Welcome, Mom’s Choice readers! Today we had a chance to get with Mark Blakey, the founder of Autism Parenting Magazine, a publication aimed at improving the quality of life for families effected by autism and for which he won his most recent Mom’s Choice Award. Articles by respected professionals discuss improving communication and behavioral issues, groundbreaking genetic discoveries, and other issues of interest to families dealing with neurodevelopment disorders. Clearly, there is a sizable audience for this work: Mark’s latest Autism Parenting Summit, conducted virtually, received 50,000 attendees. Although today’s guest doesn’t believe in a magic formula that will work for everyone on the spectrum, he believes that children and adults with autism can be independent and lead successful lives.

MCA: Mark, thanks so much for joining us today. Your magazine is such an important resource for parents and caregivers of children with autism. Won’t you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m the founder of Autism Parenting Magazine, the Autism Parenting Summit, and the Asperger’s Test Site. My journey into this world started not with a grand plan, but with curiosity—and a lot of personal reflection. I launched the Asperger’s Test Site over a decade ago to help adults understand themselves better. What I didn’t expect was the wave of responses from parents who, after their child’s diagnosis, began to ask questions about themselves. That insight—that autism isn’t just about the child but the entire family dynamic—set everything in motion.

Professionally, my background was in architecture. I used to work full time in that field while building the magazine on evenings and weekends. It was a grind, but I knew I had something valuable that needed to be shared.

I’ve always been fascinated by systems, communication, and understanding how people think, especially in neurodiverse ways. That’s why we’ve built the business around empathy, clarity, and trust.

MCA: Can you tell us about the journey that led you to create Autism Parenting Magazine?

The journey really started with a single website—the Asperger’s Test Site. I built it to help adults determine whether they might be on the autism spectrum. I had no idea how deeply it would resonate. What followed was an overwhelming number of messages—people trying to make sense of their identity, often after their child had been diagnosed. A common thread emerged: “I think this explains a lot about me, too.”

Those early interactions opened my eyes. I realized there was a gap—not just in diagnosis or support, but in connection. People needed trustworthy information, relatable stories, and most importantly, hope. That’s what inspired me to create Autism Parenting Magazine. It started small—built off the loyalty from our test site audience—but it was driven by real needs. Over time, we added summits, webinars and, most recently, the Autism Parenting  Network. Every product we’ve launched has been a response to a specific question or challenge our community was facing.

At the heart of it all is a deep commitment to improving quality of life for families affected by autism. I didn’t come from a publishing background, and I’m not a clinician—but I’ve always believed that if you listen carefully and respond authentically, you can build something truly impactful. That’s what we’ve done—one article, one summit at a time.

MCA: Tell us about the research involved in developing Autism Parenting Magazine.

The research behind everything we’ve created—from the magazine to the Autism Parenting Summit—has always started with our audience. From day one, I made it a point to personally reply to every email. We don’t rely on assumptions. For example, in developing the Autism Learning Summit, we analyzed thousands of data points—from webinar attendance to course engagement to survey feedback—to identify what content formats worked, what topics resonated most, and how users prefer to consume information.

MCA: How does Autism Parenting Magazine solve a problem for families?

Everything we do is designed to solve one core problem: helping families affected by autism feel less overwhelmed and more empowered. Whether it’s a parent navigating a new diagnosis, a grandparent trying to connect, or an educator looking for effective strategies, people come to us because they’re searching for answers. Often, they feel isolated, confused, and anxious about the future. Our products—Autism Parenting Magazine, the Autism Parenting Summit —are

built to meet those needs head-on. The Autism Parenting Summit takes that further by connecting families with leading experts, therapists, and advocates in a virtual environment. It gives them tools and hope, but also community—a place to hear, “You’re not alone.”

MCA: A community that offers comfort, validation and hope—so important. What sets your magazine apart from other similar products in the marketplace?

What truly sets us apart is the deep trust we’ve built with our community and the empathy-driven approach we bring to everything we do. We’re not just another autism resource. We’ve become one of the most recognized brands globally in this space because we understand our audience at a fundamental level—many of our parents are neurodivergent themselves. That means traditional communication styles, complicated user experiences, or generic advice don’t work. We build neurodivergent-safe experiences—from how our emails are written, to how our onboarding flows are structured, to how our customer support teams respond.

MCA: Can you share any memorable stories or feedback from customers who have used your products?

Absolutely—and honestly, it’s the feedback that keeps us going. One parent wrote to us after attending the Autism Parenting Summit and said: “For the first time in three years, I don’t feel alone. I’ve been doing this on my own, searching for answers, and this is the first time I’ve felt truly seen and supported.” That message hit hard. It reminded us that we’re not just delivering content—we’re creating connection and restoring hope. We also had a Summit attendee say: “I felt like I was among a community of my people—even though we’re all different.”

That’s the magic right there. We’re building something that feels safe, trustworthy, and inclusive—and that’s rare in the digital world. Every testimonial, every review, every “thank you” reminds us that we’re not just selling a product—we’re helping people navigate one of the hardest journeys of their lives with more confidence, clarity, and compassion. And that’s what makes it all worth it.

MCA: That’s a terrific endorsement—the feelings of inclusivity and trust. How do you ensure the safety and suitability for your target audience?

For us, ensuring safety and suitability goes far beyond compliance—it’s about respecting the unique needs and sensitivities of the autism community at every level of the customer experience. We also ensure editorial integrity. Our content is created or reviewed by licensed professionals—occupational therapists, speech therapists, special educators, and parents with lived experience. We’re constantly sourcing expert insights, fact-checking advice, and updating our material based on the latest research and community feedback.

MCA: What challenges did you encounter during the development or launch of your product, and how did you overcome them?

Honestly, we encountered almost every challenge imaginable—especially in the early days. We had to build the technology from scratch to support the summits; this involved the hard work of our tech team. Then we faced challenges with the choreography over the summit and ensuring people could access in different time zones.

MCA: Looking ahead, what are your plans expanding or improving your product offerings?

We are planning on not just running summits but more regular webinars that cover different topics related to our audience.

MCA: Mark, clearly you have transformed the playing field for so many children and adults living with autism. Our sincere thanks to you for joining us today!