By Ron Sandison In March, my family was interviewed by Netflix for a new reality show Travel on the Spectrum. The show will feature three families who have a family member with autism as they travel to Myrtle Beach for week vacation. Netflix decided to produce the show when they learned that 80% of …

by Joel Ashton-Fogle Waiting Room 1 Arriving in a state. Heart racing. Bracing self and pacing, chasing, facing wait with weight Afraid of light. Afraid of sound. Each breath exploding, foreboding Eroding ground Concrete ejection seat Might hurl me into obsolete. Confiscation, condemnation, Where is…

Becoming a professional speaker takes hard work, confidence, and practice. By Ron Sandison In April for Autism Acceptance Month, I spoke to 3,500 students and staff. During the past 7 years, I have spoken to over 250,000 people and I have presented everywhere from Israel to Madagascar. I speak at ov…

By Dianne Loyet 3 poems about being autistic. 1. Please i keep the world’s chaos at bay by classifying and quantifying its minutia seven times i hear "cross street with caution vehicles may not stop" two steps i take across one square of sidewalk i am captain kirk keeping the sky in place …

by Daniel Antonsson In my teenage years, I was a cautious boy. Girls seemed like they came from another planet and I had no idea what to talk with them about whatsoever. I was interested in motorcycles and martial arts while girls liked stuff like fashion, horses and boys (at least as far as I knew)…

By Aaron Bouma When people think of autism, sometimes they think of the television series The Good Doctor or the robotic talking Rain Man. What people don’t realize is these misconceptions harm autistic people and are stigmatizing and ablest. How do you cope with these misconceptions? How do …

By S. Scott Sanderson Sometimes I feel A bubbling coming up Inside me It cannot be contained When I was younger, I used to give in I would dance, a happy dance Limbs flailing wildly Dancing back and forth And in circles Sometimes, I’d clap Into the air No reason needed Just an unbridled enthusiasm O…

Art of Autism announcement: Autistic Pride Day is June 18 – send your art, poetry and blog submissions to info@artautism.com. By Ron Sandison The Honey Badger Award: a Fierce Advocate: A Force to Be Reckoned With is given each April by Spectrum Inclusion to celebrate an entrepreneur and advoca…

by Emily Steinbach The restaurant biz is never easy, especially when you’re a waitress with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The atmosphere is generally chaotic and plenty of harsh customers can make things feel much more difficult. For those who are on the Autism Spectrum, working in the food …

by Daniel Antonsson As a 43 year old Autistic male, I can honestly say that I have experienced both the highs and the lows of living with Autism. The super focus that I have for my special interests can move mountains and there is almost no limit to how much time I can invest. Thinking, talking, stu…

By Andrew Moodie Most people would say that I have a fairly good life, but behind the fact that I come from a loving family, get three meals a day and go to a warm bed every night, I’ve always felt like there is another side of the story that has never really been talked about that much. Now I’m twe…

The poem, “More Than One Way to Fly,” I wrote in honor of my son, who is on the autism spectrum. The poem, which illustrates the relationship between a social Chickadee and a solitary Brown Creeper, is an appeal for neurotypicals to reach out to the marginalized. By Tami Ullom More Than One Way to …

by Nils Skudra Recently I had the opportunity to watch A Man Called Otto, a heartwarming comedy-drama starring Tom Hanks as Otto, a grumpy and bitter retiree who routinely insults his neighbors and enforces the traffic rules of his condominium neighborhood until he is befriended by an immigrant fami…

By Astrid Lempriere The printmaking technique called Lino Printing, which involves carving a design into a block of linoleum, has a rich history dating back to the early 1900s. Today, lino printing is a popular form of printmaking that allows artists to create intricate, textured designs on paper an…