The Dark Gift Blog
The DARK GIFT substack blog is a collection of articles and stories about living the good life with autism. The blog explains how autism works in the brain (physically, mentally, emotionally) and how to use this knowledge to live a life of peace, joy, fulfillment, and connection.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dr. Ogas and Autism
May 10, 2024: Blog #1
A Blog About Living the Good Life with The Dark Gift
An introduction to a new and cutting-edge conception of autism, one that empowers those of us with autism to live a life of freedom and connection.
May 15, 2024: Blog #2
An Overview of How Autism is Made in the Brain
A clear, accessible, friendly explanation of how autism is created in the brain and how it works.
May 15, 2024: Blog #3
A Childhood with Autism: Memoir Part I: The Intruder
Growing up with the Dark Gift. Moments from early childhood.
Autism Podcasts
Interviewed by fellow autist Megan Anderson on MindscapeExchange about how autism is made in the brain.
My appearance with the wonderful Andrew and Eileen on Adulting on the Spectrum. I talk about how I had to win money on the game show WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE because I couldn't hold down a regular job!
May 19, 2024: Blog #4
A Childhood with Autism: Memoir Part II: A Labyrinth Just for Me
Growing up with the Dark Gift. Moments from youth.
May 23, 2024: Blog #5
Getting Control of Your Autism: Tagging Your Deficits
A basic technique for learning about your autistic brain and dark gift
May 27, 2024: Blog #6
How Autism Is Made: Lesson 1: The Dynamic Mind
The Mind is an Action Noun test
My appearance with the generous and gentle Doug Blecher of Autism Personal Coach.
May 27, 2024: Blog #7
A Childhood with Autism: Memoir Part III: Adolescent Identity
I was a teenage autist
June 2, 2024: Blog #8
How Autism is Made in the Brain: A Brief Friendly Introduction
This article lays out the road map for what's ahead in our exploration of the dark gift.
June 3, 2024: Blog #9
Why the term Neurodiversity is Unscientific, Immoral, Harmful, and Just Plain Silly.
Are there really such things as neurotypical and neurodiverse brains?
June 3, 2024: Blog #10
Memoir Part IV: Autistic at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Getting thrown out of college for the first time because of my dark gift.
June 9, 2024: Blog #12
Lesson 5: The Ladder of Purpose
Which layer--or layers!--of thinking does autism disrupt?
June 17, 2024: Blog #13
Memoir Part 6: Autistic Drift
How the human brain manages attention--and why autism is ultimately an attention disorder.
June 17, 2024: Blog #14
Lesson 6: The Attention Dilemma
Which layer--or layers!--of thinking does autism disrupt?
June 23, 2024: Blog #15
Memoir Part 7: Autistic Cinema
When science didn't satisfy, I turned to movies.
June 25, 2024: Blog #16
Lesson 7: Autism and The Supermind Part I: Shared Attention
At last, a clear explanation of how autism disrupts our social cognition
July 10, 2024:
I am still regularly posting new material on my Dark Gift blog, usually two articles a week. It's easier to organize and update the listings on Substack than here, so I'm no longer adding each new blog article here, though it's still heavily active.