By Renee Skudra At a farmer’s market, with nothing much more on my mind than finding some perfect blackberries and figs, an Australian man approached me and asked if I was interested in vintage cars. Pointing in the direction of the parking lot, he began talking about a bright red 1957 Chevr…

Being part of the Austin Adult Neurodiversity Group has been an enlightening experience for me, providing the opportunity to make connections with other neurodiverse adults and listen to their perspectives on various aspects of neurodiversity. By Nils Skudra Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pa…

This blog post originated from a second reply sent to Myranda Uselton to her Art of Autism post about being a self-diagnosed Autistic. In my first reply to her, I was proud to be self-diagnosed, and in the second, I described why I changed my mind. Debra Muzikar (editor of the Art of Autism blog) as…

October is National Disability Employment Awareness month. I struggled for years with employment; I am now gainfully employed going on 13.6 years in the mental health field and 18 years part-time as a professor of theology and speak at over 70 events a year. As I refined my talents and special inter…

By Ron Sandison Many of my greatest memories are holiday related – the Christmas of 1982 when Santa placed under our tree a stuffed prairie dog — Prairie Pup. My new special interest quickly became prairie dogs for the next eight years. Prairie Pup and I were inseparable until I began middle s…

“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…

By Ron Sandison As a young child autism made me feel different and like an endangered species. At age seven my speech was so delayed my brother Chuck would boast to his friends, “Meet my brother Ronnie. I think he’s from Norway since he speaks Norwegian.” Academically I was so delayed the scho…

By Andy Dreisewerd For all intents and purposes, or should I say “Purr-poses?” My name is Andy, I am 32 years of age, I have been doing artwork since I could pick up a pen or pencil. About 3 years ago, I had an experience that lead me to further polish my love for drawing what most consi…

Due to autism with its speech delays, sensory processing issues, and deficit in ability to decode social norms—life was not always easy—especially with regards to gainful employment. By Ron Sandison As I reflect upon this past year and all the blessings in my life; March 20, having my first child,…

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…

By Debra Muzikar 2016 is starting out to be a very good year. Last week I received  the most comprehensive and practical book for those working with young adults with autism or learning differences aged 16 – 26. The book is called “Autism and Learning Differences: An Active Learning Teac…

“There’s this one thing a friend of the Dalai Lama said after being tortured and imprisoned: to solve his imprisonment, he had compassion for his torturers, not anger, but compassion. Replace anger with compassion and you get a happier person,” Ben By Nancy Lea Speer It is said that if a Great B…