The Beginning

It all started with a simple realization: something had to change. I’m Anders Joelsson, and as a single father raising a son with autism, I found myself navigating a world that often didn’t understand us. My brother Glenn Michael watched our family’s struggles and knew we had to do something.

Being a single parent to two amazing children—one diagnosed with autism—meant facing challenges I never imagined. The overwhelming experience of trying to find support in a society that wasn’t built for neurodivergent families left me feeling isolated and exhausted. Through the confusion, fear, and countless learning moments, I discovered that love and determination could overcome almost anything. But I also realized something crucial: I wasn’t alone in this fight.

The turning point came when I decided to share our story openly. As a single father, I talked honestly about what it’s really like—carrying the weight of everything alone, enduring judgmental stares during public meltdowns, battling with school systems that weren’t equipped for neurodivergent students, and somehow being both mom and dad every single day.

But here’s what I wanted everyone to understand: the difficulty was never about our children. The real challenge was living in a society that needed to learn how to see their incredible value.

When I started speaking about the immense stress that single parents of autistic children face, something beautiful happened. Other parents reached out, saying “That’s exactly how I feel” and “I thought I was the only one.” That’s when Glenn Michael and I knew we were onto something bigger than just our own story.

From that moment of connection—that recognition that change was desperately needed and that genuine human understanding was the key—Autism Dad United began to grow. What started as one family’s journey became a movement built on love, understanding, and real, practical support.

Glenn Michael and I shaped a vision together: to create a community where no parent would ever have to feel alone, where children with autism would be celebrated for their strengths and endless possibilities, and where society would learn to embrace differences instead of trying to “fix” them.