Navigating Change on the Autism Spectrum: My Journey to Grad School

• By: Rachel Guttentag Autistic Self-Advocate
• January 5th, 2026
• aversion to change, career uncertainty, decision-making challenges, graduate school, independence, life transitions, self-advocacy, self-awareness, Winter 2026 Issue
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When you live life on the autism spectrum, it’s easy to become so used to your own patterns that you miss the problems those patterns cause. You fail to see the obstacles that keep tripping you up, and why. I want to share a story of my own pitfalls when it comes to the autistic aversion to...

Building Meaningful Lives: How Moving Forward Towards Independence Supports Neurodivergent Adults

• By: Marita Musante Barbara Montaldo Mark Goodenough Moving Forward Towards Independence
• January 5th, 2026
• community support, coping with change, executive function, independent living skills, life transitions, neurodivergent adults, residential programs, Winter 2026 Issue
• 77    0

Mac Anderson and Tom Feltenstein wrote; Change is Good... You Go First and understanding that change and the transitions it requires is a source of anxiety for much of humanity. Twenty-eight years ago, a group, all parents of neurodivergent children, were feeling the full weight of transition...

The Day I Learned That Stepping Away Isn’t Giving Up – It’s How Autistic Brains Navigate Change

• By: Riley Smith Autism Advocate
• September 15th, 2025
• coping strategies, employment, executive functioning, Fall 2025 Issue, independence, life transitions, self-regulation, sensory overload
• 1300    0

Whenever I have had a big change coming, I tell myself "I can handle this." I have always been good at problem-solving, at figuring things out methodically. Moving away from home for the first time to live at a program for young adults with autism? No problem – I was prepared to learn everything...