Back in 2016 and 2017, when a person would Google Autism or Autistic People, the search results that would populate in response were pretty abysmal.
Continue reading What is #ActuallyAutistic (to me, a late identified Autistic Adult) – Finding Community in a Sea of Stigma
Embracing my Autism diagnosis was just the beginning. I soon realized that there were other aspects of my experience that couldn’t be explained by Autism alone. This realization ignited a continuous journey of self-discovery, filled with moments of clarity, understanding, and occasional confusion. Continue reading Is it Autism… or something else???
We often do a poor job of being kind and nurturing to people who are at the beginning stages of their learning journeys.
Continue reading We’re Pushing People Away, and We Need to Do Better.
My adult Autism diagnosis marked a pivotal moment in my life, altering my understanding of myself (and my path to personal growth).
Making sharp turns occasionally when faced with new information is necessary.
One of the traits that I find most attractive in people is their ability to adjust to new information (even if it takes them a while).
While some may need to slow down to navigate these ‘sharp turns,’ our ability to adapt and ‘swerve’ occasionally is crucial.
Our ability to change directions prevents us from crashing, enabling us to navigate life’s ever-changing circumstances.
Continue reading Breaking Free from the Need for Control: My Journey Towards Embracing Uncertainty
It has been years since Damian Milton rocked the world with the paper: On the ontological status of autism: the ‘double empathy problem.’
In Damian’s paper, the double empathy problem was defined as:
A disjuncture in reciprocity between two differently disposed social actors which becomes more marked the wider the disjuncture in dispositional perceptions of the lifeworld – perceived as a breach in the ‘natural attitude’ of what constitutes ‘social reality’ for ‘neuro-typical’ people and yet an everyday and often traumatic experience for ‘autistic people.’
What does that mean in more simple language? I will explain in this month’s video. Continue reading Autistic Empathy – Autism and the Double Empathy Problem
Sensory obstacles are one of the biggest hindrances to my ability to communicate and socialize with others. There are a few reasons for this.
One way sensory things create an obstacle for me is that most social events are sensory nightmares by design.
Put a bunch of people in one indoor space, and it is almost always going to be more than my brain can handle (or if I survive it, I will then be exhausted and hung over – without touching alcohol).
If I turn down an invitation, people often take it personally, thinking I don’t want to spend time with them. Continue reading Autism and “Social Difficulties” – How Sensory and Motor Control Differences Can Make Socializing Difficult for Me as an Autistic Person
I’ve discovered that the key to unlocking my potential and reducing my struggles lies in the autonomy and control that come with adulthood, a freedom that is often denied to NeuroDivergent youngsters.
Continue reading Autonomy Unlocked: A Life of My Own – How Adulthood Gave Me the Freedom I Needed to Thrive as an Autistic Person
I’ve made no attempts to keep the fact that I am Polyamorous to myself. This particular facet of my identity is one that I’ve known about since middle school (when I first found myself attracted to multiple people at the … Continue reading I’m Polyamorous but I’m Also Afraid of Starting New Personal Relationships
In my mid-20s, when I learned that I could “pause my mind” and found relief for the first time in my life, forcing myself into the present moment, it became all I wanted to do all the time.
Continue reading HIDDEN DANGER: Why I Stopped Recommending Yoga, Meditation, Mindfulness, and Other Somatic Practices to People I Don’t Know Well
Challenging the common assumption that Autistic People lack imaginative play, highlighting the importance of broadening our understanding of the Autistic experience.
Continue reading On the Myth Autistic People Lack Imagination
