Margaux is an #ActuallyAutistic blogger who lives near Vancouver, Canada. She loves art, crafts, cats, tea, traveling, and watching a few of her favorite reality TV shows. She blogs about her life as one of the ways she advocates for herself and the autistic community. Your blog: Navigating Life: My…

By Ryan Smoluk All Without Words As a self-advocate for autism awareness and a visual artist, I was so excited when this project came my way. It allowed me to create art that represents neurodiversity. I was free to create whatever images that flowed into my imagination. There were no boundaries. Cr…

“Young adults with autism need to get their butts out of the house and get a job! Work experience can start small walking dogs in the neighborhood or mowing lawns,” Temple Grandin By Ron Sandison Temple Grandin was standing in the back corner next to the stage as I entered the ballroom of Detroit Ma…

Cash prizes are provided by the Joe Mantegna Family The Art of Autism is seeking art with the themes of Inclusion, Disability, Education, and Acceptance for display at the 43rd Annual Disability Rights Legal Center FDR Dinner September 15, 2018. Submissions are to be sent to info@artautism.com by Au…

Dr. Grandin taught me that I did not need to blame, shame, or hate myself just because I was different. By Wendi E. Powers As an over-forty college graduate, I attributed my difficulties to complex childhood trauma. Although I was in therapy for PTSD and Dissociative Identity Disorder, I become dis…

The fragrance of jasmine can have a powerful impact on your health.Source: The Autism Site

Disability empowerment … can bend the moral arc of a neurotypical universe into one which supports the idea that initiative and hard work is valuable in and of itself, in whichever way it chooses to manifest. By Nils Skudra A little prefatory material is perhaps in order before I engage in a bit of …

By Matteo Musso Hi, I am a 15 year old guy with autism. I have been silent most of my life, at least regarding using spoken language as a primary way of communicating. I was introduced to the letter board when I was 11½ years old. To live in this society without the use of spoken language is so cha…

Autistic people, diagnosed or not, are not here to prove themselves to you, me or anyone else by virtue of “how autistic they are.” By Jocelyn Eastman CN: A Teensy Bit of Vulgarity and Bad Language for effect I’m truly a lucky woman. I don’t have any diagnosed children who would have compelled…

Jude Morrow has always loved books. When he was younger, he couldn’t speak or converse very well so he found his solitude and peace in reading. He still does! He works as a social worker who specializes in the care of older people. After a long day at work, he loves to unwind with a book. And now, J…

By Julia Ballantyne  “What happens to my child when I am gone?” It is question no parent wants to think about, but is especially important when that child has special needs or developmental disabilities, and requires a team of support for his or her entire life.  Carefully planning for retirement is…

“What people forget is that autism is a developmental disability. It’s not a learning disability. We’re not all nerdy guys who are good at math like Sheldon on the ‘Big Bang Theory.’ We come in all shapes and sizes. I want to create a paradigm shift to view students with autism as the bright…

As he begins his second semester of community college, I want to catch everyone up on Ian’s college career to date. Last semester, Ian and I attended College of Marin’s beginning acting class. While we originally discussed transitioning towards independence last semester, we never made the jum…

How Autistic people experience the world is still not well understood by many mental health clinicians. As many Autistic adults – and particularly women – are undiagnosed, mental health clinicians may assume they communicate and behave like a non-Autistic person would in the same situati…