Autism Pride
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Navigating Relationships: Acceptance and Boundaries
I am not all-powerful. Sometimes, I wish I were. In senior living, I quickly learned my favorite residents—my new friends—could be gone from one week to the next. Nothing I did could keep them here. One summer, I grew close to a woman whose TV blared soap operas. Her calming presence reminded me of my…
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Finding Balance: Therapy, Autism, and Personal Growth
I’m a big advocate of therapy. For over a decade, I’ve been in and out of various therapists’ offices, and I still attend at least monthly. Lately, though, I’ve dreaded my sessions for two clear reasons: first, I struggle with ongoing motivation connected to my autism and the social challenges it brings; second, discussing painful…
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The Quizzical Case of the Roadside Squirrel
This is KW14 local news with your host, Ronald Cloud, alongside reporter Rebecca Snite. Tonight, we report on a local theater and poetry prodigy whose foray into amateur detective work yields unexpected results: Rowan Finch, 13, is well known in the community for reciting Shakespeare, writing original plays and poetry, and performing with the…
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Why I Arrive Late to Events: A Personal Reflection
I was recently asked why I tend to arrive late to in-person events. The individual who posed the question habitually arrives 15 to 30 minutes early. I will readily concede that arriving early is preferable to my own pattern of being five to fifteen minutes late, depending on the significance of the occasion. If the…
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The Importance of Truth Telling in Family Dynamics
Being called “high functioning” with autism feels odd to me because how well someone does often depends on their environment. This label can give a false sense of security and, if not considered carefully, might make someone feel separate from or even above others with disabilities. I’ve always felt fortunate to be able to drive,…
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Neighborliness, Inclusion, and the Everyday Work of Disability Advocacy
The story of the good Samaritan illustrates a core value in my faith tradition: the importance of caring for others regardless of closeness or personal bias. Often, the focus is on the Samaritan’s compassion, but I am most fascinated by the priest and Levite who passed by. Jesus intentionally made the victim and those who…
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Building a Supportive Community in Life
I joke that I’ve always been the same person. My opinions on certain topics have changed over the years, but when I reflect, so many things have stayed the same. I never liked wearing anything that showed a lot of skin. I don’t judge people with a more adventurous sense of style than I do;…
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Mindfulness and Rest: Keys to Productivity
Growing up, I joined egg hunts in the field behind the clubhouse, which hosted my early birthday parties and all the swim meets because it shared space with the pool. Each family contributed as many eggs as their children would collect. I always hoped to find the egg with the twenty-dollar bill hidden by HOA…
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Navigating Sibling Dynamics with Disabilities
As a young child, I visited a museum that told the story behind Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s founding of the Special Olympics and the inspiration her sister, Rosemary, was to the organization’s establishment. How wonderful, I marvelled to have a sister who loves you so much that they started a nonprofit that serves people around the…
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Easter Reflections: How Grief and Love Intertwine
When I was reading the seventh Harry Potter book, there was a quote from William Penn’s More Fruits of Solitude in the front of the book before you begin the actual book. The quote struck me as a child as absurd: “Death is but crossing the world, as friends do the seas; they live in…
Living on the Spectrum 