By Ron Sandison When I was diagnosed with autism in 1982 only one in every 10,000 children in the United States had an autism diagnosis. As a teenager, I felt different, much like an endangered species. I was often excluded from social activities due to my outbursts and meltdowns. The neurodiversit…

I feel tired, numb and tense. My head hurts and everything seems too much. By now I recognise these symptoms: I have stress! But what exactly is stress, how does it differ from healthy excitement and how can you make yourself resilient to stress? In this blog, I explain what I think stress is. I als…

As we close out 2021, The Art of Autism would like to acknowledge our 2021 top blog posts. All of them were older blog posts yet still get a lot of traction because of search engine ranking. We are grateful to the many people who submit to our website. #1 Samantha Crafts: Female and Autism / Asp…

What is your vision for the New Year? Email info@artautism.com and we may publish it! By Scott Lentine As I enter my next decade I aspire to achieve many new goals Seeking to develop fresh relationships along the way Before I am old and gray I hope to have many years of fulfilling work I would like…

Reflections on my experience with accessibility in an apprenticeship theatre program at Williamstown By Anton Spivack In 2009, one of my writing mentors suggested I apply for a scholarship through VSA, which every year allows two to four disabled actors to attend the Williamstown Theatre Festival Ap…

What I Felt After Being Diagnosed at 20 Potential Energy, Infinite And soft, Rolling Clear waves Of starry Blossoms. Steadily Growing Like iron On trees, Morphing Into Wavering gold By a few simple words. After My Diagnosis: A Journey My heart and my brain Now grow in unison, Thinking as one, and wo…

Art has been my friend, and given me a great sense of accomplishment in spite of the fact that I cannot keep a job and I can barely leave the house, due to the fact that I am Autistic, a diagnoses I just received a year and a half ago at the age of 41. by Penny Rae Tuffendsam I woke up this morning …

The rate of suicide among autistic people is three times higher than the typical population. Autistic females as well as people with additional psychiatric conditions are disproportionately affected. One potential reason for this higher risk may be that autistic females are typically diagnosed and …

Naomi Rubin from Atypical Seasons 2 and 3 co-starred this holiday season in It’s a Wonderful Life’s table read which can be purchased at the Ed Asner Family Center website. The proceeds from the production help young adults and families with autism. By Ron Sandison Last year I interviewed Tal Ander…

“Synesthesia is a gift but it is also a beautiful language that needs its own translation.” Jeremy Sicile-Kira The essay below was written by 17-year old Abigail Delizo for a University of Toronto assignment for a course on Creating Community: Art, Identity and Belonging. Communicatio…

By Steve Staniek We had retired from the constant noise of the big city to a quiet place in the country we called High Reach, where we learned that we were to become grandparents for the first time. Our son’s growing family would need more space during weekend visits, and it was time to finish the …

Academy-award nominated My Left Foot (1989) garnered a best actor Oscar for Daniel Day-Lewis who portrays author and artist Christy Brown and a best supporting actress Oscar for Brenda Fricker who plays Christy’s mother. By Nils Skudra This week I watched the 1989 film My Left Foot, starring D…

Some things that have helped me with uncertainty and anxiety are below. By Aaron Bouma If you’re like me, an autistic adult that is dealing with anxiety and a strained mind at times, you are far from alone. Does uncertainty give you anxiety? For me, it does. For instance, if there is a militar…

By Jill MacCormack There are certain autumn nights when the quality of air is of such utter perfection that no matter my exhaustion I must heed the call of a walk under the auspices of darkness. Tonight was one such night. A gentle rain had fallen early in the eve, just enough to deepen the damp sme…