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You’ve probably seen Loop. It’s the Pixar short about two kids stuck in a canoe, one of them a non-speaking autistic gir...
10/09/2026

You’ve probably seen Loop. It’s the Pixar short about two kids stuck in a canoe, one of them a non-speaking autistic girl named Renee. Here’s the part that usually gets left out.

Pixar didn’t cast a speaking actress to perform as non-speaking. They cast Madison Bandy, who is autistic and non-speaking herself.

Then they changed how they work. Instead of asking her to perform on cue in a recording booth, the team built the process around her, capturing her real vocalizations in a setting where she was comfortable, and letting her lead what the character sounded like.

Renee’s voice isn’t an impression of an autistic girl. It’s an autistic girl.

Most studios ask disabled actors to fit the process. This one changed the process to fit the actor.

Source: Pixar

Everyone looks at the last thirty seconds. The dropped cup. The wrong word. The “no.”Researchers looked somewhere else. ...
09/09/2026

Everyone looks at the last thirty seconds. The dropped cup. The wrong word. The “no.”

Researchers looked somewhere else. Across 95 studies on autistic overwhelm and emotional dysregulation, two of the strategies with the strongest evidence were teaching emotion regulation explicitly, and addressing stressors proactively.

Before. Not during.

Because by the time the glass overflows, the water has been filling since breakfast. Sometimes since Monday. The last drop gets the blame, but it was never the reason.

The Meltdown Decoder is our before, during and after plan. The PAUSE Response, a 14-day plan, worksheets and quick cards.

Comment “DECODER” and we’ll help you get started today 👇

Source: Nuske et al. (2024), European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Morgan Harper Nichols has built a career around something beautifully simple: people share what they are going through, ...
09/09/2026

Morgan Harper Nichols has built a career around something beautifully simple: people share what they are going through, and she turns those experiences into art and poetry.

Morgan is an autistic artist, poet and bestselling author. For years, she has invited people to send her their stories, struggles and reflections. She reads through those messages and uses them as inspiration for colorful illustrations and short pieces of writing, often creating something for a person she has never met.

Morgan was diagnosed as autistic as an adult, and has since spoken openly about how that diagnosis helped her better understand herself, including her sensory experiences, creativity and the way she connects with the world.

Her work has now reached millions of people, but the idea behind it remains remarkably personal. One stranger shares a piece of their life, and sometimes, Morgan answers with exactly the words they needed to hear. ❤️🎨

Source: Morgan Harper Nichols

At first glance, Anthony Schmidt’s photographs look like they could have been taken decades ago, with classic cars parke...
08/09/2026

At first glance, Anthony Schmidt’s photographs look like they could have been taken decades ago, with classic cars parked along country roads, beside lakes or hidden among the trees.

But look closer. Every car is a miniature model.

Anthony is an autistic photographer from Washington who began photographing his collection of model cars when he was a child. By carefully positioning each one outdoors and using perspective to line the tiny car up with the full-sized world behind it, he creates scenes that can be surprisingly difficult to distinguish from photographs of real vehicles.

His love of cars started early. Anthony has built up an enormous knowledge of automotive history and can identify the makes, models and years of countless vehicles. What began as an interest and a collection has grown into photography seen by millions, with his work appearing in calendars, books and exhibitions.

It is the tiny details that make these photos so much fun. Once you know the secret, go back and look again. 🚗📸

📰 : Anthony Schmidt Photography / KING 5 / The Seattle Times

Matt Lucas has spoken openly about being autistic and about one thing he has come to understand about himself: he needs ...
08/09/2026

Matt Lucas has spoken openly about being autistic and about one thing he has come to understand about himself: he needs time alone to recharge.

The Little Britain, Bridesmaids and Alice in Wonderland actor and comedian has explained that he enjoys being around people, but eventually reaches a point where he needs to retreat and have space to himself. For Lucas, understanding that need has helped him make more sense of how he experiences social situations and manages his energy.

He has also reflected on receiving his autism diagnosis later in life. Like many adults diagnosed after childhood, having a name for those differences can offer a new way of looking back at behaviours and needs that may previously have been difficult to explain.

And his point about alone time may resonate with plenty of autistic people. Needing space after socialising doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t enjoy it. Sometimes, being alone is simply how you recover your energy. ❤️

Does anyone else relate to needing time alone to recharge after being around people?

Source: Matt Lucas interviews

When you call 911 in Phoenix, visit a library, or walk into a city office, odds are the person you meet has been trained...
07/09/2026

When you call 911 in Phoenix, visit a library, or walk into a city office, odds are the person you meet has been trained to support autistic people.

Phoenix has become the largest city in America to earn the Certified Autism Center designation, after more than 80% of its front-facing employees, including police and fire personnel, completed specialized training in supporting autistic and sensory-sensitive residents.

The certification also included onsite reviews across city locations, with sensory guides and recommendations to make city services easier to navigate.

Nicole Anderson, who chairs the Mayor’s Commission on Disability Issues, said she’s proud to live in a city that trains its employees to understand and support autistic people and people with sensory, communication, and cognitive differences.

America’s fifth largest city just set a bar. Your move, everyone else.

Source: City of Phoenix / IBCCES

The cars all face the same way. You noticed. That’s the whole thing about loving an autistic kid, you start seeing what ...
06/09/2026

The cars all face the same way. You noticed. That’s the whole thing about loving an autistic kid, you start seeing what the little things really are.

The lined-up toys aren’t rigid play. The flapping isn’t a habit to fix. The 3pm meltdown after a held-together school day isn’t bad behavior, it’s trust. Swipe through six little things you’ve probably noticed, and what they actually mean.

This is You Noticed, Vol. 1, the second series in our LOTS originals, made with our chameleon friend you might have spotted on the cover.

Which one did you notice first with your kid? Tell us in the comments, and tag a parent who needs to see number 5. 🫶

Save this one for the next time someone calls it “just a quirk.”

Claire O’Neill can still see the roof of her old primary school from where she teaches today. And when she looks at it, ...
06/09/2026

Claire O’Neill can still see the roof of her old primary school from where she teaches today. And when she looks at it, she remembers just how difficult being a student there once felt.

Claire is autistic, and she recalls the itchy school uniform, classrooms that felt too loud and too smelly, and regularly getting in trouble without understanding why. She was reprimanded for doodling, fiddling or staring out of the window — things she now believes may actually have been helping her concentrate. At break time, she remembers walking around the edge of the schoolyard, struggling to understand the games and unwritten social rules around her.

Today, the child who struggled in those classrooms has spent more than 20 years teaching autistic students. Claire is also a researcher at University College Cork, studying the experiences of autistic teachers, and uses what she experienced growing up to advocate for classrooms that listen to autistic students rather than simply expecting them to adapt.

Her advice to teachers is surprisingly simple: listen to your learners, believe what they tell you about their experience, and then act on it. For Claire, the view from that window is a reminder of both the student she once was and the kind of teacher she wanted to become. ❤️

(Classroom photo is not actual photo of the school)

📰 : 10 Minute Teacher Podcast / Cool Cat Teacher

A potentially dangerous situation in South Bend, Indiana ended calmly after two police officers took their time with an ...
05/09/2026

A potentially dangerous situation in South Bend, Indiana ended calmly after two police officers took their time with an autistic child who had made their way onto a dock above the St. Joseph River.

According to South Bend Police, the child had run from a parent and nearby clinic staff before climbing down a ladder to the dock, where their feet were dangling close to the water. Officer Robert Anton approached slowly, sat down nearby and started talking rather than rushing toward them. During their conversation, the child mentioned being hungry — so Officer Paul Strabavy went to a nearby restaurant to get them something to eat.

Anton continued talking until the child felt comfortable moving away from the edge and back onto safer ground. The officers then made sure they had eaten and worked with the child’s care team on what should happen next.

In a situation where rushing could have made things more dangerous, they slowed everything down, listened and responded to what the child was communicating. ❤️

Source: South Bend Police Department

Eighteen-year-old Briann V. Yazzie is making his public competitive debut this weekend at New Mexico’s Totah Fine Arts F...
05/09/2026

Eighteen-year-old Briann V. Yazzie is making his public competitive debut this weekend at New Mexico’s Totah Fine Arts Festival — one of the region’s long-running celebrations of Native American art. Briann is non-speaking and autistic, and his family says painting has become one of the ways he expresses what he may not be able to communicate through speech.

His watercolors are deeply personal. His mom says brighter colors often appear when he is happy, while darker shades can reflect more difficult emotions. Among the pieces he submitted is “The Twins and the Eagle,” an abstract watercolor inspired by traditional Navajo stories shared with him by his grandfather. Briann’s work also reflects a family shaped by both his Navajo and Filipino heritage.

Art has been part of Briann’s life for years — he previously earned ribbons at both the Navajo Nation Fair and New Mexico State Fair — but this weekend marks a new step as he enters a juried competition alongside other artists. His parents hope it also sends a wider message about what can happen when people who communicate differently are given opportunities to show what they can do. ❤️🎨

Sometimes a voice doesn’t have to be spoken to be heard.

Source: Tri-City Record / Totah Fine Arts Festival

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