--- title: Autism Awareness Month: The Best Longreads description: Four stories about the disorder everyone should read canonical: https://time.com/49034/the-best-longreads-on-autism/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-04-04T09:45:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:55:06.079Z article:section: Health og:title: Long reads for Autism Awareness Month og:description: Four stories about the disorder everyone should read og:url: https://time.com/49034/the-best-longreads-on-autism/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt299ab8d7d1b73d04/698688d4f983e71cc804d1d5/171262426-1-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 171262426 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Long reads for Autism Awareness Month twitter:description: Four stories about the disorder everyone should read twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt299ab8d7d1b73d04/698688d4f983e71cc804d1d5/171262426-1-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Best Longreads on Autism by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Apr 4, 2014 9:45 AM UTC  Autism AutismSharon Dominick—Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Apr 4, 2014 9:45 AM UTC Autism rates have [skyrocketed](http://time.com/40524/u-s-autism-rates-jump-30-from-2012/) in recent years, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control. Much of that has to do with our growing awareness of the disorder. But despite what we are learning about the possible [origins](http://time.com/38717/autism-starts-during-second-trimester-of-pregnancy/) and [causes](http://time.com/25424/growing-evidence-that-autism-is-linked-to-pollution/) of autism, which has no cure, it continues to frustrate and perplex. In honor of Autism Awareness Month, we’ve compiled a list of longform journalism pieces that give glimpses into the world of those diagnosed with the disorder, and the struggle of those who love and care for them. In one, a father figures out the secret to connecting with his autistic son. In another, we meet the first person ever diagnosed with the disorder. Bookmark these four deep dives into the world of autism, and take your time to read them throughout the month. “[Reaching My Autistic Son Through Disney](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/magazine/reaching-my-autistic-son-through-disney.html?%5Fr=0&src=longreads)**,**” _The New York Times Magazine_The only way journalist Ron Suskind could get his son to talk to and recognize him is, he discovers, by mimicking Disney characters: --- > “” --- “[Catch Me If You Can](http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/outdoor-skills/survival/Catch-Me-If-You-Can-20120801.html?page=all),” _Outside_Robert Wood Jr., an autistic and nonverbal eight-year-old, ran off in a Virginia park and sent search parties on one of the largest state-wide manhunts: --- > “” --- “[Navigating Love and Autism](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/26/us/navigating-love-and-autism.html?%5Fr=2&pagewanted=all),” _The New York Times_ Jack Robison and Kirsten Lindsmith—both on the autism spectrum–tread the murky waters of courtship and dating: --- > “” --- “[Autism’s First Child](http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/10/autisms-first-child/308227/),” _The Atlantic_ Meet Donald Gray Triplett, 77, the first person ever diagnosed with autism: --- > “” --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/49034/the-best-longreads-on-autism/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/49034/the-best-longreads-on-autism/"},"headline":"The Best Longreads on Autism","datePublished":"2014-04-04T09:45:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:55:06.079Z","description":"Four stories about the disorder everyone should read","url":"https://time.com/49034/the-best-longreads-on-autism/","keywords":["Autism","Living"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt299ab8d7d1b73d04/698688d4f983e71cc804d1d5/171262426-1-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt299ab8d7d1b73d04/698688d4f983e71cc804d1d5/171262426-1-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"171262426","caption":"171262426","creditText":"Sharon Dominick—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/autism/","name":"Autism"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/49034/the-best-longreads-on-autism/","name":"The Best Longreads on Autism"}}]}] ```