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Don’t Divide the Autism Spectrum: Unite the Whole Community
Despite clear alternatives, some prominent voices in the autism world, whom I wrote about in November, are continuing to push for a new category which they are calling “Profound Autism.” They are completely ignoring Autistic voices. The Autism Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), “has continually...
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“It’s Special” Podcast with Tracey Spencer Walsh, Esq. and Cecelia McCarton, MD
Tracey Spencer Walsh is the Founder and Chief Litigation Strategist of Spencer Walsh Law, PLLC and is also the creator and host of the podcast, “It’s Special.” “It’s Special” takes a vast amount of information in the realm of special needs - sometimes too overwhelming to sift...
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Uncovering Neurodiversity in a Relationship
Neurodiversity in a partnership signifies that partners’ brains are wired differently from one another. When a couple learns that someone has a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), it can fundamentally shift the way they view their relationship. While there are inherent challenges that...
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An Interview with Elaine Hall, Founder of “The Miracle Project” and Mother of a Non-Speaking Autistic Adult, On the Concept of “Profound Autism”
This interview article was originally published on the Neurodiversity Press Blog and has been republished with permission. Michael John Carley: Elaine, tell me about your son, Neal. Elaine Hall: Neal Katz is a 28-year-old autistic multi-modality communicator who uses gestures,...
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Supporting Teens and Adults in Becoming the Best Self-Advocate They Can
The creation of self-advocacy is a story that is one of pioneering and revolution dating back as far as 1968 (Glumbić et al., 2022). Today, many self-advocacy organizations target elevating neurodiverse voices and providing space for neurodiverse individuals to advocate for themselves. The current...
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Let’s NOT Divide the Autism Spectrum: My View From the Trenches on “Profound Autism”
Editor’s Note: Autism Spectrum News strives to be an inclusive voice for the Autism community by presenting articles that promote discussion and advancement. This article is a response to Alison Singer’s article It’s Time to Embrace ‘Profound Autism’, published by Spectrum on October...
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Autism and the Troubling Risk of Suicide
This article has information about suicide and suicide prevention. For help 24/7, please call or text the U.S. Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. Few people used to think about the risk of suicide among people on the autism spectrum. Researchers rarely studied it. Primary care doctors did not...
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Intimate Relationship Failures From an Autistic Perspective
The standard narrative positions autism as the cause of relationship trouble when a non-autistic person dates or falls in love with an autistic person. The autistic partner is assumed to be the disruptive or difficult one. Self-help books offer non-autistic partners tips on how to cope with their...
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A Brief Guide to Discussing Intimacy and Sex in Neurodiverse Couples Therapy
Intimacy and sex are healthy, natural aspects of human relationships. Yet, this topic is often unaddressed by both therapists and couples seeking support. While differences and challenges related to intimate connections are not unique to neurodiverse couples, there are core areas of neurodiversity...
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The Neurodiverse Love Relationship GPS (Gaining Perspective for Success)
Being married for 30 years and not knowing we were a neurodiverse couple until our 29th year of our marriage created a lot of “unintentional” hurt and pain for both of us. Learning we had differently wired brains helped me see our challenges and differences through a new lens, which led to...
