Two United Nations human rights experts today called for an end to discrimination against autistic persons and a celebration of diversity. Speaking ahead of World Autism Awareness Day, the Special Rapporteurs on the rights of persons with disabilities, Catalina Devandas Aguilar, and on the right to health, Dainius Pūras, noted that about one per cent of the world’s population -some 70 million people- is estimated to be on the autism spectrum worldwide. “As part of human diversity, autistic persons should be embraced, celebrated and respected.

Autistic Minority International included a section from A4 in its submission to the United Nations Day of General Discussion (DGD) on the right to education for persons with disabilities.

The section from A4 says ...

AUTHOR: Luke Beardon, Senior Lecturer in Autism at Sheffield Hallam University

Decades ago I found myself working with a young woman with autism. I had done my reading of the autism texts of the time, and was singularly surprised when nothing I had read matched up to the person I was sat next to. There was no flapping, she had no interest in my earrings or buttons, and she certainly wasn’t even lining anything up.

Anna Remington, UCL Institute of Education

Microsoft has announced its intention to hire more autistic people – not as a charitable enterprise but because, as corporate vice-president Mary Ellen Smith said: “People with autism bring strengths that we need at Microsoft.” Employing autistic people makes good business sense.

It seems there's been a shake-up over editorial practice at one of the more expensive research journals around autism and developmental disability.

Editotial standards and practices for research published in Research in Developmental Disabilities (RIDD) and Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders (RASD) is questionable.

More information is available here: http://deevybee.blogspot.ca/2015/02/jou…

A report/review prepared for the US Department of Health and Human Services on behaviour therapies for children with autism spectrum disorder found:

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of a weighted-blanket intervention in treating severe sleep problems in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).