Mental Health of Autistic Adults
Learn about the unique mental health challenges Autistic adults face, including diagnostic difficulties, co-occurring conditions, and tools like HADS, PHQ-9, Brief COPE and SAK-MI.
Sensory-friendly learning: Strategies for inclusive classrooms
A classroom scene showcasing a table cluttered with diverse learning materials and supplies for students
The ‘fever effect’ in autism
Gut bacteria don’t cause autism. Autistic kids’ microbiome differences are due to picky eating
Posted inIdentification and diagnosis News
PODCAST: Seeing into the future of autism detection
OTARC's Associate Professor Josephine Barbaro and Duke University's Professor Geraldine Dawson speak to Andrew Saintsing, PhD, Intern, and Stephanie DeMarco, PhD, Managing Editor of the Drug Discovery News Dialogues podcast about early identification of autism.
Posted inPolicy advocacy Study summary
Critical paper and policy brief: Suicide and Autistic people
We recently published a critical paper on suicide mortality rates in Autistic people and a corresponding policy brief to inform public health policy in the future.
Posted inEvents
Reflections on INSAR 2024 – Melbourne/Naarm
That’s a wrap on INSAR 2024!
May has been a very busy month for OTARC, welcoming the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) Annual Meeting to the Southern Hemisphere for the first time. There were over 1,200 attendees from more than 20 countries over the four days of the meeting. Our researchers spent four days at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, colloquially known as ‘Jeff’s Shed’ by locals, to delve into autism research from around the globe.
We kicked things off with three pre-conference workshops on 15th May.
Posted inHealth and wellbeing Learning with OTARC
Mental wellbeing for Autistic young adults
Content warning: This video explores the themes of suicide and mental illness.
Facing Stress: Coping Strategies, Resilience and Mental Health Outcomes in Autistic Adult
Coping Strategies, Resilience and Mental Health Outcomes in Autistic Adults
There is consensus surrounding the poor mental health outcomes experienced by many in the Autistic adult population. While the non-autistic literature suggests that high stress represents a key contributor to poor mental health and well-being, individual resources such as coping and resilience have the potential to mitigate the negative effects of stress, accounting for individual differences across mental health outcomes. Despite emerging research showing high stress in Autistic adults, investigations of coping and resilience in this population remain limited.
Posted inAutism perspectives Masking Neurodiversity
What are ‘masking’ and ‘camouflaging’ in the context of autism and ADHD?
Many Autistic people and ADHD-ers report using “masking” and “camouflaging” in their lives. This is where people conceal certain traits and replace them with neurotypical ones to avoid being recognised as neurominorities.
Posted inNews
The story of Autism research in Australia: A conversation with Cheryl Dissanayake
The story of Autism research in Australia: A conversation with Cheryl Dissanayake