Autism Advocacy

Owen sat in the school psychologist office, the remnants of a torrent of tears still on his face from his recent meltdown. Ms Field held up two corks, tucked them in between her thumbs and forefingers and said, “Owen, watch this.” She then turned her hands to the sides and switched the corks to the

What’s it like to have autism? I have often found myself wondering this when out and about with my children, watching them interact with the world. I am a parent of someone diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and have found myself watching videos by autistic people, and reading some books written by autistic people to

I’m standing in a room full of people who are cheering, laughing, and collectively enjoying an extremely noisy event. Suddenly, I feel very ill, and I know I am in danger. My attempts at getting the attention of the people around me fail, they are busy and it is too loud. In that moment it

Meet Stephanie Smith, a woman driven by her passion to create change in the autism community through education. Stephanie Smith is the recently appointed Deputy Headteacher at The Cavendish School, a state-maintained special free school for young people with autism in the UK—and the world’s first International Baccalaureate (IB) special autism school. Stephanie has been

What do you picture in your mind when you hear the phrase “symbols for autism”? It might be the puzzle piece, the color blue, the infinity sign, or maybe the butterfly? This article will discuss some of these symbols, what they mean, and how autistic advocates feel about their usage.  When researching for this article,

For years documentaries have been used as an educational resource to teach about autism spectrum disorders (ASD) but the number of titles have been limited. As the rate of autism diagnoses increases, more and more parents are looking to equip themselves with as much knowledge as possible. The thing is, there is now so much

Encouragement speaker Derrick Hayes gives an AUTISM Interview by asking six questions through each letter in the word AUTISM to offer readers an insightful perspective from parents, experts, entrepreneurs, and other leaders in the field. John Hale was born in Dallas, TX. He is 52 years old and has a wife and three kids, all

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”. That saying never made anyone feel better. Yet, it is one of many things that parents, grandparents, teachers, and friends have said to those hurt by others’ words, in a desperate attempt to make the person see that everything was ok–even when

Autism charities are found world-wide. They can help with the support of children living with autism and their families, funding for autism professionals, caregivers, and their organizations, etc. Within this article there are charities listed that help and promote autism awareness. Also listed is how to contact them, get involved, and donate to them, as

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. Lisa Steppan is a single mother of 16-year-old Sam, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the age

Meet John Vento, co-founder of Band Together Pittsburgh, who uses music to bring change into the lives of people on the spectrum. Music is one of many ways to unite people, regardless of culture, language, ethnic background, or intellectual ability. John Vento is a musician and business owner who brings programs to individuals on the

As an autistic person growing up, I quickly learned that discrimination was going to be a part of life that I would have to find ways to cope with. Upon leaving education I was fired from a range of jobs for being “too slow” and lacking social interaction. A survey conducted by the Office for

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

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

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

There are many famous people with autism as, although autism can create challenges with everyday life, it can also be seen as a gift which enables people to share 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

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

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

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

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

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