April is a very special month for people on the autism spectrum, because it is the month where the challenges and stigmas that they cope with everyday are given a showcase for awareness. There are many support groups and organizations throughout the world designed to increase understanding about this very complicated developmental disability, but even with that in mind, there are many out there that do not understand it yet. Therefore, it is a blessing that society has dedica

Since autism impacts a person, no matter their age, in the aspects of their basic social skills, getting a diagnosis and therapy as early as possible is very useful for people on the spectrum to get practice in learning how to hold back-and-forth conversations and read nonverbal social cues. Difficulty with these two skills is a well-known mental disadvantage that can make it harder for an autistic person to form friendships and relationships in general. Fortunately, there ha

One of the symptoms of autism, mainly in children, is experiencing an uncomfortable sensation called sensory overload. According to autism.org.uk , this concept means that people on the spectrum struggle with the mental processing of information and are therefore sensitive to certain environments. The sensory issues can lead to feelings of anxiety, pain, and can get as extreme as a meltdown, which could be perceived by others as a temper tantrum. According to heathline.com ,

An increasingly important factor in understanding people with autism is knowing how to interpret the signals of a person on the spectrum. This is especially important when it comes to law enforcement. People on the autism spectrum may show behaviors that unintentionally look suspicious to a police officer, which prompts the officer to misunderstand and mishandle the situation. It is a reality that could and should be addressed because people on the spectrum could get in legal

When I was diagnosed with what used to be called Asperger’s Syndrome in the third grade back in 2002, autism was not well-known. My parents had noticed some quirks when I was a toddler, such as the very common autistic behavior called arm-flapping. When a person on the autism spectrum  flaps their hands and arms, it means they are releasing energy from their overstimulated brains in response to sensory overload.  After I was diagnosed, I was enrolled in Speech Therapy to lear

Autism is a developmental disability that affects millions of people around the world. According to autism-society.org and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , it is one of the most prevalent neurological conditions, with about 1 percent of the world’s population being on the spectrum and more than 3.5 million Americans being diagnosed with autism. Generally, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) causes those affected by it to have a harder time interpreting non-verbal

Most historians regard Leonardo da Vinci as a talented artist, with 20 paintings of his still existing today.  There are other projects he started that have been lost throughout the centuries or potentially destroyed. Da Vinci  had a habit  of beginning paintings without completing them. The first biographer of da Vinci’s suggested that one of his most famous paintings, the Mona Lisa, was never fully finished. On top of that, da Vinci began a project called the Sforza Horse,

Aspire Works is a program run by Massachusetts General Hospital that helps young adults that are high-functioning on the autism spectrum with the development of professional work skills. Autism affects anyone that is diagnosed with it in different ways, so the career counselors who work with the participants do their best to place the clients in an internship that is best suited for the participant’s needs and skill levels. I am a client of Aspire Works and the services this

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (a.k.a. OCD) causes anyone affected by it to fixate on specific thoughts and fears that are then transferred to compulsive behaviors which the person will feel an urgency to carry out. The person can attempt to change their thought processes and placate their compulsions, but in the end, the disorder will consume the person’s imagination to such an extent that they give in to the temptation and continuously repeat the same behaviors over and over

*Disclaimer: This writer is not a medical professional and is simply looking to inform people on how this disorder works.  Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition  that used to be called manic depression , and is also known as a mental illness . The most usual time for the disorder to be triggered in a person is age 25, although it has been known to be diagnosed in the teenage years, and in unusual cases, in childhood. NAMI states that around 2.6 million people in the U