Art as a Language for Autism: Building Effective Therapeutic Relationships with Children and Adolescents (2023) Jane Ferris Richardson By Connie Gretsch MA Art Therapy, M Ed Art Integration, SLBP Special Education, Expressive Art and Special Educator Jane Ferris Richardson is an art therapist, play…

By Nils Skudra This morning I had the opportunity to watch My Name is David, a compelling short film featuring the actual words of David Shapiro Sharif (May 28, 1997 – April 23, 2022), a young autism advocate who recently died suddenly at the age of 24. Made in Claymation, the film provides a…

This blog post originated from a second reply sent to Myranda Uselton to her Art of Autism post about being a self-diagnosed Autistic. In my first reply to her, I was proud to be self-diagnosed, and in the second, I described why I changed my mind. Debra Muzikar (editor of the Art of Autism blog) as…

Recently I told Debra Muzikar (editor of the Art of Autism blog) about the book I wrote on Buddha Shakyamuni’s life entitled “Symphony for India Buddha and Freedom.” In this book, Siddhartha behaves like a person on the autism spectrum since early childhood. Debra asked me to write an article on wh…

“Shine’s” depiction of David Helfgott’s passionate pursuit and achievement of success as a pianist in spite of his severe mental challenges sends an uplifting message that continues to resonate among people on the autism spectrum in today’s environment where employers are increasin…

Our stories remind one another of our shared humanity. By Debra Muzikar As I was driving home last Saturday from dropping Kevin off to visit his Dad, the NPR radio station played an interview with David Isay, the founder of StoryCorps. StoryCorps is an organization that goes from city to city collec…

Congratulations to Michael Miller and his son Jonathan ABC Persons of the Week. See the story here. ‘TOYS ACROSS AMERICA’: There have been thousands of surprise packages landing on doorstops across America– you may think it’s the holiday season, but these gifts are coming from a special father-son t…