April is World Autism Month

This is my ode to autism. My daughter, who passed away unexpectedly on March 16th this year, was on the autism spectrum. It took years of hard work for us to receive this diagnosis. That delay meant that many services that are available to youth were not available to her, as a 19 year old, when she was diagnosed.

On March 5th, 2026 I spoke to an audience of benefits professionals about the journey we took together – you can see the recording here. In it I provide insights into autism as a parent and as a benefits professional. I speak to the misses by the medical, education and psychology community. I also give tips on hiring practices that will give people on the spectrum the opportunity to add unique value and diversity to businesses. I share human resource policies and practices that will ensure an inclusive and culturally safe environment for those on the spectrum, and how group benefit plans can be designed to support employees with dependents on the spectrum and employees who are on the spectrum themselves.

You know someone on the autism spectrum, even if you don’t realize it. Being on the spectrum isn’t uncommon. According to 2019 data for the Public Health Agency of Canada, approximately 1 in 50 (2.0%) of Canadian youth are diagnosed with autism. Autism doesn’t go away when a youth becomes an adult, so it isn’t a stretch to say that rates of autism in the general population are also 2%. If we consider those who are never medically diagnosed, then the rates, according to U.S. data are more like 1 in 35 (2.8%).

Roughly 32% of people with autism have an above average IQ. We are all familiar with artistic and academic geniuses alive today and from the past who have been diagnosed with autism or are believed to have been on the autism spectrum: think Anthony Hopkins, Dan Aykroyd, Greta Thunberg, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Mozart, Beethoven, Michelangelo and Da Vinci, plus many more. Then there is Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory sitcom. Sheldon had friends that helped him navigate the neurotypical world. Many of the scenes we laughed at aren’t so funny when they happen in the real world and can be particularly humiliating and frustrating when the person on the spectrum is of average or above average IQ.

My daughter didn’t pass away from autism, but her life was made much more difficult and frustrating because of the rigidity of societal norms and prejudice of medical professionals, educators, and employers.

After 5 years of college, 3 diplomas, one with honours, and several post graduate courses in online accessibility, my daughter Rebecca she found her safe place as a document remediation specialist where she shone at Grackle Docs, a full-service digital accessibility provider with an inclusive workplace and a great corporate culture. As a parent, I thank them from the bottom of my heart for welcoming her into their world and validating her skills, even if it was just for a short time.