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Karen Krejcha Bio Karen serves as Executive Director and Co-Founder of Autism Empowerment and also as the Board President. She is Editor of Spectrum Life Magazine and the host of the Autism Empowerment Podcast. Karen considers Autism Empowerment her calling and passion. She [...]
John Krejcha Bio John Krejcha is co-founder of Autism Empowerment and serves as Programs Director and Board Secretary. Prior to Autism Empowerment, John spent 15 years as the co-owner of Count Your Beans, a successful online retail business. Prior to that, he worked [...]
What is Asperger syndrome? Asperger or Asperger's syndrome (AS) is a developmental autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The discovery of Asperger Syndrome (AS) dates back to 1944. Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger described the syndrome when he was treating four boys with similar symptoms. His writings remained relatively unknown until 1981 [...]
Our Four Foundational Pillars The four foundational pillars of Autism Empowerment are: Accept Enrich Inspire Empower These pillars are part of our organizational core values and are incorporated into our website, our programs, our support services and our community. Accept We promote the unconditional acceptance of autistic individuals for who they [...]
Community Collaborations Autism Empowerment is physically based in Vancouver, Washington. We are considered part of Southwest Washington although we are also very close to the Oregon border and interact frequently with the Portland, OR metro community. We believe it is important to be actively involved in our community. Community [...]
Recognizing Autism Spectrum Symptoms, Signs and Characteristics Individuals on the autism spectrum will have symptoms from a very young age, beginning before the age of three. Some autistic children show hints of future challenges within the first few months of life. In others, symptoms may not appear until 24 [...]
AE Neurodivergent Creators Collective A New Era of Inclusive Storytelling Welcome (see below) | Upcoming Events | Past Events | Resource Library Empty heading Empty heading Empty heading Empty heading Welcome to the Neurodivergent Creators Collective! The Neurodivergent Creators Collective (AE-NCC) was launched in Spring 2025 as a neurodivergent-led [...]
Autism Empowerment is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization devoted to enriching and empowering the lives of youth, adults, and families within autistic and neurodivergent communities. We promote a culture of Autism Acceptance and believe that each one of us has gifts and talents to make the [...]
AWEtism We Embrace Support Group Welcome to AWEtism We Embrace (AWE)! A Peer-Led Online Support Group for Adults of All Neurotypes AWEtism We Embrace (AWE) is a welcoming, facilitated support group for adults of all neurotypes, including both neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals. 🗓️ We meet online via Zoom [...]
Brian Tashima Bio Brian Tashima was born and raised in Hawaii and has been a resident of Vancouver, Washington since 2000. He is an author, screenwriter, filmmaker, musician, creator, consultant, and philanthropist. He's also the dad of two autistic children, and was himself diagnosed [...]
Past Autism Empowerment Outreach Events Outreach events and activities that we participate in give youth, adults and families impacted by Autism and Asperger's to have an opportunity to connect with Autism Empowerment and to meet other members of the autism and autistic community. There are many opportunities throughout each [...]
Hello awesome person! My name is Karen Krejcha and although I'm not there personally in front of you, I wanted to let you know that I truly appreciate your act of generosity and kindness today! On behalf of the Autism Empowerment team of founders, Board Members and volunteers, thank you [...]
Shasti McLaughlin Bio Shasti McLaughlin, AWEtism We Embrace Founder Shasti is the founder of AWEtism We Embrace, an online facilitated support group of Autism Empowerment that meets on the third Tuesday of most months from 6:30 pm-8:30 pm. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, [...]
Cash Gifts and Donations to Autism Empowerment Welcome! Thank you for joining us in supporting youth, adults and families in Autism and Neurodivergent communities! Together with your generosity, Autism Empowerment uplifts and empowers youth, adults, and families across the autism spectrum. Your donation helps us provide inclusive programs, compassionate education, and [...]
Autism Empowerment Board of Directors Autism Empowerment's Board of Directors includes ten passionate leaders and disability advocates from Washington and Oregon. United by a passion for serving youth, adults and families within autism, neurodivergent and disabilities communities, they bring diverse perspectives and a shared commitment to Autism Empowerment's mission. [...]
Autism Empowerment Makes Cents (and Dollars too!) Autism Empowerment is looking for caring people to help raise funds that provide support to youth, adults and families in Autistic and Neurodivergent communities. Are you good at fundraising or do you know of a group or club that [...]
Welcome to Autism Empowerment - About Us Autism Empowerment is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization devoted to enriching and empowering the lives of youth, adults and families within Autism and Autistic communities. We promote a culture of Autism Acceptance and believe every one of us has strengths and gifts to [...]
Paul Pitsenbarger Bio Paul Pitsenbarger has served as Vice President for Autism Empowerment since 2011 and is involved with strategic planning and development. Paul retired after 33 years at Crown Zellerbach and James River Corporation (now Georgia Pacific), where he served as Director [...]
About the Autism Empowerment Podcast The Autism Empowerment Podcast is currently on hiatus. From 2022 - 2023, we published 23 episodes and hope to be producing new content again under a new look and feel in late 2025, early 2026. We have included our Autism [...]
Get Involved, Make Impact & Stay Connected! Autism Empowerment believes in positive collaboration and community involvement! We strongly believe in creating an Autism Empowerment community where all people on the autism spectrum feel welcome. When you support Autism Empowerment, you are telling the people that we serve that [...]