By Rosa Mackay There once was a quiet young lady called Christa. She lived in a house with her mom, dad and sister. She spent days with her puppy just horsing around. But when she was with people some things got her down. (Sister) “Don’t like playing with others? Well that’s just n…

By Carrie Farrar My mind is moving rapidly My thoughts, a reverie Of frantic worries entertained Despite the calm I see. ___________________________ My pencil hits the paper In a quest to understand The ruminations haunting me Obsessions that command. ___________________________ Unwavering attention…

By Elizabeth Butler “Things affect women differently than men, and women get left out.” – Jane Fonda Yes, girls are Autistic, we may not show it in the ways you presume, however. For many years, males were the ones scientists focused their attention on when it came to diseases and conditions. …

By Traci Neal Nature nourishes my body in waves before reaching my ebony surface. My countenance counts the sunshine’s rays each time I awaken. The world I compose in my consciousness witnesses the wind welcoming the trees as a treasure. Musical songs and delight ring throughout my cerebrum. Shelter…

Ocean Eversley is a self-taught artist who started painting in 2020 during the pandemic. She use’s art (i.e., poetry, acrylic painting, collage, and photography) to express the beauty and the suffering she sees in the world. In addition, she uses art to highlight the injustices that BIPOC (Black, In…

Ocean Eversely is a self-taught artist who started painting in 2020 during the pandemic. She use’s art (i.e., poetry, acrylic painting, collage, and photography) to express the beauty and the suffering she sees in the world. In addition, she uses art to highlight the injustices that BIPOC (Black, In…

By Gloria Jackson-Nefertiti In 2019, six months before turning 63; it was confirmed that I’m autistic. I was different from everyone else, without knowing why. In grade school, high school, and college, classmates would frequently ask me: “Why do you act the way you do?” “Why do you act so weird?” “…

When I got my diagnosis of autism, it was like there was suddenly and explosive light that emerged in the darkness of all my mistakes. I am not broken. I am not just a bitch. I am autistic. By Jessica Penot I have administered the Autism Diagnostic Interview the Revised Addition (ADI-R) 132 tim…

Art has been my friend, and given me a great sense of accomplishment in spite of the fact that I cannot keep a job and I can barely leave the house, due to the fact that I am Autistic, a diagnoses I just received a year and a half ago at the age of 41. by Penny Rae Tuffendsam I woke up this morning …

The rate of suicide among autistic people is three times higher than the typical population. Autistic females as well as people with additional psychiatric conditions are disproportionately affected. One potential reason for this higher risk may be that autistic females are typically diagnosed and …

By Wendi E. Powers My parents, brothers, and nieces live where I was born and raised in Florida. I left Florida in 1988 after an extremely abusive (and thankfully short) marriage. My new home in Tennessee offered the distance needed for healing to begin. For several years, I was unable to step foot…

By Kimberly Gerry Tucker The children who visit me always ask to look for treasures with me. I am more than happy to oblige. I have shoe boxes filled with treasures: sparkly rocks, cracked hollow geodes, rocks shaped by nature like hearts, and the odd sterling silver half dollar; among other things.…

By Pamela Urfer A lot of people are put off by Jesus because they think of him as a stern taskmaster who is just waiting to whack us if we step out of line. This concept is particularly anxiety-making for neurodiverse people who are, by definition, always out of line. As a woman on the spectrum, I h…

By Baylie Nixon Since my first post to “The Art of Autism,” I was requested to write another article about how I was diagnosed and how I found out roughly a decade later of said diagnosis. In my last entry, I mentioned I was diagnosed as a toddler, but found out about my diagnosis when I was a teena…