By Connor Long-Johnson My story begins when I was first diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in early 2017. I naturally both needed and wanted to share my diagnosis with friends, family and co-workers. Thankfully, most of those who I told were understanding and showed me the compassion I desper…

By Morgan Giosa What do I think of when I think of the phrase “outside the box”? I think of a desire – be it intentionally or not – to go against the grain in a creative process which might deviate from conventionally acceptable norms. I think of the painting technique my art…

By Tracey Cohen I always knew I was different but never understood why.  I aimed to please, but the world was too fast, noisy, unpredictable and innately counter-intuitive. Yet I was told by family and professionals in more ways than one that I was wrong – I was the problem. And I was told that…

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The Art of Autism is focusing on blogs of those who have a dual-diagnosis. By Jacqueline Lee At the beginning of January, I started two government internships concurrently. The first internship was a paid one which essentially laid me off once they were done – w…

I often imagine words in fancy fonts swirling out of my mouth only to fall on the floor unheard. So many misconceptions about selective mutism exist. By Kimberly Gerry-Tucker Like many people who have been diagnosed autistic (in my case Aspergers), I have an overlapping condition: Selective Mutism. …

October is Disability History Month. Colin Eldred-Cohen looks at some historical figures who may possibly have been on the autism spectrum. By Colin Eldred-Cohen A wise man once said, “To understand the future, we must go back in time.” Today, we’re going to embrace that saying as we look back at m…

…in our daily communication with patients and families, how often do we, as physicians, inadvertently promote negative stereotypes, diminish our patients’ self-worth, or portray them as broken individuals or burdens to others? Christina Nicolaidis, MD, MPH, parent When, at age 3, my son rec…