Welcome to the Autistic Community

Documents published by The Autism NOW Center and ASAN, supported in part by a cooperative agreement from the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Administration for Community Living and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Adult Booklet: http://autisticadvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/WTTAC-Adult-FINAL-2.pdf

Adolescent Booklet: http://autisticadvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/WTTAC-Adolescent-FINAL-2.pdf

Science Daily Article: The Matrix of Autism

Autistic children are doubly stigmatized. On the one hand, they are often dismissed as "low functioning" or mentally retarded, especially if they have poor speaking skills as many do. But when they display exceptional visual discrimination or memory for detail, they are dubbed "savants." New research in Psychological Science is discovering the level and nature of autistic intelligence. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070803151245.htm

Empowering People with Autism by Presuming Competence - Rosemary Crossley

Anyone working with people with autism without functional speech should consider the possibility that their observed impairments could be accounted for by neuro-motor and sensory impairments rather than an allencompassing cognitive malfunction. http://www.annemcdonaldcentre.org.au/sites/default/files/Empowering%20People%20with%20Autism%20by%20Presuming%20Competence_0.pdf

High functioning versus low functioning autism - it's more complex than you think - Donna Williams

High versus Low Functioning depends on the nature of the ‘autism fruit salad’ underpinning the diagnosis with autism. These ‘autism fruit salads’ can be standard or exotic, simple or complex, small or large quantities or pieces, separated contents or very mixed up. https://blog.donnawilliams.net/2007/11/22/high-functioning-versus-low-functioning-autism/

Outing The Prejudice: Making The Least Dangerous Assumption - Zach Rossetti and Carol Tashie (from the Communicator, Autism National Committee newsletter, Inclusive Education edition)

People with disabilities are people first. Because of the presence of a disability, a person may act, get around, look, dance, smile, read, learn, show what she knows, or communicate differently. The key here is that this is a difference and not a deficiency. http://inclusivelife.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/least-dangerous-assumption.pdf

National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders: NIH Workshop on Nonverbal School-Aged Children with Autism; Summary from April 13-14, 2010:

In April 2010, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) convened a multidisciplinary workshop to discuss the state of the empirical knowledge about, and research opportunities regarding, the substantial subgroup of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who have not developed functional verbal language by five years of age. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/research/workshops/nonverbal-school-aged-children-autism/2010

Autism Today

Bringing resources to families and professionals across the globe. https://autismtoday.com/

ABC News / Health: You Asked, She Answered: Carly Fleischmann 13, Talks to Our Viewers About Autism

Carly Fleischmann, is autistic, but after years of training, is able to articulate her feelings and thoughts. She provides rare insight into a world few people understand. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4320297&page=1