Our son Owen, like so many with autism, has an ‘affinity’ — in his case, a deep connection to the Disney movies he’s watched countless times to make sense of an often-bewildering world.

When we first shared Owen’s story, we thought he was one in a million. But the wave of responses we received showed us that Owen was really one among millions. We learned about autistic men, women, boys, and girls all over the world with affinities from movies to maps.

We created this site as a place to celebrate affinities and share insights. In the years that followed, though, we realized that parents and autistic individuals needed more than just a place to share their passions. So we gathered some of the best neuroscientists and technologists around, and build a mobile service to help turn those passions into pathways for social and personal growth — for parents to help their kids in the same way that we helped Owen.

On this site, you’ll find stories, artwork, and research exploring the breathtaking range of expression that affinities inspire. But if you’d like to learn more about what we built and join our new community, have a look at Sidekicks. It was named, of course, by Owen.

All Best,
Ron and Cornelia Suskind