Autism Talk: Coming to Terms
Person-first or identity-first? The autism community remains divided over language, and this father of a child with autism—also an autistic one—sees that both sides have a point, even if pleasing everyone is impossible.
Mental Health
Understanding the mind through challenge, change, and recovery.
The Facts About Truth
The “fact” that 80% of marriages with an autistic child end in divorce has been repeated for years. It turns out to be entirely fabricated, and the real research tells a far more hopeful story.
A Clue to the GI Problems that Plague Many Kids with Autism?
Columbia researchers found unusually high levels of a gut bacterium called Sutterella in children with autism and GI symptoms, a possible clue to a puzzling and common comorbidity.
Autism Linked with Excess Neurons in Prefrontal Cortex
Autistic boys’ brains contain 67 percent more neurons in a region tied to social and language function, a UC San Diego study found, pointing to a prenatal origin for autism.
Got Resilience?
Resilience isn’t something you build through sheer willpower—it’s rooted in your earliest relationships. Neuroscience shows secure early attachment shapes the brain’s capacity to bounce back from stress, but adult relationships can help reshape that capacity too.
Autism: Finding Out
What does the first year after an autism diagnosis actually feel like? One father’s candid interview walks through the trauma, confusion, and eventual acceptance that shaped his family’s path forward.
Resilient Families, Resilient Communities
Some families bounce back from tragedy stronger than before—so what’s their secret? Decades of research suggest strategies like meaning-making, flexible optimism, and cultivating purpose beyond the self can help families recover from trauma.
Born to Connect
We are born wired for connection. Early relationships help shape the developing brain and our capacity to cope with stress, form attachments and regulate emotion. But even when early bonds are disrupted, the brain’s plasticity means later relationships can offer new opportunities for resilience and healing.