Steve Silberman, ally of the neurodivergent community, dies at 66

Steve Silberman was one of the greatest writers to ever put pen to paper about the subject of neurodiversity. "The main problem that autistic people and their families face is the lack of support and resources across the life span." In his mind, this was analogous to when RFK Jr. told talk show host Bill Maher that when he spoke to autistic people, "their brain is gone." "Grotesque statements like this present people on the spectrum as entirely lacking in humanity, agency and the potential for development — as if they were zombies," Silberman explained. "The main problem that autistic people and their families face is the lack of support and resources across the life span, but Kennedy condemns the 'crippling' cost of providing disabled students with access to education, using an ableist slur to complain about resources that were fought-for by generations of disabled people and their families," Silberman told Salon.