Dear Amy, I know you’re feeling pretty bad right now. The other kids make fun of you a lot, and you don’t know why. You’re trying really hard to be friends with them–doing all of the things you think they want you to do, and it’s just not working. But there is one thing…

I remember just standing there asking why it had to be me. Joanna was the only person outside of my home I had ever really been friends with, and now I would not be able to be in her class or see Jessica at recess. I can still see her face even now, with her blue eyes and dark hair in a ponytail, a…

I’m an adult with sensory sensitivities and diagnoses of both Aspergers and selective mutism. I remember what it was like to be a child with those challenges. Low-lifes took advantage of me. Adults who knew better laughed at me. Peers waved their hand in front of my face: “Yoo hoo! Is anybody …

By Debra Muzikar Yesterday I had the opportunity to ask Dr. Stephen Shore some questions about his recent appointment to the Board of Directors of Autism Speaks. I hope others will find his answers illuminating. With the appointment of two board members on the autism spectrum, will this change the d…

Picking up a paint brush does not mean I’m super human. I’m not an alien hybrid nor am I a gift from God. I’m not special and I’m not a saint. I am a person. We are all people and no one can speak for everyone. By April Dawn Griffin There are 200 million Autistics alive today…

I look down at my hands and they look like fragile crepe paper. There are lines all around my eyes and silver streaks of hair on my head that contrast to the dark brown that once was dominant. I am tired much of the time. I am weaker than I was before. I feel my limited time for life and I am okay w…

To my 25-year old self on the day I receive my diagnosis, I know you have a lot emotions going through your head right now. 1) Relieved- because you finally find out why you struggled in clinical internship. 2) Depressed- because you realize you actually have a disability AND you have a strike aga…

There will be triumphs and challenges along the way. You will gain and lose friends. You will question yourself constantly about who you are. It will take awhile to get acclimated with your autism, and it will not be easy. Change is good, and that’s what life is. By Leanne Libas Author’s Message: He…

There will be triumphs and challenges along the way. You will gain and lose friends. You will question yourself constantly about who you are. It will take awhile to get acclimated with your autism, and it will not be easy. Change is good, and that’s what life is. By Leanne Libas Author’s Message: He…

By Debra Muzikar The holiday season can be stressful time. Routines are broken and expectations are high. While for some people, the homemade smell of a cooking Turkey and stuffing can be inviting, for others with sensitivities to smells the aroma can be nauseating! I don’t want to recreate th…

I was bullied by other kids, teachers and faculty, my own family at times and bosses and yet I couldn’t communicate what was happening until I was well out of my teens. By Christina MacNeal As someone who was an autistic teen and is now an autistic adult I want to share the problems of bullying that…

By Jack Gunthridge I grew up not knowing I was on the autism spectrum. I knew I was a little bit different than everybody else, but they were seen as quirks. I actually attributed it to being born in the late 70s and being exposed to a mixture of the Village People, Culture Club, and Ronald Reagan i…

By S. Scott Sanderson I am Autistic, I have Asperger’s. Having Asperger’s allows me to look at the world uniquely. While I am very educated with two master’s degrees, I have had a difficult time with employment. I often have had to struggle with anxiety and communication. Recently I have begun…

By Ramy Mahmoud In my 10 years of teaching ninth grade, I, as have many of my colleagues, struggled with a certain category of students; the low performers. These are the boys and girls who walk into our classes on the first day of school EXPECTING to fail. They know nothing about us, but we represe…