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Life on the Spectrum

@lifeotspectrum

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🌈Your daily dose of autism POSITIVITY
♾️Educating through ACCEPTANCE
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✨ ✨ — In Māori culture, autism is understood as “in their own time and space.” 💫

This powerful word reflects a worldview that honors neurodiversity — seeing each person’s way of being as valid, dignified, and deserving of respect. 🌀

Rather than focusing on deficits, takiwātanga encourages inclusion, understanding, and the belief that everyone experiences life at their own pace and in their own unique way. 🌿

Let’s embrace perspectives rooted in respect, mana (inherent dignity), and whanaungatanga (relationships) 🤝❤️ by @lifeotspectrum

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a year ago

Every morning, Luke found going into school hard. But every morning, the same group of girls made sure he never had to do it alone.

Kindness doesn’t always look like grand gestures.
Sometimes it looks like showing up, every single day. ❤️

📸: @through_lukes_eyes ⭐️

#autism #actuallyautistic #kindnessmatters #inclusion by @lifeotspectrum

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2 months ago

At just 10 years old, Benjamin Giroux, a young boy diagnosed as autistic, wrote a heartfelt poem for a school assignment that began with the powerful line, “I am odd, I am new.” In his words, he expressed what it feels like to be different in a world that doesn’t always understand or accept uniqueness. Deeply moved, his father shared the poem online — and it quickly went viral.

Benjamin’s poem resonated with millions around the globe, sparking conversations about autism, acceptance, and the importance of embracing individuality. It was translated into more than 20 languages, adapted into songs, and became a symbol of neurodiversity and self-expression.

In 2021, his touching words were turned into a beautifully illustrated children’s book, I Am Odd, I Am New, with artwork by Roz MacLean. The book has been widely praised for its powerful message of acceptance and currently holds a 4.8-star rating on Amazon.

Benjamin’s voice continues to inspire children and adults alike, reminding us that being different is not something to hide — it’s something to celebrate. 💙

#autism #author by @lifeotspectrum

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a year ago

One of the biggest worries for parents of autistic kids is what happens after they turn 18.

At Camp Royall in Moncure, North Carolina, camp doesn’t stop at 18.

The Autism Society of North Carolina’s camp runs programs for autistic adults all year:
• Adult retreats for ages 18 and up, on weekends and for full weeks (next: October 23 to 25 and November 20 to 22)
• A week-long adult immersion camp
• Teen retreats for ages 13 to 22
• A monthly social club for teens and adults
• Mini camps for kids and adults (November 6 to 8)

There’s still plenty for younger campers too: summer camp, winter break camp from December 28, girls retreat weekends and family fun days.

Fees, availability and support levels vary by program, so check with the camp before you book.

Is there a camp like this in your state? Drop it below 👇 And tag a North Carolina family who needs to see this.

📰: Autism Society of North Carolina

#Autism #AutisticAdults #NorthCarolina #AutismFamily by @lifeotspectrum

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8 hours ago

In the 2017 Power Rangers movie, the Blue Ranger, Billy Cranston, is autistic.

He isn’t the sidekick or the punchline. He’s one of the five teenagers the whole story is about, and he’s a Ranger like the rest of them.

RJ Cyler, who played Billy, isn’t autistic himself. He based parts of the role on Andre, a schoolmate on the spectrum he called “literally a genius.”

“I knew that it was my job to show, you know, that people that are on the spectrum are just regular people,” Cyler said.

Did you know the Blue Ranger was autistic? 💬

📰: ABC News, Inverse

#Autism #Representation #PowerRangers #AutismAcceptance by @lifeotspectrum

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a day ago

Six non-speaking special education students in Brooklyn, aged 6 to 8, were due at P.S. 289 by 9 a.m.

They arrived at about 1:25 p.m.

One mom had put trackers in two of her children’s backpacks. All morning, she watched the bus travel around Brooklyn instead of going to school.

School staff called the bus company around 10 a.m. and couldn’t reach anyone. At 11:45, a dispatcher said the driver was lost and would be there in 15 minutes. The bus arrived about an hour and 40 minutes later. By then, the school had contacted the city’s school transportation office and the police.

Investigators found that neither the driver nor the bus attendant called the school, the depot or anyone else for help. By the time the bus arrived, one child had wet herself.

All six children arrived safely. This week, New York City’s Special Commissioner of Investigation released its findings, substantiated the failure, and recommended that neither staff member ever supervise city students again. The bus company says both have been on leave since the incident and aren’t permitted on its buses.

“Every child, including those with special needs, deserves safe, reliable, and timely transportation to school,” said Special Commissioner Anastasia Coleman.

Does your child ride a school bus? Do you track it? 💬

📰: NYC Special Commissioner of Investigation, ABC7 New York

#NonSpeaking #SpecialEducation #SchoolBusSafety #SpecialNeedsParenting by @lifeotspectrum

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a day ago

Social Security has announced its cost-of-living increase for 2027: 3.6%.

The raise applies to SSI too. About 7.3 million people receive SSI, including many autistic children and adults.

Higher SSI payments start December 31, 2026.

A few things to know:
• You don’t need to apply for the raise. It’s automatic.
• An autism diagnosis alone doesn’t qualify someone for SSI. It depends on disability criteria and on income and resources.
• For children under 18, parents’ income and resources are counted.

If your family already gets SSI, watch for your notice from Social Security.

Does your family rely on SSI? 💬

📰: Social Security Administration

#Autism #AutismFamily #SSI #SpecialNeedsParenting by @lifeotspectrum

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2 days ago

On PBS KIDS’ Hero Elementary, one of the superheroes in training is AJ Gadgets. AJ is autistic.

He flaps his hands when he’s anxious. He wears noise-canceling headphones when he needs them. He doesn’t like wet clothes. And none of it stops him being part of the team.

The creators made a deliberate choice: AJ’s autism is not his superpower. In most episodes, it’s just part of who he is. One double-length episode talks about it directly, and positively.

Frank Campagna, a Sesame Street writer who blogs as Autism Daddy, reviewed more than 80 scripts to get AJ right. He wanted AJ’s friends to be “supportive, but to never come across as patronizing.”

Did your kids ever watch Hero Elementary? 💬

📰: PBS KIDS for Parents

#Autism #AutismAcceptance #Representation #PBSKids by @lifeotspectrum

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3 days ago

The world’s first Peppa Pig Theme Park planned for autistic kids before it opened.

When the park opened in Winter Haven, Florida it opened as a Certified Autism Center. Staff completed autism training before opening day, and the training ended with a competency exam.

Every ride and attraction has its own sensory guide. Families can check ahead of time what each ride involves, like noise, lights or movement, and plan the day around what their child can handle.

Accessibility goes beyond autism too. Wheelchair users can roll straight into the Balloon Ride baskets without transferring out of their chair, and the splash pad is graded for wheelchairs.

The park sits right next to LEGOLAND Florida.

Would a sensory guide for every ride change how your family plans a day out? 💬

📰: Coaster101, Visit Florida

#Autism #AutismFamily #AutismAcceptance #SensoryFriendly by @lifeotspectrum

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3 days ago

“I want to take the risk. Jeff is important to me.”

That’s Derek Hadley explaining why he gave his big brother a kidney.

Jeff Hadley was born with a rare condition that damaged his kidneys, and by 30 they were working at only 20 to 25 percent. His younger brother Derek, autistic and diagnosed at age 2, was tested and turned out to be a perfect match on all six markers.

The transplant team wanted to be sure the choice was Derek’s own. For about four months they checked his understanding and consent, including an interview with a neuropsychologist. His parents, Don and Florence, used a visual chart to show him the risk of surgery, about 1 in 3,000.

Derek’s answer never changed: “Because Jeffrey, my brother, needed a kidney so bad.”

At the Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Portland, Oregon, Derek gave Jeff his kidney. Jeff was home in about two weeks.

Jeff: “I’m eternally grateful to him.”

Who in your family would do anything for their sibling? 👇

📰: The Register-Guard

#Autism #AutisticAdults #Siblings #autismfamily by @lifeotspectrum

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4 days ago

Told your income is too high for your autistic child to get Medicaid? This is the rule most families never hear about, and it started with one little girl in 1981.

Katie Beckett caught viral encephalitis at five months old and needed a ventilator to breathe. Medicaid would only pay for her care if she stayed in hospital, so she spent most of her first three years in an Iowa hospital room, even though caring for her at home cost about a sixth as much. Her mother, Julie, fought it. Just before Christmas 1981, the federal rule was changed so Katie could go home.

In 1982 it became law. States can now cover a disabled child’s care at home “without regard to parental income or resources.”

By 2012, more than half a million children had received care at home this way.

Here’s where autistic children come in. Many states run a Katie Beckett or TEFRA program, and autistic children can qualify. Georgia’s program manual names autism and autism spectrum disorder in its eligibility assessments. In South Carolina, a child must:
✅ Be 18 or under
✅ Meet the Social Security definition of disability
✅ Need a level of care usually given in a hospital, nursing facility or intermediate care facility

Only the child’s own income counts, and children who qualify get full Medicaid coverage alongside your private insurance.

It’s not automatic and not every state offers it, but if your child has high support needs, it’s worth one search: “[your state] Katie Beckett” or “[your state] TEFRA.”

📰: NPR; Medicaid.gov; Georgia Department of Community Health; South Carolina DHHS

#Autism #AutismHistory #Medicaid #AutismParents by @lifeotspectrum

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4 days ago

Logan puts things in his mouth. So when his bus driver built him a sandbox for his birthday, she didn’t use sand. She ground up a whole box of Cheerios and used that instead.

Nancy Hall had driven Logan Pearson to school in Beverly, Massachusetts for five years. Logan is autistic and non-speaking. For his 19th birthday, she turned up with a sandbox, toy trucks and a little school bus, and sand that was safe for him to put in his mouth.

His mom, Catherine: “Right away it was a shock that anybody remembered his birthday.”

Nancy: “I’ve learned more about autism from that young man than anyone else in the world.”

Anyone can buy a gift. This one took five years of paying attention.

Who’s the person who has noticed your child like this? 👇

📰: Boston 25 News

#Autism #NonSpeaking #AutismFamily #AutismAcceptance by @lifeotspectrum

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5 days ago