When autistic kids grow up

“You have to reshape the whole system.” Tempest McDonald earns a measure of peace.

Tempest McDonald sues Vanderbilt University Medical Center through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Her published NIH paper finds allies.

Tempest McDonald takes a postdoctoral position at Vanderbilt University. Researching her paper accusing the National Institutes of Health of discrimination threatens everything she has built.

After her stint as a semi-professional pool player and the birth of her son, Tempest goes west to start her belated journey through higher education.

What leads an autism researcher to publish an intentionally inflammatory paper accusing the NIH of discrimination? Tempest McDonald’s turbulent childhood begins to provide some answers.

An autistic researcher’s paper called attention to a huge disparity in autism funding research between children and adults. It nearly derailed her life.