I was diagnosed with Autism, Asperger’s at the age of 44 but it wasn’t a surprise just a relief. What led to my diagnoses though was a lifetime of anxiety, a real feeling I did “not fit in” and I suffered from episodes of depression as a result. I was unable to do anything …

Following rules and rituals I create unique compositions. By Roland Bühlmann My music follows certain, partly unconscious rules. Following rules and rituals is typical for autistic people. My music is linear, made up of individual voices, all are more or less melodic. A kind of polyphony without con…

By Samantha Craft I am a neurodivergent individual. The modern-day term of what it means to be neurodivergent is extremely fluid in nature. Mood disorders, such as PTSD, are appearing under the neurodivergent umbrella, as are brain injuries that cause cognitive impairments or differences. Neurodiver…

As the Nike Motto says “Just Do It,” that is how I approach my aspirations in life. By Sarah Michelle I’m getting married, I live on my own with my fiancée, I can drive, I have a Bachelor’s degree and I’m employed full-time working with young children with and without special needs. Some…

By Steve Staniek The forest has always been my spiritual home where I could feel safe and free. Perhaps it was my exposure to nature from an early age that raised my sensitivity to the energies around me, until I grew `into an environmental empath, that’s someone who can feel the presence of differe…

“Tell me I can’t so I can show you that I can,” Armani Williams By Ron Sandison What were your greatest challenges having autism? I feel like my greatest challenges of having autism is the communication and social interaction. All my life I have been dealing with issues growing up but I hav…

A look at a classic film’s depiction of autism and that developmental disability’s subsequent treatment three decades later By Nils Skudra I first watched Rain Man, a 1988 cult classic film starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman, when I was much younger and in the early stages of finding out more a…

Into Your (Joe’s) World by Michael C. Kregler As a composer, I’ve always tried to follow this self-imposed advice: in order to create authentic and convincing music, be sure to a) study great composers, and b) write within your own experience. The latter would become especially significant when, in …

An Autistic woman reviews a movie about an Autistic woman by Helen Wallace-Iles Please Stand By is the story of one autistic woman’s journey towards independence and follows her on an adventure with the sort of highs and lows we can all relate to. Played by the brilliant Dakota Fanning, our heroine …

“Mental illness is the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about, until they absolutely have to.” By Ryan Smoluk It’s a cold winter day in Manitoba, Canada. My art show “WAKE UP CALL” at the ArtBeat Studio has just come to an end. My mom and I have been busy packin…

2nd in the new monthly series of ‘Happy Sawyer’ By Nikki Mann I don’t think I’d realised how much Sawyer’s first 2 or 3 years had affected me emotionally until I started writing it all down, and I don’t think I’d realised until now how much my life has been changed by them. I have so many stories to…

“I wish people would understand that Asperger’s/Autism does not inhibit individuals from achieving their intellectual and professional potential. Autism presents significant social challenges but can also provide some key advantages such as the ability to process information more quickly, a greater …

Autistic Pride Day is June 18, 2017 Autistic Pride Day, an Aspies for Freedom initiative, is a celebration of the neurodiversity of people on the autism spectrum on June 18 each year.  Autistic pride recognizes the innate potential in all people, including those on the autism spectrum.&nbs…

“Food and art brings us together,” Covina Mayor Jorge Marquez By Debra Muzikar Covina Councilman John King and Mayor Marquez The Art of Autism is honored to be a participating group in an exhibit titled Essence: An Exhibit by Exceptional Artists held at the H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Cu…