Fallbrook artist Joel Anderson, “The Artist of Smiles,” has his dog portraits on display at TERI Campus of Life in San Marcos through October 2026. By Debra Muzikar Last week I had the pleasure to assist Fallbrook artist Joel Anderson in hanging his dog series art outside Teri’s Co…

This list is meant as a springboard for discussion and more awareness into the female experience with autism. By Samantha Craft Females with Autism: An Unofficial List Section A: Deep Thinkers A deep thinker A prolific writer drawn to poetry *Highly intelligent Sees things at multiple levels, incl…

The Biology of Breaking By Jessica Penot An autistic meltdown is an involuntary loss of behavioral, emotional, and physiological regulation that occurs when an autistic person’s ability to cope with sensory, cognitive, emotional, or environmental demands is exceeded. Unlike a temper tantrum, a meltd…

By Kadin McElwain When I was 11, I was introduced to caffeinated beverages, specifically Rockstar Energy Drinks and Redbulls. Whenever I had pocket money lying around, I would go out and get an abundance of these energy drinks. But recently, I noticed that consuming a lot of these beverages has caus…

by John Testore Victimization and Criticism stop us from Achieving. Self-awareness and Acceptance are the antonyms of Victimization and Criticism. The latter are the main obstacles in ADHD, although common in Autism to a lesser extent. Autism and ASD are two distinct disorders sharing some traits. …

by John Testore In this digital age, Image speaks more than language. Texting is more popular than verbal communication. Appearance is the reflection of our workplace and personality, the first feature taken into account by recruiters or dating partners. The pressure on Appearing has surpassed verb…

by Sofia Ciniglio I am an individual who craves novelty. In fact, I desire it to the point of seeming unrealistic in my wishes— for example, it sometimes fleets through my mind that I would visit every single country in the world before I “expire”. I know that isn’t humanly possible, or at least th…

by John Testore Getting ready is the definition of Preparedness. For some people, it is an exciting practice for the better. For neurodivergents, it is a source of confusion. Preparedness is a very individualist subject. We all get ready for an important event, usually pleasurable, like a travel. G…

By Ron Sandison I want to encourage people with disabilities that you can accomplish great things and just because you have autism doesn’t mean you can’t do something good to help others. Micah Newcome, Author of The Adventures of Cari and Joe Dori Harrell who edited my fourth book Adulting on the …

By Nils Skudra This week, I had the opportunity to watch After Thomas, a heartfelt 2006 film based on the true story of Kyle Graham (Andrew Byrne), a young British boy with severe autism whose close bond with his Golden Retriever enables him to develop emotional connections with his parents. The fi…

By Ron Sandison “Eighty percent of people with autism experience depression and anxiety.” Dr. Tony Attwood After I interviewed a hundred young adults with autism while writing my fourth book Adulting on the Spectrum, I discovered one of the main hindrance to transition and independence is a hopeles…

By Nils Skudra Recently I had the opportunity to watch The World’s Fastest Indian, a 2005 biographical sports drama starring Anthony Hopkins in the role of Burt Munro, an eccentric speed bike racer from Invercargill, New Zealand, who set multiple land speed records for motorcycles with engines less…

By Robert Schmus In this madcap crazy rat race we call life; I think the world is starting to be aware of what burnout is. However, we autistics experience burnout in a different way. This is simply known as autistic burnout and it is not simple for us. Autistic burnout is the result from chronic st…

by John Testore Medication is a very divisive topic. Implications include religious beliefs, medical ethics, to mention the fact. It is the igniting topic of unhealthy debates between Med-free, New Age Medicine, Spiritual Healing, Traditional Western Medicine s advocates. I obviously support Wester…