By Ron Sandison I enjoyed reading Carolyn Stern’s insightful book . Autism causes me to experience difficulty expressing my emotions and Carolyn’s book has taught me to use emotions for my advantage as a leader. In leadership positions I often felt anxiety in small group settings. Learning to expre…

By Amelie M. Dalporto People often possess prejudices and invite judgement into their everyday interactions. When we see someone who may interact with the world in a way that is different from what we have experienced, we tend to disregard what they have to say and who they are. Art is a form of exp…

“…it is highly significant that a young actor with autism was selected for the role of Alan and that the filmmakers worked with him in a very sensitive and empathetic manner.” By Nils Skudra I recently had the opportunity to watch Dear John, a heartwarming 2010 film based on Nichol…

Artist Ryan Smoluk shares his process of learning and painting about Mozart this last year. Cover image: Ryan Smoluk “Ode to Mozart” By Ryan Smoluk So much has changed in the past couple of year on a global level. The pandemic caught us all off guard, so many are still struggling. We ar…

The Art of Autism mourns the loss of Lois Curtis in November 2022. Lois Curtis was an African American artist with intellectual and developmental disabilities and schizophrenia. Curtis paved the way for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities to get out of institutional settings and…

Sixty-year old Tommy Onorato doesn’t let his age or autism diagnosis inhibit him from pursuing his passion of being a jazz singer with a Big Band. By Nils Skudra Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to watch Tommy! The Dreams I Keep Inside Me, an intriguing documentary about Tommy Onorato,…

Resilience is a key strength for autistic people. By Catherine Londero I was once told by a preschool assistant that “your son needs to work on his resilience.” I couldn’t disagree more. It struck me that so often autistic people, particularly children, are judged by their behaviour. A…

By Nils Skudra One of the most compelling musical films that relates to neurodiversity and social anxiety is Dear Evan Hansen, a 2021 adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical about an isolated high school senior who becomes the motivational force behind a campaign for mental health awareness fol…

“You are always one decision away from a totally different life.” Author Unknown By Ron Sandison As a young adult with autism I often struggled with making decisions and taking healthy risks. After employment and relationships this was my greatest challenge. I have learned to take risks …

Cover Image: Emy Spinks “Stronger Together” This piece was inspired by the traditional dove that represents peace that Emy came across whilst researching peace, she likes the design and created her own version combining two doves to show coming together. Emy chose to add text referring …

Header image: Rainbow Mosho, Age 13 “Let’s Bring Peace” PEACE By Aadi Narayan, Age 14 The world is so large But the mind is not that big My world is smaller than I see My eyes are searching for the views to calm me Saw only green leaves without colourful fruit Saw birds are flyin…

“What you focus on grows, what you think about expands, and what you dwell upon determines your destiny.” — Robin S. Sharma Compiled by Linish Balan, Keri Bowers and Debra Muzikar This is the first of many peace-themed blog posts for the month of September. Click on Peace Project 2022 to se…

“My little cousin was diagnosed with autism at 2 years old and ever since I’ve been watching him grow up into this little amazing man. I recently wrote a poem about his special gifts.” – Alayna Kurland Camelio By Alayna Kurland Autism isn’t a disease, it’s my little cousin, Camelio, havi…

By Catherine Londero Back when it was first announced that England was going into lockdown, many let out a sigh of dread. I did not. In fact, it was more an inhalation of fresh air. While so many people faced difficulties living with these restrictions, I was discovering a new sense of freedom. No m…