Community Newsmakers

  My criticisms of Atypical’s freshman season were certainly no secret, as I shared my feelings both publicly in various news outlets and privately with Robia Rashid, the show’s creator.  At the time, I mentioned that a lot of issues could be fixed, but my biggest problem with season one was the lack of autistic […]

When I was 19 years old, I packed up my things, put them in my Dad’s car, and we drove two and a half hours to my new living situation, a college dorm. It was one of the most exciting and scariest moments in my life. He helped me unpack my things, made sure I […]

The media has a subtle yet powerful effect on our lives. Everything we do, everything we think, and everything we feel is influenced by the stories told by those in the media. Autism is relatively new in the public eye so the stories we hear have an even greater impact on what we think. When […]

Alex Lehmann’s documentary Asperger’s Are Us follows an all-autistic comedy troupe of the same name. The film, produced by Mark Duplass, will be out on iTunes November 15th and is currently playing in select theaters. It’s an eye-opening look into a group of four hilarious comedians, Noah Britton, Jack Hanke, Ethan Finlan, and New Michael Ingemi who happen to be […]

This is an excerpt of Steve Silberman’s award-winning book NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity, which was recently published in paperback. This section of a chapter called “In Autistic Space” describes how adults on the spectrum became early adopters of the Internet, using it to share stories of their lives, build […]

Hollywood has come a long way in the representation of autistic people since the release of Rain Man almost 30 years ago, but one major problem that still exists is the lack of representation of autistic actors. There are an increasing number of autistic characters on television and in film, but almost none of these […]

Many people are calling this the most important election of our lives. That’s certainly true for me because I’m autistic. This is the first election in the history of the United States where disability rights and autism are playing a central role. This is the first election where individuals with disabilities have been in the […]

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” However, I’m part of an invisible worldwide majority; black, Brown, Multiethnic, African, African-American, Negro, or, whichever Blumenbachian social caste system inspired expression you’re most comfortable...

A few days ago, Toni Braxton claimed that her son had been cured of autism. There is no way that what Braxton said is true because there is no cure for autism. While early intervention and therapy can certainly help individuals on the spectrum live productive lives, autism is a lifelong condition. By claiming otherwise, […]

In his latest standup special, FreeDumb, which was released by Netflix last month, comedian Jim Jefferies recounts the humorous story of how he found out he was autistic. The topic of autism is discussed for a significant portion of his 90 minute comedy show. By addressing autism in his standup special, Jefferies brings up issues that […]