Tag: ASD

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Welcome to ‘Autism Month’ and Why, as an Actual Autistic Person, I am NOT a Fan of Having a ‘Month for Autism’

Lyric Holmans

If you’re new to this blog or Autism month, you might be asking yourself, “What’s so bad about having a month to honor Autistic people? Isn’t awareness a good thing?” Which, in itself, brings up one of my biggest frustrations with this ‘special month for autism’: Continue reading Welcome to ‘Autism Month’ and Why, as an Actual Autistic Person, I am NOT a Fan of Having a ‘Month for Autism’

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“Dear Ms. [REDACTED],We have decided that we wish to defer testing [DEAD NAME] for learning disabilities at this time. We wish to pursue other options just now. We are considering private testing and tutoring as we research their possible problems. Thank you for calling this to our attention. We will get back to you soon.”

Autistic & Creeping Up on 40, Birthday Reflections Around Being 1 of Many Missed Generations of Autistic People

Lyric Holmans

Thoughts on late diagnosis, growing up undiagnosed, changes to the definitions and descriptions of Autistic people in the DSM since the 1980s, and how being identified late in life can be lifesaving. Continue reading Autistic & Creeping Up on 40, Birthday Reflections Around Being 1 of Many Missed Generations of Autistic People

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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.”

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Autistic Empathy – Autism and the Double Empathy Problem

Lyric Holmans

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

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Lyric, posing in a black and gold Au Sweater, in the sunset, with a puddle behind them, reflecting everything like a mirror.

From Shame to Self-Acceptance: How an Adult Autism Diagnosis Helped Me Find My True Self

Lyric Holmans

At the time of my diagnosis, I was in a low place.
After twenty-nine years of working harder than most people around me to get only a fraction of the results (while at the same time being told I “wasn’t applying myself” and needed to “try harder” in life), I was demoralized.

It’s cruel to tell someone who has done their best to “try harder.” Still, it happens all the time because most people do not have even a foundational understanding of the spectrum of human strengths and weaknesses, taking it for granted, assuming we all have the same brains and experiences. Continue reading From Shame to Self-Acceptance: How an Adult Autism Diagnosis Helped Me Find My True Self

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The unrealistic and unfair expectations that are placed on Autistic People, combined with pressure to blend in and camouflage one's Autistic traits and the fact that Autistic ways of resting and recharging are often seen as "taboo," leaves many of us teetering on a dangerous edge - spending our lives tip-toeing in and out (or on the edge of) burnout.

Teetering on the Edge of Burnout and Ideation – Is being able to Camouflage one’s NeuroDivergence a “privilege?”

Lyric Holmans

I have many things I want to write and do, but I often struggle to find the time and energy.

Like many Autistic People, I operate on a perilous edge, teetering between burnout and barely resting enough not to burn out.

This can happen to Autistic People for various reasons (but capitalism and societal expectations are a significant source of stress and burnout for many, possibly most, of us). Continue reading Teetering on the Edge of Burnout and Ideation – Is being able to Camouflage one’s NeuroDivergence a “privilege?”