By Kimberly Gerry Tucker The children who visit me always ask to look for treasures with me. I am more than happy to oblige. I have shoe boxes filled with treasures: sparkly rocks, cracked hollow geodes, rocks shaped by nature like hearts, and the odd sterling silver half dollar; among other things.…

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…

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. The Art of Autism is posting personal stories of how people on the autism spectrum overcame bullying or abusive situations. By Christian D. Espicha According to the a survey by the National Autistic Society in the U.K. , half of autistic adults are abus…

By Morgan Giosa What do I think of when I think of the phrase “outside the box”? I think of a desire – be it intentionally or not – to go against the grain in a creative process which might deviate from conventionally acceptable norms. I think of the painting technique my art…

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 Tom Iland I received some questions this morning from a mother whose son with autism didn’t want to be called “high-functioning” and suggested she use another term. She asked me if I’ve ever felt this way – is it possible many kids feel this way and we don’t know it? and what other terms ca…

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…

“Astronauts helped me learn more about our planet, how beautiful it is from space, how important it is to take care of it. One day my dream is to go to Space, to the Moon or to Mars,”  Hayden “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…” As astronaut Tim Peake blasted off on his journey to reach…

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…

Update 9/3/2018 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 Shore…