October is Disability History Month. Colin Eldred-Cohen looks at some historical figures who may possibly have been on the autism spectrum. By Colin Eldred-Cohen A wise man once said, “To understand the future, we must go back in time.” Today, we’re going to embrace that saying as we look back at m…

Tell me about the colors only you can see. Scarlett was diagnosed with autism today. They say a diagnosis of autism is given every 20 minutes… By Alyssa Adamson Sweet child, light of my life, I promise to never allow any fear to stop me from unlocking all of the universes that exist in your br…

…in our daily communication with patients and families, how often do we, as physicians, inadvertently promote negative stereotypes, diminish our patients’ self-worth, or portray them as broken individuals or burdens to others? Christina Nicolaidis, MD, MPH, parent When, at age 3, my son rec…

“We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” –Franklin D. Roosevelt. By Lamar Hardwick Fear is a funny thing. It is not easily defined. Fear can present itself in different ways for different people. Fear is universal, but fear isn’t uniform. Perhaps that’s why it is so difficult to get a grasp on how…

Autistic people, diagnosed or not, are not here to prove themselves to you, me or anyone else by virtue of “how autistic they are.” By Jocelyn Eastman CN: A Teensy Bit of Vulgarity and Bad Language for effect I’m truly a lucky woman. I don’t have any diagnosed children who would have compelled…

What I’m learning from Kevin’s DBT classes. By Debra Muzikar The first Wednesday of each month at 4:00 PM Kurt and I drive to El Cajon and pick up Kevin. We take Kevin out to dinner at his favorite little Mexican restaurant in University Heights. After our meal we walk to an office build…

Autistic people are chronically targets of bullying, discrimination, ableism, domestic violence and time and time again are being murdered by the people who are supposed to take care of them. If a person has the ability to avoid all of that by hiding what makes them appear to be autistic, I think t…

To my 25-year old self on the day I receive my diagnosis, I know you have a lot emotions going through your head right now. 1) Relieved- because you finally find out why you struggled in clinical internship. 2) Depressed- because you realize you actually have a disability AND you have a strike aga…

The Art of Autism is accepting letters and videos to your younger self (at any age). This is a letter by one of my favorite artists April Dawn Griffin to her 11-year old self. This is the second Art of Autism blog inspired by the youtube #Dear Me campaign. By April Dawn Griffin Hey Kid, Your turning…

There will be triumphs and challenges along the way. You will gain and lose friends. You will question yourself constantly about who you are. It will take awhile to get acclimated with your autism, and it will not be easy. Change is good, and that’s what life is. By Leanne Libas Author’s Message: He…

There will be triumphs and challenges along the way. You will gain and lose friends. You will question yourself constantly about who you are. It will take awhile to get acclimated with your autism, and it will not be easy. Change is good, and that’s what life is. By Leanne Libas Author’s Message: He…