Multi-hyphenate Christine Evette Giles tells stories centered on autism.
Christine Evette Giles, an actor, producer, writer and speech pathologist, grew up in a military family who moved around the world. “It was the beginning of my acting career because every time I moved, I had to put on a new mask,” she says. The choice of the word “mask” is intentional, as Giles was diagnosed with autism in 2025. “I’ve been masking my whole life,” she says.
Giles, a mom of three, has had a private speech pathology practice for 22 years, helping families with autism. However, she has always had creative pursuits on the side. “As a writer and director, I’m building a body of work that centers underrepresented voices, particularly women, families navigating neurodiversity and Black communities processing generational trauma,” she says. Here, she shares her creative projects related to autism.
Why did you want to help those with autism?
I always felt called to help autistic kids cope and interact in the world, but it wasn’t until my son told me, ”Mom, the reason you were never able to help me fully is because you could never help yourself,” that I understood that I also have autism. It impacts relationships and the way people show up: the way you pay bills, organize your house, etc. I estimate that 45 to 60% of families are affected by autism, ADHD or some sort of neurodivergence. My mission is to create an ecosystem that brings resources to families and awareness to what autism looks like.
How has that manifested creatively for you?
In 2024, I created a concept television show called “Therapy Ties” about a family with a son, Lingo, through my production company, Adonai and I. We filmed at Bobcat Studios on the Upper Westside. After that, I said I wanted to go deeper, so I am in preproduction for a 34-minute film called “Lingo.” It’s about a nonverbal boy with autism who longs to communicate but who has a mom who refuses to negatively label her son and a father who avoids confrontation. His voice remains trapped until a fistfight breaks out, and a court order changes everything. At its heart, “Lingo” is about finding and freeing a trapped voice. Every character in this movie has one.
This is a kind of conflict that a lot of families have in their homes, and it’s based on my life experiences. A lot of neurodivergency is lost in the connection, not the communication. I wanted to highlight that awareness in a dramatic way.
Are you working on anything else?
Yes, another web series called “The Clinic.” I began filming in November 2025. It’s about a speech therapist, occupational therapist, psychologist, behavioral therapist and counselor who work together. They have a desire to help others learn how to communicate, but they have a hard time communicating themselves because of the breakdowns that occur due to their neurodivergence. It’s like “The Office” meets “Abbott Elementary.” It’s funny. A lot of times, people look at autism and feel sorry for people, but we have so much fun in our family.
My nonprofit INDY Earth creates space for authentic programming and storytelling to raise awareness, shift culture, and build pathways for neurodivergent individuals and families to access support, training, and opportunities in art, entertainment and technology.
indyearth.org
@adonaiandi
PHOTO: Erik Meadows
