Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbR3K4L2XnA 

What scientists should, or shouldn’t, research is usually poured over in funding boards and ethics committees. But the future of autism research is now commonly argued over on social media - as the autistic community speaks up about the type of research carried out, and the language used.

Newsnight’s Science and Technology Correspondent Kate Lamble reports.

The Ehlers-Danlos Society 

April is Autism Acceptance Month. Studies show that people with joint hypermobility, Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), and hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD) have a higher likelihood of being autistic than would be expected by chance.

Andrew Cashin, Southern Cross University

NATASHA BITA

Schools have paid compensation to students suspended for misbehaviour after litigious parents took discrimination complaints to the Australian Human Rights Commission.

The AHRC fielded 111 complaints about schools breaching the Disability Discrimination Act last year, compared to 79 in 2022.

Rachel Aroesti

From Fern Brady to Hannah Gadsby, a host of comedians have discovered that they are autistic. What is it about standup that lends itself so well to neurodivergent people?

Jesse Hyland, Millie Roberts, and Sam Nichols

Heidi La Paglia Reid

So in the neurodivergent space lately, everyone is talking Inklings

If you don’t know, the context is that the Federal Labor government committed $14.8 million last week to a trial in South Australia which is: “designed to provide crucial assistance to parents and caregivers in understanding the needs of infants between the ages of six to 18 months who exhibit early signs of autism.”

As stated on the official website, “The Inklings Program has been developed over a decade by an international team of health professionals and researchers interested in reducing disability associated with autism.”

Nicholas Eugene Glover
Autistic Elder: National Autistic Community Connect Developer.

Hopefully, sometime in March 2024, the Government will release its Draft Autism Strategy document. This Strategy will affect more than half a million Autistic lives (2024).

The U.K. released their first National Strategy in 2010. So we are a fair way behind in this regard. Hence, the Australian Autism Strategy needs to be sound, transparent, very well-thought-out, well funded, and ambitious. Autistic people need to have the opportunity to review the Draft Strategy.

Miriam Webber

NDIS Commission boss Tracy Mackey will step down from the role in May, after a tumultuous 12 months for the agency.

Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill Shorten announced Ms Mackey's resignation in a statement on Tuesday, saying the government was working to "build a better NDIS disability watchdog".

Mr Shorten's statement did not say why Ms Mackey was leaving the role, but thanked her for her time at the commission, and wished her well.