An Autistic Reaction to the Diagnostic Criteria for Autism – Problems With Medical Terminology
Published by
Lyric Holmans
Lyric Rivera (they/them), from Neurodivergent Consulting, is a late-identified Autistic and ADHD adult. Lyric is the author of the best-selling business ethics book, Workplace Neurodiversity Rising (which was praised in Forbes as “an excellent ‘how to manual’ based on lived experience and professional competence”). Other titles Lyric has worked on include collaborating with Rebecca Duffus on the U.S. version of the popular children's workbook Autism, Identity, and Me (adult version coming worldwide fall 2026), and Neurodivergent Rebel's The Weight of Normal. Lyric is also the creator of #AskingAutistics, a hashtag that connects Autistic people and allies around the globe. The philosophy of Neurodivergent Consulting is to support the creation of accessible workplaces and other spaces (via universal design) that enable Neurodivergent (and all) people to fully realize their unique talents and fresh perspectives through care and support of the whole person. This allows us to bring our full selves to the spaces we enter. View all posts by Lyric Holmans
Cool to hear what you sound like. INspired me to consider making a video. Haven’t done one of those yet.
Look forward to seeing it – please do share!
Yes, more of this please. 😊 I totally agree with you that these manuals of ‘disorder’ and ‘disease’ unnecessarily pathologise variance, and stigmatise a lot of people. Glad you’re able to see all your wonderful neurodiversity in a positive light! (The same kind of thing goes for gender variance: even though being trans has just been moved out of the WHO manual’s mental health section, it’s still in their manual of ‘diseases’ (ICD-11), and the diagnostic descriptions don’t exactly make for pleasant reading.)
Hi – I love your blog. I’m not autistic and don’t even know any autistic people except for a few relatives that I’m sure are on the spectrum (I have my own observations about Ashkenazi Jewish men), but anyway… your blog has opened my eyes in so many ways and I want to thank you for that.
I ran across this video and wanted to share it with you: https://www.facebook.com/BBCStories/videos/10155710057480659/
I think what I am learning from your blog is stated beautifully in this video. It’s all about being willing to meet people on their terms, isn’t it?
With warmest regards, Nancy
Sent from my iPhone
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Thank you Nancy, don’t be a stranger! Glad our paths have crossed. Be well.
Great video as always hun! Love it! <3