Acceptance, Advocacy,
​
​and Education

Made by people with autism
​for people with autism

When dealing with autism spectrum disorder, there is a lot of misinformation out there. Our mission here at “A Beginner’s Guide to Autism” is to help to inform people, make autism more clear, as well as correct some common misconceptions. We hope to inform you of some important terminology, what organizations to get involved with, both positive and negative treatments, some problems those with autism might currently face, tools that can help make living with autism easier, symbols associated with autism, and lastly, important dates to the autistic community.

ABOUT US

Mara Spiro

(she/her)

autistic person

My name is Mara Spiro. I am an introvert-leaning ambiverted autistic self-advocate currently attending my first year at Georgia State University at age 22 to study fine arts. My late start is due to me taking a 4 year gap to overcome my trauma from the bullying and abuse from both teachers and students throughout grade school. I was always treated differently and poorly due to my autism and the traits and needs that come with it. Growing up, I didn’t like myself. I didn’t fully learn to like myself until discovering the autistic community online at 16. I like to refer to myself as an autistic person rather than as a person with autism because prior to discovering autism pride, I categorized my autism as a separate entity from myself, a bad entity. Accepting autism as an intrinsic part of myself has been amazing for my mental health and so has all that I have learned as a part of this community. My special interests include bugs, reptiles and amphibians, advocating for people with disabilities, and many of the shows and video games I consume, such as “The Owl House”, “Bugsxax”, “Deltarune”, and “Metal Gear”. ​

MArina Fishman

(SHE/HER)

PERSON With autism

My name is Marina Fishman, and I am an extroverted autistic self-advocate currently attending my first year at Perimeter College associated with Georgia State University majoring in computer science. I am 21, and my late start is because I took a 3 year gap to work on my mental health in general. I was always treated differently and negatively due to my autism and the traits and needs that come with it. I was bullied and abused both at school and at home. Growing up, I learned that I was a "wrong" person, and that I needed to change everything about myself to ever be loved. I didn’t even really love myself until very recently. I refer to myself as a person with autism rather than an autistic person because, although I do consider autism to be part of my identity, I think of it as more of a foot note. Autism has always been a part of me, and I am proud of this, but I don't like to let it define me. I think of myself as multifaceted and all beautiful individual. My special interests include cockroaches, fun facts about history, and some of the shows I watch, such as “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation”. ​​

Have an Autastic Day!!!

Thank you so much for Visting!
​We hope you learned something!

Connect with others, learn a lot, and get great advice!
Go out, advocate, and make a more accessible world!
Love, accept, and value autism
​and autistic people!
Created by: 
​ Mara Spiro and Marina Fishman

Last updated:
September 2022