Gender stereotypes have made us horrible at recognizing autism in women and girls
Published: Quartz (October 12, 2016)
In August, the National Autistic Society called on medical professionals to change the way they diagnose women and girls with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Ever since the term autism was first coined by Hans Asperger in 1944, it has remained predominantly, if anecdotally, associated with men and boys.... Read Original Article
Jill Stein and Donald Trump are both linked to a dangerous anti-vaccine myth that just won’t die
Published: Quartz (August 3, 2016)
Green Party candidate Jill Stein likes to present herself as a pro-science, more idealistic alternative to Hillary Clinton. Stein has so far managed to stay out of the media maelstrom, but a series of troubling comments are making headlines for all the wrong reasons. One of Stein’s most problematic opinions resurfaced this week when her campaign deleted a tweet in which she claimed there is “no evidence that autism is caused by vaccines.”... Read Original Article
Why I Write
Published: The Good Men Project (July 21, 2016)
I feel like answering a question I’m often asked about one type of article I like to write… in no small part because I am myself curious about the answer.
It’s been more than three years since I first started writing about my experiences as someone with Asperger’s Syndrome.... Read Original Article
The Ableism of Non-Autistics
Published: The Good Men Project (July 12, 2016)
Wouldn’t it be great if everyone had a handicapped parking space?
Obviously this can’t happen – the whole point of handicapped spaces is that they provide the physically disabled with closer proximity to buildings than the physically abled – but an equivalent is possible when it comes to social interactions.... Read Original Article
Why “Finding Dory” speaks to me as an autistic man
Published: Salon (June 17, 2016)
There is a Yiddish word, verklempt, that roughly translates as being choked up to the point of near-tears without actually crying. If you grew up with a learning disability or raised a child with one, there are plenty of scenes in Pixar’s “Finding Dory” which will have that effect on you… and considering that quality family films about learning disabled characters are a rarity, it is refreshing to see “Finding Dory” rise to that challenge.... Read Original Article