Weekly overview of autism-related news from the Netherlands and around the world. Calmly summarized, with links to relevant articles.
The AASPIRE Autistic Burnout Measure has been validated with 379 autistic adults and now reliably measures what many have long felt. The tool shows strong links with camouflaging, depression, and anxiety — and distinguishes autistic burnout from occupational burnout for the first time.
Bloomberg reports on the massive Swedish study of 2.8 million people: boys under ten are diagnosed three to four times more often than girls, but by adulthood the gap has nearly closed. This points to a diagnostic system that misses girls for years — not to a male condition.
With municipal elections on March 18 approaching, the NVA sent a pamphlet to all municipalities. The message: make housing, employment, education, and transport more accessible for autistic people. Not as a favour, but as a fundamental right.
UCL researchers analysed therapy outcomes in 7,175 autistic adults. Most showed little improvement in anxiety and depression. Those with greater daily functioning difficulties and ethnic minority backgrounds had poorer outcomes. The conclusion: standard therapy needs better adaptation to autistic needs.
Some researchers claim avoiding toxin exposure before pregnancy could help prevent autism. RFK Jr. even calls autism a 'preventable disease'. But the evidence is thin and the framing controversial: many autistic people point out that prevention rhetoric frames their existence as a problem.
An ecological momentary assessment study in 87 autistic adults confirms what many people already experience physically: the more masking they reported in the moment, the higher their stress at that same moment. Participants also reported less pressure to camouflage around autistic peers.
Merlin tested a February policy where visitors with autism, ADHD, and anxiety are no longer routinely included in disability fast-lane access. Instead, support shifts toward sensory rooms and quiet spaces. Autism organisations immediately raised concerns.
A new report based on more than 4,000 responses reinforces that timely, careful diagnosis and meaningful follow-up care are not optional. For people missed for years, that difference can determine whether they keep spiralling or finally receive support that fits.
Medical News Today offers a practical breakdown of masking, from forced eye contact and rehearsed scripts to suppressing sensory responses. Not a groundbreaking paper, but a useful explainer for better conversations with partners, family, and employers.
A study in the journal Autism (McKinnon et al.) shows statistically what many autistic adults already knew: camouflage and social anxiety are distinct constructs. Anxiety is an emotion. Masking is a cognitively demanding, full-time operation you have been running your entire life — and the anxiety is a consequence, not the cause.
Researchers at Bournemouth University analysed over 4,000 responses from autistic people with suicidal thoughts. Their conclusion: those missed in childhood still need timely, careful diagnosis. Autistic people face three times the suicide risk compared to non-autistic people.
RFK Jr. claims 1 in 31 children are 'disabled by autism' and will never hold a job or use a toilet independently. Science-Based Medicine explains why that is nonsense: he conflates numbers for the entire autism spectrum with those of the 26.7% who have severe intellectual disabilities. The remaining 73% live independently.
Researchers at Radboud University found that autistic adults initially adapt their language to children just as effectively as non-autistic people. The difference lies in mid-conversation adjustment: neurotypical participants continuously fine-tune based on new cues, while autistic participants tend to stick with their initial approach.
A review article explains why many adults feel their autism is getting worse. Research shows core traits remain stable or improve over time. What changes: expectations rise, support falls away, and years of masking take their toll. The problem is not you — it is the environment demanding more and more.
The Karolinska Institute tracked 2.7 million Swedes over 35 years. In childhood, boys receive the diagnosis far more often, but by age twenty the ratio evens out. This does not point to a male condition — it points to a system that misses girls for years.
Ahead of the youth care debate on February 2, the NVA sent a letter to members of parliament. The message: establish an ethical framework for all autism care first, rather than only regulating the controversial ABA method. The NVA also raised concerns about long waiting lists in specialised youth support.
In the tragicomedy KAIN, a young man searches for connection in a world that does not understand him. Actor Daniël Gellvoet, who is autistic himself, brings his own lived experience to the role. The film previously screened at the Woodstock Film Festival and will hit Dutch cinemas on April 2 (World Autism Day).
The ASRS Adult questionnaire compares how autistic adults experience themselves with how others perceive them. Among 105 participants, the gap was striking: heavy maskers score high on autistic traits internally, while observers notice very little. This makes masking measurable for the first time.
Following the Swedish BMJ study, The Guardian reports on the consequences of missed diagnoses in women. Those identified too late often receive incorrect labels first — personality disorders, anxiety. Autism organisations call for dismantling gender stereotypes in diagnostic practice.
Theme park chain Merlin is testing a new policy during spring break: visitors with autism, ADHD, or anxiety can no longer use the disability queue pass. It will be reserved for people with physical disabilities. Autistic visitors are offered access to sensory rooms instead. The National Autistic Society has raised objections.
Dutch footballer Rick Karsdorp is stepping away from professional football for a year to support his autistic son through dolphin therapy in Curaçao. "We are going to do the full therapy programme with him. That means a lot."
The ministry disregarded a recommendation from the Netherlands Youth Institute and opted for ABA-based standards in youth care anyway. The Dutch Autism Association calls this decision "concerning" given the ongoing controversy around ABA within the autism community.
A new meta-analysis concludes that acetaminophen (paracetamol) use during pregnancy does not increase the risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disabilities. This contradicts earlier claims made by US federal agencies.
Health Secretary RFK Jr. has replaced all 21 members of the federal autism advisory committee. Critics are concerned about the appointment of several members who link vaccines to autism.
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