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Autism Empowerment Programs & Support Services Autism Empowerment is devoted to promoting a culture of acceptance, enrichment, and empowerment for children, teens, adults and families in autism and neurodivergent communities. Local programming takes place in the Southwest Washington and Portland, OR metro area. This includes AE's Neurodivergent [...]
How is Autism Treated? It is important to remember first that autism is on a spectrum. As such, there is no one size-fits-all autism treatment, therapy, intervention or coping strategy. There are many therapies for autism and as you do your research you will see that there is also [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
AE Neurodivergent Creators Collective AE-NCC Resource Library Welcome | Upcoming Events | Past Events | Resource Library (see below) Welcome to the AE Neurodivergent Creators Collective (AE-NCC) Resource Library, a growing hub of free tools, guides, videos, and inspiration for autistic and neurodivergent creators. Whether your passion is acting, [...]
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 [...]
What are Pervasive Developmental Disorders / PDD / PDD-NOS? The diagnostic category of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) refers to a group of disorders characterized by delays in the development of socialization and communication skills. Parents may note symptoms as early as infancy, although the typical age of onset is [...]
Donate Your Vehicle Autism Empowerment is excited to share with you our vehicle and car donation partnership with Donate for Charity. If you donate your car, truck, boat or RV before December 31st, 2025, you can get a 2025 tax deduction while helping Autism Empowerment and our nonprofit publication, [...]
AE Neurodivergent Creators Collective A New Era of Inclusive Storytelling Welcome | Upcoming Events | Past Events (see below) | Resource Library Past Workshops and Workshop Resources: (Workshops are listed in reverse chronological order) 🎬 Craig McCourry: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Filmmaking Autism Empowerment and our Neurodivergent Creators Collective are proud [...]
Support Autism Empowerment with eBay for Charity Autism Empowerment is proud to be part of the eBay for Charity program. Now you can easily support our mission when you buy or sell on eBay. It’s easy, and you can even donate directly! Visit the Autism Empowerment eBay for Charity Page to get started! [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Hold My Beer A Film by Brian Tashima Produced by Second Player Score and Autism Empowerment <span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span [...]
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 [...]