An autistic illustrator works with a children’s book author on an ‘Awesome About Autism’ book series to give autistic children a mascot and help others learn about autistic coping strategies. Will Hawkes was diagnosed with autism at age 6. He has always enjoyed drawing, but struggled with reading, e…

Megan explores her feelings about her three teenage daughters and how soon they will be adults. By Megan Amodeo I just realized that I will soon have three teenage daughters. Wow! When did life start moving so fast? In less than two years all of my children will be in high school. In less than six y…

By Catherine Coulson “Wash your hands for dinner!” Drew comes toward the sink and then takes a step back. “Mom. I can’t.” I look at the faucet, covered in soap suds. “Hang on,” I say, liberally dousing it with water until the bubbles are completely gone. “There you go.” He steps up to the sink and w…

We had the opportunity to interview Elizabeth Jade (her pseudonym), an author on the autism spectrum who’s written an exciting adventure book series for young readers. Tell us about yourself. I always knew I had a unique take on life, but I only found out two years ago, at the age of 18, that I had …

Business: KoolCharm.com Mission: To teach our son (and eventually other special needs children) the pride that comes through accomplishment and the value of work and reward. What is KoolCharm? Here at KoolCharm, we sell personalized Autism Awareness Jewelry. What makes us different is that we person…

By Nicolette Anderson For Liam, chaos is everywhere. For our family, chaos arises every day. In the middle of our home, while we sit to eat dinner, watch television, or get ready for bed, Liam begins to scream. Sometimes we can figure out what caused it; the worst days are when we cannot. Liam will…

…Or rather, let the next generation of assistive technology say “hello” to you. From the beginning, our friends at Bluebee Pals have been committed to children with special needs. Their robotic, huggable, plushie toys have been front and center in learning environments and homes helping children of …

Naadia Kidy, Damilola Idowu (Dami) and Anette Wilms are quite the creative team. Naadia trained as a fashion and lifestyle journalist at the University of the Arts London. Dami is a young talent with Autism Spectrum Disorder who creates whimsical drawings that come from his joyful heart. Anette Wilm…

Ian’s Reading Circle April is Autism Acceptance Month. I’m not sure what that means as I can’t imagine not accepting autism as a way of being, a way of experiencing the world. But I also know that many individuals need help along the way. Please take some time this month (and every…

“Rylan is a smart, unique, funny little boy. He loves all things dinosaur. He can quickly rattle off dinosaur names like it’s nobody’s business. He loves to become a dinosaur and move his body just like they did, while also telling amazing facts about that particular one. I love th…

It’s rare to find a film like Please Stand By, a coming-of-age story about a creative autistic female. It’s even rarer to discover so many people behind the film who care about shining a positive light on autism…People like Manda Mosher. Manda is a singer/songwriter and her latest single ‘Cold Cold …

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…