So many people outside the autism community underestimate autistic strength. Not Steve O’Connor! He is a singer/songwriter from Liverpool who wrote a song whose lyrics speak to the strengths of autism. ‘Just Me (Sam’s Song)’ was inspired by Samantha, or ‘Sam’ as she likes to be called, a young autis…

By Christa Holmans, Neurodivergent Rebel When I was diagnosed autistic at the age of twenty-nine, suddenly, my entire world view was shifted, as I began to dig through the memories and moments of my past through a new lens – the lens of autism. They say hindsight is twenty-twenty. Well, it certainl…

A study conducted by the Occupational Therapy in Mental Health journal revealed that 63% of subjects using a wieghted blanket reported lower anxiety and 78% preferred the weighted blanket as a calming modality than other options provided. Weighted blankets have been found to provide comfort for m…

By Travis Breeding What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time I was beginning a journey of transformation. Part of having autism meant that I had this intense fixation and obsession of a getting a girlfriend. This could have been considered a special interest. My special interest fixatio…

In order to encourage people, especially students at schools to develop 3D printed assistive technology solutions, PrintLab, a UK based 3D printing curriculum and global distributor has just released a free course that will allow anyone to solve real world problems for people with disabilities. A ma…

By Connie Hammer Being a friend and being a bully are two very different things. Can your child tell them apart? Learning the difference between a friend and a bully can be difficult for the autistic brain to comprehend but not impossible. It is vitally important because children with an Autism Spe…

Australia has become the latest country to establish guidelines for diagnosing autism, with the goal of making diagnoses consistent nationwide. Clinicians typically diagnose autism using criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or the International Classificatio…

Seeking a neurodivergent actor to play lead role The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a Warner Bros. feature film expected to film in 2020. Veteran Casting Director Heidi Levitt (known for projects such as Natural Born Killers and The Artist) is leading the casting search. It is bein…

In 2010 HBO’s biopic Temple Grandin won five Emmys. Claire Danes won for Best Actress for her portrayal of Grandin. By Nils Skudra Among the autism-themed films that I have seen, one of the most outstanding biographical depictions is the 2010 HBO film Temple Grandin, starring Claire Danes as t…

“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…

Nidia Quintero’s cheeks and outstretched hands quiver incessantly. For the past few years, her husband has poured her morning coffee to keep her from spilling it. Her medical history is dotted with other serious symptoms. As a child, she had frequent seizures and headaches. At age 35, she had her ut…

A drug that curbs the expression of MeCP2, a gene duplicated in people with a certain autism-linked syndrome, normalizes brain function and reverses abnormal behaviors in mice1. The findings, reported 25 November in Nature, highlight the potential of a highly specific treatment for people with MeCP2…

Charlie Keeble is a creative and innovative intellectual with a taste for developing new and original ideas. He says that he wasn’t always positive about his autism because he was brought up in a judgemental society that dismissed him as being too awkward to be able to achieve anything. He turned to…

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…