 21 and ‘age out’ — losing their eligibility for help through the education system. In California we know we have 76,000 cases of severe autism, only about 14,000 of which are currently over the age of 21. Every year, about 2,000 more age out of school.