This week, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a series of public comments about autism that were scientifically unfounded, deeply stigmatizing, and harmful to everyone in our autism community. The Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) unequivocally rejects Secretary Kennedy’s characterization of autism as a…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today released new data on autism prevalence through its Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. The report estimates that 1 in 31 eight-year-old children in the United States are identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)—an increase from the previous estimate of…
Earlier this month we introduced you to Eva Erickson, a contestant on season 48 of Survivor. In the most recent episode of this season, Eva takes center stage after she gets overwhelmed during a task and chooses to disclose her autism diagnosis to the rest of the competitors. We had…
April is Autism Acceptance Month, a time to move beyond awareness and take meaningful action toward inclusion and support for autistic individuals. From Awareness to Acceptance In 2008, the United Nations General Assembly established April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day, which was initially focused on finding…
The Minnesota autism community has a new hometown hero to root for—Eva Erickson, a proud Eagan native, lifelong hockey player, and PhD candidate, who is now making waves on the 48th season of Survivor. But beyond her impressive athletic and academic accomplishments, Eva’s story is one of resilience, determination, and…
We’re thrilled to share that the Autism Society of Minnesota’s (AuSM) 2024 Annual Report is now available for you to explore. This report is a reflection of the incredible work we’ve done over the past year—work made possible by our dedicated community, partners, and supporters. Inside…
Each year, AuSM produces two catalogs to keep our community informed about educational opportunities in the next several months, including classes, workshops, and social and recreation programs. We’re thrilled to share that we’ve just published our 2024-2025 Education Catalog, available here on our website. In this piece you’ll…
Joyner Emerick became the second-ever recipient of the Jean Bender Changemaker Award during AuSM’s 2024 annual meeting of its board of directors and members of the community. Joyner is an AuSM board member and the first openly-autistic member on the school board of Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS). Joyner’s leadership was…
On May 14, 2024, Chief Judge Schiltz preliminarily approved a class action settlement between the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and a group of students and/or their guardians represented by Minnesota Disability Law Center regarding compensatory education services for a group of Minnesota students described below: All children…
AuSM-backed legislative wins in 2024 include a bill introducing educators to ableism training, legislation establishing a journey-mapping study on the accessibility of obtaining disability services, and further reform to medical assistance for employed people with disabilities. Here is a summary of legislative progress for Minnesota’s autism community – as well…