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 Actually Autistic Adults in the Real World A Day in Our Lives… By Jenny Bristol Illustrations by Rebecca Burgess  The autistic population is just as diverse as the non-autistic population. To learn about a day in the life of adults on the autism spectrum, we invite you to [...]
Opportunities to Support through Shopping Thank you so much for considering a donation to Autism Empowerment. Your support helps us to achieve our mission of enriching and empowering the lives of youth, adults and families in the Autism and Asperger communities locally, nationally and worldwide. The revenue generated by Autism Empowerment [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
  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 [...]
Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking Resources Why this resource page matters. At Autism Empowerment, we are committed to supporting the safety, dignity, and well-being of all individuals in our community. Research shows that people on the autism spectrum and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities are at significantly higher risk [...]
Andy Humber Bio Andy Humber joined Autism Empowerment's Board of Directors in October 2016. He was born and raised in Boise, Idaho and was diagnosed on the autism spectrum in late elementary school. Andy Humber has volunteered at Autism Empowerment [...]
Chris Parrott Bio Chris Parrott joined Autism Empowerment’s Board of Directors in 2014. Chris was born and raised in Texas, and was a resident of Oregon from 2011 to early 2022, when he relocated to North Carolina. In 2025, he relocated again with his family to Vancouver, [...]
🌸 Resources for Women and Girls on the Autism Spectrum To all women and girls on the autism spectrum—know this: You are not alone. Even when it feels that way, we’re here to provide information, support, and a welcoming community that sees and values you. At Autism Empowerment and through [...]
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 [...]
 Autistic advocate Niko Boskovic joined Autism Empowerment as a contributing writer for Spectrum Life Magazine and our Spectrum Life blog in October 2022. Niko first appeared on the cover of Spectrum Life Magazine in our Fall 2022 issue and in our feature interview,Niko Boskovic - Letterboarding Leader, readers learned [...]
Autism Serves – Helping Hands Empowering Neurodivergent Teens & Young Adults Through Volunteerism A neurodivergent-led volunteerism program from Autism Empowerment that brings teens, young adults, families, and community supporters together to serve others, build friendships, and make a positive difference. The Next Generation of Service is Here! Autism Serves [...]
Past Project Examples The first season of the Autism Serves Kids Care Club took place October 2015 through June 2016. Here are photos of some of the monthly projects and events that club members participated in. In 2025, the Autism Serves Kids Care Club evolved and relaunched under a [...]
Autism Facts Quick Start New visitor? Please check out "Understanding Autism, A Few Quick Notes." This Autism Quick-Start section is meant to provide a quick introduction to basic autism facts written in conversational language. Autism is a Developmental Disability Autism is considered a developmental disability and neurological [...]
Peggy Pitsenbarger Bio Peggy Pitsenbarger (1931 - 2024) - Emeritus Board Member Peggy Pitsenbarger was an integral part of the founding years of Autism Empowerment. She served on the Board of Directors as a Board Member from June 2011 through April 14th, 2023. [...]
Acronym and Initialism Directory An acronym is an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word. An initialism is an abbreviation consisting of initial letters pronounced separately (e.g., DDA or IEP) Alphabet soup is often used as a metaphor for an abundance of [...]
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 [...]
Amazing Autistic Women Women and Nonbinary People on the Autism Spectrum: Whether someone identifies as Autistic, on the autism spectrum, neurodivergent, or simply by their name, what matters most is honoring how they choose to self-identify. This evolving list highlights Autistic women and nonbinary individuals who are using their voices, [...]
Welcome to the Autism Empowerment Blog This section of our website is where you can find current and past blog postings from Autism Empowerment volunteers, staff and guest bloggers. Blog topics range from educational to inspirational, from current events to self-advocacy editorials. We are looking to enrich and empower [...]
Autism Empowerment Resource Center We are currently in the process of redesigning our AutismEmpowerment.org and SpectrumLife.org websites to add and showcase a variety of new content and resources. This is an ongoing process and we appreciate your patience and support. Autism Empowerment believes in contributing positively to a world [...]