I got it. You had to be tough to be black. There was no crying, no picky eating, none of this I can’t look you in the eye. Humor was a way of toughening yourself up, because the world was going to be tough for us, so if you don’t have a sense of humor now, you had better develop one. By …

I believe much of my misery was rooted in my perceived inability to make thoughtful, empowered and meaningful choices in my life—choices about my thoughts, my attitude, my perspective, and my behavior. By Emily Grey Berman The Vision I always wanted to be a mother. I had this vision of raisin…

Autistic people, diagnosed or not, are not here to prove themselves to you, me or anyone else by virtue of “how autistic they are.” By Jocelyn Eastman CN: A Teensy Bit of Vulgarity and Bad Language for effect I’m truly a lucky woman. I don’t have any diagnosed children who would have compelled…

By Michelle Damiata Autism is not just a disability; Autism is something that requires understanding and empathy. Autism is a mental disability that affects a child’s social skills and learning skills as well. It can also affect the way a child’s thinking and it can make it difficult to comprehend …

When disability is cool and collectible, it may seem like recognition, but there is too much room for marginalization. By Angela Weddle After reading The Art of Autism’s facebook post on the Creative Growth Studios, I was left with some realizations and questions both about the art world, in genera…

If all we do is try to shape the child’s behavior “from the outside”, utilizing techniques such as verbal commands, token reinforcements, intellectual validations and extinctions (“do you “understand me?”) and fail to “see” how and where in the psyche and physical body they experience stimuli and ex…

Leah has an incredible talent to remember faces and names. “Her teacher once told me that Leah could be walking by a classroom, glance inside for a moment, and tell her who was absent,” Lori says. By Debra Muzikar Many autistic children have trouble making friends. Leah DeMonia when she was in 3rd g…

by Debra Muzikar Editor’s Note: The official trailer for Normal People Scare Me Too was released yesterday. James Jagow’s created the musical score for the trailer. It’s 2002. Keri Bowers is raising her 14-year old autistic son, Taylor, in Thousand Oaks, a suburban community in …

“At the end of the day this film is not about autism; it’s about love. Being more caring to the person next to you; being compassionate. This is a movie about love through a different lens; through the eyes of autism.” Carolina Groppa By Debra Muzikar (This is an excerpt from an i…

Humor has developmental milestones. By Debra Muzikar Driving with Kevin we spot this sign. “Slow children at play,” I say. “Kevin how would you interpret that sign – does it mean the children are slow or are we to slow the car down?” I ask. Kevin laughs. He understands…

By Mabz Beet 2015 is considered by many to be the year transgender people and the issues they are faced with were brought to mainstream attention. Transparent, a show that has employed more transgender people than any show in the United States, returned for a second season. Laverne Cox continued to …

For most people, saying no to possibilities seems to be an ingrained response. "No, that won't work. No, that's not realistic. No, I can't do something like that."  In the last 10+ years of helping people create careers that energize and inspire them, here's one thing I've learned about that initial…

Face it. You're going to experience stress. It's just a part of life. And while there's nothing you can do to avoid stress entirely, there's a lot you can do to change your experience of it.  There are two kinds of stress. Stress that pushes you, helps you grow, and possibly even energizes you, and …

OK, so you've heard about what a great tool positive thinking is. You've read how it can shift your focus and even your perception of what is and isn't possible. There's just one glitch - you're a natural pessimist, and positive thinking is like trying to think in a different language. If you're nat…