Who can contribute to NeuroClastic?
Our primary purpose is to document the autistic experience through the lens and work of autistic individuals. For this reason, we primarily accept autistic contributors.
At times, we will feature a parent, carer, advocate, activist, ally, professional, or a non-autistic neurodivergent person who has unique insight.
Since we are funded by donations only, we can not yet offer renumeration for those who write for NeuroClastic. However, our writers retain all rights to their work. Many of our contributors cross-post to NeuroClastic from their own websites.
If you are interested in contributing as a guest or becoming a long-term part of our team, please use our contact form.
We cannot accept everyone who enquires, however, because we want to ensure that our topics and writers are as diverse as possible. Minorities and marginalized people – such as nonspeakers – take priority.
Can I donate?
Yes, please.
We work hard to support our fellow autistic people and take no profit from our work. We are incorporated as a non-profit charitable organization, and your donations are tax-deductible.
To learn more about donating to NeuroClastic, and how your money will be spent, click here.
Or, if you would prefer, you can give to an individual contributor as a gift.
If one of our articles has moved you, or if you have found it helpful, please look at the author’s bio. Many of our contributors accept “tips” and include a link where you can contribute.
Can I translate this article to another language?
Yes, we would love if our multi-lingual readers helped to make our content more accessible. We ask that poetry not be translated without express permission from the author. We have a few guidelines:
1. Let us know you’re translating an article and which article(s) you plan to translate.
2. The article must state at the top the author’s name and at it was originally published in English with a link back to the original article on NeuroClastic. For print sources, please include a link to our website at NeuroClastic.com
3. The article must be published for free without subscription costs to read it. If subscriptions are required to view the content, the author of the article must be reasonably compensated and you must contact the author to arrange permission and payment.
4. We will add an alternative version of the article on our site with your translated version.
Why do you write like you speak for “severe” autistics?
First, we reject function labels.
Second, we reject your assumptions about our contributors.
Many of our writers have learning disorders and/or have been diagnosed as “intellectually disabled,” though we also reject the constraints of neurotypical-normed ability measurements.
We have contributors who are non-verbal, selectively non-verbal, or were non-verbal for much of their youth.
We have contributors with physical disability, contributors who are living in residential facilities, and contributors who require assistance or facilitators to be able to communicate their thoughts into articles.
Just like every major publication, our site has editors. Behind the scenes, we often work collaboratively to flesh out our articles and help each other find the words to express ourselves.
Some of our contributors help in less-visible ways, like with the tech end of the site.
Where can I hang out with NeuroClastic contributors?
We have a group on Facebook called “NeuroClastic has an article for that” where most of us can be found. Some of our contributors use pseudonyms or screen names, so you may not recognize them on Facebook.
Most authors interact with commenters on our Facebook page or on Twitter.
How can I request a certain topic be covered?
Drop us a line on our contact form if there is a topic you would like us to cover.
What kinds of projects do you have planned?
We have so many that it is taking us some time to compile a complete list of them! We love collaborating with other autistic organizations to help bring about change and spread acceptance while empowering #AllAutistics.
Here is a small sample of some of our projects:
Understanding The Autistic Mind
A collaboration with Mi Cerebro Atypico, originally written in Spanish and translated to English, the collaborators and endorsers of this guide hope you enjoy this labor of love and journey to acceptance.
A video series bringing Montessori with neurodivergent kids right into your home.
The Autistic English Dictionary
The Autistic English Dictionary (AED) is the principal dictionary of the English language for autistic people. It is being created by the Autistic Collaboration (AutCollab) community. If you are autistic, please help contribute!
We have many more projects in the works so please check in regularly!
How else can readers support NeuroClastic?
Like and share our articles on social media. All the social media! Reddit, local groups, Flipboard, Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. The more we spread and share #ActuallyAutistic voices, the more people will listen. We can change the conversation around autism and make the world a better place for ND people.
Follow us on social media and click our articles when you see them even if you don’t have time to read them right away. It helps increase our visibility through that all-powerful beast, the Mighty Algorithm.
Leave thoughtful feedback for our authors. Many of them have never written or published before, and it takes a tremendous amount of effort and courage to put such personal information out into the world.
Lets us know about how we can help you. If you are an autistic person in need of help or support, let us know. the NeuroClastic community is here for you and we will help you in any way we can. Our diverse abilities and talents can be a powerful thing when we work together.
Can I volunteer?
If you have a special skill set or expertise which might be helpful to our mission in supporting and empowering autistic people please write us and let us know how you’d be willing to help.
You might be more aware of what we need than we are. Autistic people have a wide range of abilities and the more talents we have on board, the more successful everyone can be.
Examples: publishing, disability and inclusion rights, search engine optimization, marketing, IT/web design, sound engineer, business management, accounting, psychology/psychiatry, research, non-profits, podcasting, professional editing, consulting, etc.
