begin at the start. find the first page here –

in 2023 i solicited questions from curious professionals regarding my experience of having adult-diagnosed
autism spectrum disorder (asd). i answer these questions in the form of the (free, ongoing) memoir
comic book ETIOLATED. the anonymous form for submitting questions can be found HERE


Tag: adult diagnosed autism

  • 29

    page 29 of etiolated. a back-and-forth intestinal tube panel takes up two thirds of the page. in subsections it reads: august 2022 applied for food stamps. applied for medicaid. my savings run out. applied for ssi. no medical history. met a kink friend. they work at an autism lab. the…

  • 28

    page 28 of etiolated. the page is written and drawn across a top-down photograph of support beams near a train station elevator. a crossroad is below. pigeon spikes on a few of the beams have pinned a sock and some trash. a small panel of text: “recovery takes at least…

  • 27

    page 27 of etiolated. four panels of equal size beginning with the inside of a subway car. text: emotional gaps i could bolster. robin sits between two other passengers, neither of whom are wearing basic safety face masks. robin is concerned; their skull worries “omg, will no one wear a…

  • 26. is autism a trend?

    page 26 of etiolated. two figures walk away from a sofa and window. the figure in the coat asks the skeleton, “so it’s popular to be on the spectrum these days. are you following a trend?” the next panel begins the answer. NO. the trend here is knowledge becoming available.…

  • 23

    page 23 of etiolated. in cursive across the top: skills and Good dates since 2020. A brain is attached to clouds containing the words: kink, transgender dating, polyamory, play, disability. A panel labeled “consent” shows robin getting out of a car. a figure in a hat offers to open the…

  • 21

    page 21 of etiolated. full-page photograph of a cloudy grey sunset seen down a street of square buildings, a row of parked cars and a row of trees at the sidewalk. text in the sky reads “i connect in different but normal and documented ways such as touch, which is…

  • 20

    page 20 of etiolated. first panel: a wooden fence and gate with “therapy since 2018” painted underneath. next panel says “classmate back in childhood ballet? friend and crush”. “and” is in a different color. three figures with hair in buns stretch their limbs at a ballet bar. next panel says…

  • 19

    page 19 of etiolated. a full page illustration of a house floor plan abstracted into a distillation still. across it is written: “i say a woman can be a minister if she’s a good husband to her wife”. surviving my upbringing meant that as a kiddo, i didn’t acknowledge (much…

  • 18

    page 18 of etiolated. half the page is text. sexuality: activity including relationship dynamics, genital stimulation, and kink. before i began therapy and psychiatry for my mental health, i satisfied my autistic need for stimulation and my emotional need for playfulness via harmful coping and behaviors. the second half of…

  • 13

    page thirteen of etiolated. panel one: i’m in good company among the adult-diagnosed, including two of my partners. panel two: we’re cool. thoughtful. creative. sensitive. panel three: not too little. it is august 2024 and i’ve been applying for disability for two years. i’m only three-fourths through formal autism evaluation.…