It is a grey autumn day in New York City in 2002. We are standing in the waiting room of New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai Hospital waiting for the results of Josiah’s exploratory procedure. We are accustomed to seeing our son in a hospital setting. He was in the Neonatal Intensive…
As an autism sexuality advocate, writer, and professional speaker, one question that people often ask me is, “Why did you choose this line of work?” Autism was not something that I discovered or knew that I was meant to do with my life. I didn’t take a year off after graduating college, didn’t backpack through…
I have a unique position as both an autism researcher and a member of the Autistic community. I co-founded and co-direct the Academic Autism Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE) along with my colleague, Christina Nicolaidis. AASPIRE is a long running — 14 years now! — community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnership between academic researchers…
Our autistic loved ones have touched our lives in profound ways. Each day, they teach us something new about ourselves. Last month, we asked you, our readers, to share what makes you thankful for the autistic individual(s) in your life. We are grateful for the stories you all shared. We chose to share these because…
As the mother of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), I empathize with other parents and understand their deep concern for their sons’ and daughters’ futures. We are vigilant throughout every one of their developmental stages. Our core focus is to lay the foundation from which they will build their lives. But we hold…
My children are teaching me about how to approach the school year. My family learned many lessons over the last six months. We learned how much we valued each other, how much we could endure together, and how to help others. With four daughters at home ages 2, 4, 6, and 20, my school day…
“Transitions are not about what is probable but about what is possible.” This quote, slightly tweaked, comes from OAR’s Guide for Transition to Adulthood. It perfectly suits this August Perspective in which a small group of Lisa Higgins Hussman Scholarship winners and their parents describe how the post-secondary programs they attended are preparing them for…
This column first ran in the July 2016 issue of The OARacle. We invite you to read its evergreen message and apply the writers’ suggestions to your situation. There are few virtues more important than independence. Universally, nations and their citizens strive for independence. Teenagers seek independence from their parents. Small children tell their parents,…
Being aware of something means “the quality or state of being aware.” It is not active and takes little to no effort. Acceptance, in contrast, requires action—making an effort to understand and approve of another. As noted by Kassiane S., a blog post writer on the ASAN website, “Acceptance of autistic people, like acceptance of…
My younger daughter and I were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on the same day; she was 2 and I was 39. I didn’t suspect that she was autistic until she started having intense crying fits around 18 months old. I knew that these fits, often lasting 45 minutes, were not simply toddler tantrums.…
