Brown Side Of Autism

  Daniel’s Thoughts on Bocce Ball with Urban University On Saturday, September 27th, my brothers David and Dallas and I had the chance to play bocce ball at an event hosted by Urban University. My mom and stepdad, JW, joined in on the fun too. Everyone wore name tags so it was easier to know who was who, and it really helped us connect and bond with each other. The goal of the game was simple: roll your ball as close as possible to the silver ball. Our practice match was split into two teams and my team used the red balls and the other team used green. We played until 11 points. My first couple of rolls went too far, but by my third try I finally got the hang of it and made my best throw of the day. After practicing, Miss Rose introduced what she called the “Bocce Olympics.” The event lasted from 2:00–5:00, with a pizza and salad break at 3:00. Once we ate, everyone was divided into seven teams. I was on Team 3, named the  High Rollers , while David was on Team 6. Funny enough...

  Dating While Autistic: Finding My Way   A blog by Daniel Gillespie  Dating is hard for anybody. For me, being autistic just adds a few extra layers—layers of overthinking, layers of anxiety, and layers of trying to figure out what people really mean when they say something. But along the way, I’ve learned that love, connection, and patience can make the whole process worth it. The Early Struggles When I first started thinking about dating, I didn’t know where to begin. Social cues were like a foreign language, and sometimes I’d wonder if I was saying or doing the wrong thing without even realizing it. I’ve had moments where I misread interest or didn’t pick up on hints. And honestly? That hurt. It made me think maybe dating just wasn’t for me. But deep down, I wanted connection. I wanted someone who understood me, someone I could be my full self with—stims, quirks, and all. My First Real Date I’ll never ever forget my first real date. We went to Valerio’s, grabb...

  Trump, Tylenol, and Autism: Why Prevention Talk Misses the Point A blog by Daniel Gillespie  Recently, President Donald Trump made headlines by suggesting that acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy might cause autism. His words sparked a storm of reactions—hope for some, anger and fear for others. As an autistic writer, I see a deeper issue: the way leaders and society still talk about autism as something to be prevented rather than understood. The Problem with “Prevention” When a sitting president frames autism as something we should try to stop, it feeds the idea that autistic people are mistakes or tragedies. That may not be the intent, but the message lands that way. Autism isn’t a disease like measles. It’s a neurotype. It shapes how we think, feel, and experience the world. Saying “obviously you’d choose not to have it” assumes it’s only a burden—and ignores the joy, creativity, and perspective that autistic people bring. Science vs. Soundbites Medical exp...