I stopped going to the big autism walks after one in Portland, and I won't go back

Beth Baker · 2026-10-03T18:00:03.912627+00:00

Three years ago I did the big autism walk in Portland with my nephew who is 9 and on the spectrum. He covered his ears about 20 minutes in because they had a DJ and a speaker system going the whole time, and nobody running it seemed to think that was a weird setup for an autism event. I spent the next hour in the parking garage with him while everyone else did the loop. Now we skip the walks and put that same $50 into a quiet swim pass he actually uses. People tell me the walks raise money and I get that, but who is the money for if the kid it's supposed to help can't make it past the starting line? What quiet events have worked for your families instead?

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I stopped going to the big autism walks after one in Portland, and I won't go back | Autism - Discusd