The hardships of attending church services regularly can be a challenge for many families affected by autism regardless of their faith. At times, the lack of understanding by fellow church members and clergy can make what is supposed to be a most welcoming place become very uninviting.

Researchers at the University of Utah along with other international researchers have discovered another possible genetic link to autism. Multiple mutations near the semaphorin 5a gene (SEMA5A) could be a possible genetic factor in autism. This gene plays an important role in the creation of a protein that is involved in the development of neurons, and the mutations can vary from one person to the next.

Many in the medical community do not feel that the autism diagnosis is any greater today than it has been in years or even decades past. Many feel that our methods for diagnosing are simply better thanks to awareness around the disorder. Time magazine published an article on Saturday that encapsulates this idealogy.

Another incident of a teenager with Aspergers made news yesterday as the teen was able to board an aircraft without his parents knowledge. He made the trip from Oregon to Chicago to visit a teenage girl that he had been texting.

In the new Giant Steps school in Illinois, the most minute details were scrutinized, even down to the volume of the automatic flushing toilets. The school will take some pressure off of area schools that are ill equipped to handle students that are on the autism spectrum.

The Sunshine Boy, debuting next month at the Toronto Film Festival tells the story of an Icelandic mother and her attempt to understand her severely autistic 11 year old son. Oscar winner Kate Winslet will provide narration for the movie.