When we engage in the creation of our own art forms, we receive big benefits to our minds, both physically and mentally. When we produce art with our own hands, there is increased neural connectivity in the area of the brain that deals with introspection, memory, and self-monitoring. by Caileigh Fl…

“Autism is a person who has discovered something more interesting than social interaction,” Tony Attwood By Ron Sandison On Thursday 10/17/16 at a conference in Michigan, I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Tony Attwood, an English psychologist and world renowned expert on Asperger’…

The Art of Autism joins art organizations across the United States in celebrating National Arts and Humanities Month (NAHM). Thirty years ago, NAHM was launched by Americans for the Arts as National Arts Week in honor of the twentieth anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts. The Americans…

By Colin Eldred-Cohen I must say, I was really surprised at the reactions to my piece on Satoshi Tajiri, the autistic creator of Pokemon. I figured it would peek some interest, but the amount of of gratitude and love blew me away and really touched me. Clearly, the impact of representation in the …

“It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a child with autism to raise the consciousness of the village,” Coach Elaine Hall By Debra Muzikar Today September 28 is Good Neighbor’s Day. This year in California we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Lanterman Act. The und…

Body language signals can tell if your date is bored By Engelbert Lau Based on my personal experience, dating can be challenging for someone on the autistic spectrum.  I find it very difficult to read body language.  Body language is confusing, as two people can have very different reactions to the …

Maybe Eleanor would have loved to join the book club? I think about the many, many times that Eleanor has had similar things happen to her. It must shut down her self-esteem and hope, and crash her dreams of what she might want to do later in life—crashing her hope of maybe succeeding to be a doctor…

Tell me about the colors only you can see. Scarlett was diagnosed with autism today. They say a diagnosis of autism is given every 20 minutes… By Alyssa Adamson Sweet child, light of my life, I promise to never allow any fear to stop me from unlocking all of the universes that exist in your br…

Ten tips that can help parents, teachers and caregivers By Samantha Craft Thinking about three autistics, my middle son (age 17), my adult partner, and myself, the following things assist us: 1.Having things out in the open When items are out in the open and I can see them and know there is ‘enoug…

Ask most anyone why they work, and their answer is most likely to be some variation of "for the paycheck."  Money is clearly a huge motivation for those of us who forgot to hit the independently wealthy button on the way out of the womb, but when we see it as the only thing we get from our work, it …

By Debra Muzikar 2016 is starting out to be a very good year. Last week I received  the most comprehensive and practical book for those working with young adults with autism or learning differences aged 16 – 26. The book is called “Autism and Learning Differences: An Active Learning Teac…

By Leanne Libas “If my child was autistic, I would say to them them: ‘Baby, it’s going to be okay. There’s nothing wrong with you,'”Leanne Libas As I look back at the blogs I’ve written for The Art of Autism, I started wondering what should I write for the last month of the year. Then, I…

You like to categorize things into ‘it is’ or ‘it is not’. It helps you keep track of the world around you, but I have to tell you are going about it the wrong way. This is not a world of binaries. Certainly some binaries do exist, but this is largely a world of spectra- vibrant, living, breathing, …

Dear Amy, I know you’re feeling pretty bad right now. The other kids make fun of you a lot, and you don’t know why. You’re trying really hard to be friends with them–doing all of the things you think they want you to do, and it’s just not working. But there is one thing…