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Gay and on the Autism Spectrum: My Experience Growing Up in the Closet

By Eric Ascher — 2018

Things have dramatically improved in my life since high school. I am lucky that I have a family that loves me, that I have friends who support me and that I live in a progressive area like Montgomery County, Maryland. Many people are less lucky. If LGBTQ youth with disabilities are not treated with the respect they deserve, the consequences are literally life and death.

Read on www.respectability.org

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Why Identifying as Queer Can Be Harder for Those with Autism

Autistic queer folk may experience struggles for acceptance in both identities.

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Growing Up Queer with Asperger’s

My story differs from many others who grow up with a developmental disorder, because at the same time, I was also finding my way as a young gay man.

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The Challenges of Living with High-Functioning Autism

In the autism community, functioning labels are discouraged because they can be misleading. A person can be able to function independently in some areas but require significant support in others. People labeled as high functioning can often have significant needs that are overlooked.

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‘Clients Say It Feels Like We’ve Always Known Each Other’: The Mental Health Experts Who Believe Their Autism Has Turbocharged Their Work

Therapists, psychologists and nurses who are autistic say it has made them better at their jobs, but that misconceptions about the condition are forcing them to keep their diagnosis a secret.

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Autistic People More Likely to Identify as LGBTQ

Studies vary widely on the percentage of people with autism who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual. One analysis suggested the rate is 15 to 35 percent among autistic people who do not have intellectual disability.

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Is It Self-Care, or Is It Capitalism?

So many of the little rituals I have each day—like my makeup or skincare routine—do help soothe and/or rejuvenate me. For me, any type of solo practiced routine is good. But I’ve learned that self-care does not, and cannot, sustain me. And I believe that this may be the case for many of you.

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Teaching Tips for Children and Adults with Autism

Good teachers helped me to achieve success. I was able to overcome autism because I had good teachers.

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Social Problems: Understanding Emotions and Developing Talents

I put a great deal of emphasis on employment because I see so many very intelligent people with autism and Asperger's syndrome without satisfying jobs. A satisfying profession made life have meaning for me. I am what I do and think instead of what I feel.

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Evaluating the Effects of Medication

When a medication is being evaluated to modify the behavior of a person with autism, one must assess the risks versus the benefits.

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The Greatest Challenge of Raising an Autistic Child as an Autistic Parent? The Ableist World We Live In

Being disabled means hundreds of thousands of people believe they always know better than you do.

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EXPLORE TOPIC

Autism