“Synesthesia is a gift but it is also a beautiful language that needs its own translation.” Jeremy Sicile-Kira The essay below was written by 17-year old Abigail Delizo for a University of Toronto assignment for a course on Creating Community: Art, Identity and Belonging. Communicatio…

THE AMAZING SEASONS a poem by Ishaan Holloway I see magic in the Kingdom of colour, I see pure joy, I see love in the air, I see hope, I see freshness, I see nature in its bounty, I see beautiful Fall in all its glory. THANKSGIVING a poem by Ishaan Holloway Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate, The …

MUSINGS ON A THUNDERSTORM a poem by Ishaan Holloway July 7, 2021 Thunder travels at the speed of sound, It makes a mighty roar, It frightens the weak at heart, As its friend the lightning makes images in the sky, Me? I look and listen, trying to understand its language, It lifts my heart, For afte…

By Essmaa Litim Happy Mother’s Day. To every mother out there who continues to fight for her babies. Who works endless hours to make sure they are fed. Who flies halfway across the world for opportunity. Who sacrifices it all so that those babies can live the life she couldn’t have. For her life is…

Last year, jazz composer and musician Justin Morell contacted the Art of Autism about his project All Without Words. Justin had composed jazz music that was inspired by his autistic son Loren. He wanted some artists to listen to the music and create a piece of art based on their experience of his …

By Matteo Musso Hi, I am a 15 year old guy with autism. I have been silent most of my life, at least regarding using spoken language as a primary way of communicating. I was introduced to the letter board when I was 11½ years old. To live in this society without the use of spoken language is so cha…

 “I would advise teachers to treat their students humanely regardless of their beliefs about disabilities,” Diego Pena, Age 9 By Debra Muzikar A couple months ago I became aware a Ventura County third grader who was non-speaking and had an autism diagnosis had written book Anat…

  “Faith is believing for kites to fly when there’s no wind in sight,” Josiah Cullen By Ron Sandison  Tahni Cullen, a minister and bestselling author of Josiah’s Fire, declares, “God is a good gift giver.” During the darkest days of autism her family’s faith was shaken. Tahni refused…

We need to decide, are we going to continue to spend time debating semantics, or are we going to fight with a unified message? By Carly Fulgham My autism diagnosis didn’t enlighten my life until age 28, but of course the signs were always there when it came to the exchange of thoughts, feeling…