Autistic Lived Experience: Unable to Be There for a Friend in Need

• By: Sam Farmer Neurodiversity Community Self-Advocate, Writer, Author, and Public Speaker
• January 10th, 2024
• actually autistic, advocacy, college, emotional struggles, empathy, mental health, neurodiversity, personal growth, self-discovery, social challenges, therapy, Winter 2024 Issue
• 2464    3

In hindsight, I view my sophomore year of college as being the most challenging year of my life. Up until then, I was living in the sweet bliss of unawareness. I had no concept of how compromised my self-esteem was or what self-esteem even meant, and I had a flawed sense of how my words and actions...

Autism Without Fear: A Major Flaw in College Autism Programs

• By: Michael John Carley New York University Connections ASD Program
• December 23rd, 2022
• actually autistic, autism college programs, diversity equity and inclusion (DEI), higher education, hiring autistics, social challenges, university partnerships, Winter 2023 Issue
• 4118    0

I currently run New York University’s (NYU) Connections Program for Global Students with Autism. But I’m relatively new to higher education. I have a much longer history as a consultant, writer, and Executive Director, and back when my non-profits were engaging in the political battles of the...

My Life Is a Work in Progress

• By: Angela Chapes Autistic Self-Advocate
• September 24th, 2021
• actually autistic, adult diagnosis, anxiety, eye contact, Fall 2021 Issue, obsessive-compulsive disorder, OCD, social challenges, social cues, speech challenges, teaching
• 1933    0

My goal in life is to keep facing my everyday challenges. My life is a work in progress. I want to talk about how I understand things and what is going on in my brain because I have autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). I also have anxiety. My anxiety can be good because it helps me...