I am a blossoming flower. By Angela Chapes My childhood had many challenges and I wasn’t the happiest person. I wasn’t always kind or nice. Fortunately, I had great influences in my life like my mom and my grandmother. They had such sunshiny personalities; I have worked to become that way too, by e…

“The question is not what you look at but what you see’’ Henry David Thoreau By Laura Brind Current data tells us that approximately 4 times as many boys are diagnosed with autism than girls. In respect of the International Women’s Day theme ‘choose to challenge’ this article explores how th…

“I’m a relentless guy who goes on and on.” Xavier DeGroat By Ron Sandison Xavier DeGroat is motivated, authentic and relentless. These characteristics enabled him to build a strong resume and a celebrity contact list equivalent to a Hollywood Walk of Fame. Xavier has met former Presidents Obam…

By Joel Ashton-Fogle Duel Diagnosis No, this is not a miss-spelling! For every day is a battle; a combat between symptoms, treatments for them, side-effects of the treatments and subsequent treatments to alleviate the side-effects, leading to more side-effects and more treatments. And so it goes o…

Lotta Wadsten Bynert reflects on her search for God and meaning in her life. Thank you for this beautiful site and letting me share my thoughts with you about life on the autism spectrum, recovery from mental illness, drawing and doing so together with God. This combination is not a problem for God,…

Disability empowerment … can bend the moral arc of a neurotypical universe into one which supports the idea that initiative and hard work is valuable in and of itself, in whichever way it chooses to manifest. By Nils Skudra A little prefatory material is perhaps in order before I engage in a bit of …

“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself,” Oprah Winfrey By Nils Skudra Over the course of my life, I’ve found having a close mentor is extremely valuable since a mentor is an individual that I can confide in and who offers important lessons. During the two and…

I am an adult with autism. I am different not less. Well, that is until I have a meltdown, or don’t understand something or pace for hours at night. In which case, I am difficult, incompetent, hyperactive, disruptive, unprofessional and those things make me different. By Kaelynn Partlow Go onli…

“It is toxic to think that the worth of a person comes only from what they can provide. This is, in my opinion, a major source of ableism. “By Baylie NixonLast month was autism awareness month. Fortunately, April is slowly but surely becoming better known as “Autism Acceptance Month” in…

Greetings everyone! My name is Stephen Gaiber. Today I am going to talk about autism and employment. Let me first introduce myself. I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome when I was 3 years old. Despite my autism, I have maintained independence by graduating college, working for over 12 years, l…

By Aaliyah Holt Over 80% of autistic adults are unemployed. Only a small percentage of us are working. Why is this? There are several reasons why we struggle with jobs. The lack of education on autism makes it difficult in life. We see the world in black and white. It’s like people are speakin…

By Alex Frank My sister Mia, who is now 24 years old, was at a crossroads before being employed at Popcorn for the People. Most people who are autistic or have special needs struggle intensely to find some form of employment. In fact, the unemployment rate for adults with disabilities in America is …

why I’m no longer employed By an anonymous female on the autism spectrum Sorry, I had to title my first AOA blog with my favorite saying from the King’s Quest video game series. In game VII a very ugly (to some) troll asks the beautiful Princess Rosella for a kiss. Upon rejection his rep…

Mauricio and Claudia Urrea’s daughter Daniela inspired them to create an organization that partners with companies to find work for those on the autism spectrum. By Mauricio Urrea Spanish version here. 19 years ago, God chose us to take care of a special angel. As parents we never imagined how…