By Jim McKinley Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are very prevalent in the United States. One in 68 children is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s autism prevalence report in 2016. The number was unchanged from the previous report in 2014. That…

“The “sand” reference came from a statement Noah made before his diagnosis – a clue that the texture of the strawberry jelly in his sandwich bothered him. But over time, it became a metaphor for the messy, inconvenient, uncomfortable things God had permitted in our lives,” Sarah Parshall…

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“I realized that parents are caring for their children 24 hours a day, but who is caring for them?” LisaMarie Bernardo, CLC Ron Sandison interviews Life Coach LisaMarie Bernardo who is the mom of a son on the autism spectrum. What has been your greatest challenge as a mom of a child…

I became aware today that at Steve’s memorial on August 19, 2017 his family played a video he created on spirituality and special needs. The Art of Autism wanted to share this important video. Steve was a great friend of the Art of Autism. Narrating the video is Steve’s daughter Lizzy …

“Sibtain taught me to love my life. He has taught me to be thankful and to stop complaining because darkness leads to light… always!” By Bushra Junejo Sibtain is my little brother diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. That’s his basic description. The answer to the question ‘who is Sibta…

“Boundaries with love and relationship are key for teachers working with autistic and special needs children.” By Ron Sandison My sister-in-law, a two-time teacher of the year winner for her county, has sixteen years of experience. Her first teaching assignment lasted only two weeks. She was hired a…

The Art of Autism looks back at 2016 and prepares for challenges in the future. By Debra Muzikar with Keri Bowers 2016 has shown itself to be a major year for transformation. Within the autism world it has been no different. The Art of Autism has attempted to keep up with the changing dynamics. We p…

I am very much a lone-wolf and an intrepid one at that. I venture into hot pot restaurants most white people would consider too foreign or too edgy, I read the menus in their original Chinese and order my food in either Mandarin or Cantonese which I’ve taught myself. By Tom Clements Aspergians are n…

“The word ‘army’ feels so fitting because fighting for your child, no matter how small it looks from the outside, feels like you are mounting a siege against anything with a pulse and an opinion about your situation. Even if their opinion vibes with you, it doesn’t matter, you are …

Maybe Eleanor would have loved to join the book club? I think about the many, many times that Eleanor has had similar things happen to her. It must shut down her self-esteem and hope, and crash her dreams of what she might want to do later in life—crashing her hope of maybe succeeding to be a doctor…

Autism comic strip by autistic artist Carissa P. depicts “Baby Talk” by Debra Muzikar A couple weeks ago my Facebook friend Stefanie shared with me this audio clip she recorded on her I-phone. Stefanie just turned 49. In the audio clip you can hear her neighbor (who has known her since …

Think of a 1 in 68 prevalence number in a nation of 318.9 million, then take the working ages between 18-69 and then enact the 75-85% unemployment number… By Michael John Carley Over the last five years, many new non-profits (and for-profits with consciences) have formed to answer the 75-85% u…

Downs Design® and NBZ Jeans® with  no buttons and zipperless jeans addresses dressing challenges for people with special needs. By Keri Bowers I recently ran across an amazingly altruistic clothing company and fell madly in love with both their clothing line and their central mission. As the mother …