Content note: This essay discusses suicide. “It’s really dark in here,” my frowning boss told me the moment she came into my office. She knows I’m autistic; I’ve been here for three years. We also work in an industry that claims to know about autism, and to support autistic people. I could only shrug, too […]
A lot of times now when parents of newly identified autistic kids ask me what they should know, the first thing I say is: “We get tired.” This is so important. The way we autistics process is often on hyperdrive. The activities that are like strolling for many allistic people are like sprinting for us. […]
Note: This article discusses rape and abuse. I remember the shock when I realized that my ex had raped me. And that it had taken me nearly two years to the day to realize that what had transpired that evening had been rape. I had always been uncomfortable about what had happened. But it’s not […]
The contemporary world can be a thorny and unwelcoming place for autistic people, especially those who are multiply marginalized. We spoke with T.C. Waisman, Monique Botha, and Wenn Lawson—three deeply compassionate autistic experts—about their experiences with, and insights for, navigating this planet and our societies while autistic. Our three interviewees are also presenting next week […]
Watching my preschool son at the playground was stressful. It’s where we picked up early clues that he was different. He didn’t understand the other kids’ way of playing. While he was motivated to connect with them, he didn’t know how. Kids could tell he was different, but they weren’t sure in what way. He […]
Special interests or passions are a beautiful and confounding part of the autistic experience. They can materialize out of nowhere. One day you have absolutely no opinions on ships, and the next day you are suddenly overcome with the need to learn about every nautical disaster. Passions can disappear just as suddenly; in the middle […]
Content note: Mention of suicide Let’s talk about the benefits and considerations of pet ownership for autistic people. Discussions about autism tend to focus on challenges and deficits, instead of discussing autistic traits neutrally, or highlighting autistic strengths. The idea that “all Autistic people are cats” and that “cats are Autistic” has even emerged as […]
Why should autistic adults of a certain age get a colonoscopy? Well, the numbers are scary—1 person in 25 is at risk of developing colorectal cancer during their lifetime. Luckily, there is something that you can do about it. You can get a colonoscopy, which can detect precancerous colorectal growths before they become malignant. Colonoscopies […]
We had the good fortune to talk with autistic autism researcher Dr. TC Waisman amidst the glorious chaos of the 2025 annual meeting of the International Society for Autism Research, INSAR. Dr. Waisman shared crucial insights about their work in universal design, academic accessibility, forming the INSAR Autistic Researchers Committee, and their lived and research […]
Medicaid is life for my mostly non-speaking autistic adult son. He grew up in NY District 11, and at 22, is more than just a resident of our neighborhood of Bay Ridge. He has a symbiotic relationship with his neighborhood. People might recognize his smile, or even know his name. Since he aged out of […]
Autism research is highly focused on causation and autism “treatments,” areas most autistic people neither benefit from nor want studied. Enter AutINSAR, a much-needed discussion between autistic people, autism researchers, family members, and professionals about priorities in autism research. This year’s AutINSAR chat took place during INSAR 2025, the annual meeting of the International Society […]
Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism (TPGA): We’re talking with autistic disability advocate AJ Link. AJ graduated from the George Washington University Law School and also has an advanced degree in space law. In addition, he serves as the president of the National Disabled Legal Professionals Association, which he co-founded, and is a consultant and board […]
