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 …

Naomi Rubin from Atypical Seasons 2 and 3 co-starred this holiday season in It’s a Wonderful Life’s table read which can be purchased at the Ed Asner Family Center website. The proceeds from the production help young adults and families with autism. By Ron Sandison Last year I interviewed Tal Ander…

“Synesthesia is a gift but it is also a beautiful language that needs its own translation.” Jeremy Sicile-Kira The essay below was written by 17-year old Abigail Delizo for a University of Toronto assignment for a course on Creating Community: Art, Identity and Belonging. Communicatio…

By Steve Staniek We had retired from the constant noise of the big city to a quiet place in the country we called High Reach, where we learned that we were to become grandparents for the first time. Our son’s growing family would need more space during weekend visits, and it was time to finish the …

Academy-award nominated My Left Foot (1989) garnered a best actor Oscar for Daniel Day-Lewis who portrays author and artist Christy Brown and a best supporting actress Oscar for Brenda Fricker who plays Christy’s mother. By Nils Skudra This week I watched the 1989 film My Left Foot, starring D…

Some things that have helped me with uncertainty and anxiety are below. By Aaron Bouma If you’re like me, an autistic adult that is dealing with anxiety and a strained mind at times, you are far from alone. Does uncertainty give you anxiety? For me, it does. For instance, if there is a militar…

By Jill MacCormack There are certain autumn nights when the quality of air is of such utter perfection that no matter my exhaustion I must heed the call of a walk under the auspices of darkness. Tonight was one such night. A gentle rain had fallen early in the eve, just enough to deepen the damp sme…

Entering the holiday season, I realized how thankful I am for the five mentors God has brought into my life and ministry. These men empowered me to become the man I am today. I hope to mentor and inspire other young adults on the autism spectrum to accomplish their dreams. By Ron Sandison As I refle…

Michael Worthington has over 400 paintings incorporating found heads-up pennies. By Michael Worthington December, 1999. Holiday time in NYC. Unemployed while in the music business, I was walking home one evening when I noticed a fair amount of change on the sidewalks. It caught my attention that in …

Autistic Changeling By Dana Trick Once upon a time, A child was born to a family. At first, they were overjoyed with the child, But when they’d exhibited strange behaviors that don’t belong to other children, When they’d showed passionate interest and knowledge of strange things, When they’d acted …

THE AMAZING SEASONS a poem by Ishaan Holloway I see magic in the Kingdom of colour, I see pure joy, I see love in the air, I see hope, I see freshness, I see nature in its bounty, I see beautiful Fall in all its glory. THANKSGIVING a poem by Ishaan Holloway Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate, The …

I once was a girl with a dream to belong, to overcome, to change the story written for her. I once was that girl who couldn’t walk, couldn’t count, couldn’t win, couldn’t love, couldn’t fit in. By Martina L. Beattie I once knew a girl with red-brown hair to her back and hazel-gree…

By Kris McElroy I found out I was autistic when I was 30 years old after over two decades of misdiagnoses, misunderstandings, and maltreatment. The diagnosis helped make so much more sense to me about myself and the world around me. It helped me understand I was having meltdowns because I was overlo…

October is National Disability Employment Awareness month. I struggled for years with employment; I am now gainfully employed going on 13.6 years in the mental health field and 18 years part-time as a professor of theology and speak at over 70 events a year. As I refined my talents and special inter…