Leaving school can be scary! And this time can be particularly difficult for teens with ASD. We are conducting a study that will help to improve the transition planning process for adolescents with high functioning autism or Asperger’s Syndrome. Please contact Megan Hatfield for more information: megan.hatfield@curtin.edu.au

Or visit the Autism CRC website: www.autismcrc.com.au/transition

Many people tend to think of autism as a male disorder, but emerging research shows that girls often have different symptoms which cause them to slip through the net. These girls and women are often misdiagnosed or go undiagnosed altogether. Lynne Malcolm and Olivia Willis report.

With the exception of a few notable women around the world, autism is widely considered to be a disorder that affects men.

A disabled young boy was "punched" in the throat by a Jiu Jitsu trainer and repeatedly restrained at a specialist school in Victoria, court documents show.

Swedish researchers suggest that outside factors, from diagnosis to socioeconomics, may have inflated reports that suggest rates of autism are spiking.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s March 2014 report showing a 30 percent rise in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) over the span of a few years triggered widespread concern over one simple question: what is the cause?

Schools are struggling with a threefold rise in the number of stud­ents with autism spectrum disorders, sparking state demands for extra federal funding.

The number of autistic children in West Australian public schools has more than trebled in eight years, to 4000 stud­ents. In NSW, the nation’s biggest public schooling system, teachers are dealing with 14,000 students diagnosed on the autism spectrum — a 160 per cent increase since 2008.

ROSIE KING, MOSMAN DAILY

Jenny and Seamus Willims were told via email that The Kids Cottage, where there autistic son Clancy had attended for two years, were expelling their son. Picture: Elenor Tedenborg