Blog

Photograph of young Black people holding protest signs that say Black Lives Matter, Justice Now, We Will Not Be Silent. Text in front says Abolishing Police is a Disability Justice Issue.

Dear Senators: We need more infrastructure funding, not police.

October 25, 2021

Policing is a disability justice issue. Stories of young autistic, frequently Black, youth who have violent interactions with police are countless.

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Celebrando el Mes de la Herencia Latina como lesbiana autista

October 15, 2021

Me encanta compartir en comunidad con otras personas autistas, con discapacidades y latines. Sin embargo, estas comunidades no son perfectas.

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Mujer latina sonriendo con un vestido floral. Detrás de ella hay edificios coloridos, incluido uno con revestimiento de estaño ondulado azul brillante. Hay césped directamente detrás de ella y montañas y un cielo brillante en la distancia.

Autismo en Las Comunidades Latinoamericanas

October 15, 2021

Las personas autistas latinas/hispánicas se enfrentan a una extensa discriminación sistémica en todos los campos, incluyendo salud, empleo, y beneficios públicos; lo cual lleva a tasas mucho menores de diagnóstico de autismo, y una menor habilidad para satisfacer las necesidades de les latines* autistas

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Latine woman smiling wearing a floral dress. Behind her are colorful buildings including one with bright blue corrugated tin siding. There is grass directly behind her and mountains and a bright sky in the distance.

Autism in Latin American Communities

October 14, 2021

This post is adapted from a video by Kayley Whalen and is re-posted from her blog TransWorldView. Hi, I’m Kayley Whalen, an autistic, transgender Puerto Rican and Guatemalan-American, and I’m here in Huehuetango, Guatemala to…

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A pink earth pony with a bright pink mane is dancing beneath a disco ball. There’s brightly colored confetti all around it, against a white background. On a teal background text reads: “Autistic people are individuals, and We all deserve media representation” -C.L. Bridge, “Pinkie Sense”- awnnetwork.org In the lower right hand corner is the awn logo- the large “a” in pink with the pale blue spoonie dragonfly on it and awnnetwork.org below it. Illustrated by Erin Casey

Pinkie Sense: an Autistic Pony Tale

September 29, 2021

Not all autistic people are withdrawn or shy, although most media portrayals and “signs of autism” lists focus on those who are. We need representation of what autism can look like in a more outgoing…

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The logo is comprised of block letters "MHHD" with the organization's name to the right which says "The Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities (MHDD) National Training Center" and below this is the tagline "at the intersection of mental health and developmental disabilities"

How the COVID-19 pandemic has affected me and other autistics

May 3, 2021

I have been trying my best with this pandemic. It’s taking a toll on my mental health because I have been staying at home almost all the time since March 2020. I am a type 1 diabetic so I’m high risk. I’ve been staying home to protect myself, my family, and everyone else.

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Teenage faeries Musa, Stella, Bloom, Aisha, and Terra walk through the gates of Alfea Academy in the Otherworld in Fate: The Winx Saga. Musa, Stella, Bloom, and Terra are white. Aisha is Black.

Neurodiversity, Changelings, and what Fate: The Winx Saga can teach us about acceptance

March 1, 2021

As a transgender Latinx woman who is autistic and bipolar, I rarely see positive representations of neurodivergence on screen which I can relate to. So when I tried out Netflix’s recent show Fate: The Winx…

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mage is a closeup photo of a purple tufted sofa with a nailhead border at the bottom edge, and a pale purple AWN logo on the left side. White text in the lower half of the image says: "I’m always searching for female characters who are allowed to be eccentric, allowed to have unbridled enthusiasm for their interests, allowed to admit they don't always know what to say." – CL Bridge, awnnetwork.org

Oh, Brilliant!: the 13th Doctor and Autism

November 19, 2020

Like most autistic people, Thirteen gets very excited about things that interest her, however small those things may seem to NTs. She loves a laminator.

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Puerto Rican flag is draped across the upper half of a warm white background; there is a semi-transparent AWN logo in red and blue at the right end of the flag. Below the flag there is text in a black handwriting font: “I’m Puerto Rican and I'm autistic. That’s not something you hear everyday.” Red text reads: “¡Feliz Mes de la Herencia Latinx!” At bottom right in black text is “- Kayla Maria Rodriguez, awnnetwork.org

Latinx Heritage Month: Being Puerto Rican and Autistic

October 13, 2020

Hello, I’m Kayla Maria Rodriguez. Happy Latinx Heritage Month my fellow Latinx people! I’m Puerto Rican and I’m autistic. That’s not something you hear everyday.  I get why you might not ever hear Puerto Rican…

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Image is a photo of an old paintbrush dipped in white paint, hovering over a white surface, with a small transparent AWN logo just below the brush. Text in gradations of purple reads: "I wonder how often my own creativity has been underestimated by people who put me under a microscope and saw only a masked version of me. - C.L. Bridge, awnnetwork.org"

The Challenges of an Autistic Artist

April 20, 2020

Lately, nothing I create seems good enough. Maybe it’s because I’ve been stuck at home with my thoughts for several days, and sometimes my thoughts are not very kind to me. Maybe I need to…

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Image is a cool-toned black and white closeup photo a person’s face in profile with their head slightly bowed, hands over their face. Text says, “ The coronavirus is a legitimate and terrifying threat. But we still have meals to cook, meetings to schedule, dishes to wash, friends to call, projects to finish, groceries to buy. – Reese Piper, ‘How To Get Work Done When You're Panicking About The Coronavirus,’ awnnetwork.org”

How To Get Work Done When You’re Panicking About The Coronavirus

April 3, 2020

The coronavirus is a legitimate and terrifying threat. But we still have meals to cook, meetings to schedule, dishes to wash, friends to call, projects to finish, groceries to buy

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Image is a blue-toned photo of a classroom and students at desks in silhouette. Text in boxes at the top and bottom headers says, ‘As you sit in psychology class, there may very well be an autistic student sitting in the same room. Her heart may ache as she hears an “expert” talk about using behavior modification to make people like her “indistinguishable from peers”. – C.L. Bridge, ‘Dear Neurotypical Psychology Students,’ awnnetwork.org” Small AWN logo in the bottom left corner.

Dear Neurotypical Psychology Students

July 1, 2019

You’re a university freshman, or maybe a sophomore. You’re sitting in class—General Psychology, or maybe a different psychology class. The professor is discussing autism. Maybe you don’t know much about autism, apart from what you…

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* All articles on this website are offered as personal viewpoints of the author and should never be a substitute for your medical recommendations. Always consult your personal healthcare professional before making changes to your prescribed or recommended health care plan.