There is absolutely nothing wrong with us! — This morning I sat at my desk and opened Twitter to see what was happening in the world. Or, as my mom would probably say, “I got on The Twitter.” One of the first things I ran across was a tweet from someone who said, “I really don’t know how…

We aren’t defined by what life hands us, and others need to know that. — destigmatize de·​stig·​ma·​tize | \ (ˌ)dē-ˈstig-mə-ˌtīz \ transitive verb : to remove associations of shame or disgrace from I am so happy to be named the new editor of Destigmatizing and I can’t wait to read your pieces and to help us all work together to end the stigma around our disabilities…

We’re different, not damaged. — Dating in general can be a challenge. Whether it’s swiping right, sending someone a like, or the more traditional ways of meeting someone in the real world, we pick through lots of candidates before we find one we think might possibly be suitable. Dating when you have autism adds a…

Why do people have no respect for animals that assist us? — That’s Tye. He’s my autism service dog. He was found in a garbage bag in a dumpster at six months old and was taken to a rescue that trains the dogs to be service animals for people with autism and veterans with PTSD. I’ve had Tye for almost five years…

We live the autism experience every day. — First things first. The idea of autism as an “experience” came from a comment Richard Lewis made in regards to an article I wrote on autism comorbidities. I said, “Also, I cannot stand the word, “disease,” when it comes to autism developmental disabilities, and mental health issues. …

It’s not the party you may think it is. — co·mor·bid·i·ty [ˌkōmôrˈbidədē] NOUN the simultaneous presence of two or more diseases or medical conditions in a patient Let me be clear about one thing right up front. NO ONE just has autism. Those of us on the spectrum deal with a multitude of other things. …

Adults with autism, this is for you. Autism parents, it’s for you too — Meltdowns are something we all know about. Some of us have them, while others are witnesses to them. They’re something none of us wants, yet they are a reality for people with autism. There is good news, though. They can be prevented or stopped if you know what to do. …

It’s amazing what some people believe. — It was a Saturday afternoon and I was having a discussion with an acquaintance who didn’t know much about autism and wanted to know more. …

Listening to music can give you a real perspective. — I break tradition Sometimes my tries Are outside the lines Natasha Bedingfield I guess you could call what I’ve been in, an Autistic Funk. At least, that’s what I call it. You can call it whatever you want because right now I really don’t care about much of anything. I’m…