Category: mental health

Coworkers, SubstackLeave a comment
Photo of Lyric, with a freshly shaved head, and the long middle part pulled back. They are posing for the camera, giving a shoulder and a closed-mouth smirk. They’re also wearing a black tank top and posing in their RV.

The Mystery Sickness That Almost Killed My Career (Before I Knew I Was Autistic): The 6-Year Burnout – What Corporate America Did to My AuDHD Brain

Lyric Holmans

To cope with my differences before AD (before Autism Diagnosis), I managed my life by leaning heavily into my skills, strengths, and abilities, while avoiding my weaknesses like they were a deadly sickness (because I would often become physically unwell whenever I put myself under too much stress). Continue reading The Mystery Sickness That Almost Killed My Career (Before I Knew I Was Autistic): The 6-Year Burnout – What Corporate America Did to My AuDHD Brain

Children & Families, Masking / Passing, Substack1 Comment
‘Ditch the ear defenders: head equips autistic girls for real life‘ with the subtitle “Sarah Wild, who leads Britain’s only autistic girls’ school, says mainstream teachers should make fewer adjustments and tell children it’s OK to feel uncomfortable“ has been making the rounds recently. - with an emoji of Lyric and the word “NO!” in the bottom corner.

Why Do We Celebrate Teachers Who Refuse to Make Adjustments for Disabled Kids?

Lyric Holmans

Sensory distress is not behavioral; it is neurological.

We wouldn’t ask non-autistic children to sit on a chair made of razor blades all day, to teach them that “it’s OK to feel uncomfortable”….

Still, with Autistic people, there is a toxic attitude that “the world isn’t sensory friendly.” This paints us as the problem, instead of challenging the systemic flaws and barriers that make life for Autistic people more difficult.

These “adjustments” that Sarah Wild is so against are disability supports, accommodations that Autistic people need to thrive and be our best selves, that are legally protected in many parts of the world. Continue reading Why Do We Celebrate Teachers Who Refuse to Make Adjustments for Disabled Kids?

Children & Families, Masking / Passing, SubstackLeave a comment
A black and white photo of two disabled children in strait jackets, chained to a radiator in a room with dirty walls and floors.

No, there aren’t suddenly ‘more Autistic people’ or ADHDers. We’ve always been here.

Lyric Holmans

It never fails, multiple times a week, when I share my experience of being Autistic or ADHD, some ignorant waffle feels the need to pop into my comments section with some sort of nonsense such as (but in no way limited to) “You’re not Autistic“ (or ADHD), “Everyone’s Autistic/ADHD or Neurodivergent these days“, “It’s all the chemicals in the food/air/water or the vaccines“. There is also the classic “We didn’t have so many people who are Autistic or ADHD in my day…. and none of it is true.

Just because you didn’t, personally, know any Neurodivergent people when you were growing up, it doesn’t mean we didn’t exist. Continue reading No, there aren’t suddenly ‘more Autistic people’ or ADHDers. We’ve always been here.

Children & Families, Relationships / Bullies / Friendships, Substack1 Comment
I am Autistic - Neurodivergent Rebel

I AM Autistic – Please Don’t Ever Call Me a ‘Person with Autism’

Lyric Holmans

Why, to me, “Autistic person” and “person with Autism” are two VERY different phrases, and why I never want to be called a “person with Autism” – please note this is just my PERSONAL preference. Over the years, I’ve often … Continue reading I AM Autistic – Please Don’t Ever Call Me a ‘Person with Autism’

Uncategorized7 Comments
An article titled 'Uta Frith: why I no longer think autism is a spectrum,' featuring a digital illustration of a character expressing dismay, alongside a red 'X' mark over the title.

An Autistic Response to: Uta Frith’s “Why I no longer think autism is a spectrum.”

Lyric Holmans

“The autism spectrum has widened to the point of collapse, affecting how teachers should support autistic pupils in the classroom,” researcher Uta Frith tells Helen Amass in a recent interview, and my response as a late-diagnosed Autistic adult. Continue reading An Autistic Response to: Uta Frith’s “Why I no longer think autism is a spectrum.”

SubstackLeave a comment

My Autistic Truth: My Real Voice Isn’t the One That Comes Out of My Mouth – The Accessibility of Typing: One Autistic Person’s Experience

Lyric Holmans

Hyperlexia, Handwriting Pain, and Finding Freedom in a Word Document – Typing vs. Handwriting: An Autistic Perspective on Fine Motor Skills and Working Memory #MyAutisticTruth Continue reading My Autistic Truth: My Real Voice Isn’t the One That Comes Out of My Mouth – The Accessibility of Typing: One Autistic Person’s Experience

Children & Families, Relationships / Bullies / Friendships, SubstackLeave a comment
NeuroDivergent Rebel's The Weight of Normal by Lyric Rivera - a teal book with purple text and a pink brain, there is also a person holding a heavy boulder on their shoulders - cover text reads: Assimilate or Be Punished: A NeuroDivergent, Queer Memoir of Survival and Awakening in a World That Demands Conformity A Look at the harms and traumas of NeuroDivergent Conversion "Therapy" and other methods of forced assimilation.

The Autistic Burnout That Led Me Home to Myself: The Life I Built Was a Prison. My Autism Diagnosis Handed Me the Key.

Lyric Holmans

My Battery Was Draining Faster Than It Could Charge. My Needs Weren’t the Problem. Ignoring Them Was. When I was diagnosed Autistic, more than 9 years ago now, I was at a low point in my life. I was in … Continue reading The Autistic Burnout That Led Me Home to Myself: The Life I Built Was a Prison. My Autism Diagnosis Handed Me the Key.