-
Autistic Lived Experience: Compromised by Neuropsychological Malpractice
If the world were a rightly ordered place, then this story takes a very different turn than it did. Looking back on how it unfolded, the wrong that was committed against me, as hurtful as it was, is not surprising, considering all I have learned since then about the prevailing narrative around...
-
The Gulf Coast Burnout Queen
Ten years ago, we began to sense that women on the spectrum had largely gone unnoticed and, therefore, undiagnosed to degrees that might actually be beyond our imagination. It was like waking up to find out that the nightmare was real. Thanks to the cultural realities of gender expectation,...
-
A Roadmap to Wellness
“John” is a person with autism. And he was driven by a goal. John wanted to learn to drive a car, get his license, and have a greater level of independence in his life. For John, this was critical to his emotional wellness. Many had told John that driving would never be an option. But...
-
Breaking My 33-Year Silence: Living with Autism and Finding Acceptance
As we celebrate World Autism Awareness/Acceptance Day, I feel compelled to share a story I have kept private for thirty-three years—not just to raise awareness but to advocate for a world that respects neurodiversity. For most of my life, I have witnessed others define autism from the outside...
-
The Neurodiverse Connections of the Harry Potter World
J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books and the film saga have received widespread acclaim from millions of fans around the world, as the magical world of Hogwarts not only captured the imagination of a generation of young readers but has also inspired many activists who found parallels between the...
-
Painful Conversations: Unconscious Neurodiversity Bias in Higher Education
NOTE: This article is an adaptation of a lecture given at Northeastern University on August 9, 2024. For the full, hour-long video of the presentation, please click here. A shorter version was co-hosted by Vanderbilt University and UCONN on December 13. When I was researching my last book (The...
-
Voices from China: Psychology Students Reflect on Autism Awareness and Advocacy
Wenzhou-Kean University is one of three Sino-US universities, with Kean University being the only public university that has a campus in China (Stern, 2024). The mission of this alliance is to foster cooperation and encourage people, especially youth, to get to know each other better (Zhang, 2024)....
-
Nina: A Nonspeaker Who Found Her Voice
Key Points Access to communication is a fundamental human right. Misconceptions about nonspeaking autism can be harmful. Spelling to communicate (S2C) can be a powerful tool for nonspeaking autistic people. Neurotypicals should presume competence and become helpful...
-
“Nothing About Us Without Us” Leaves Voices Out
In the autistic community, we often hear the phrase “nothing about us without us.” On its surface, that seems like the ethical standard that those of us who are not autistic should commit to. It feels respectful for non-autistic clinicians, educators, and researchers like me to take our...
-
Social Communications: An Essential but Often Overlooked Skill for Autistics
Autism has been described, and sometimes defined, as a disorder of communication. This is certainly the case for nonverbal autistics and others who are completely unable to communicate, but it is just as true for those who are articulate and able to express themselves verbally. For them, autism is...
