I have some exciting news to share! My incomparable writing partner, Dr. Jennifer Elizabeth Brunton, and I are clawing our way to the finish line of our second book, which focuses on advice for teens and young adults transitioning to adulthood. The book will be tentatively titled The #ActuallyAutistic Guide to Building Independence: Practical, Step-By-Step Advice for Teens, Young Adults, and Those Who Care About Them and will showcase advice from over 100 Autistic teens and adults on important life transitions. For a variety of reasons, the journey to increased independence and adulthood-–in w ..read more

“I want to find friends who really want to hang out with me. Not just people who are nice, but people who make me feel like an integral part of their group.” Parents, teachers, and administrators teach kindness and inclusion in formal and informal ways. They encourage social interactions via playdates and birthday invites extended to entire classes or sports teams. They also might encourage the sharing of toys or lunch items. Schools also implement anti-bullying programs that administer negative consequences for harassment or exclusivity and positive rewards for inclusive actions. These are a ..read more

Below is an article by Ari Winters originally published on May 14, 2023 on Medium. It is reprinted here with their permission. Ari Winters is a professional facilitator and creator of The Relating Languages. Growing up, they were drawn to the complexities of human interaction, acting as a bridge between different social circles and communities. This sparked their fascination with facilitating discussions and fostering connections between people from diverse backgrounds. They have worked with organizations such as Google, Dell, Mindvalley, Rebel Wisdom, Kellogg, and the National Weather Servi ..read more

Michael Fugate is a commercial driver and public speaker from Indiana. Fugate is passionate about mental health and helping others gain the confidence to improve their lives. He enjoys music, films, history, writing, guitar, traveling, studying the world wars, and Howard Hughes. He hopes to expand his role as a public advocate to serve those in need. This week Fugate shared some of his experience as a public speaker and his passion for bridging the gap between the Autistic community and autism service providers. Tell me a little about yourself. What are your hobbies/interests/work? What a ..read more

Hanna Mashima is originally from Japan, a self-identified autist with OCD, Bipolar and Dissociative identity disorder. Hanna builds her life around work and study, knowing the gap between her capabilities in professional capacity and private life. Twitter: @hannamashima https://linktree.com/hannamashima This week she shared her path to self diagnosis, common misconceptions, and autism acceptance. Tell me a little about yourself (your passions/work interests, etc.) I am a professionally active, rule abiding, work dependent self-diagnosed autist (formerly my characteristics ma ..read more

Tas (they/we) is a neurodivergent writer & published author. They are autistic, disabled, a medically diagnosed DID system, a person of color, nonbinary, queer, and proud. They have a passion for equal access and human rights. They advocate for inclusion, equal access, and acceptance of neurodiversity & disability. Primarily their advocacy is focused on higher education and workplace accommodations/navigation. Website: https://tasthewriter.com/ Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/tasthoughts Intersectionality impacts autistic people all over the world. A sensitive topic that is not often di ..read more

Tom is a graduate of Edmonds College with an Associate of Technical Arts degree in Visual Arts. He lives in Seattle and is currently studying as a voice-over actor at the Seattle Voice Academy. He enjoys gaming, video editing, Photoshop, animation, and graphic design. This week he shared his experience working as the DIT (Digital Imaging Technician) on The Sound of Violet. When did you first identify/understand you are Autistic? Was your diagnosis explained as something positive, negative, or neutral? I was first diagnosed when I was 17 years old. But well before I was offi ..read more

Daniel Ray Williams is a first time author who self-published his first book, an autobiography, My Voice: Faced with Autism in 2018. Daniel has a passion for writing and been writing since the age of 12. Daniel is at work writing his second book. This week he shared some of his difficulties navigating life as as a member of multiple marginalized identities and how his positive attitude has helped him throughout his life. When did you become aware you were autistic? If you remember, how was your diagnosis introduced to you (as positive, negative, neutral?)  My oldest sister had me see ..read more

Molly Smith is an autistic, chronically ill, transplant recipient from Cambridgeshire, UK. She loves spending time with her dog, rainbows, Disney, finding bargains, doing jigsaws and Nintendo gaming. She blogs about her life at http://mollysmusingsonlife.wordpress.com/. This week she shared her experiences managing her social, public and medical environments. How/when did you become aware of your autism diagnosis? I wasn’t diagnosed til my late teens/early 20s. A psychologist I saw regularly as a child told my parents they suspected I was autistic when I was about 7 or 8 years old, but ..read more

Grace Liu is a biracial, autistic, lesbian writer, artist, public speaker, and podcast host from the UK. She writes and speaks about Autism, LGBT issues, intersectionality and diversity, writing, and family issues. This week she shared some of her experiences as a mixed-race Autistic lesbian. How was your autism diagnosis explained to you? Positively, negatively, neutrally?  I can’t remember off the top of my head, but I think my mum and stepdad just explained I’m made a little bit differently and may need extra help with some things. What unique struggles or celebrations have you exper ..read more