Navigating Adult Autism

Such a beautiful story!

Today, a complete stranger made me cry in a movie theatre.

We decided to try a new theatre today, and from the moment we walked in, it felt like one hiccup after another.

And then came the fries.

Burnt. To. A. Crisp.

Kya took one look and immediately said, “Too dark.”

And honestly? The girl behind the counter agreed. The oil was old.

The manager came over and told us they were going to change the oil, but it would take about 45 minutes.

Forty-five minutes.

Well… ummm… that wasn’t going to work.

I could feel the panic starting to creep in. Over fries.

And unless you live in our world, it might be hard to understand how something as small as fries can suddenly feel enormous. I could feel myself getting emotional because I knew how quickly this could derail something Kya had been looking forward to.

But then she surprised me.

She settled on a hot dog instead.

A win in itself.

We headed into the theatre, found our seats, got comfortable, and I thought, Okay. We did it. Crisis averted.

Then I looked up.

Standing there was the manager.

Holding a Wendy’s bag.

I stared at him.

“No you didn’t.”

He leaned in and quietly said,

“I have a daughter with autism. I understand.”

😭😭😭

He had LEFT THE THEATRE and gone to Wendy’s to get my girl her fries.

I’m sitting here writing this with tears in my eyes.

Because he understood that it wasn’t just fries.

He understood without me having to explain.

Without me having to apologize.

Without making Kya feel like she was difficult or asking for too much.

He just understood.

And he chose kindness.

Kya is now happily sitting beside me with her hot dog and her fries, watching her movie, and all is right in her world.

And her mama is sitting beside her trying not to bawl over a bag of Wendy’s fries.

My God.

What an incredible human being.

In a world where we hear so much about what’s wrong with people, today I was reminded of what’s right.

Sometimes kindness looks like a grand gesture.

And sometimes…

it looks like a bag of fries. 🍟❤️

On We Go.

Celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)

Check out the Autism in the Workplace virtual webinar hosted by Mers Goodwill! A great webinar to increase your skills.

Now registering students and host sites for 2027 Summer Work Experience!

Happy September! New Autism Gossip out today!

Check out the activities happening in Springfield and the surrounding area this month for individuals and families that are on the spectrum!

https://navigatingadultautism.com/autism-news/f/september-2026---autism-news-for-sw-missouri

Sarah Tilley, COO of Abilities First, will be a panelist for Springfield in Focus: Access in Motion this coming Monday, August 31.

The conversation will dial in on disability, transportation and independence in our community, with Sarah joining Matt Crawford, Director of Transit for City Utilities, along with local self-advocates.

State Representative Melanie Stinnett will moderate the discussion.

Mark your calendar:
Monday, August 31
5:30–6:30 p.m.
1839 E. Independence St., Suite K, Springfield

We hope to see you there!

PBS KIDS’ Carl the Collector made history as the network’s first series centered around autistic main characters — but the representation didn’t stop on screen. 💚

Neurodivergent writers, advisers, animators and voice actors helped shape the show, including autistic actor Kai Barham, who voices Carl. The team worked with autistic people throughout production to help make the characters feel authentic rather than simply writing autism from an outside perspective.

Now the series has won two Children’s & Family Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Writing for a Preschool Animated Series — a pretty incredible milestone for a show built with autistic voices at its heart.

Representation is growing in children’s TV, but there’s still plenty of room for more. What other autistic characters or shows have your family loved watching? 👇

Source: PBS KIDS