Dear Compass Readers,
As someone who was diagnosed as autistic as an adult, I’ve spent a lot of time looking back at my own childhood and rethinking what I thought I understood. That has shaped the way I work with young people in a big way.
One thing I see every day is this: behavior is communication. We say that a lot, but we don’t always act as we believe it. When a child is overwhelmed, upset, or dysregulated, the response is often to quiet it or move past it as quickly as possible.
“Calm down.”
“You’re fine.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
But for that child, it is a big deal.
What I’ve come to understand, both personally and in my work, is that emotions are not something to fix. They are something to move through. And for many autistic individuals, those feelings can be more intense or harder to process. That is not something to shut down. It is something to support.
In my work in Theatre for Young Audiences, I think a lot about how to build spaces where that support is real. Spaces where a child does not have to suppress what they are feeling in order to belong. Where regulation is not about turning something off, but about learning how to move through it safely.
Wherever you are in your journey, I hope you find spaces that make room for your full humanity, emotions included, something that feels especially meaningful during April, Autism Acceptance Month, as we continue listening to autistic voices, honoring emotions as communication, and 
creating spaces where individuals can experience support in real time. When that happens, understanding turns into action, and information becomes more than knowledge; it becomes meaningful, real-world
support.
With care,
Colin Peterson
Producing Artistic DirectorAutistic Self-Advocate | He/Him
Little Blue Theatre Company
LittleBlueTheatre.org