Autism and Neurodiversity

These posts shine a spotlight on authentic perspectives of autistic and neurodiverse writers, covering the topics that matter most in their communities.

A light-skinned Black teenager in a green, striped, short-sleeved shirt is lying down on a bed, facing the camera and smiling. He has a TV remote in his hand and is pointing it at the camera.

I’m a Virgo: Black Autistic Youth Deserve Representation, Too

Being a Black autistic kid felt like there were thousands of eyes watching me. There were the eyes of my allegedly well-meaning mother, afraid to let me out of her sight. There were the eyes of other people’s parents, …

Outdoors, day. A red and white bus in motion in traffic. The buildings and other vehicles around it are a blur.

Going Our Own Way: Public Transit Accessibility for Neurodivergent People

One day, while I was crossing the road, a driver blocked the crosswalk with his car. He laughed at me and mocked my body movements as I was forced into traffic. He was breaking state law on camera, but I…

A dark-haired person stands at or near the top of a mountain range. Facing with their back to the camera, they're wearing a tan backpack as they hold up a very large map toward the sky to examine the map. They're surrounded by greenery and a cloudy sky.

A Newbie’s Guide to Traveling While Autistic

Like many late-diagnosed adults, finding out that I’m autistic was a relief. Suddenly, somehow, everything in my life made sense. Overnight, I had a name for that out-of-place feeling I’d had since I was a child. Finally, I belonged somewhere.…

Against a bright yellow background, a small pile of earbud headphones, in different colors, is tangled up together.

Tangled: Exploring the Overlapping Symptoms of ADHD and Trauma

CONTENT NOTE: discussion of domestic/child abuse . . . . . . . . . Hypervigilance, trouble focusing, dissociating, trouble maintaining relationships. These are only some of the common symptoms that overlap between ADHD and the effects of trauma. …

A blue, orange and red graphic with solid black text and illustrations. The text in the blue portion reads: "ADA Americans with Disabilities Act." Below that, in the orange and red sections, are solid black illustrations that are meant to symbolize or represent various types of disabilities. Listed in order: signing hands, two arrows pointing to an ear with a device in it, a pair of black glasses, an eye with a line crossed through it, representation of braille text with the word underneath, the traditional wheelchair user symbol, an amputee using a cane, a service dog, a person with a white cane, and a person's head with the brain visible.

Busting Barriers: ADHD and ADA Accommodations at Work

When I speak to other ADHDers who were diagnosed as adults, they share a common refrain: “Why didn’t anybody tell me sooner?” No, it’s not supposed to be hard to sustain friendships or clean the house. In fact, there are…

A clear glass overflowing with dark-colored, fizzy soda being poured from above. Plain black background.

The Power of the Autistic Stim

The sensation feels like fountain soda under my skin. It starts in my shoulders and, by the time it has traveled to my elbows, I’m already moving. My hands become a blur. Loose at the wrists, they move back-and-forth, up-and-down …

Manuel speaks to camera while seated on a park bench.

A Mix of ADHD and Autism in a Nutshell with Manwel

Everyone has their own ways of releasing their energy and expressing themselves. Manwel talks about why people should have compassion towards each other.

A white person's hand holding up a sign that says "No to white supremacy."

Stop Blaming Autism for Capitalist and White Supremacist Violence

Content note: quotation of ableist slurs, discussion of white supremacy, mass violence, Holocaust, and eugenics In an interview with Talking Points Memo Albert Watkins, the lawyer for self-described “QAnon Shaman” Jacob Chansley, who participated in the January 6th Capitol riots,…

A question mark made out of stacks of U.S. dollar bills.

Are Celebrity-Studded “Autism-Fundraisers” Actually Supporting Autistic People?

Back in 2015, about four months prior to my own diagnosis, a video went viral of an autistic singer named Jodi Dipiazza singing the Weird Al Yankovic song “Yoda” alongside the singer himself and a chorus of seven other autistic…