Autistic Spectrum Digest (Autism) Issue 22, September 2015 | Page 10

USA News in Review Neuroversity: a game that will help individuals with autism develop career skills Young adults with autism show improved social function following UCLA skills program Redmond, Wash. — A Microsoft employee came up with an idea of a game called ‘Neuroversity‘ that will help individuals with autism develop career skills necessary for them to find employment in the future. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – LOS ANGELES: Researchers at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA have found that a social skills program for high-functioning young adults with autism spectrum disorder significantly improved the participants’ ability to engage with their peers. Cari Mason’s idea is just one of the many projects being worked on by both old and new developers alike at the annual Microsoft Hackathon— an event where programmers collaborate together to help complete each other’s projects. May Center prepares students with ASD for adult life Quincy, Mass. — The May Center School for Autism and Developmental Disabilities in Randolph, Mass. is very much aware of the pressing issue brought about by the fact that the rate of individuals with autism is growing exponentially— that many of them are now turning into adults, and that those who are already adults are having a hard time trying to find the means to support themselves. It is for this reason that the school decided to open the Todd Fournier Center for Employment Training and Community Inclusion three years ago. 10 In the study, the largest randomized controlled trial to show improved social functioning in young adults with autism, the participants’ advances continued to be seen 16 weeks after the program’s conclusion, and were even augmented by other improvements such as increased empathy and greater responsibility.