May is Mental Health Month. The three largest mental health facilities in the United States are jails. By Debra Muzikar Last night Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes profiled Tom Dart, The Sheriff of Cook County and the person who oversees the largest mental health facility in the United States – Cook…

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…

“Zach comes home every day from school crying about not having friends. and not knowing why people don’t like him. It’s very difficult to see. I wish I could help him more than I can,” Zach’s mom Vanessa says. By Fiona Russell According to the Center for Disease Control…

“I’ve got a cure for mental health… spank your children more,” Stephen Bannon Yesterday as I watched the Conservative Political Action Conference a key presidential advisor Stephen Bannon put forward his world view which included something he called the “Deconstruction of the Administrativ…

“As he was telling me how cold and hungry he was, I watched as he was unable to control his hands. It was like he was playing an invisible piano…He kept staring off and would occasionally look in my direction but never at me…” My Broken Heart: The Story of The Bare-Handed Ma…

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’…

October 10 is World Mental Health Day. Although there may be a genetic or biological predisposition to acquire the “schizophrenic trait” of expanded experience, it is really only allowed full expression in the willingness to learn about the unconventional. This willingness alone might be enough to a…

“It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a child with autism to raise the consciousness of the village,” Coach Elaine Hall By Debra Muzikar Today September 28 is Good Neighbor’s Day. This year in California we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Lanterman Act. The und…

Part of loving yourself is letting go of those grudges you hold that ultimately hurt you more than the person you hate.  Forgiving others as well as yourself will begin the healing process and allow you to move forward with your life.  The Art of Becoming A Man By Tom Iland Current statistics tell u…

Our stories remind one another of our shared humanity. By Debra Muzikar As I was driving home last Saturday from dropping Kevin off to visit his Dad, the NPR radio station played an interview with David Isay, the founder of StoryCorps. StoryCorps is an organization that goes from city to city collec…

New Jersey program serves autistic teens and adults by Colleen Hordichuk, Art Therapist Nine years ago, I joined the staff of my local high school as a paraprofessional in a brand new Autism program. I was chosen to be part of this new team because of my background in art therapy. It didn’t ta…

Happy people are essential to my well being because life is greatly difficult when you dearly have a body like mine, that does not respond to your wishes. Belief in my ability to frankly realize my dreams is important. By Jeremy Sicile-Kira My need for support is the most important aspect of my life…

Autism comic strip by autistic artist Carissa P. depicts “Baby Talk” by Debra Muzikar A couple weeks ago my Facebook friend Stefanie shared with me this audio clip she recorded on her I-phone. Stefanie just turned 49. In the audio clip you can hear her neighbor (who has known her since …