By Ron Sandison The worst years of my life were attending middle school. I experienced severe bullying and had few friends due to my sensory issues. During my college years I was able to make friends and also excel academically. I will share eight tips that will help individuals with autism have a p…

Not all ASD kids look or act the same. But these common traits might be visible even in photos.Source: The Autism Site

HIs mom placed a recording device in his backpack after noticing his behavior changing at home.Source: The Autism Site

By Austin John Jones Austin: “Alright everybody, time to feel excited! And I mean, REALLY EXCITED!” Audience: “About what Austin?!” Austin: “About WHAAAALES!!! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAALES!!!!!” Audience: “Uh…what?” Have you ever been in this situation? Have you ever felt like you were talking an alien lang…

Issue 13’s Big Question! “What does the word family mean to you?” To me, the word “family” means something very specific. It means to be with people, who understand and accept you without condition. A family can be a small group or a large one, who all support one another. They wi…

By Robert Watkins Photo By Conner Cummings Robert Watkins is contemplating family. In his self-analysis he learns how camouflaging, anxiety and trust have impacted his marriages. When I heard that the theme of this month’s issue was to be Family, I must say I had to stop for a moment. Family. There …

By Lydia Wayman Photos By Aly Blue Photography Fans of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the classic 1970s comedy, can’t forget Lou Grant. He was the crotchety news director at WJM-TV known for saying, “You’ve got spunk. I hate spunk!” But did you know that Lou would go on to have a son on the autism spect…

By Walter Suskind Parts of the story of my life with Owen will ring familiar to many people reading this. For the now almost 1 in 50 people diagnosed as Autistic in this country, there is often a brother or a sister who has been by their side since the beginning—and will be there for as long as they…

In ‘The View from Here’ we will be zooming in on four autistic individuals and where they are on their life journeys. Our Editor-at-Large, Conner Cummings, came up with the idea (brilliant!) and the name was voted on by a group of our autistic peers. First up, Jacob Fuentes. Let’s follow him on his …

By Maura Campbell My son is the most adorable child on the planet. This irrefutable, undeniable fact has been independently verified – by both his grandmas.  I am immensely proud to be his mother. Don’t just take my word for it: he’s bewitched pretty much anyone who’s had any kind of role in his lif…

By Becca Lory, CAS, BCCS Family, talk about a loaded word. It certainly means different things to different people. For me, it’s not a particularly good word. Family has never been associated with the kinds of experiences I am looking to have nor the memories I am looking to make. I realize that may…

By Megan Amodeo Megan Amodeo reflects on autism and marriage. She found love and a lasting marriage even though she didn’t understand the first thing about dating and relationships. We are not all the same. We are like fingerprints, unique and different. I believe that those of us on the autism spe…

By Conner Cummings I am excited to be back and in a more pivotal role with Zoom Magazine, Zoom is expanding to allow even more autistic individuals the opportunity to contribute using your own creative expression. I have many ideas. I look forward to working with our new team to bring it into focus.…

Vivint Smart Home, one of the leading smart home companies in North America, will be giving away four free smart home systems in honor of Autism Awareness Month in April to four families affected by ASD. The giveaway is open to any North American household with at least one member with ASD. To enter…