This April was the seventh anniversary of my becoming a national speaker and author. For Autism Acceptance Month, I decided to reflect back on my journey with autism and the lessons I’ve learned and the hardship I’ve endured. By Ron Sandison Every milestone and major event in my life took me longer…

Happy World Autism Day! Throughout April (Autism Acceptance Month) The Art of Autism nonprofit will be sharing some of our favorite quotes on our Instagram and Facebook social media platforms. Please like our pages and join in the conversation. We encourage you to follow us and add your own favori…

“Autism has truly become my superpower throughout life.” Britini D’Angelo By Ron Sandison Britini D’Angelo (Niagara Falls, NY), is a teacher, dance instructor, a fourth degree black belt in the Chuck Norris System, and was recently a contestant on Big Brother 23 (CBS). Britini overcame m…

When I got my diagnosis of autism, it was like there was suddenly and explosive light that emerged in the darkness of all my mistakes. I am not broken. I am not just a bitch. I am autistic. By Jessica Penot I have administered the Autism Diagnostic Interview the Revised Addition (ADI-R) 132 tim…

Yes, a spoonful of sugar does help the medicine go down, but there is a fine line between medicine and a sugar pill. By Anton Spivack When I saw this video on Youtube about how to choose a high school musical, one commenter listed a set of guidelines. One of which rang particularly true: “it has t…

This blog post originated from a second reply sent to Myranda Uselton to her Art of Autism post about being a self-diagnosed Autistic. In my first reply to her, I was proud to be self-diagnosed, and in the second, I described why I changed my mind. Debra Muzikar (editor of the Art of Autism blog) as…

By Nils Skudra This weekend I had the opportunity to finish watching the new Amazon Prime series As We See It, a compelling 8-episode portrayal of three young autistic adults dealing with the challenges of independent living. This series provides a highly insightful and sensitive look at the issues…

By Danyale Sturdivant When my son Joshua was born, I cannot begin to tell you how happy I was! I had watched video’s and read books and was so “prepared”! I had everything down and was excited to take on this new venture. As life would have it, he was diagnosed with Autism at 2 ½ and that is when o…

Since it is very difficult for people with disabilities to make successful inroads in the film industry, where disabled characters tend to be represented by non-disabled actors, Falk’s example can hopefully inspire members of the disability community today to pursue their aspirations of career succe…

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…

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…

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…

A movie review of the 1986 film Children of A Lesser God By Nils Skudra This weekend I had the opportunity to watch Children of a Lesser God, a beautiful 1986 film about a romance between a hearing teacher and a young deaf woman working at a school for the deaf and hearing-impaired. I felt that thi…

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 …