Category: Autism

Sensory friendly dining event breaks down barriers

For many families, the occasional evening out for dinner at a restaurant is an enjoyable treat. But for parents who care for children with autism, the notion of eating out can be panic inducing. “We did not eat out at a restaurant until my daughter was 7 or 8 years old,” says Karl Pierick, whose …

In autism, age at diagnosis depends on specific symptoms

The age at which a child with autism is diagnosed is related to the particular suite of behavioral symptoms he or she exhibits, new research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows. Certain diagnostic features, including poor nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors, were associated with earlier identification of an autism spectrum disorder, according to a study in the April issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Displaying more behavioral features was also associated with earlier diagnosis.

After 40 years, Waisman Center still at forefront of research on the brain

The telegram from President John F. Kennedy to University of Wisconsin President Fred Harrington was both eerie and visionary. Eerie because it was delivered Nov. 20, 1963 – just two days before Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas – and visionary because it seemed to anticipate the challenges confronting science in its quest to explore the human brain.

Boy with autism funds research with hand-drawn holiday cards

Giizhik Klawiter has never been so much as a visitor to the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Waisman Center, but the 10-year-old boy with autism from Hayward, Wis., is one of the most faithful supporters of the center's developmental disabilities research.

CDC estimates 1 in 88 children in United States has been identified as having an autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorders are almost five times more common among boys than girls – with 1 in 54 boys identified.

Autism and the adult child: Honoring the needs of every generation

Some of you may think I'm jumping the gun here.

The Waisman Center: Decades later, what would Harry think?

Last fall, the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison bid successfully for the same National Institutes of Health core grant that the late Harry Waisman first won 45 years ago.

Autism Speaks grant awarded to Marsha Seltzer

Marsha Mailick Seltzer received one of 47 grants awarded by Autism Speaks

Seltzer shares expertise in LA Times autism series

Seltzer, an autism expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studies how lifelong caregiving affects the well-being of parents and siblings of individuals with disabilities, including autism.

Leann Smith awarded autism treatment study grant from Autism Speaks

Smith received the grant to support a pilot study that will test the effectiveness of "Transitioning Together," an adolescent-and-family intervention for reducing stress and improving coping strategies during the transition to adulthood.