Autistic people can find it very hard to break into the labor market. We might be extremely anxious about working or the job application process, have had a traumatic experience in the workplace, be very anxious around people or have low self-esteem. By Jeanette Purkis There are many reasons why peo…

by Debra Muzikar “Kevin will use age-appropriate eye contact in (3 out of 4) verbal interactions with adults or peers in 4 trials as measured by observation and trial.” Many parents see goals such as this on their child’s IEP’s or therapy plans. In fact, when I researched thi…

April 2, 2016 is World Autism Awareness Day – the Art of Autism seeking videos with the theme of #AutismSweets Cakes from around the world celebrating autism will be revealed on Saturday, April 2, 2016 Over 100 cake decorators from around the world have come together to bring autism acceptance and a…

All the Weight of Our Dreams: On Living Racialized Autism, the first anthology of its kind – a call for donations by Lydia Brown Leaving Evidence I am a proud autistic of color working with the Autism Women’s Network to create the first ever anthology of art and writings by autistics of colo…

Bryant and Michael So many new things happening at Autistry. We welcome two new mentors to our Autistry staff, Bryant Luong and Matt Glenwright. Bryant has a degree in psychology from California State University, Fullerton and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in occupational therapy at Domini…

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 …

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…

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…

“What does it mean to be autistic?” Amy Goodman “It means you have special talents and skills inside you,” Owen Suskind “What are those talents?” Amy Goodman “Being a good artist, and a piano player, and a good writer, author, and a storyteller, and a possib…

Acknowledging Mastery at Autistry: Certification. We teach skills as an integral part of working with students at Autistry. If a student wants to make a pillow, they learn to sew. If a student wants a bookshelf, they learn woodworking. A model tank, they learn model building, painting, decaling, wea…

Do you want to change the world? Want to live an energizing life? Then you just might be a Ripple Revolutionary! Come join me at the Ripple Revolution blog. The Ripple RevolutionTM is a movement to change the way we think about making a difference. It is founded on two simple ideas: You have the ab…

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…

By Leanne Libas There are two different categories that people fall into: those who make New Year’s resolutions and those who don’t. Do I believe in resolutions? Yes, just as long as they are reasonable and attainable. The problem I usually encounter with New Year’s resolutions is how I utterly fail…