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Yes, We Can Socialize
Throughout my life as an autistic person, I have been fortunate to have experienced great moments where I have been able to socialize with others and gain long-lasting friendships. There were also times when, due to my misunderstanding of certain social situations and the anxiety that comes with...
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The Autism Society of America Awards Desiree Kameka Galloway the 2024 Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Leader in Adult Autism Award
The Autism Society of America is pleased to announce that Desiree Kameka Galloway will be honored with The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Leader in Adult Autism Award for 2024. This award celebrates individuals and initiatives that allow Autistic adults to live fully. The Daniel Jordan...
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Can Being Denied Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Cause Lifelong Trauma?
Complex trauma happens when someone feels they are trapped and alone in continuing threatening or unsafe circumstances, like child abuse, war, or racism (World Health Organization, 2019). In situations where a person experiences threats every day, changes occur to the part of the nervous system...
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More Than Words: Empowering the Voices of People with Autism
Living Resources, a Capital Region agency where I proudly work, serves about 1900 people with autism or other disabilities and life-challenging conditions. As I pen this piece during the holiday season, I am reminded of one of the most rewarding and instructive moments I experienced at one of the...
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Empowering Voices: The Importance of Self-Advocacy and Effective Communication for Autistic Individuals
Self-advocacy is a critical skill requiring communication for individuals on the autism spectrum, enabling them to express their needs, rights, and preferences effectively. It plays a significant role in their personal and academic lives, particularly as they transition into adulthood and face new...
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Active Listening and Multimodal Communication: Strategies for Understanding and Supporting Unique Needs
You’re going through your workday, and suddenly, the bottom of your foot starts to ache. You stop, untie your shoe, and take it off to see what’s happening. Relief washes over you when your supervisor appears because help has arrived! You start to peel your sock back to show them where you’re...
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Practical Tips for a Sensory-Friendly Christmas for Autistic Children
Christmas is just around the corner. Unlike the white, snow-covered wonderland that many associate with Christmas, the festive season can be very lively and noisy and filled with appointments and various stimuli. There is a well-known quote that I think puts into words the way autistic...
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The Problem with Calling Neurominorities “Neurodiverse”
Calling individuals neurodiverse spreads neurodiversity lite. Neurodiversity lite is the pathology paradigm in disguise. The pathology paradigm marginalizes/medicalizes neurominorities. Using the word “neurodiverse” to refer to individual people spreads neurodiversity lite...
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A Presumption of Competence: Empowering Disability Advocacy and Independent Living
On June 18, 2024, the White House hosted an Olmstead 25th Anniversary Observance to commemorate the Supreme Court decision (Olmstead v. L.C.) that ruled institutionalizing people with disabilities who were capable of community living was a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). One...
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Amid Increasingly Extreme Weather, Autistic Individuals Left Particularly Vulnerable to Climate Change Effects
Sherman Gillums Jr., the Federal Emergency Management Agency Director of Disability Integration and Coordination, remembers the event that made him realize emergency responses during natural disasters needed to be more autism-inclusive. In the throes of Hurricane Ian — the fifth strongest storm...
