AutINSAR is a much-needed discussion between autistic people, autism researchers, family members, and professionals about priorities in autism research. AutINSAR 2025 took place at the annual meeting of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) in Seattle, Washington.
I think if you are someone who has deep expertise, particularly in a contested space, your voice can be really valuable. If there’s no counter-speech, no pushback against rumors or misleading claims, all the algorithms have available to surface is the nonsense.
TC Waisman says, “When I show up in a room, I’m Black first. That’s what people see. They don’t see the invisible disabilities right away. This informs not only my worldview, but the kinds of things that I want to work on, and the ways I want to challenge the barriers I’m experiencing.”
We talked with researcher Dr. Meng-Chuan Lai about the overlap of mental health and autism, the evidence-backed tendency of autistic people to be LGBT+, and much more.
With his book Luminous Mind, Elliot Gavin Keenan wants to uplift all people with neurodevelopmental disabilities—including autism, bipolar, schizophrenia, Tourette’s, OCD, and surely many others.
RFK Jr. has gone full “useless eaters” about autistic people. Seeing autistic people as burdens is straight up eugenics, and yet Profound Autism parents are delighted. Let’s discuss why “profound autism” harms rather than helps autistic people and their families.
You may know that ABA is a questionable therapy for autistic kids, one many autism advocates think should be abandoned. But since not every parent can avoid ABA, what can those parents do to protect their kids?
We need to be careful about pro-vaccine arguments when autism is involved—because when we say “there is NO evidence linking vaccines to autism” without adding “and fear of autism hurts autistic people,” then we’re actually contributing to negative stereotypes about autistic people.
If you have concerns about vaccines and autism, please listen to my story of becoming—but then un-becoming—a passionate anti-vaxxer autism parent.
Steve Silberman pivoted the public conversation away from the objectification of autistics and towards centering autistic voices, plus he was just a mensch. Anne Borden King and Shannon Rosa discuss his neurodiversity legacy.
