A Trusted Friend From Birth I KNOW THIS PERSON FROM MANY LIVES AGO. MY MOM CALLS HER A SNOWFLAKE SOMETIMES. SHE LOVED ME EVEN WHEN OTHER KIDS HATED ME. SHE DRESSES UP IN FUNNY CLOTHES TO MAKE ME LAUGH DURING DULL, DARK DAYS. SHE KNOWS THAT I AM A GOOD LISTENER BECAUSE SHE TELLS ME HER DEEPEST SECRETS. SHE FIGHTS, NOT OVER A CHOCOLATE; SHE FIGHTS FOR MY RIGHTS. SHE HANGS OUT WITH ME WITH NO DEMANDS. SHE BAKES STUFF I DON’T EAT AND ASKS ME TO TRY, BUT I MUST SAY THE HOUSE SMELL

18 FIGHTS PER HOUR SCHOOL YEAR FEAR MY DEAR, SAYS THE BODY. SCHOOL YEAR IS FOR ME TO STEER, SAYS THE MIND. OH, OOPS! THE HIGH-PITCHED VOICES AND NEW FACES, SAYS THE BODY. OH, GET GOING, SILLY, SAYS THE MIND. BEND, CURL UP, AVOID AND ESCAPE, SAYS THE BODY. STAND TALL, YOU KNOW WHAT THE TEACHER IS ASKING, SAYS THE MIND. THIS IS JUST ONE SCENE FROM A WHOLE FIGHT SEQUENCE. I COUNT THREE SUCH FIGHTS, MAYBE EVERY 10 MINUTES IN SCHOOL. THAT MAKES IT 18 FIGHTS AN HOUR IN THE HASAN MO

Remove the shackles Put the past behind Take life less seriously Leap for the moon Dance in the rain Paint the rainbow Join the bird chorus Laugh your gut out Follow inspiring people Seek poetry in love Live life now Past is done Tomorrow is not here. Swarit Gopalan About the Author I am an 11-yr old autistic, nonspeaker that uses letterboard to spell/keyboard to type to communicate.I live with my family in Florida and go to Invictus Academy for school. I find a lot of solac

As I got ready to get on my flight, My right cheek hurt from the fresh dog biteThe pain was excruciating, and I didn't feel strongAnd this journey felt way too hard and long As I stood in the queue, I started to sing"How would I do this?" was all I could thinkBut as I continued singing, music filled my heart and ears Slowly my pain started to disappear, and I no longer felt any fear Whenever I feel lonely or blue Music helps me get through Now my scar is gone, but the lesson

I felt lost when we floated into outer space. Aero planes, too, fear going there. I found myself when I heard that there could be life beyond Earth. I wonder if there are many Hasans, like the many moons in Saturn. It is exciting and scary at the same time to know that I am nothing but stardust. I love my family and need them in all the galaxies I exist in. Hasan Ahmed About the Author Call him “H”.“H” likes good people, stories and travel.

As a child, I hoped for a safer new year, But pain stayed, always near. Growing up, I created a safe haven in my mind, Yet outside, safety was hard to find. The shouts, the chaos, the sudden fight, Memories built deep, day and night. I grew, but the fear stayed strong, In my mind's sanctuary, where I belong. A young girl seeking a place to be, Away from a world too harsh to see. Living where screams and pain was known, Where pain was normalized, not outgrown. I waited, longin

Reading is a relatively new found love. Just to clarify right up front, my typical reading is through audio books primarily or my parents/loved ones reading to me. The act of turning pages slowly is not a motor skill I currently possess. It is not that reading itself is an alien concept to me. We have been reading together as a family from the time I was born. As many in my tribe would attest, the journey to age appropriate content is a long winded one. While there is no que

When I look at this giraffe I made, The detail in every spot and shade. Imperfect shapes and spots The bright colors and the little dots They are like my strengths, quirks and every part, I love my uniqueness with all my heart. Ashvita Kunder About the Author Ashvita is a 10-year-old artist, musician, singer, baker and self-appointed ‘Head’ of her Prep School for rescue puppies. Born with a unique perspective on the world, Ashvita navigates life with autism,

Resilience in nonspeakers is likely taken for granted. Given the odds stacked against us most times, resilience is almost a necessary survival skill. Point not lost when life feels like a perennial comeback story. Every setback, health or otherwise, has to have a proportionate response that is often a tale of resilience. The challenge though is that this resilience stuff is not easy. It takes a lot of thought and action to overcome every setback while having no guarantee that

Have you ever felt upset with yourself for being too distracted? Glory to the objects around me; I am invited to be distracted every other minute. Wonder who invites me? There are so many everyday things that distract me, derail me, tire me, and finally shut me down. Let me name some of these super villains for you: strings, sticks, mirrors, furry surfaces, thread, cables, spoons, cushions, brushes, puzzle pieces, coins, hooks, lids, stickers, dusters, tissues, and the list

The choice is a privilege Its power is a leap Most long for it Few experience it Poorer are lives Full of potential but Constrained by choices The chosen ones that Have no real choices Locked in their own bodies Victims of their own zip code Silenced by entrenched beliefs Stripped of their own identity Limited by numbers Robbed of meaningful impact Who gets to choose Who gets a choice? Swarit Gopalan About the Author I am an 11-yr old autistic, nonspeaker that uses letterboar

We are not impaired, but improvised We are not ominous, but synonymous We are not grave, but gravitas We are not a farce, but a force We are not unidimensional, but undimensional We are not sensational , but sensitive We are not porous, but poring We are not just is, but justice. Swarit Gopalan About the Author I am an 11-yr old autistic, nonspeaker that uses letterboard to spell/keyboard to type to communicate.I live with my family in Florida and go to Invictus Academy for s

Oxford was truly magnificent. I had not visited college campuses or university towns before so I was not sure what to expect. I have to assume now that it would have exceeded even my wildest expectations. My perspectives on college education are still being shaped. I do not know if i can go to college or even want to. The Oxford visit has certainly romanticized that notion for me. The most fascinating aspect of the visit was the manner in which the historical buildings were b

London is magical. Life is about balancing the old and the new and striking the happy medium there. It seems to be the way of life there. The history seems to be getting more and more into perspective as new people come in to share their versions of the history and be part of the future. It was interesting for me to be observing how different people were talking about things they were seeing. I had interesting sensory experiences while out there. The stairs in some of the hi

My music interest is generally varied in terms of the types of music I seek. I have been exposed to diverse genres of music and my life has been enriched by amazing musicians from around the world. My parents have put a lot of thought and effort into this and it is something we really enjoy doing together. Music provides a lot of happiness and comfort in our home. However I go through periods of intense desire to listen to the same set of songs over and over again. While this

I feel walls breathe. I feel like doors smile. I love windows with curtains because they are naughty and play with me and the wind all the time. The houses I have lived in are like people; they listen a lot but don’t speak, just like me. Guess what? I have even secretly named houses I have lived in. Places are actually like people; they live, listen, love, feel just like us. I enjoy communicating with places. Have you tried this? Context: Hasan was only asked by the parent ab

To me it is easy to answer the question “Is there anything called a miracle?” Life of a living being is a miracle Love in unconditional forms is a miracle Pinnacle of unified singing is a miracle Rising and setting of the sun is a miracle The vastness of an ocean is a miracle Wild life that stuns us is a miracle Nature that is bountiful is a miracle Mother’s instinct that protects us is a miracle Richness of musical notes is a miracle Life of a nonspeaker in this planet is

Initiation of an activity is hard for those like me. Like a faulty remote control that stops working when you want to watch something widely anticipated, our body’s control system stops working at inopportune times. The result can potentially be our motivation coming into question and stereotypes about us perpetuated. The main loss in all of this is one of trust. People stop trusting our abilities and we start questioning our life purpose. The effects can be very calamitous.

I just finished reading this book “Happiness Falls”. The central character is a nonspeaker and I enjoyed reading that a lot. The author, Angie Kim, has done a lot of research and has portrayed the character in an empowering way. Here is a short poem on the book. A nonspeaker’s quest I am moving slowly The book is dawning on me A life on lockdown And the pages losing letters The uniqueness of the story Embellished by intersectionality Of identities, incredulity of loss And a

My ears have captured words that strangers use to describe me, sometimes, actually - most of the time. I have heard things like weird guy, crazy guy, what is wrong with him, is he okay. Don’t worry, after many stings I recently found some honey. I was in Disney weeks ago. It was time to hop into a ride. I was in line bored and flapping away. As usual, some stared, some looked away, some smiled. But a little girl just made me glow. She was as tall as me. She looked at me as if