By Pamela Urfer A lot of people are put off by Jesus because they think of him as a stern taskmaster who is just waiting to whack us if we step out of line. This concept is particularly anxiety-making for neurodiverse people who are, by definition, always out of line. As a woman on the spectrum, I h…

TRIGGER WARNING: This post contains information about sexual assault and/or violence which may be triggering to survivors. by W.E.Powers A seven-year-old girl sits in her tree house mending a Barbie who has just suffered catastrophic injuries. Plastic army men, following the orders of her two young…

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…

If you’ve met one person who is a runner, you’ve met one person who is a runner. By Tracey Cohen Without a doubt, running, like autism, can be full of challenge, even painful at times. But the willingness to embrace difficulty is giving oneself the opportunity to flourish, to live a fulf…

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…

Contestants must submit a fun sock design As part of its Giving Back Program and its mission to show what people can do when given a chance, John’s Crazy Socks is sponsoring an Autism Can Do Scholarship. This program will present a $3,000 scholarship to a person on the autism spectrum in the United …

By Mark Hutton Most kids, teens, and adults with Aspergers have a bunch of positive traits that more than make-up for any negative ones. One Aspie asserted, “Thank God I have Aspergers!” Let’s look at just a few of the positive traits that many with Asperger’s may have. Most Aspies: are …

We are well into the new school semester and I still haven’t done a summer wrap-up newsletter. Let’s fix that! In June we launched our first Autistry Comprehensive Adult Program (ACAP) Summer Session. It was five days a week of exercise, vocational training, college prep, and fun. The pr…

“Tell me I can’t so I can show you that I can,” Armani Williams By Ron Sandison What were your greatest challenges having autism? I feel like my greatest challenges of having autism is the communication and social interaction. All my life I have been dealing with issues growing up but I hav…

Autism, in these ancient wise cultures, is often called “The Shaman’s disease.” By Gonzalo Bénard Being autistic and shaman, I always found that they actually help and complement each other. In fact, in several ancient cultures, autistic people were seen as sacred and/or shamans … the sp…

“The Dove of Peace, more than anything that’s something this world needs, peace. He is flying through the city at night in front of a billboard that shows the earth holding a banner reading “Peace”. I love to draw. I think it’s because it calms me down. For whatever reason I a…

Wendy describes the challenges for someone on the autism spectrum for what many would call a simple outing. By Wendi E. Powers Going out in public is always an adventure for those of us on the autism spectrum.  While I can’t speak for the others, I can share a personal example.  Just…

How painting unlocked one woman’s ability as a savant. Congratulations to Amanda LaMunyon who on the Megyn Kelly show this morning! Here’s the video for those who missed it! Here’s a link to the Today show article Source: The Art of Autism

As an autistic person myself, I do not take being verbal for granted and I understand how powerful writing can be to express oneself. I understand Pam’s saturation in books, her safe places to escape to and think, because I had mine too and still do. I identify with the types of “beyond the norm” gi…