If you don't know the history of the 504 sit-ins—a landmark event in U.S. disability history from April 1977—one of the more enjoyable ways to learn about it is by watching Drunk History's Judith Heumann episode. Even if you know the story, watch it anyhow. Cheers! www.youtube.com/watch?v=y505...

Listen is a wonderful short film, if you haven't seen it yet. Because there is no #AutismAcceptanceMonth without autistic AAC users—including those who need, but don't currently have or use, AAC. Thank you @communicationfirst.bsky.social & film cast for your messages. communicationfirst.org/LISTEN/

Many well-meaning people don't know that Autism Speaks does very little to help existing autistic children or adults. We are grateful to @autisticadvocacy.org for going over Autism Speaks's financial record—so you can see exactly why you shouldn't donate to AS. #autism #neurodiversity

"Autistic burnout does not appear overnight. It is the result of years of surviving on a tiny buffer that was never large enough to cope with the world we are living in. It feels like you have been running on almost nothing for years" and the tank is finally empty. TY @embraceautism.bsky.social.

Myths about autism are loud. Autistic voices should be louder. For Autism Acceptance Month, submit a video finishing this sentence: “The truth about autism is…” Learn more and submit yours by 4/30. Let’s tell #TheTruthAboutAutism www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFE9... forms.gle/RH3DiZsRdPyz...

It’s pretty much exactly my experience as well, except the hyperhidrosis as a kid, and my interests were slightly different.

The bit about preferring to be around adults is amusing, not only bc it rings true to my childhood, but bc even now, people poke fun at me for being "too serious" or "too smart" or using words they think are "extra"- I'm not being snooty, I just use the best word for what I want to communicate!

Una lista de lecturas recomendadas para el Mes del Autismo.

April is Autism Acceptance Month. Here's a short reading list for you, plus guidance on suspect autism organizations. From @ejwillingham.bsky.social, in the latest TPGA newsletter: buttondown.com/TPGA/archive... #AutismAcceptanceMonth #Autism #Neurodiversity

I made it 56 years without a clue. I came across the word Echolalia and looked it up. Next thing I know, I'm scoring really high on some online tests with my jaw on the ground. To be fair, being in the mother of all burnouts made it much easier to see. I had doubts until I studied masking. Doubts💨

This Autism Acceptance Month, @thinkingautism.com has a great list of criteria for orgs to support, as well as lists of orgs that meet them and orgs that don't: thinkingautismguide.com/useful-autis...

None of them read through the replies before leaving theirs either. I’ve got BCBAs telling me that they never ever do such an awful thing as withhold favourite toys…then others explaining why they do this & how it’s the best way to “encourage behaviour”.

Happy International Asexuality Day 💜 I’m Black, autistic & asexual living, loving, and existing beyond expectations. My identity is whole, valid, and powerful. Here’s to visibility, respect, and embracing every part of who we are 🖤🩶🤍💜

"Here are just seven of my childhood traits and behaviors that I now understand were great big clues that I was autistic—and that might lead to an early diagnosis if I were growing up today." From Leah Welborn, at TPGA: thinkingautismguide.com/2026/02/i-wa... #autism #autistic #neurodiversity

1/ Trans folks who have flown recently or soon: I'm creating a list of experiences of trans travelers with airport security, because there is a lot of scary stuff out there, and it's hard for people to know what the "ground truth" is. Please add your experiences when you go through security!

Other reasons include camouflaging; some autistic women report higher traits than others do: www.frontiersin.org/journals/int.... Adults seeking diagnosis may report similar traits regardless of outcome, but those who do get diagnosed have higher ADOS scores: journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1... 8/

We know from studies demonstrating Damian Milton's double empathy problem autistic ppl are often misread, including our facial expressions, especially when naturally "evoked" because we may use our faces differently: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... 7/

Reasons for mismatch of report for autistic ppl include disconnects between our body language & emotions for example, which have been noted since the beginning of autism (e.g. by Georg Frankl's observations since the 1920s & papers beginning in the 1930s): www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/the... 6/

Mismatches for report include this new study link.springer.com/article/10.1... and the one below and this one (no relationship between self-reported autistic adults and ADOS scores of clinical observation/interaction: www.nature.com/articles/s44...). 5/

One reason why diagnosis continues to be controversial is mismatch between autistic people's own and others' experiences. There are multiple studies showing poor agreement between autistic people's (including officially diagnosed adults') self-reports vs informant reports or clinical observation 4/

Heather Brown and I for INSAR (the International Society for Autism Research) recognized the poster for this paper as scoring exceptionally for our topic area on the first-person perspectives of autistic people. journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.... 3/

New paper reports overlaps & distinctions btwn autism & borderline personality in women & adults assigned female at birth (sometimes people meet criteria for one or the other or both, or of course neither*): journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.... *Whether BPD is ever valid is beyond scope of this post

Happy Easter to those who celebrate, and there is indeed a "spring" in understanding of autism, including its co-occurrence with other diagnoses. THREAD 1/

it is painfully simple:

Yep. When they call me high functioning, they mean I don't put them out too much. What isn't seen is that I'm just a high masker. So, even though I've always needed supports, I've never had them. I survive, not thrive.

I agree. I don't think they do anything to help. That just leads to more other-ing. "Oh you're one of THOSE 'types' of autistics." Let me tell you, while I may seem "fine" on my good days, on my bad days or when having a break/meltdown, I am completely unrecognizable. I know I'm not alone in that.

“Terms such as ‘profound autism,’ ‘high functioning,’ or ‘levels of autism’ […] maintain systems of categorisation and segregation that prioritise some needs over others, without addressing the structural changes required to support all Autistic people.”

Delighted to write this for @neurohubcomjournal.bsky.social " Functioning labels don’t describe us; they gatekeep access to support, autonomy, and opportunity." Read more: news.neurohubcommunity.org/p/words-that...

A reminder for folks who are going to #INSAR2026: Last year the Autism Science Foundation provided branded badge lanyards for all attendees. If you would prefer to not chance signal-boosting an anti-neurodiversity, anti-autistic advocacy org, bring your own lanyard. #TheMoreYouKnow #neurodiversity

In a statement released today, Lucifer, 13.7 billion, took responsibility for turning your delicious, creamy mac and cheese with a sexy golden brown crust into stodgy, watery mess that looks, frankly, infected.

Rather than focusing on “‘fixing”’ spoken communication, @drstevenkapp.bsky.social & Juliette Gudknecht argue for approaches that build on autistic strengths (including language in other forms where possible). This means creating ND assessments and supports: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

"He doesn’t need a DSM differentiated “profound autism” label. He needs Medicaid. And so does your kid. "

It’s very weird to me that some people think that changing the nature of diagnosis in the DSM will magically address the fact that that the United States (and many other counties) are ableist and don’t support their disabled citizens. We don’t support disabled ppl enough. The DSM won’t fix that.

We don't need a #ProfoundAutism diagnosis. Instead, "go find the people in your state fighting for Medicaid. Those are your ppl. The DSM is not going to save your child or make your life more functional. Medicaid funded HCBS will." TY, Neuromess. www.facebook.com/Neuromess.bl... #autism #disability

Neurodiversity movement: autism is difference *&*disability. 1st Autism Acceptance Day for this paper showing strengths eg enhanced auditory perception can contribute to challenges eg speech divergence. *Holistic classification* needed for assessment, support. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

“The breaking point came when I was instructed to withhold food & drink from my toddler until she produced specific verbal responses. I ended services that same day. Henny Kupferstein, on her pursuit of truth and fight for patient-led accountability re: Medicaid: tinyurl.com/AutisticPatientUprising

"People in power have talked a lot about autism over the last year. But they have not talked about autistic people’s rights at all." Folks, this is what happens when people are talked about, instead of listened to. #Autism #ActuallyAutistic #AutismAcceptanceMonth

"More ppl are being diagnosed autistic every year because: -We keep learning more about autism & this makes doctors better at noticing when someone is autistic. -The rules doctors use to diagnose autism have changed. These changes helped more ppl get diagnosed." autisticadvocacy.org/2026/04/the-...

"People in power have talked a lot about autism over the last year. But they have not talked about autistic people’s rights at all. Talking about our rights is an important part of making life better for autistic ppl. Let’s talk about what we need–& our rights": autisticadvocacy.org/2026/04/the-...

"Autism is a normal part of life. There have always been autistic people, and autistic people are part of every community. Autism is not caused by any vaccine or medicine. Autism is genetic. That means people are born autistic." TY @autisticadvocacy.org: autisticadvocacy.org/2026/04/the-... #autism

It’s Autism Acceptance Month! Want to participate? Excellent. The best choice is to listen, learn—and lean back to make space for autistic people & autistic-informed resources. We have advice about good (and bad) autism orgs: tinyurl.com/UsefulAutismOrgs #AutismAcceptanceMonth #neurodiversity

An Autistic Patient Uprising Is Happening Now: How one autistic mother’s pursuit of truth is part of a broader shift toward patient-led accountability, ethics, and reform. By Henny Kupferstein, at TPGA: thinkingautismguide.com/2026/03/an-a... #Autism #Medicaid #Neurodiversity

Listen is a wonderful short film, if you haven't seen it yet. Because there is no #AutismAcceptanceMonth without autistic AAC users—including those who need, but don't currently have or use, AAC. Thank you @communicationfirst.bsky.social & film cast for your messages. communicationfirst.org/LISTEN/

Happy Autism Acceptance Month! And happy 20th anniversary to the The Autistic Self Advocacy Network! #AutismAcceptanceMonth

“The breaking point came when I was instructed to withhold food & drink from my toddler until she produced specific verbal responses. I ended services that same day. Henny Kupferstein, on her pursuit of truth and fight for patient-led accountability re: Medicaid: tinyurl.com/AutisticPatientUprising

"People in power have talked a lot about autism over the last year. But they have not talked about autistic people’s rights at all. Talking about our rights is an important part of making life better for autistic ppl. Let’s talk about what we need–& our rights": autisticadvocacy.org/2026/04/the-...

"You can’t persistently mislead children about social expectations and then punish them for believing you. "Only, when it comes to autistic kids, obviously you can." @epballou.bsky.social on Autistic Social Experience & the Sally-Anne Test: chavisory.wordpress.com/2023/04/07/a... #neurodiversity

“Every calibration carries context-dependent trade-offs. This is not a limitation of autistic systems; it is a fundamental feature of all biological optimization under constraint.” —Lori Hogenkamp, Dhwani Sanghavi, Heini Natri, 2026 stimpunks.org/glossary/spi...

Intensive Interaction isn’t about “fixing” or prompting communication. It’s about meeting someone where they are—through connection & attunement. A neuro-affirming, relational framing to support those with PMLD, co-authored with @jo3grace.bsky.social autisticrealms.com/intensive-in...

It’s Autistic People’s Month! & we need to #StopTheShock !! For over ten years the Judge Rotenberg Center in MA has housed Autistic people & utilizes wearable electric shock devices to control dangerous behaviors Children are zapped for things like swearing It’s the stuff nightmares are made of