Autism

A family is pictured, smiling outside of a red home with white trim in the winter. On the left, Edward H. Speidel is a white man with very short dark hair, and is wearing a teal sweatshirt. Amy Szafranski, standing in the middle back, is a white woman with her brown hair tied up. She's wearing sunglasses and a black sweatshirt. Below Amy is J.S., a 10-year-old boy with short dark hair, who is wearing black and red headphones, grinning with his eyes closed because of the sunlight. He's wearing a grey quarter zip. On the farthest right, with her arm around her brother, is Katelyn Speidel, a young white woman with long brown hair that is tied back. She's wearing glasses and a light blue sweatshirt that has a graphic on it and says "California."

Education

10-year-old Buffalo Public Schools student returns to class after family files ADA lawsuit

Emyle Watkins

On Monday, a 10-year-old Buffalo Public Schools student returned to school for the first time in almost two years, just weeks after his family filed a federal lawsuit against the district, regarding reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Emily (left) and Paul (right) Mondschein are pictured near a window. Six year old Paul is wearing a medical face mask and blue glasses and has short blond-brown hair and brown eyes. Emily, his mom, sits next to him, wearing a pink shirt. She has a more neutral expression and has brown eyes and dark brown-black hair.

Health & Wellness

'I worry that he won't survive this virus': Williamsville family says school mask mandate will protect the life of their son, who has Down syndrome

Emyle Watkins

Local

'We’re making an accessible place public': Autism Trail seeks to break down barriers to deep nature

James Brown

New Autism Trail in Letchworth State park seeks to break down barriers to deep nature.

Local

Autism Nature Trail under construction at Letchworth State Park, eyes completion by fall

Nick Lippa

A mile-long Autism-nature trail at Letchworth State Park is expected to open to the public later this year. It’s a project that has been over a…

From left, Ron Adea (keyboards), Rawan Tuffaha (vocals) and Jackson D. Begley (guitar) perform during a virtual media appearance on Tue, Oct. 6, 2020 at Metalworks Studios in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

Toronto's ASD Band Looks To Raise Autism Awareness By Example

Ashley Westerman

All the members of the Toronto-based ASD Band are on the Autism Spectrum. This month, they've been dropping new covers of songs each week in celebration of Canada's Autism Awareness Month.

Local

Six Flags Darien Lake gets 'Certified Autism Center' designation

Alex Crichton

Six Flags Darien Lake and the other 25 Six Flags parks nationwide have earned a "Certified Autism Center" designation, the first ever family of parks to…

Health & Wellness

'First of its kind' Autism Nature Trail nearing reality at Letchworth

James Brown

Five years ago, a retired school administrator from Batavia had a conversation with her neighbor. What she didn’t know then is that talk would inspire the…

Health & Wellness

Now is time to ask questions about change coming to OPWDD

Marian Hetherly

The State Office of People with Developmental Disabilities is holding another series of public forums across New York this month to help educate families…

Health & Wellness

Saliva test that identifies autism nearly ready for market

Researchers at Upstate Medical University are almost ready to send a test to market that would use saliva to help determine if a child is autistic.The…

Local

NYS launches investigation into death of 14-year-old autistic teen

Randy Gorbman

New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia say they have launched an investigation into the facts…