When writing an essay, a medical report, or an article about neurodiversity, a very specific editorial question frequently arises: is autism spectrum disorder capitalized? If you are looking for the strict, grammatical answer based on traditional style guides, the answer is no. However, language surrounding neurodivergence is rapidly evolving. The intersection of medical terminology and…
When parents first receive an autism diagnosis for their child, their immediate instinct is often to figure out what they need to do. They research therapies, implement schedules, and look for strategies to help their child navigate the world. But in the rush to find solutions, an equally important question is often overlooked: what not to…
If you mention an intense dislike of loud noises, a strict preference for routine, or a feeling of social awkwardness at a dinner party, it is highly likely that someone will nod sympathetically and say, “Well, we are all a little bit autistic, aren’t we?” When people ask, is everyone on the spectrum, or claim…
Figuring out how to tell if you have autism as an adult is rarely a sudden realization. For many, it is the culmination of a lifelong feeling of being slightly out of sync with the rest of the world. It is a quiet, persistent sense that everyone else was handed a social instruction manual that…
Sitting down to complete homework or study for an exam is a complex cognitive event. For a neurotypical student, the process of opening a textbook, filtering out the sound of a television in the next room, holding the instructions in mind, and staying on task until completion happens relatively automatically. For an autistic student, every…
When a child refuses to eat anything but five specific foods, or when a teenager gags at the sight of a new texture on their plate, it is tempting to call it a phase, a food preference, or stubbornness. For many autistic children and adults, however, the reality is considerably more complex. The eating difficulties…
For decades, the public image of autism was almost exclusively male. The research was largely conducted on boys. The diagnostic criteria were shaped by what clinicians observed in boys. The teachers, parents, and doctors who learned to recognize autism learned to recognize it in the way it typically presents in boys. Girls and women were…
Walk into any room where an autistic child is playing and you may notice behavior that looks, on the surface, indistinguishable from obsessive compulsive disorder. Objects arranged in precise lines. A rigid insistence that the afternoon schedule follows exactly the same order every day. A repeated action that seems to have no obvious purpose to…
If you or your child has ever been described as “a good listener on good days and completely switched off on others,” you have encountered one of the most puzzling aspects of ADHD. The connection between ADHD and auditory processing is not straightforward, and it trips up parents, teachers, and even clinicians regularly. What looks…
Every April, blue lights appear on landmark buildings, social media feeds fill with colorful ribbons, and organizations around the world release statements of solidarity. For those who know an autistic person or belong to the autistic community, the month can feel simultaneously meaningful and deeply complicated. For those just learning about it, the sheer volume…
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