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.

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…

Mel Baggs Will Never Leave Us

Content note: includes discussion of eugenic ableism, medical abuse, institutionalization, white supremacist murder Memory is important. But your own personal memory is not necessary. The best of human memory is fallible, changing, and fickle. And memory can fail. In so…

Photo of Kris and his daughter. Kris is a biracial man who has short black curly hair and tinted glasses. He is smiling while sitting holding his 11 month old daughter who has short black hair in two ponytails and is wearing a pink jacket on a sunny day at a park.

As an Autistic Dad, Autism “Awareness” Month Brings Up Mixed Feelings for Me

Autism “Awareness” Month brings up mixed feelings for me. In one sense, I have excitement because I am a proud autistic dad of an amazing almost 1-year-old and it has been such joy. But I also have frustration because of…

The author as a young child sitting on the lap of her Sudanese grandfather, who is dressed in a traditional white jellabiya and headwrap.

As a British Sudanese Autistic Person, I’ve Learned that Cultures Shape How We Perceive Disability

I am mixed British/Sudanese and autistic. That first fact, along with a childhood spent split between the two countries, meant it was only last year I sought an official autism diagnosis. My multicultural background celebrated traits and interests I now…