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Autistic Lived Experience: Life Magazine Labeled Me “A Bright Child Who Can’t Learn”
In April 2023, it was my distinct privilege to be invited to The Center School in Somerset, NJ, the special needs school where it all began for me as a Kindergartener back in the mid '70s, to give an author talk about my book A Long Walk Down a Winding Road. I felt as though I had triumphantly come...
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Beyond the Autism Diagnosis: Understanding the Multifaceted Needs of Parents
As the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) increases, so does the number of parents trying to navigate the complexities that accompany an autism diagnosis. Raising an autistic child is challenging for many parents, and many reported higher levels of stress compared to...
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Teamwork: Building A Successful Neurodivergent-Neurotypical Marriage
As I sit down to write this, my husband and I just celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary. We met through a mutual friend - an ex-boyfriend of mine. Joseph and I had gone our separate ways a few months before I received a phone call from “Caper” (his chosen “call sign”). I was surprised by...
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Navigating the Sandwich Generation: My Personal Journey as a Neurodivergent Entrepreneur, Mother, and Daughter
I am a sandwich generation mother and daughter; I can attest to our unique challenges. I have the added challenge of a disability, or as I like to refer to it, a unique neurotype. Despite growing up thinking I was a neurotypical person who was just unlikeable or “weird,” I have always been...
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(Autistic) Girls on Film? An Analysis of Autistic Female Characters in Media and Fan Interpretations
Contrary to popular belief, autistic characters in TV and film are nothing new. The first instance of an autistic person being portrayed o-screen is popularly believed to be Amanda from the 1969 crime drama Change of Habit, starring Elvis Presley and Tyler Moore. Initially, the little girl is...
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Living and Aging Independently on the Autism Spectrum: An Inside View
Having been diagnosed late in life at the age of 44, I lived for the better part of my life on the autism spectrum without myself or anyone else being aware of it. During the time in which I finally knew about this, I was already an older adult and, most recently, a senior citizen. Unlike so many...
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Lessons I Learned From Job Coaching
Job coaches are professionals who not only support an individual with a disability in a community setting, but also teach skills to help them be ready for future employment. I have two perspectives, that of a person who had a coach and being the coach myself. Back in my secondary school days, I had...
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An Autistic Woman’s Success Story: Kaelynn Partlow, Therapist, Dog Trainer, and Star of the Hit Netflix Series “Love on the Spectrum”
Perhaps because of the stigma we are up against and how misunderstood we know we are, many in the autism spectrum community feel as though the entertainment industry has historically mis- and under-represented us. The autistic character of Raymond Babbitt from the popular Oscar-winning movie Rain...
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Autism and the Law: When Trouble Comes Our Way
“I may have the advantage of race and gender. I may be able to stave off a meltdown for a short period. I may try my hardest to comply and be non-threatening, but I’m only ever one misunderstanding or nervous officer away from death. And it may be, in any given encounter, that there’s nothing...
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Rethinking Guardianship: Empowering Autistic Individuals and Preserving Rights
Often when I encounter families with young autistic kids, they are admittedly very anxious about their child’s future. Who will take care of my child when I die? How can I make sure I am an active decision-maker in their lives when they reach adulthood, especially if they are non-speaking or have...
