By Megan Amodeo Who has the biggest house? The best car? The most intelligent children? The most athletic children? Sometimes it seems that we spend the majority of our days comparing ourselves with other people and their children. I’m sure we’ve all been compared with others at least once in our li…

By Gretchen Leary These last couple months started off as anything but calm. I tried on a bikini for first time since middle school despite not being at my ideal weight. I drove a big truck I never thought I would ever drive. I was honestly terrified the entire time and yet so proud of myself. That …

Susan Adrian writes books for kids and teens, and lately, she’s been reimagining fun retellings and sequels to favorite classics. A fourth-generation Californian, she now lives in the Big Sky country of Montana. She’s always had a lifelong fascination with all things British, especially stories for …

By Megan Amodeo I was always a quirky child. I remember playing with other kids in my neighborhood, but I relished spending time alone in a small fort a made in my backyard between some bushes and the neighbor’s fence. Actually, it was just a ditch I dug in the dirt. It was a small and cozy space an…

By Christa Holmans, Neurodivergent Rebel I’m a chameleon — a fly on the wall. I settle into the background of a new environment, observing, taking things in, working to sort out the “expected behaviors” for any given situation, strategically plotting out the rules for conversational engagement in my…

By Gretchen Leary Photo credit: Per Ardua Photography This is one of those defining moments in my life where you stick your toe in and take a deep breath before you just dive in. Sometimes being true to who we are and owning every little piece of who we are can seem more frightening than anything e…

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 Megan Amodeo Changes in life are inevitable. The weather changes. The government changes. People change. One of life’s biggest changes is growing up. Moving from childhood to adulthood. When my daughters were born, it seemed as if they would be little forever. Long sleepless nights, endless diap…

Mikhaela Ackerman is an autistic public speaker, writer, yoga instructor and advocate. She created a website to bring together a community of support for autistic people, their families and allies. Your blog: Edge of The Playground Your City, Country: North Carolina, United States Inspiration for Wr…

By Gretchen Leary This month has taught me the biggest lesson in bravery yet. Are you ready?  This month I learned the art and rawness of letting go. I needed to learn how to let go of control and to let go of the need to know the answer to everything just in case I might fail.  A world that feels …

Bradley Wright works full time as a technology director and teacher at a school who says he writes books in his (very limited) free time. He grew up in Seattle but has been slowly migrating south living in Portland, Eugene, San Francisco, and now Los Angeles. He enjoys SoCal life with his spouse, si…

When I was diagnosed autistic in my late 20’s, it was as if suddenly I’d been handed my brain’s instruction manual. That diagnosis was the tool to unlocking my success, so naturally, I wanted to share it with the world. Unfortunately, I quickly discovered that talking about autism with people outsid…

Interview with Author, Sally J. Pla I read children’s book, Benji, the Bad Day, and Me and fell in love with a story about siblings—one autistic and one neurotypical—where it’s the autistic sibling who shows compassion and empathy for his brother. I reached out to the author, Sally J. Pla, to find o…

By Jenny Bristol Illustrations by Rebecca Burgess Seek First to Understand By this point, everyone’s aware of autism. It exists! We get it! Parents of autistic kids everywhere want the world to know that autism exists, but we got the message long ago and it’s time to move on. It’s …