Alix Generous is twenty-two years old, and is on a mission to make a difference. She presented at the United Nations for her research on coral reefs at nineteen. Now, she is graduating college and is a founder of Autism Sees, a company that is working to create assistive technology to enhance the lives of […]
The magic of Disney World for individuals on the Autism Spectrum is indisputable, but what exactly is it about Disney World that has so many differently-abled individuals enchanted for life? Reddit user Rei_Ayanami_00, a 22-year-old woman with autism, discusses the sense of belonging she feels when at Disney World in a recent post. Here are […]
A few months ago, we received a note from Jaime Jenett about an experience she had with her son, Simon. When Simon was just 3 months and 3 weeks old, he was diagnosed with a rare heart condition – Cardiomyopathy. A little over five years later, Simon was diagnosed with autism. Like Owen, Simon will […]
A few weeks ago, Autism Speaks profiled Connor Gross, an MMA fighter with autism. In the short video by TITLE MMA, Gross talks about his experiences discovering his affinity, building honest connections with others, and pursuing a meaningful life. “When I found something that I really was into, it came really easy for me. One […]
Many children are fascinated by transportation, as the enduring popularity of toy cars and the success of shows like “Thomas the Tank” go to show. But here at the Affinities Project, we’ve noticed a pronounced trend among children on the autism spectrum to harbor a deep passion for — and uncanny knowledge of — transportation infrastructure. From maps to […]
“Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.” So says the poet Rumi, one of the greatest scholars of myth and morality in human history. And as millions of parents and caregivers can tell you, this famous quote will never hold so true for […]
This latest post comes from Shannon, yet another fellow parent of a child with autism who harbors a deep affinity for Disney. Shannon reached out to Ron on Twitter, which is a great way of coming to our attention (but only if you’d rather not use the forms on the site, which we always encourage)! […]
The story of yet another uplifting autism organization, rooted in affinities and the beautiful creations they engender, comes to us from a fellow parent-turned-activist that Ron met at the Walt Disney Family Museum in January. The Art of Autism is a collaborative of artists, poets, entrepreneurs, and entertainers on the autism spectrum that showcases the […]
On February 3rd, Ron spoke at the Semel Institute’s Open Mind lecture at UCLA, in a rare yet extremely powerful coalescing of renowned autism researchers from the medical community and prominent creators from the entertainment industry. Little did Ron know that some of these creators had prepared a special treat: the vocational school Exceptional Minds surprised him […]
On February 2nd, online news site IOL (Independent Online) came out with a fascinating article profiling South African artist Shane Dennis. Shane, who lives in Johannesburg, was diagnosed with ASD at age 3. His parents chart a progression through art and media not dissimilar from Owen’s in many ways. His father Ronald Dennis tells reporter Nontando Mposo that Shane was only 5 “when he started to write words. He always watched movies with English subtitles and started to associate the sounds with the spelling. The first thing he wrote in class was ‘Walt Disney Pictures present Finding Nemo’, in exactly the same font as in the movie on a blackboard. He wrote ‘EXIT’ with chalk on the carpet.” Not unlike Owen, Shane used his favorite movies to teach himself how to read and write.