The Prolonged Developmental Phases of an Autistic Child *This is a paper I wrote in 2001 when my now adult son was nearing his seventh birthday. It was written for a graduate psychology class, Phases of Human Development. I found it in a box as I was going through old papers and realized that 15 yea…

By S. Scott Sanderson Everywhere I go there is noise. From my pocket I pull out earplugs. Alone I want to sit and read. But here I am in the midst of people working, moving and busy. Like the eye in the center of a storm, I want to be calm and still. To my right, up high and loud a television blares…

Our stories remind one another of our shared humanity. By Debra Muzikar As I was driving home last Saturday from dropping Kevin off to visit his Dad, the NPR radio station played an interview with David Isay, the founder of StoryCorps. StoryCorps is an organization that goes from city to city collec…

Update 8/25/2016 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 Shor…

What a great summer! New faces, cool excursions, and lots of great news. But before we look back, let’s look forward to this coming weekend. Steve Gatlin of Special Affects Films has organized a film festival “dedicated to showcasing the finest films being produced for, by and about the …

On January 9, 2016 at Autistry Studios, we met Michael, a friendly young man, who was working on a project, building a Lego MindStorm R3ptor, with an Autistry mentor. Michael’s hands were shaky and he was easily frustrated when pieces did not immediately fit together. “I can’t do this. Help me…

Body language signals can tell if your date is bored By Engelbert Lau Based on my personal experience, dating can be challenging for someone on the autistic spectrum.  I find it very difficult to read body language.  Body language is confusing, as two people can have very different reactions to the …

Update 8/8/2016 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 Shore…

Update 8/4/2016 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 Shore…

During my years, I had been stuck in a cycle of isolation and of desire. I’d wanted things I couldn’t have. I was invariably failing to search for things I couldn’t attain. But now, I had a means to break free from this habit. The key to liberation was within me and the first step was to accept who …

Update 7/14/2016 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 Shor…

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…

Congratulations to Michael Miller and his son Jonathan ABC Persons of the Week. See the story here. ‘TOYS ACROSS AMERICA’: There have been thousands of surprise packages landing on doorstops across America– you may think it’s the holiday season, but these gifts are coming from a special father-son t…

“But A doesn’t care, if she accomplishes a simple skill like hopping she is so proud of herself and it puts her in a good mood for the rest of the day. Asperger’s isn’t all bad, A has a really good long term memory. She can remember little facts about things that happened ove…