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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 [...]
Dr. Anson Service Bio Dr. Anson Service is a licensed mental health counselor and part of a team that assesses individuals for autism, ADHD, and more at Adventure Psychological Services. Dr. Service has been a regular columnist for Autism Empowerment's Spectrum Life Magazine [...]
In Language You Can Understand Autism is a spectrum disorder and neurological difference that includes a broad range of symptoms. For purposes of this page, we're using "autism" to represent all autism spectrum disorder / differences including Autism, Asperger Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD/NOS). With autism, [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
Gary Borghello Bio Gary Borghello was born and raised in Daly City, California and moved to Vancouver, Washington in 2009. He is currently in semi-retirement from 35+ years in Corporate America, most recently as Engagement Manager at Smart Recruiters and previously as Principal [...]
Staying Connected and Sharing Volunteering Opportunities with Autism Serves Kids Care Club families Staying Connected  We want families involved in the Autism Serves Kids Care Club to stay connected and share information. As such, we have created a closed Facebook group where families can share photos of their [...]
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, [...]
Early Intervention Research has shown that intensive therapy during the toddler or preschool years may significantly improve cognitive and language skills in young children on the autism spectrum. There is no single best treatment for all children, but the American Academy of Pediatrics recently noted common features of effective [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Understanding Autism The amount of information available online about autism is often overwhelming to sift and filter through. We aim to provide support with that process by curating content that is enriching, empowering, inspiring, engaging and meaningful. At Autism Empowerment, one of our key goals is to provide meaningful [...]
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, [...]
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, [...]
Autism Facts and Myths Here are a few facts and myths about Autism: There is a lot of information available online about autism. Some of it is factual. Some of it is a myth. Some of it is true for some individuals but not for others. Some information may [...]