Any man can be a father, but it takes a special type of person to be a Dad. On this Father’s Day the Art of Autism shares a TedX talk by one of the most dynamic dads I know – KultureCity founder Dr. Julian Maha, a very special dad, who is creating environments around the world that are …

By Debra Muzikar Tonight I was impressed that PBS News Hour is focusing on adults on the autism spectrum. John Donvan, co-author with Caren Zucker of In A Different Key: The Story of Autism, visits a program in Phoenix, First Place Transition Academy, that is creating independence, meaningful work a…

“Food and art brings us together,” Covina Mayor Jorge Marquez By Debra Muzikar Covina Councilman John King and Mayor Marquez The Art of Autism is honored to be a participating group in an exhibit titled Essence: An Exhibit by Exceptional Artists held at the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cu…

Ian always planned on moving out when he was 20. To Sausalito. To a houseboat. Or maybe a mobile home. Ian is always thinking about plans for the next step. The summer of 2014, after Ian left high school he started reminding us it was time for him to move out. Janet and I were both “yeah, yeah, yeah…

By Debra Muzikar As I write this blog, there is a video that has gone viral with a hashtag #StoptheBullying showing images of a ten-year old child (who happens to be Donald Trump’s child Barron) making a case that the child is autistic. This last week Rosie O’Donnell added to the specula…

With schools starting earlier and earlier, summers are getting shorter and shorter. And this one was certainly fast and furious. But we managed many new projects, exciting excursions, and the launch of two new programs. The Autistry Comprehensive Adult Program (ACAP) began this summer. ACAP is comp…

Update 02/02/2017 I’m collecting favorite quotes about autism from some of my favorite people. Please share your own in the comments and if I like it, I may add it to the list. 1. “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism,” Dr. Stephen Sho…

February is Black History Month. If you have someone you’d like to add to this post, please comment below. The list is dynamic. 1. Anita Cameron Anita is one of the original disability rights activitists in the United States. She worked on the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act …

By Emma Dalmayne In his song Wicked Ways Eminem says he has Aspergers: Ever heard of Aspergers? It’s a rare condition It’s what you’re suffering from when you simply don’t care if it’s an 80 degree day And there’s no fricken air conditioning. In another song called Legacy he raps: “I use…

-Authors Casey Barron and Anika Hoybjerg introduce the MOTAS. By Anika Hoybjerg, PhD, EdS, BCBA-D, LBA and Casey Barron, BCBA, LBA When working with individuals with autism or other related disabilities, it is common to use an assessment to measure current skill levels against typical develop…

  “Faith is believing for kites to fly when there’s no wind in sight,” Josiah Cullen By Ron Sandison  Tahni Cullen, a minister and bestselling author of Josiah’s Fire, declares, “God is a good gift giver.” During the darkest days of autism her family’s faith was shaken. Tahni refused…

A Call for Constructive Conversations with Each Other and with Ourselves By Keri Bowers and Debra Muzikar, Co-founders, The Art of Autism A tipping point: “The moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point.” Together, we have a combined 48 years’ experience in our roles as “a…

It can seem impossible to subsume countless hours of frantic grant-writing and experiments into a single research paper. But distill them into a single sentence and the results can be hilarious. One-liner theses became an Internet sensation this summer when a user on the online bulletin board Reddit…

Vibrations play a very significant role in a deaf person’s life, especially when it comes to music. Thanks to the Music: Not Impossible suit (M:NI), listening to music, especially at concerts became even more enjoyable for deaf people. The suit consists of a vest and wearables on the wrists and …