Rhi, a self-advocate, discusses how people on the autism spectrum are represented in the media and some of the issues with that representation. This piece was originally posted on Rhi’s website in early February. It is re-posted here with permission. There’s been a lot of talk lately about good representation of autistic people in the arts,…
This piece was originally posted on The Mighty and is re-posted here with permission. Having autism can be tough, because you often have people who do not understand you or care about you making fun of the way you look, walk and talk. It’s a continuous battle I deal with every day. Sometimes there’s nothing…
This week’s blog is an original post by self-advocate Timothy Kiley. I’m 49 years old, and I’ve been autistic for 3 years now… Actually, I have been all my life, as are all autistic people. I just didn’t know it early on, like many of you may have. A person doesn’t just suddenly develop autism, nor…
In her third original piece for OAR, Jennifer Rose explains how music has impacted her as a person on the autism spectrum. Music has undoubtedly played a huge role in my life. From when I was five years old in a post-9/11 America hearing little kids belt out patriotic songs, to when I was thirteen…
In this blog post, which is directed towards kids with autism, Kerry Magro talks about what it is like to be Santa and have autism. This article was originally found on The Mighty. Make sure to share this article with your kids! To all the children with autism around the world, Hi kids, Santa here…
Laina Eartharcher is a self-advocate and a doctor who is working to fully embrace and love herself. In this post, which was originally posted on Laina’s blog, Laina discusses the internal struggle she is currently having. In writing about this struggle, whether or not to listen to what other people think, Laina provides valid viewpoints…
Ellen Stumbo is one of the employees at The Mighty, and in this post, she asked adults with autism to share what helped them manage the stress of the holidays. Ellen’s blog was originally posted on The Mighty. With the holidays upon us, conversations with my friends have centered around how stressful this time of…
I co-founded the Academic Autism Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE) with my friend and colleague, Dr. Christina Nicolaidis, in 2006. At that time, including a majority of autistic adults as co-researchers on the team and conducting autism research with autistic participants as self-reporters were such radical ideas that a grant reviewer told us…
Erin Clemens is a self-advocate with autism. In this post, which was originally posted on The Mighty, Erin talks about the benefits of an official autism diagnosis; she also writes about how depression affects her, specifically about the difficulties of being diagnosed with both autism and depression. Being on the autism spectrum affects my life…
Louis Scarantino is an autism self-advocate. In this post, Louis discusses his experience in college, and what he would change if he had the opportunity to return. Louis’ story provides excellent insight on what it is like to attend college as someone on the spectrum. Every child goes to school from kindergarten through their senior year…
