October is Disability History Month. Colin Eldred-Cohen looks at some historical figures who may possibly have been on the autism spectrum. By Colin Eldred-Cohen A wise man once said, “To understand the future, we must go back in time.” Today, we’re going to embrace that saying as we look back at m…

Long overdue Autism Speaks removes the word “cure” and puts the needs of autistic individuals and their families first in their new mission statement By Debra Muzikar At a Board meeting in late September the biggest autism nonprofit in the world, Autism Speaks, revamped its mission state…

Update 10/8/2016 I’m collecting favorite quotes about autism from some of my favorite people. Please share your own in the comments and if I like it, I may add it to the list. 1. “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism,” Dr. Stephen Shor…

By Colin Eldred-Cohen I must say, I was really surprised at the reactions to my piece on Satoshi Tajiri, the autistic creator of Pokemon. I figured it would peek some interest, but the amount of of gratitude and love blew me away and really touched me. Clearly, the impact of representation in the …

Update 9/30/2016 I’m collecting favorite quotes about autism from some of my favorite people. Please share your own in the comments and if I like it, I may add it to the list. 1. “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism,” Dr. Stephen Shor…

by April Griffin As far back as I can remember I felt more comfortable around male peers. I have a lot of interests that tend to be male orientated and find them easier to converse with. My generation had strong gender roles and I felt compelled to rebel against them. April Griffin “ExhaleR…

This list is meant as a springboard for discussion and more awareness into the female experience with autism. By Samantha Craft Females with Asperger’s Syndrome: An Unofficial List Section A: Deep Thinkers A deep thinker A prolific writer drawn to poetry *Highly intelligent Sees things at mu…

The Prolonged Developmental Phases of an Autistic Child *This is a paper I wrote in 2001 when my now adult son was nearing his seventh birthday. It was written for a graduate psychology class, Phases of Human Development. I found it in a box as I was going through old papers and realized that 15 yea…

From when I was very young, I watched people’s behavior. If someone was purposely rude, or mistreated people, I immediately lost all interest in them. If someone tried to bully me, I immediately thought, well, if I’m too different for them, they’d never accept Anthony…I don&#…

By S. Scott Sanderson Everywhere I go there is noise. From my pocket I pull out earplugs. Alone I want to sit and read. But here I am in the midst of people working, moving and busy. Like the eye in the center of a storm, I want to be calm and still. To my right, up high and loud a television blares…

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…

by Amy Gravino I first met Suzanne Wright in New York at the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh, just before I spoke at the United Nations for World Autism Awareness Day in 2011. The panel on which I sat was sponsored by Autism Speaks, a fact that filled me with both gratitude and trepidation. I knew w…

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Update 8/25/2016 I’m collecting favorite quotes about autism from some of my favorite people. Please share your own in the comments and if I like it, I may add it to the list. 1. “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism,” Dr. Stephen Shor…