by John Testore I just celebrated my birthday and wish I could sink. I see no purpose in Celebrating birthdays by stereotypes: cake, blowing candles as reminders of age, clinging glasses, and countless dreaded pictures. The bad news is that birthdays are normally social events organized by friends …

By Ron Sandison In November, I became the first licensed Assemblies of God minister diagnosed with Autism in their hundred year history. Out of 38,000 credited ministers, I am the only one diagnosed with Autism. I speak at 25 churches a year on Autism and faith. Since 2015, I have spoken live to 250…

By Ron Sandison As a theologian with autism, I enjoyed reading Summer Kinard’s book Of Such is the Kingdom: A Practical Theology of Disability. Kinnard shares her insight on Orthodox theology and empowering people with disabilities for full participation in the life of the Church. On June 8th I wi…

Lotta Wadsten Bynert reflects on her search for God and meaning in her life. Thank you for this beautiful site and letting me share my thoughts with you about life on the autism spectrum, recovery from mental illness, drawing and doing so together with God. This combination is not a problem for God,…

An interview with Karla Akins, Author of A Pair of Miracles: A Story of Autism, Faith, and Determined Parenting By Ron Sandison 1. What were the first signs your twin boys had autism? The twins cried and screamed constantly. They bit one another mercilessly from the time they could crawl. They were…

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…

“Rather than healing our child of his developmental disability, God healed me of my spiritual disability,” Diane Dokko, author of Unbroken Faith: Spiritual Recovery for the Special Needs Parents By Ron Sandison Diane Dokko Kim felt devastated when her son Jeremy at 18 months was diagnos…

“The “sand” reference came from a statement Noah made before his diagnosis – a clue that the texture of the strawberry jelly in his sandwich bothered him. But over time, it became a metaphor for the messy, inconvenient, uncomfortable things God had permitted in our lives,” Sarah Parshall…

Autism self-advocacy is an art form aimed at accentuating the beauty found in our humanity. Autism awareness and acceptance should be about expanding people’s exposure to the life of autistic people. That can’t be done with statistics; it can only be done with stories and story telling is an art. B…

By Ron Sandison Stephen Mark Shore said, “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” Every person who has autism is unique in his or her own ways. When I was eight years old I was diagnosed with autism. The educational specialists and doctors warned my parents that I w…