August 08, 2022
Community Shares:
- According to a recent study from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, there is a slightly increased risk of autism for each week a child is born before or after 40 weeks of gestation. After analyzing data on more than 3.5 million babies born in Sweden, Finland, and Norway between 1995 and 2015, researchers discovered only 0.83% of children born at term (37 to 42 weeks) were diagnosed with autism. However, the autism rates were 1.67% for those born at 22 to 31 weeks; 1.08% for those born at 32 to 36 weeks; and 1.74% for those born at 43 to 44 weeks.
- A new article published in Very Well Health explores the topic of autistic savants, reporting that slightly more than one-third of people with autism meet the definition of savant. The article defines an autistic savant as someone with autism who also has a single extraordinary area of knowledge or ability. This savant skill is typically linked to massive memory abilities.
- Make sure to register for ARI’s free webinar on Back-to-School Strategies for Autism. This event takes place on Wednesday, August 31, at 1 p.m. (EDT). Amy Moore Gaffney, M.A., CCC-SLP will provide evidence-based strategies for supporting students with autism as they transition back to the classroom. This webinar will be presented in English with live Spanish interpretation.
- Surging gas and food prices have impacted non-profit organizations that care for and support adults with disabilities. One New York organization is projecting that it will run $1 million over its fiscal 2022 budget due to skyrocketing prices of fuel and food. Consumer prices rose 9.1% across the nation from June 2021 to June 2022, with food prices up 10.4% and gas prices up 60%. Medicaid offered a modest 5.4% cost of living increase last year to their recipients. However, that increase did not offset these new rising prices enough to help non-profit organizations that support adults with disabilities.
