Category: Coworkers

Coworkers, Family, Masking / Passing, Videos5 Comments

Autism and Alcohol – My Autistic Experience with Drinking

Lyric Holmans

From personal experience, I can say that I used to use alcohol because I had social anxiety, and had all of these mandatory work networking happy hours and events, where there was always free alcohol; and alcohol made the anxiety numb, and let me tolerate being in these situations that, if I was listening to my gut, and my self, and how I really felt, I would have chosen not to go to anyway. I was putting a bandaid on things.

One or two drinks, and I noticed that the sensory experience, if it is a bit overwhelming, can sometimes become a bit less intense for me, and it is easier for me to go with the flow a little bit, as my inhibitions go down, but it doesn’t take as much alcohol, as it takes other people, to get me tipsy. Continue reading Autism and Alcohol – My Autistic Experience with Drinking

Coworkers, Masking / Passing, Relationships / Bullies / Friendships, Videos1 Comment

NeuroDiversity in the Workplace – Asking Autistic & NeuroDivergent People to Keep a NeuroTypical Pace

Lyric Holmans

One of the things that I share with organizational leaders, and members of different companies I work with, is the fact that NeuroDivergent pace, often can look different than NeuroTypical pace, and NeuroDivergent workers can have, what I like to call “variable energy reserves” and may need to adjust our schedules accordingly. Continue reading NeuroDiversity in the Workplace – Asking Autistic & NeuroDivergent People to Keep a NeuroTypical Pace

Coworkers, Family, Masking / Passing, Relationships / Bullies / Friendships, Videos1 Comment

Autistic and NeuroDivergent Masking – Help! I Don’t Know How to Unmask

Lyric Holmans

NeuroDivergent masking is when a NeuroDivergent Person, a person who is brain may be Autistic, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, OCD, et cetera. Is masking or hiding that NeuroDivergence, in order to blend in and appear more NeuroTypical. Continue reading Autistic and NeuroDivergent Masking – Help! I Don’t Know How to Unmask

Children & Families, Collaborations, Coworkers, Family, LGBTQIA+, Masking / Passing, Relationships / Bullies / FriendshipsLeave a comment
Image description: The Intersections on The Spectrum podcast logo is a rainbow gradient word cloud in the shape of a person with outstretched arms. An image of Lyric looking up and towards the distance. Lyric is a white passing person of mixed heritage with brown eyes and arched eyebrows. They have a tuft of emerald green hair poking out from under a black hat.

Intersections on the Spectrum: Lyric Holmans

Lyric Holmans

Recently, I had the pleasure of being interviewed for the Podcast Intersections on the Spectrum. In episode of Intersections on the Spectrum we discuss my identities, lobbying against ABA, open relationships, and living in an RV. Continue reading Intersections on the Spectrum: Lyric Holmans

Children & Families, Coworkers, Family, Masking / Passing, Relationships / Bullies / Friendships, VideosLeave a comment

Autistic & NeuroDivergent People’s Invisible Struggles Pt 2: Communication & Emotional Differences

Lyric Holmans

In part one of this video we talked, talked about is my feather here, Autistic sensory issues, masking, and even chronic pain, and how these,, invisible differences can impact Autistic People, and you may not even know that Autistic People are struggling with these things.

Today we’re going to talk more about cognitive processing differences, learning style differences, some of the emotional differences, and how, we process social situations, how some of those differences can impact Autistic People, and how we engage with the world – invisible differences, and invisible things that can cause Autistic People to struggle.
Continue reading Autistic & NeuroDivergent People’s Invisible Struggles Pt 2: Communication & Emotional Differences

Coworkers, Family, Masking / Passing, Relationships / Bullies / Friendships, Videos3 Comments

I’m Autistic and this is Why I Find People Overwhelming

Lyric Holmans

Before I learned I was Autistic, I didn’t look for information in people’s faces, or their body language, to see how they were feeling or even to see if they were interested in things I was saying. It just never really occurred to me that there was information there and at 29, I started to study what facial expressions and body language means.

That meant I was having really difficult interactions with other people, because I wouldn’t realize I was annoying them, or I wouldn’t read the situation well. Continue reading I’m Autistic and this is Why I Find People Overwhelming

Children & Families, Coworkers, Family, Relationships / Bullies / Friendships, Videos3 Comments

Why We NEED to Teach Boundaries & Consent to Autistic People

Lyric Holmans

Lyric Homans  here. I’m the NeuroDivergent Rebel, and this week we’re going to talk about boundaries and consent with Autistic People, and why it is so important that we do explain boundaries and healthy relationships to Autistic people, instead of assuming that we will never have these things, or are uncapable of understanding these concepts. Continue reading Why We NEED to Teach Boundaries & Consent to Autistic People

Children & Families, Coworkers, Family, Masking / Passing, Relationships / Bullies / Friendships, Videos4 Comments

You Asked: What Was it Like Growing up Not Knowing You Were Autistic?

Lyric Holmans

Hey everyone. NeuroRebel here. This week is a listener requested topic.

You ask, “What was it like growing up undiscovered, undiagnosed, not knowing that you are Autistic or Neurodivergent?”

Not knowing that I was Autistic, had a very big impact on my life and my experience growing up. I was very aware that I was different, but I didn’t have the vocabulary or an explanation for why or what made me different.

This week, I’m going to share my experience. If you’d like to know a little bit more, please stay tuned. Continue reading You Asked: What Was it Like Growing up Not Knowing You Were Autistic?