Brilliance in Motion: How Autistic Students Navigate Unpredictable School Environments

• By: S. Astrid Cooper Writer and Illustrator
• March 16th, 2026
• adaptability, autism awareness, autistic students, disability advocacy, neurodiversity, school environment, sensory processing
• 53    0

The high school where I worked operated without the basic structures most people associate with education. There were no bells, no traditional classes, no grades. Students moved between community internships and loosely defined independent projects, navigating spaces filled with noise, movement,...

Not Quiet. Just Listening. A Reflection on Autistic Girlhood—Then and Now

• By: S. Astrid Cooper Writer and Illustrator
• February 25th, 2026
• autism in girls, emotional sensitivity, inclusive education, masking behaviors, neurodiversity acceptance, pattern recognition, self-soothing strategies, sensory overload
• 274    0

In the late 1960s, a little girl carried a book under her arm—a simple gesture that masked a constant search for calm. She moved through the world as if following a quiet cadence, attuned to subtleties others didn’t notice: a hint of a smile, the tension behind a voice, the pattern of...

Beyond the Autistic Barbie: Seeing Children as They Truly Are

• By: S. Astrid Cooper Writer and Illustrator
• February 4th, 2026
• autism representation, belonging, childhood identity, inclusion, labels, neurodiversity, sensory experiences
• 557    0

“Mummy, I want the autistic Barbie for Christmas.” It’s an ordinary request on the surface — a child asking for a doll — but it reveals something larger about the moment we’re in. Neurodiversity has become a storyline the marketplace is eager to package: a label here, a superpower...