Whether you have an official autism diagnosis or an inkling that you could be on the spectrum, you are invited to a happy hour on Wednesday.
Happy Hour for Adults with Autism kicks off at 4 p.m. April 23 and will give attendees the chance to socialize without the stigma, according to event sponsors Fraser, a provider of autism and early childhood mental health services, and Sheletta Brundidge, a local business owner and mother of three children who are on the spectrum.
Sheletta Brundidge (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press)
“We are inviting all hard working, tax-paying autistic adults to a happy hour to celebrate us and to shine a light on our success and our accomplishments,” said Brundidge, who was recently diagnosed with autism, in a nod to recent comments by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“Autism destroys families,” Kennedy said this week, after declaring that Health and Human Services would determine the cause of autism by September.
“These are kids who will never pay taxes. They’ll never hold a job. They’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem. They’ll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted,” he said at an HHS press conference in Washington, D.C.
“That is wrong and damaging,” Brundidge said. “What he is doing is potentially limiting or eliminating the earning potential for people who have autism.”
An estimated 1 in 31 U.S. children have autism, according to findings this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “At some point, it’s going to be 1 in 31 adults,” said Brundidge, who also hosted a job fair for people on the spectrum.
“These misleading theories perpetuate harmful stigma, jeopardize public health and distract from the critical needs of the Autism community including access to quality care, early intervention, adult services, inclusive education and long-term supports,” said Christopher Banks, the president and CEO of the Autism Society of America, in a news release addressing Kennedy’s statements.
“For us to combat the negative stereotype that (Kennedy) just portrayed, we have to come together and show people what autism looks like,” Brundidge said.
“If he’s wondering what successful adults and children with autism look like, he can come to Cottage Grove,” she said. “He has an open invitation to my house.”
Wednesday’s event especially hits home for Brundidge as she recently received her own autism diagnosis. “It was such a relief to know that as an adult, I have autism. It also explains so much,” she said.
Recognizing signs
Having three children on the spectrum, Brundidge knows the signs of autism better than most, but it was actor Bella Ramsey who inspired her to get tested, she said.
Bella Ramsey attends the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on January 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Neilson Barnard / Getty Images)
Star of “The Last of Us,” a popular series based on a video game that sees the world ravaged by a parasitic fungus, Ramsey received their diagnosis while working on the show.
During the shooting of the show’s first season, a crew member with an autistic daughter assumed that Ramsey was on the spectrum as well, “setting them off on a journey that ended in a formal psychiatric assessment and diagnosis,” Vogue reports.
Autism presents itself in a multitude of ways including avoiding eye contact, struggling in social situations, having intense interests and experiencing sensory issues, to name a few.
Ramsey told Vogue that being on the autism spectrum improves their acting because of how vigilant they are of other people. Being on set is also helpful for them because of the structured routine and clear expectations for what they should wear and how to act.
Autistic ‘Survivor’ contestant
Eagan native Eva Erickson is competing in the current season of “Survivor” as the show’s first openly autistic contestant.
Eagan native Eva Erickson is one of 18 castaways competing on “Survivor 48,” which premiered Feb. 26, 2025. (Robert Voets / CBS)
When she was diagnosed as a child, Erickson shared that her parents were told she’d never live independently nor hold a job and that, at most, she could hope to marry another person with autism.
Not only is she competing on one of the most intense competition reality shows, Erickson is pursuing her Ph.D at Brown University School of Engineering, where she is also the captain of the men’s club hockey team.
Initially, Erickson only shared her diagnosis with a tribemate she felt she could trust, but she chose to reveal it to the rest of the competitors after becoming extremely flustered during a challenge and falling into an episode of moaning and weeping.
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“I’ve never viewed my autism as a roadblock to success. It’s not something to work around. It’s just part of who I am. There’s nothing bad about it,” she said. “Everyone who has autism should not be ashamed to ask for help and ashamed to receive it.”
Happy Hour for Adults with Autism
When: 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 23
Where: Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot at 225 3rd Ave. S., Minneapolis
RSVP: http://pipr.es/3NT5uyJ
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