By Jason Gibbs For a child with autism or other special needs, taking part in community events can be stressful and overwhelming. All the noise, new faces, sights, smells and lights can make it difficult for them to cope and be comfortable enough to have fun. This is why I am so proud that the city is...

Photo credit: @SpecialNeedsLA. Thanks to suggestions and input from members of the community, the Los Angeles County Fire Department has further developed and enhanced its Sirens of Silence program by offering more communication tools and resources for first responders and families with loved ones who...

The Alternative Baseball Organization, a baseball program for those on the autism spectrum and with similar special needs, is looking to expand into the Santa Clarita Valley. The nonprofit provides an authentic baseball experience to teens and adults, ages 15 and older, with autism and other disabilities,...

There are only a handful of therapists in Los Angeles who specialized in working with individuals with autism. California State University, Northridge is partnering with The Ed Asner Family Center to change that. Officials with CSUN’s Mitchell Family Counseling Clinic and Family Focus Resource Center...

Los Angeles County on Wednesday officially launched “L.A. Found,” a groundbreaking countywide initiative which aims to quickly locate individuals with autism, dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease when they wander and go missing. Supervisor Janice Hahn, Sheriff Jim McDonnell and Director of the L.A....

With the purpose of creating career and job opportunities to individuals on the autism spectrum, College of the Canyons will launch the Uniquely Abled Academy in spring 2018. The program will provide advanced training and support for highly functional autistic individuals to work as Computer Numeric...

The change of ownership is accompanied by a community celebration Saturday, July 23, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the gym, 26063 Bouquet Canyon Road. The event is open to the public, and families with children from all walks of life are encouraged to come. We Rock the Spectrum is a franchise opportunity...

By Warren Duffie, Office of Naval Research (DoD) There’s an app for everything these days — from weight loss to working out. Now, thanks in part to support from the Office of Naval Research, there’s an app that may screen for autism by reading kids’ facial expressions for emotional cues. The...

A few weeks ago I met a very special young lady in our community named Sarah who is a ninth grader at Canyon High School.  Sarah has had a difficult life, coming into the world at just 2.31 pounds, and suffering from brain hemorrhage, cardiorespiratory arrest and major neurological dysfunction. In...

Working With Autism, an autism service organization, is launching a new peer group geared toward helping autistic teens develop social skills. The Program for the Evaluation and Enrichment of Relational Skills, or PEERS, will deal primarily with issues that autistic teens often have difficulty with,...