Following rules and rituals I create unique compositions. By Roland Bühlmann My music follows certain, partly unconscious rules. Following rules and rituals is typical for autistic people. My music is linear, made up of individual voices, all are more or less melodic. A kind of polyphony without con…

It’s not weird that I’m not so good at letting go, because holding on is what I’ve always done. Letting go is new. And growing hurts. By Martine Mussies Let it Go! Let it Go! People with autism are notorious for their inability to let go – and I am no exception to this. Last…

By Nils Skudra One film that I have been moved to watch numerous times is Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech, a 2010 biographical depiction of King George VI of Great Britain and the struggle to overcome his speech impediment. I felt that this would be a prime candidate for a film review since people or…

By Joel Ashton-Fogle Duel Diagnosis No, this is not a miss-spelling! For every day is a battle; a combat between symptoms, treatments for them, side-effects of the treatments and subsequent treatments to alleviate the side-effects, leading to more side-effects and more treatments. And so it goes o…

By Alice Farion It’s going to be ok. I’m going to be ok. It’s just 8 hours. I’m going to be normal. But I’m not. I am faking it, I am not ok. I am not normal. Everyday, I play an act. I have been an actress my whole life. I am a researcher too. Everyday, I observe other people, list facts, organise …

Rudy reminds me of the simple things in life like a good meal. No matter what we have for dinner, Rudy is under the table begging for his scraps. By Ron Sandison In December 2018 I was experiencing severe anxiety and depression. I felt overwhelm by traveling and speaking at over 70 events a year an…

“The remarkable abilities of the artist with autism surface because of their autism, not in spite of it.” Darold Treffert, M.D. The Art of Autism mourns the death of Dr. Darold Treffert. Dr. Treffert was a psychiatrist and researcher who specialized in autism, hyperlexia, and savant syndrome. He c…

By Kevin Degidon https://kevindegidonspectrumart.weebly.com Kevin is a versatile artist who works in various art forms including: • Acrylic painting • Book illustration • Sculpture • Interactive art • Installation artwork • Writing Source: The Art of Autism

By Roland Bühlmann About pinhole photography Pinhole photography is one of my favorite interests; the other is music. I play guitar and several other instruments and I record and produce my own music. I learned both special interests an an autodidactic. A third interest is reading books (criminal st…

By Kris McElroy The holiday season is one of my favorite times of the year while also being one of the most difficult for me. I love the decorations, music, and lights of the holiday season, but I struggle with sensory overload, crowds, and the social expectations and requirements of holiday gatheri…

By Nera Birch Knitting is one of my special interests. I learned to knit when I was in second grade, but due to abusive situations all of my life, I wasn’t allowed to pursue it the way I wanted, until now. I have very quickly become obsessed with it, as one tends to do with an autistic special inter…

The Matchsellers is an animated poem about Tommy a veteran who finds himself homeless and begging on the streets of London. Poem by Dr. Ian C. Hale Animated by Gary Jesch Compiled by Keri Bowers The point I hoped to convey in the animation is that the sad remnants of war, and the lack of peace, ar…

Lotta Wadsten Bynert reflects on her search for God and meaning in her life. Thank you for this beautiful site and letting me share my thoughts with you about life on the autism spectrum, recovery from mental illness, drawing and doing so together with God. This combination is not a problem for God,…

I want to see autistic characters who are Black, Latino, Asian, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Indigenous, non-verbal, LGBTAQ+, and/or physically disabled By Dana Trick Recently there has been a very vocal demand for representation for diverse people of various ethnicities, religions, sexuali…