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Becoming the Person I Once Needed
I often think to myself, “I do this so that no other autistic child has to go through what I went through.” As an autism researcher with a background in social psychology, I’ve developed a pretty good understanding of stigma over time. But it wasn’t any article, study, course, or the...
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Combating Stigma Through Community: AABR’s Program Without Walls Builds Inclusion and Purpose
At AABR, we envision a world where people of all abilities are beloved and respected — a world built not on separation but connection. Our Program Without Walls (PWW) is helping shape that world by placing adults with autism and developmental disabilities in real-life community settings where...
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A Two-Way Street: Society and the Neurodiverse Community
Over 50 years ago, there were several theories in the area of social psychology put forth that I have been thinking more about lately. Like vinyl records, Polaroid cameras, and fanny packs, they can be worth pulling out and reexamining in order to help illuminate the complicated process of how...
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Acting Neurotypical: How Becoming an Actor Helped Me Thrive in Society
When I was younger, I thought I had life all figured out: I was the math kid, not the social one. That was my lane. I accepted early on that the world saw me differently—and treated me that way, too. But that perception started to shift when my sister got into acting. Her passion for the silver...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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“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...
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Autistic Lived Experience: To Be Disabled Is to Be Strong!
Not everything is as it seems on the surface. Many things can be looked at in more ways than one. Much of what comprises a person is hidden from plain sight, though it is nonetheless very real and often of great power. Human strength is a prime example. When I attended a 2-week tennis...
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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...
