2022 Midterms Bryn Healy Aug 17, 2022

Will Yuh-Line Niou Be Our First Autistic Congressperson?

Bryn Healy Aug 17, 2022

The progressive frontrunner in New York's highly competitive Democratic primary for a newly redrawn district can blaze a lot of trails in D.C. But for this autistic writer, the candidate's openness about being neurodivergent is a ceiling she never imagined seeing shattered.

A photo of a young white boy in the back of a car.

Aging Alysia Abbott Sep 21, 2017

Does My Young Autistic Son Know It’s His Birthday?

Alysia Abbott Sep 21, 2017

On the eve of her son’s 10th birthday—his first living away from home—the writer grapples with her changing expectations for him as she contemplates his future.

AHCA Eliza Factor May 24, 2017

The GOP Doesn’t Think My Son’s Life Is Worth Living

Eliza Factor May 24, 2017

The writer, whose son has cerebral palsy and autism, offers a potent example of how the sick and disabled will suffer under the Republicans' merciless health-care proposal.

Autism Marie Myung-Ok Lee Nov 15, 2016

In Trump’s America, What Does the Future Hold for My Autistic Teenager?

Marie Myung-Ok Lee Nov 15, 2016

Nearly half the people killed at the hands of cops have a disability, including Alfred Olango and Deborah Danner. Imagine the statistics under a president who openly mocks the disabled.

#2016Election Sharisse Tracey Nov 8, 2016

Who Is With Me?

Sharisse Tracey Nov 8, 2016

She has an Army officer husband who’s been forced to retire due to military-budget cuts, and four kids including an autistic son. Is either candidate able to make this Black writer’s America great?

#BlackLivesMatter Stacey Patton Jul 25, 2016

“Why Did You Shoot Me?”

Stacey Patton Jul 25, 2016

When a cop pulled the trigger on Charles Kinsey, a Black behavioral therapist working with his autistic patient, it revealed everything that is wrong with policing in America.

Autism Alysia Abbott May 13, 2015

I Could Have Been Kicked Off a Plane, Too

Alysia Abbott May 13, 2015

No one can understand Donna Beegle’s outrage, and the passion behind her United lawsuit, like the mother of an autistic child.

Autism Marie Myung-Ok Lee Apr 20, 2015

My Autistic Son Turned Me Into a Prolific Essayist

Marie Myung-Ok Lee Apr 20, 2015

When her child was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, the author worried she’d forever lost her ability to write. But he helped her realize that she had more to say than ever.

Autism Alysia Abbott Jan 6, 2015

My Life As A Reluctant Outlier

Alysia Abbott Jan 6, 2015

As a child, the writer controlled who knew about her gay father’s sexuality. But as an adult, compartmentalizing her identity as the mother of a severely autistic child isn’t as easy.

anti-vaccine Alysia Abbott Jan 8, 2014

Jenny McCarthy Is a Scourge of the Autism Community, Not a Crusader

Alysia Abbott Jan 8, 2014

A mother of an autistic son reveals why the anti-vaccination mouthpiece should instead publicize resources that help families raising kids on the spectrum.