Autism Advocacy

Most people strive to be respectful when discussing someone with different abilities. This often leads to questions about what language is appropriate—for example, is it better to say “autistic person” or “person with autism”?  Another term you may have heard and have questions about is “autist”. Where does this word come from, who uses it,

Encouragement Speaker Derrick Hayes gives an AUTISM Interview by asking six questions through each letter in the word AUTISM to give readers an insightful perspective from parents, experts, entrepreneurs and other leaders in the field. Chinh Nguyen is the mother of a son with autism and serves on the Board of Directors for Regional Center

Encouragement Speaker Derrick Hayes gives an AUTISM Interview by asking six questions through each letter in the word AUTISM to give readers an insightful perspective from parents, experts, entrepreneurs, and other leaders in the field. Who is Marcelle Ciampi? Marcelle Ciampi, MEd (pen name Samantha Craft), is an autistic author and worldwide advocate; she is

An autism advocate shares the importance of parents immersing themselves in autistic culture. “Dear Parents, get behind autistic culture!” J.C., Human Rights Advocate. “The world of autistic culture is a steep learning curve, but very worth it. Especially if it empowers your child to advocate for themselves.” David Gray-Hammond, Facebook group host at Emergent Divergence.

Special needs adoption is needed, but the need to discuss it openly and honestly may be even more important. In fact some special needs adoptees (on international adoption forums) implore the public to look at this topic without white savior colored glasses… Special attention The Stauffers, an American family seemingly made for YouTube fame, became

If you have a connection to the autism community—or even if you don’t—you may have heard that April is Autism Awareness Month, also referred to as World Autism Month. There is no formal designation for this month, but the celebration evolved from the Autism Society of America’s first National Autistic Children’s Week in 1972 and

Empathy asks us to put ourselves in the shoes of someone else. In the autistic child’s shoes, what would it feel like to type the word “autism” into a search engine and see how you are defined in terms of decificts, impairments, and challenges…? The first words that popped up on my screen when I

When speaking about your child’s autism diagnosis, do you say “my autistic child” (identity-first) or do you speak about your “child with autism” (person-first)? This is more than a mere language debate, it speaks to the heart of self-identification and, unfortunately, stigma too… As a journalist specializing in autism, choosing the right language is important

Reading through online autism forums will erase any doubt about stigmatization of those on the spectrum. Some autistic individuals say you just need to look at vaccination debates to get an idea of how many neurotypical people feel about autism. The fact that some people are more willing to risk the chance of their child

Encouragement Speaker Derrick Hayes gives an AUTISM interview by asking six questions through each letter in the word AUTISM to give readers an insightful perspective from parents, experts, entrepreneurs, and other leaders in the field. Ava Hart was born into a family of singers and performers and has been singing since the age of 12.

In an episode of Modern Family (S9, Episode 2) Mitch rebukes his daughter Lily after a snarky comment by telling her: “Ok, if you’re going to be mean, be funny.” The controversy concerning the “autistic screeching” meme brings up some uncomfortable questions about this idea of humor and hurt and where the two meet. Looking

Although autism can create challenges and difficulties with everyday life, it can also be seen as a gift which enables people to share amazing talents with the world around them. There are many notable figures in today’s society who have received an autism diagnosis. Plus, with autism being a fairly “new” diagnosis, several geniuses throughout

An autism sibling shines a light on autistic achievers in celebration of Autism Awareness Month. As April is Autism Awareness Month, I wanted to share the stories of some incredible achievers on the spectrum. Unfortunately, the word “autism” has some negative stigmas attached to it. I wanted to break some of those stigmas. I have

An autism mom shares her reasons for why Autism Awareness Month is a time for everyone to get involved and show support. There are 365 days in a year, and as someone with a deep relationship with autism, there is something I’m very grateful for: there is one month of the year dedicated to those

April is Autism Awareness Month. Here are some ideas for how you can celebrate as a parent of a child with autism. Here are 10 easy, inexpensive suggestions for celebrating Autism Awareness Month that your child may be able to participate in. 1. Celebrate your teachers and therapists During the month of April, you and

Encouragement Speaker Derrick Hayes gives an AUTISM Interview by asking six questions through each letter in the word AUTISM to give readers an insightful perspective from parents, experts, entrepreneurs, and other leaders in the field. Sandra Gudat-Benke is the CEO of Customer Communications Group and mom to her autistic son, Alec. She has worked for

Encouragement Speaker Derrick Hayes gives an AUTISM Interview by asking six questions through each letter in the word AUTISM to give readers an insightful perspective from parents, experts, entrepreneurs, and other leaders in the field. Sabrina Thomas is a mother, author, speaker, and parent advocate for autism and special needs families. Her mission is to

Xavier DeGroat from Michigan, US, has made history as the first person with autism to take part in an internship with the White House. During his internship, Xavier had the chance to check out Marine One, have lunch with many staff members including his friend Andrew Giuliani (son of former New York City Mayor Rudy

Derrick Hayes gives an AUTISM Interview by asking six questions through each letter in the word AUTISM to give readers an insightful perspective from parents, experts, entrepreneurs, and other leaders in the field. Areva Martin is an award-winning attorney, best-selling author, legal commentator, talk show host, and television producer who has positioned herself as a

Is autism a disability? If it’s not a disability, what is autism? Is it a disorder? Or is it simply a different way of responding to people and the world around us? These are questions many parents ask, as well as people on the spectrum themselves. Unfortunately, the answers are far from straightforward.  According to

Autism Warrior: Claire Cookson Chief Executive Officer of DFN Project SEARCH, a total immersion transition-to-work program for students with learning disabilities and autism spectrum conditions looking to achieve competitive employment. In April 2020, Claire Cookson was appointed the new CEO of DFN Project SEARCH, a supported internship program designed to enable the inclusion and empowerment

Encouragement Speaker Derrick Hayes gives an AUTISM Interview by asking six questions through each letter in the word AUTISM to give readers an insightful perspective from parents, experts, entrepreneurs, and other leaders in the field. Today’s AUTISM Interview is with Lola Dada-Olley, who is a mother of two children on the autism spectrum and also

Autism Warrior: Sheletta Brundidge Mother, author, broadcaster, and podcaster, Sheletta Brunbridge does it all. She has four children; the youngest three have autism spectrum disorder. She is a radio talk show host, a public television commentator, and the creator of SHElettamakesmelaugh.com, a platform that produces and distributes podcasts by and for people of color. Three

In the autism community, the prevailing idea is that boys significantly outnumber girls on the autism spectrum. Common estimates suggest that the boy: girl ratio is 4:1. Recent studies have found that, in fact, there are more girls on the spectrum than previously recognized, with current estimates of the boy:girl ratio ranging from 3:1 to

Encouragement Speaker Derrick Hayes gives an AUTISM Interview by asking six questions through each letter in the word AUTISM to give readers an insightful perspective from parents, experts, entrepreneurs, and other leaders in the field. Today’s AUTISM Interview is Matt and Navah Asner, who both had children with autism before marrying and becoming the Brady

Autism Warrior: Russell Lehmann Award-winning motivational speaker, poet, author, and advocate, who continues to overcome his personal struggles with autism to travel the world and share his knowledge, compassion, and hope. In 2003, eleven-year-old Russell was admitted to the psychiatric ward at his local city hospital and stayed for five weeks. Later that fall, he