Autism Health

08/06/2026

Good news to share — I just posted a new chunk of Chapter 4: The Sensory Driver — Understanding How Autism Shapes the Experience of Being Behind the Wheel, and this one gets into something I think a lot of families haven't heard talked about before: what's actually happening inside your brain and body every single second you're behind the wheel.

Vision, balance, body awareness, all of it working together in ways most drivers never have to think about. And for autistic drivers, that system can work a little differently, which explains so much about why certain driving situations ask more of your brain than others.

If you've got an autistic driver in your life, or you are one yourself, I think you'll find this one reassuring. Understanding why something takes more effort is the first step toward making it feel easier.

Link is in the comments, and Part 2 is coming soon where we'll get into touch, sound, and smell, plus an action plan you can start using right away!

07/16/2026

Chapter 3 of Behind the Wheel with Autism is finished! 🎉

And whew... I left myself the hardest conversation for last.

Cannabis is one of those subjects that tends to split people into camps. Some swear by it. Others won't touch it. Most people just have a lot of questions.

I've heard from so many autistic teens, adults, and parents who say cannabis—or CBD—has been life-changing for anxiety, sleep, sensory overload, or chronic stress.

At the same time, driving safely means having the facts
about what THC can do to reaction time, attention, and judgment, even when someone feels perfectly fine.

I wasn't trying to tell anyone what they should or shouldn't do. It was to give people the information they need to make smart decisions without fear, shame, or scare tactics.

(Also...I finally made peace with the fact that I needed a table explaining the difference between cannabis, ma*****na, h**p, THC, and CBD. 😂 Thanks, Claude.)

Every chapter makes this book feel a little more real. I'm excited...and maybe just a little relieved.

Onward to Chapter 4, The World Is Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Much — Sensory Processing as a Barrier to Driving

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)