AUTISM
Pistachio is dedicated to the fight for autism… Cope, Study, Cure.

Cope, Study, and Cure
When I moved to San Diego some 15 years ago, a few of my clients shared their trials and tribulations with autism. While I was concerned, I had just married and didn’t really believe that such an illness would ever affect my family. Today, as a parent of an autistic...
2% Autism Pledge
To help raise awareness and assist families affected by the autism epidemic, Pistachio pledges to donate two percent of every shampoo and conditioner sale to the Autism Society of San Diego on a continuing basis. We've been honored to participate in this movement to...
Local mom’s small business creates sensory toys for those with autism
Giselle Kongdara from Tiny Tot Sensory talked about how her business started, the benefits of the toys and how cost is key for her. April is Autism Awareness Month https://www.etsy.com/shop/TinyTotSensory Our Social Media on...
Autism Rates Continue to Rise in California
"A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows the rates and demographics of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are changing in the United States. In the latest analysis, 1 in 36 8-year-old children (2.8%) have been identified...
U.S. based Legoland Parks to become certified Autism Centers by spring 2023
Legoland Resorts announced Monday that all of its North American theme parks would become Certified Autism Centers (CAC) by March 31. Legoland parks in Florida and California received autism certification in 2022. The company’s newest theme park in New York will...
5th Annual Lights! Camera! Autism!
An evening of music, food, art and film will showcase autistic adults in every aspect of the evening including: Art show with more than 25 artists in attendance Film with panel discussion, featuring Dani Bowman, star of Netflix's Love on the Spectrum, and founder of...
Talent show features students in D’Vine Path’s program for people with autism and special needs
"BY LINDA MCINTOSH AUG. 11, 2022 2:04 PM PT The second D’Vine Path Talent Show drew 150 attendees recently to the nonprofit’s new 8-acre campus on Olive Hill Road in Fallbrook, where the bed-and-breakfast reality TV series “Inn Love” was filmed. The event featured...
San Diego aims to recruit more neurodivergent employees.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday in favor of a plan to help the county recruit more neurodivergent workers. The term “neurodivergent” refers to people whose brains process information atypically. It is often used to refer to people...
Race for Autism returns to Balboa Park
SAN DIEGO – The Race for Autism returned to Balboa Park Saturday morning for its 18th annual superhero 5K run and walk. The race, which coincided with World Autism Acceptance Day, drew in thousands of people after two years off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event...
Palm Springs Becomes Autism Certified by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards | TravelPulse
Palm Springs has been designated as a Certified Autism Center (CAC) by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCE), a training and certification organization that meets the needs of professionals who work with autism and other...
‘Dancing Lessons’ handles autism, trauma with care
"By Pam Kragen For a play called “Dancing Lessons,” Mark St. Germain’s comedy-drama spends very little time on dancing or lessons. Instead, the play’s name is a metaphor for the delicate dance between two misfits who find a rare and honest connection through...
Winners bask in ‘Autism’s Got Talent’ show glow
'“My bank called me recently because they noticed highly suspicious activity on my credit card. ... It was from a gym membership.” That line came from a comedian perched behind a drum set who punctuated each joke with a bada boom and a cymbal strike as laughter...
Opinion: When I was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at 21, I grieved. Now I’m proud.
Renas is the host of The Missing Piece Podcast and a graduate student at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. She lives in North Park. April is Autism Awareness Month. My celebration has been different this year, and yours should be, too. The...
Opinion: Families with autism are resilient. For us, the pandemic inspired a round of songwriting.
Andrea Moriarty is the author of two books on autism. Reid Moriarty is a singer-songwriter and YouTube personality. They live in Solana Beach. Here’s the thing about families with autism: We have accumulated years of experience being resilient and designing for new...
San Diego Hair Salon Owner Joins Lawsuit Against Governor’s Order To Force Salons Outdoors | KPBS
San Diego’s only haircutter for children with autism and other special needs announced that she’ll be joining the Bols v. Newsom lawsuit, to overturn the governor’s order that salons must do their work outdoors. Amy Mullins-Boychak is the owner of THAIRapy hair salon....
Parents of autistic children navigate distance learning during school closures – The San Diego Union-Tribune
By LAUREN J. MAPP | STAFF WRITER APRIL 26, 2020 Being a parent to three boys in their teen and pre-teen years is no easy task. Having to guide them through distance learning during the COVID-19 global pandemic is even more difficult, especially for Amy Munera. The...
World Autism Awareness Day
April 2, 2020 - World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) aims to put a spotlight on the hurdles that people with autism – and others living with autism – face every day. Fun Fact: The autism awareness puzzle ribbon colors and puzzle pieces represent the diversity of the...
Hoff Started Group to Aid Parents of Autistic Kids
By Bob Morris Dayna Hoff has a master’s in business administration and is a former pharmaceutical sales representative who worked with neurologists and neuroscientists in San Diego and elsewhere. Her husband, Todd, is a health care executive. In 2000, their son...
UCSD seeks volunteers for study that will try to identify risk of autism before symptoms appear- The San Diego Union-Tribune
Researchers will look for “tell-tale” signs of the disorder in blood samples taken when a child is born SAN DIEGO — UC San Diego is seeking 400 families to participate in a study that will test whether it is possible to predict if a newborn is at risk for developing...
Vocational program for adults with autism celebrates first anniversary
North County Events, Community News By LINDA MCINTOSH CARLSBAD "Class focuses on improv exercise: The Carlsbad Senior Center is offering a six-week class, “Improv Your Life,” from 10:30 a.m. to noon Thursdays, beginning Jan. 30, at 799 Pine Ave. The classes cover the...
‘Radically Inclusive’ project gives career training to young artists with autism
"As the mother of a child with autism, Andrea Moriarty has two words for fellow parents trying to help their children transition into the working world as adults: “Lean in.” That’s what she and her husband, Jim, did a decade ago when their teenage son, Reid, expressed...
Filmmaker Melissa Collins-Porter of Carlsbad rofiled three North County families struggling to find solutions.
"For most young parents, receiving the news that their toddler child is on the autism spectrum is devastating. But an even bigger challenge awaits these parents 20 to 30 years down the road when these children have grown into adults with nowhere to go. That’s the...
Cortica Opens New Center for Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Conditions in Carlsbad
"CARLSBAD, Calif., Nov. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cortica Inc. ("Cortica"), a leading provider of advanced neurological therapies for children with autism, speech and language delays, sensory processing disorder and other conditions that impact brain development, held...
Lake Elsinore’s Kodi Lee, Musician Who Is Blind and Has Autism, Wins ‘America’s Got Talent’
'Judge Simon Cowell called it one of the best seasons ever and on Wednesday night, “America’s Got Talent” crowned one of its most popular contestants. Singer/pianist Kodi Lee, 22, of Lake Elsinore, was named the winner of Season 14. Lee, who is blind and autistic, was...
Teen with autism finds voice through award-winning poetry
Miles McInerney, self-described ‘cracked boy,’ translates his world via verse By JOHN WILKENS SEP. 15, 2019 For years, during classroom discussions, Miles McInerney didn’t talk much, which isn’t the same as having nothing to say. His head was full of things worth...
Autism companion dogs ‘graduate’ into service
"When he was 2 years old, Fallbrook teenager Elliot Sylvester was diagnosed with autism and he visited Disneyland for the very first time. Trips to the Anaheim theme park became a beloved family tradition for Elliot and his parents, Rick and Laura Sylvester, but they...
Alex Nichols Freestyle Weaving
STORY OF AN ARTIST "Alex Nichols is a free style weaver who follows the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, which represents embracing imperfection. Using a Saori loom and various hand weaving techniques, Alex creates wild and free wall hangings mixing textures and...
Carlsbad firm tests hiring program for those with autism
'By Pam Kragen CARLSBAD David Chidester has loved computers ever since he was a little boy tapping away on his dad’s old Dell PC running Windows ’98. As a result, the 22-year-old programmer is eager to show employers what he can do. But since earning a computer...
Teen with autism uses Jetboard for therapy
'SAN DIEGO -- You may not think of extreme sports as a form a therapy, but for one thrill-seeker with autism, flying around on a Jetboard makes him feel alive. Ben Dewart can be seen soaring above Mission Bay on the Jetboard weekly. "From failing, I learned I had to...
Tikkun Olam Award won by teen expert on autism
"SAN DIEGO – At 18, Ethan Hirschberg has become a recognized authority on autism. He has a blog on which he posts about the condition every two weeks or so; has authored a book on sale on Amazon, in which 20 of his most trenchant columns about autism are included; and...
Researchers identify genes that increase autism risk
"LOS ANGELES — A UCLA-led research team has identified dozens of genes, including 16 new genes, that increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder, according to a UCLA study published Thursday. The findings, published in the journal Cell, were based on a study of...
The Arc of San Diego is seeking candidates with autism for a hiring pilot program
'SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – The Arc of San Diego is partnering with Neurodiversity in the Workplace and Thermo Fisher for a neurodiversity hiring/training program for candidates with autism. Selected candidates will attend a two-week training program at Thermo Fisher...