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The Importance of Leisure Activities for Individuals with Autism
When families first learn of their child’s autism, it is not uncommon to concentrate on early intervention efforts to help their child develop the requisite skills to support their least restrictive placement during the school years. Early studies that reported on the efficacy of these intensive...
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Access to Public Recreation and Leisure Opportunities for Autistic People as a Measure of Societal Acceptance and Inclusion
Sometimes a break is more than just a break. The value of hobbies, special interests, and other recreational activities is often viewed through the lens of respite from more serious pursuits, and with good reason. Going to the bowling alley after work every Friday is a good way to relieve the...
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Autistic Personal Philosophy: Why Breaking Up the Autism Spectrum Would Be a Bad Idea
Though the autism spectrum is as widely diversified as any group of people could possibly be, I view us as a single community. Any one segment of the population, however it may be defined, embodies both commonalities and differences, and ours is no exception. Every way in which diversity...
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How Special Interests Help My Mental Health as an Autistic Adult
When people on the spectrum are vulnerable to society ostracizing them because of their autistic traits, unfortunately, in some cases, it means that their mental health can deteriorate, as well. Indeed, autistic people have two to 10 times higher rates of mental health conditions than...
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When Special Interests Look Typical: Understanding the Hidden Intensity in Autistic Girls
Most autistic individuals develop special interests (SIs)—deeply focused passions that go beyond typical hobbies. These interests are often characterized by intensity, prolonged engagement, and difficulty shifting attention away from the topic. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental...
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The Missing Middle: Recreation Access for Autistic Adults in New York
When autistic students finish high school or college in New York, the transition into adulthood often brings unexpected loss. What disappears is not only structured support, but also access to community, hobbies, and meaningful social participation. For autistic adults without intellectual...
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Resilience, Resistance, and Making a Difference While Cultivating Autistic Joy and Living in Community
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you are not alone. Children are terrified of going to school. Families are being separated forcibly and deported. Peaceful protestors, including Renée Good and Alex Pretti, have been killed in the streets of Minneapolis. Warehouses are being converted into jails....
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Reboot Before Takeoff: Regulation Strategies for Traveling Neurodiverse Families
Family travel is stressful. Full stop. Especially when your family has distinct needs planning and preparation can be overwhelming…like trying to update your phone while your storage is full, the Wi-Fi is unstable, and three apps are frozen at once. Chunking the aspects of travel and identifying...
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Autistic Endurance: What Ultra Running Has Taught Me About Regulation and Belonging
Getting up at 4:40 a.m. most mornings is hard. I want to stay in my warm bed. I can find no logical reason to get up that early to run in the cold, but I need the miles. I am training for a 100k race, and it’s only a few short weeks away. My sleepy brain argues with me: can’t I just take a day...
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Why Recreation Belongs in Education, Health, and Community Systems for Individuals with Autism and Other Disabilities
Play and recreation are where many of the most important parts of human development take shape. Through shared activities, people learn how to connect with others, how to manage differences, how to experience themselves to their fullest abilities, and how to feel part of something larger than...
