Year: 2022

Masking / Passing, Videos4 Comments

Autism and Shutting Down – My Experience with Shutdowns as an Autistic Adult

Lyric Holmans

I’m an Autistic adult, and that means sometimes life, and the world around me, can be overwhelming. When I am overwhelmed, I may meltdown, or shut down.

People talk a lot about Autistic meltdowns, I think, because they are noticeable and can be more of an air quotes, “inconvenience on other people”.

A lot of people, who are not Autistic, might not understand what it’s like to shut down, as an Autistic Person, so I wanted to share that with you today. Continue reading Autism and Shutting Down – My Experience with Shutdowns as an Autistic Adult

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Autism and the Limitations of the Autistic Triad of Impairments

Lyric Holmans

When talking about Autistic and NeuroDivergent brains often, because things are looked at through a medical lens, we have a pathological medical model. For autism specifically, we have what is known as the “triad of impairment”. I’m going to dive in and give my thoughts on this “triad of impairments model” of autism.

Talking about the triad of impairments this week: the triad of impairments is social impairment, language and communication impairments, rigidity of thought and behavior. Those are the three triad of impairments that they are saying that Autistic People have.

I would like to counter and add that this is very limiting, because it misses two major impairments that I feel contribute to all of the first three: sensory processing differences, because that can be an impairment on social, language, and communication as well as motor control, because that has a big impact on our language and communication as well. Continue reading Autism and the Limitations of the Autistic Triad of Impairments

Masking / Passing, Videos1 Comment

Autistic and NeuroDivergent Stimming, Fidgeting, and Sensory Seeking

Lyric Holmans

Something else that’s really important, that I want everyone to understand about stimming, that I think is confusing to some people, who don’t have stimmy brains, is: how important stimming is, and how there are different types of stimming. NeuroTypicals all lump it in under one thing, in one definition. Continue reading Autistic and NeuroDivergent Stimming, Fidgeting, and Sensory Seeking

Masking / Passing, Videos2 Comments

Autism & Hyperlexia – My Autistic Hyperlexic Experience

Lyric Holmans

According to Web MD, which is where I’m going to get the definition today, people with hyperlexia II, are often air quotes, “obsessed with numbers and letters, preferring books, and magnetic letters over other types of toys. They’re also frequently remember important numbers such as license plates and birthdates. These children usually have more typical autism signs, such as avoiding eye contact and affection, or being sensitive to sensory stimuli.” Continue reading Autism & Hyperlexia – My Autistic Hyperlexic Experience

Children & Families, Masking / Passing, Tourette Syndrome, Videos2 Comments

Autism & Vocalizations – My Autistic Experience with Echolalia, Palilalia, and Verbal Stimming

Lyric Holmans

Though each and every single Autistic Person is different, many Autistic People make different noises, repeat sounds, or make other vocalizations.

There are three main types of Autistic vocalizations I’m going to be talking about in this week’s video: the first one is echolalia, the next one is Palilalia, and verbal stimming. Continue reading Autism & Vocalizations – My Autistic Experience with Echolalia, Palilalia, and Verbal Stimming

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Autism & Learning to Recognize Autistic Meltdowns Before It’s Too Late

Lyric Holmans

Sometimes when I am unable to get away from other people, or the situation that I am in, or event that has triggered my meltdown, then I will go from flee to fight, and have a meltdown, where I may become air quotes, “combative”, “aggressive”, “defensive” -because I feel as if I am in danger, and cannot flee and get away from the danger, so then it switches to “defend myself and fight”. Continue reading Autism & Learning to Recognize Autistic Meltdowns Before It’s Too Late

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Late NeuroDivergent Diagnosis – Diagnosed Autistic at 29 – Reading my Autism Diagnostic Report

Lyric Holmans

It was August 23rd, 2016, when I went in for the first part of my autism assessment, an in-person interview with myself and the person who would be reviewing my childhood history and medical records.

By the end of August, all of the interviews would be concluded, and by early September 2016, at the age of 29, I would be diagnosed Autistic.

At that point in my life, being almost 30 and having such a bombshell of a piece of information dropped upon me, I skimmed a 13 page (actually 14 page) diagnostic report, but was very overwhelmed, and couldn’t process the report in front of me. In fact, I threw the report into a paper shredder, and destroyed the report.

However, recently, more than five years later, I’m feeling more ready to face the information that was in front of me all of those years ago. Continue reading Late NeuroDivergent Diagnosis – Diagnosed Autistic at 29 – Reading my Autism Diagnostic Report

Children & Families, Family, Masking / Passing, Videos1 Comment

Things I Got in Trouble for Growing up as an Undiagnosed Autistic ADHDer

Lyric Holmans

I didn’t find out I was Autistic until I was 29, and my ADHD wasn’t diagnosed until several years later, however, autism and ADHD are both lifelong neurodevelopmental differences.
This means I was Autistic and ADHD my entire life, growing up, as a child, and I will be Autistic ADHD, my brain will be the same, the day I die.
There were obvious manifestations of my brain difference as a child growing up, many of which were labeled as “behavioral problems” and dismissed, or I was constantly scolded for acting in a very Autistic ADHD way.
Continue reading Things I Got in Trouble for Growing up as an Undiagnosed Autistic ADHDer

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LGBTQIA+ & Autism Medicalization Timeline – A NeuroQueer Conversion Therapy History Lesson

Lyric Holmans

Up until 1973, psychologists and psychiatrists will still consider homosexuality to be a form of illness. It will be 1987, the year I’m born, before homosexuality will be completely removed from the DSM. Continue reading LGBTQIA+ & Autism Medicalization Timeline – A NeuroQueer Conversion Therapy History Lesson