By Martine Mussies 音の洪水 心は溺れる 静寂求む A flood of loud sounds My heart is drowning deeply I long for silence ** 一つの道 深く掘り進む 宝を得る On one path I dig Deeply to find my treasures Passion in my hands ** 人の海に 波の間に立ち 孤独感じ In a sea of crowds Standing strong between the waves Loneliness sets in Martine Mussies …

By Cory Morrison Background Ironically, in 2005, around the same time I discovered my perfect pitch ability (as I talked about in my first article), I also developed a special interest that I still have to this day (18 long years! The age people graduate from high school). This special interest is t…

By Piper Hughes Whatever is your special interest, if it makes you feel safe, if it brings you joy and comfort, and if it is not harming you or others, please wear it with pride. I was once best friends with Madonna. Well, no, not really. Please don’t call her to verify my claim. That would be a tad…

“I’ve always had pretty intense special interests, often kept secret, but Flyleaf was one of the very few that seemed socially acceptable.” By Miya Sae A little over ten years ago, I returned to my freshman dorm after morning classes and was welcomed by the most heartbreaking Facebook po…

By Kaelynn Partlow As someone diagnosed with autism, I have always had “intense” or “obsessive” interests in different subject areas. As someone who is also diagnosed with several severe learning disabilities, to say I’ve struggled academically would be an understatement. When I was a kid, I used t…

“My little cousin was diagnosed with autism at 2 years old and ever since I’ve been watching him grow up into this little amazing man. I recently wrote a poem about his special gifts.” – Alayna Kurland Camelio By Alayna Kurland Autism isn’t a disease, it’s my little cousin, Camelio, havi…

“Growing up as an autism sibling was not easy and there was a lot of things I never understood, but as an adult I’ve learned how to find gratitude for the journey.” Natalie Castro By Ron Sandison Autism and sensory issues makes living space important to me. Home is a place for me to decompress and r…

Areva Martin is an award-winning attorney, best-selling author, legal commentator, talk show host, and a critical voice for social justice. By Ron Sandison Areva Martin has a son Marty who has autism. I interviewed Areva Martin for Black History Month because her advocacy for Marty reminded me of m…

October is National Disability Employment Awareness month. I struggled for years with employment; I am now gainfully employed going on 13.6 years in the mental health field and 18 years part-time as a professor of theology and speak at over 70 events a year. As I refined my talents and special inter…

By Aaron Bouma For much of my life I have been mainly focused on military history and military affairs as my main special interest. Many Autistics have a strong interest in a specific topic which we fixate on. In 2007, a year after I graduated from high school, I attempted to join the Canadian Force…

A humorous look at autism. By Englebert Lau 1.) Repetitive habits that only make sense to you Girl: “That’s weird.” Guy: “What’s weird?” Girl: “You always eat food in the same order. Steak, then potatoes, then vegetables.” Guy: “That makes perfect sense. You have to eat steak when it’s warm. P…

Brittany is currently ranked #1 for Special Olympic female tennis players in the world and is a professional tennis player. By Ron Sandison Twenty-eight year old Brittany Tagliareni (5′2″ & 103 pounds) is a little powerhouse on the tennis court. She has won over 100 medals and beat many of the t…

By Allison Hill A few weeks ago Taylor Swift invited us to her concert and backstage to meet her.  We were so excited to get to thank her for Reid, Jacob’s service dog, in person.  Reid has changed Jacob’s life and our family life so so much.  I don’t think that she …

Founder of Otsimo credits his autistic brother Alper for company’s success. By Hasan Zafer Elcik My younger brother Alper was diagnosed with autism when he was 2 years old. When I bought my first smartphone in 2009, I noticed Alper had a special interest in smart devices. At that time, my br…