Art of Autism artists recently participated in a project with the University of Exeter and the production company Calling the Shots as part of a larger research by University of Exeter Exploring Diagnosis. Participating artists were Angela Weddle from Texas, Eddie Callis from the U.K., J.A. Tan from…

By Ikea “Syance” Wilson I would like to say something about the R-word. Not only do I think it is offensive, I also believe this word could tear people down inside mentally and emotionally. We often use this word in order to express frustration to one another. However, this is not an ac…

By Morgan Giosa What do I think of when I think of the phrase “outside the box”? I think of a desire – be it intentionally or not – to go against the grain in a creative process which might deviate from conventionally acceptable norms. I think of the painting technique my art…

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…

By Tracey Cohen I always knew I was different but never understood why.  I aimed to please, but the world was too fast, noisy, unpredictable and innately counter-intuitive. Yet I was told by family and professionals in more ways than one that I was wrong – I was the problem. And I was told that…

by Pam Urfer (commentary by Kimberly Gerry-Tucker after) Not much was known about Autism in 1942, the year I was born. Nor in 1952, when I was 10. Nor in 1962, when I was 20. I’m not sure what symptoms I displayed as a child, whether or not I spoke late, or potty trained late, or disliked being touc…

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The Art of Autism is focusing on blogs of those who have a dual-diagnosis. By Jacqueline Lee At the beginning of January, I started two government internships concurrently. The first internship was a paid one which essentially laid me off once they were done – w…

3rd in the new series on the Art of Autism titled ‘Happy Sawyer’ By Nikki Mann It’s like this: The build up to diagnosis feels a bit like climbing a really steep hill, without knowing what you will find at the top. The whole way up, you know which direction you’re aiming for, but you have no idea w…

“Empowering your young person is the key to giving them the skills they need to live an independent life. If you do things for them that they could learn or even do for themselves by themselves, then you are DISEMPOWERING your young person,” Tom Iland By Debra Muzikar What is your first…

I often imagine words in fancy fonts swirling out of my mouth only to fall on the floor unheard. So many misconceptions about selective mutism exist. By Kimberly Gerry-Tucker Like many people who have been diagnosed autistic (in my case Aspergers), I have an overlapping condition: Selective Mutism. …

May is Mental Health Month. The Art of Autism throughout May would like to focus on stories about those with dual diagnoses. By Jeanette Purkis I have a diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Condition and atypical schizophrenia. In my 42 years I have accessed a large number of publicly and privately funde…

The sad truth is that women, particularly undiagnosed, on the spectrum are at risk for various comorbidities like major depressive disorder, eating disorders, sexual assault, among others. By Amber Sayer I’ve been diagnosed and labeled with all sorts of things in my life, spanning the full gamut of…

By Debra Muzikar As I write this blog, there is a video that has gone viral with a hashtag #StoptheBullying showing images of a ten-year old child (who happens to be Donald Trump’s child Barron) making a case that the child is autistic. This last week Rosie O’Donnell added to the specula…

By Patrick Jasper Lee This film is a dedication to some of the great artists, writers, and composers and their contribution to to our understanding of life. Many of these artists if they were living today would have been given labels of autism, bipolar or schizophrenia. “Tomorrow We Won’…