It feels so good to write 2021 and put 2020 behind us. Though the last year was dark with fires, COVID, and economic uncertainty there were times of light and laughter. Autistry ended the year with stunning success stories. We supported 20 students taking several different courses at College of Mar…

Following rules and rituals I create unique compositions. By Roland Bühlmann My music follows certain, partly unconscious rules. Following rules and rituals is typical for autistic people. My music is linear, made up of individual voices, all are more or less melodic. A kind of polyphony without con…

By Alice Farion It’s going to be ok. I’m going to be ok. It’s just 8 hours. I’m going to be normal. But I’m not. I am faking it, I am not ok. I am not normal. Everyday, I play an act. I have been an actress my whole life. I am a researcher too. Everyday, I observe other people, list facts, organise …

Rudy reminds me of the simple things in life like a good meal. No matter what we have for dinner, Rudy is under the table begging for his scraps. By Ron Sandison In December 2018 I was experiencing severe anxiety and depression. I felt overwhelm by traveling and speaking at over 70 events a year an…

October is Disability History Month. Lois Curtis is an African American artist with intellectual and developmental disabilities and schizophrenia. Curtis paved the way for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities to get out of institutional settings and live within communities. By An…

The first week of college classes has begun. Yes, summer 2020 is truly over and what a strange, surreal experience this has been. In mid-March we converted all our services to working remote. We usually plan several outdoor adventures during the summer: whitewater rafting, kayaking, camping, and lon…

Autistry shot into 2020 as if from a child’s slingshot with the Heart of Marin Award quickly followed by the Jefferson Award and now here we all are grounded like naughty teenagers. The Autistry staff was not deterred. Within 2 days of the Shelter-in-Place (SIP) order they had all our clients …

Another year of rapid growth and development at Autistry! We have grown so quickly that I only just realized it has been a year since the last newsletter. The silence is not from lack of cool news to report – more like lack of time to report it! New students – Fall semester 2019 we supported 20 stud…

When strangers came to visit my booth, they asked, “Did you really take all of these photos?” They did not know that an autistic person could do that kind of work. They were surprised! By Malcolm Wang I am really lucky that I live in a small town that has a lot of exhibition opportunities for young …

There is nothing wrong with theses children, they are just trying to get by themselves, like everyone else. By Jeffrey Sabins Let me ask a quick question. When you think of a child with autism which one in the photo do you see? Don’t feel bad, don’t feel judged, just be honest. No one will know, unl…

By Austin John Jones I want to talk about something very personal to me: relationships. I have had fairly minimal experience with being in relationships. I have had 4 online dating relationships (which didn’t work out), and I would say 2 “serious” real life relationships. One of them is the current …

Dance to the beat of your own drum, because when you dance to your own rhythm, life taps its toes to your beat.” Kandregula Chandhu Sai Raja By Helen Wallace-IlesToday I’m shining a light on a truly inspirational club, aptly named ‘Inspiration Drum Line’. It’s a drumming group for children …

By Kimberly Gerry-TuckerI recently had the pleasure of interviewing Katie Oswald, a self-described nomad with wanderlust. She is a world traveler, full of heart and purpose. Katie approached me via social media and I couldn’t help but think…I want to be Katie when I grow up! As Execut…

Oh, what an amazing year! Autistry growth in 2018 was much like that of a teenager- awkward and exhilarating, fun and a bit frightening, at times plodding and frustrating yet filled with limitless possibilities. We grew in bursts and scrambled to hire staff to work with all the new students. We …