Alice Running is an Autistic author and mother of Autistic children from the U.K.. She writes and blogs about social justice, the Autistic experience, inclusivity, and elevating Autistic voices. This week she shared her experience as a late-diagnosed adult creating a safe environment for her Autistic children.
Grace is a late-diagnosed blogger and advocate for autistic children and adults. Her blog, Autistic Empath offers a variety of insights on spectrum life, including myths and misconceptions, coping strategies, what it’s like to live in an NT world, Autistic adulthood, advocacy, and practical daily living tips. This week she shared some of her experiences growing up undiagnosed and her advocacy work that helps NT parents better understand their neurodiverse children.
“I believe Autistic people should be valued more than we are and to be taken seriously as experts on autism.” -Lucas Ksenhuk
Lucas Ksenhuk is an 18-year-old Autistic artist from Brazil. Lucas believes his art can help people and sees it as a way to transform his own life and that of others, bringing independence and recognition to the spectrum. In the feature interview last week, Lucas discussed his life experience being autistic and how he became a recognized visual artist.
Below is a transcript of a recent follow-up Zoom call I had with Lucas Ksenhuk and his mother Tatiana Ksenhuk. Also in attendance were Nereide Santa Rosa, author and owner of Underline Publishing (who published Lucas’ new book A Real Story Created with Colorful Lines), and Isabel Flores who translated between English and Portugese for the call. The transcript has been edited for clarity and approved by all parties.
In our meeting, Lucas and his mother discussed the creation of his new book and shared some specific experiences he had with bullying in school. Lucas hopes that the sharing of his experiences might be instructive to others on the spectrum and their families.
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Lydia Wilkins is a freelance journalist based in the UK. She has written for publications including The Independent, Readers Digest, The Metro, Refinery 29, and others. She also documents life with Aspergers Syndrome, over at her blog Mademoiselle Women. Here she regularly interviews people such as Anastacia, journalist Paul Conroy, and others, as well as discussing topics such as interoception. This week she discusses Autism acceptance and offers some advocacy tips for parents.
…I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Ben Kartje, a contributor to What Your Child on the Spectrum Really Needs: Advice From 12 Autistic Adults. He talked about his interest in the project, previewed some of his advice, and discussed his hopes for readers. What Your Child Really on the Spectrum Really Needs is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and several online retailers in paperback form. It will also be available as an e-book soon. The video transcript can be found below.
…Quincy Hansen is a high school student and Autistic advocate from Denver, Colorado. Quincy has been formally diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and General Anxiety Disorder, and also has some fine motor skill impairments resulting in Dysgraphia-like symptoms. Quincy has found that writing offers a good outlet for communicating ideas that do not easily come…
Last week Jesse Saperstein shared a little about his work with the College Experience, a program that helps students with disabilities succeed in college and learn to live independently. This week he discusses his idea for a specialized autism graduate program and offers advocacy advice for parents.
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Anthony Ianni is a National Motivational Speaker for the Relentless Tour to eradicate bullying, an initiative of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. Anthony was diagnosed on the spectrum with Pervasive Developmental Disorder at the age of four and struggled with bullying throughout childhood. He rose above the low expectations of doctors and specialists to graduate from Michigan State University and play basketball for Tom Izzo during his time there. He was the first Division 1 Basketball player in NCAA History to be diagnosed with autism. This week Anthony shared some of what he has learned about bullying and autism advocacy.
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Ben is twenty-seven and works for the University of Notre Dame as an Event Setup Supervisor at the campus hotel. He considers obtaining this position one of his major life accomplishments. I recently spoke with Ben about autism advocacy and his experience growing up on the spectrum.
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