Autism Health

06/17/2026

Here's something you probably didn't expect to read about on a driving blog: acid reflux.

But hear me out.

The latest addition to Chapter 3 of Behind the Wheel with Autism is live, and we're talking gastrointestinal medications — the PPIs, laxatives, and anti-diarrheal meds that so many autistic teens and adults take every day.

Here's the good news: this is one of the easier categories. Most of these medications are working in your gut, not your nervous system.

We also get into something that doesn't get talked about enough: PPIs can quietly raise the blood levels of certain psychiatric medications. If you're on something for anxiety, depression, or seizures alongside your omeprazole, there's a short but important list you need to know about.

This one is manageable. Knowing what to watch for makes all the difference.

Link is in comments.

06/09/2026

Get this free 85-page booklet when you sign up for my newsletter, Stories from the Margins (and the Mountains)

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/wcim7hdtu8

Get this invaluable guide for free when you sign up for my newsletter, Stories from the Margins (and the Mountains). From school to driving to daily life—when vision improves, everything can change. Struggling with reading, coordination, headaches, or daily overwhelm? For many autistic children, t...

06/05/2026

We're diving into a question that doesn't get talked about nearly enough in the latest chapter of Behind the Wheel with Autism.

For some autistic people, medications like Adderall or Ritalin can improve focus, reduce impulsivity, and make it easier to manage the endless stream of information that comes with driving.

For others, timing, the jitters, sensory sensitivities, rebound effects, or even overconfidence and your gender can create challenges that aren't always obvious.

In this week's post, we're unpacking:
✔️ How stimulant medications can affect driving performance
✔️ Why medication timing matters more than many people realize
✔️ The role of sensory overload, anxiety, and emotional regulation
✔️ Do they affect women more than men?
✔️ What the research actually says about driving risks and benefits
✔️ Questions to ask your doctor and pharmacist

Nobody hands autistic drivers a guidebook for navigating medication and driving. That's exactly why we're talking about it.

Link is in the comments.

06/02/2026

05/28/2026

In Chapter 3 of Behind the Wheel with Autism, I explore how medications like Prozac, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, Remeron, Trazodone, and others can affect driving readiness in very different ways.
Because treating anxiety, depression, and sleep problems can absolutely help driving — while also sometimes affecting alertness, timing, and reaction speed at the same time.

Link is in the comments.

05/11/2026

New content is up for Chapter 3!
We’re medicating the meltdown… but are we missing the message?
In Behind the Wheel with Autism, Chapter 3, I take on antipsychotics—what they really do, why they’re used, and the question we don’t ask enough: why is this happening?
It’s not just about meds. It’s about medical complexity, unmet needs, real-life pressures, and asking better questions.
Less about silencing behavior. More about understanding it.
Link is in the comments.

When people hear the word antipsychotic, they often picture severe psychiatric illness in adults. But in pediatric care—especially in autism—the story is very different, and honestly, far more complicated. We’re in Chapter 3 of Behind the Wheel with Autism, the chapter where we discuss the eff...

04/30/2026

New blog post up for Chapter 3 of Behind the Wheel with Autism!

We Don’t Start with Medication—We Arrive There

“They’ll grow out of it.”

That’s what we're told—while living through sleepless nights, meltdowns, and the quiet certainty that something isn’t right.

We don’t want to “wait another year.”
We want answers.

But while we wait… things escalate.

Then come the appointments, the school calls, the pieced-together answers. Everyone is trying to help—but no one is seeing the full picture.

And eventually, after enough exhaustion and escalation—

Medication enters the conversation.

Not at the beginning.
But at the end of a long road where the right supports came too late, too little, or missed the mark entirely.

That’s the part I can’t stop thinking about.

In my latest addition to Behind the Wheel with Autism: How to Remove Barriers to Driving for Autistic Teens and Adults, I write about what really happens *before* medication is ever suggested:

The link is in the comments.

04/11/2026

What if the biggest risk to your teen’s driving… isn’t their driving?
It’s what’s in their system.

Multiple medications. Hidden interactions. Subtle side effects of this "medication cocktail" that can impact alertness, coordination, reaction time, and decision-making—everything you need to drive safely.

Most parents aren’t warned about this. Should they be?

We're starting Chapter 3 of Behind the Wheel with Autism: Removing Barriers to Driving for Autistic Teens and Adults

In Chapter 3: Medications: What You Need to Know, I break down:

✅ Why polypharmacy is so common on the autism spectrum
✅ How multiple medications—and even supplements like CBD or h**p extract—can interact
✅ How PDIs (potentially driver-impairing drugs) might affect alertness, decision-making ability, and even our vision

This is the conversation no one’s having—but everyone should.

Read now (link is in comments)

04/08/2026

Just wanted to share this sweet pic of the cover for the Spanish translation. Isn't he adorable???

03/29/2026

Some days, I’m reminded exactly why I do this work.

It was May of 2016 and an ordinary morning at the office… until Angela, my friend and office manager, handed me a letter. She was in tears. A few moments later, I was too.

It was from a grateful reader of my new book, The Un-Prescription for Autism, named “Jason”—an autistic adult who had spent years being told his suffering was “normal.”

He had been on 43 different psychiatric medications, sometimes as many as 10 at once.
He had been hospitalized multiple times for depression.
He had gone to the ER year after year for asthma.
And he had resigned himself to the idea that vomiting 4–5 times a week since childhood was just… part of life.

And then, almost as a last resort, he decided to try something different: the basic support protocol that I shared in my book.
Within just a few weeks, everything began to change.

His chronic vomiting and heartburn stopped.
He no longer needed daily antacids—or even most of his medications.
His asthma improved dramatically.
His meltdowns dropped to just two that year.
He started sleeping through the night.

And something even more surprising—after discovering vision therapy, his lifelong migraines nearly disappeared, his anxiety eased, and he was able to return to things he had been avoiding… like driving at night and spending more time out in the world with his wife.

His words still stay with me:
“Things are night and day from a few months ago… It’s saved my life and given me a better future.”

This isn’t just a story.
It’s a reminder that sometimes what looks like behavior… is actually biology.
That “won’t” might really mean “can’t.”
And that the right support can change everything.

I’m sharing his powerful letter—and the lessons behind it—in my latest blog post on Behind the Wheel with Autism: From 43 Medications to Freedom: A Story of Healing on the Spectrum and a Letter I’ll Never Forget

If you or someone you love is on the autism spectrum and still searching for answers… this one is for you.
(And stay tuned—because I’ll also be sharing a FREE resource in my next post that could be a game-changer.)

The link to the full story is in the comments.