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’
Why I Self-Published My Most Raw Book Yet – How Our Community Can Launch a Book: The Story Behind “The Weight of Normal”
Continue reading My New Book (‘The Weight of Normal’) Is Out NOW – And I’m Nervous…
I am a 37-year-old Autistic Adult who has fairly intense sensory sensitivities (that can trigger disorientation, vertigo, migraines, nausea, and other stomach problems). However, I did not understand this crucial fact about myself for most of my life.
One might ask, “If things were so bad, why wasn’t your Autism identified earlier?”
When I was first diagnosed Autistic (more than seven years ago now), I had the same question, though now I know the answer -it was noticed and mislabeled. Continue reading From Shame to Self-Discovery: My Journey with Autism, Sensory Overload, the Pain of Behaviorism, and the Relief in Unexpected Places
Growing up, especially in school, I was often scolded for “not paying attention” (regardless of whether I was actually paying attention or not). Continue reading My Autistic Experience With Eye-Contact: I don’t need to look at you to speak to you (or hear you)
Something that far too many non-autistic people get wrong about Autistic People is thinking that we lack social skills when, in reality, we have social skills, but they’re not the same social skills non-autistics use.
Autistic People socialize (and play) Autistically. Continue reading If Not ABA, then What? Autistic People, Social Skills, and “Appropriate Play”- We socialize and play Autistically!
Recently, I asked my NeuroDivergent readers if anyone has “ever tried to “punish” the NeuroDivergence out of” them (while being reasonably sure I knew the answer to my question).
Overwhelming comments came pouring in on various platforms, with stories from my readers telling how they had been harmed by people around them (who insisted on unfair and unrealistic expectations of NeuroTypicality).
I knew there would be Autistic People and ADHDers who had been punished for our NeuroTypes because many of my readers are my age (or older), and when we were growing up, punishment was the standard of care for kids who struggled to fall in line.
What surprised me was how many people with other NeuroTypes were also punished for things beyond their control. Continue reading Have You Ever Been Punished (or Scolded) for Your NeuroDivergence?
Because I am incompatible with the world, I have two options regarding how to deal with the compatibility issues I face daily.
Option 1: Modify MYSELF to fit into the world (because the world expects me to conform and doesn’t have compassion for my NeuroDivergent brain).
Option 2: Changing my environment and the world around me to better suit my needs instead of changing (and breaking) myself to fit into the world. Continue reading My Autistic Truth: Two Choices – Modify Myself to Fit into the World OR Modify the World Around Me to Fit My Needs
I’d been told to listen to these adults and do what they said, and they had said I was “bad,” and I believed them. Since I thought I was “bad,” I felt I deserved all the punishment (abuse) I received.
Continue reading Abused at School: Why Autistic Kids May Not Speak Up When They’ve Been Harmed by a Teacher
All right. I did a post on Facebook recently, talking about how I used to be a dog trainer and how I used to really, really love behaviorism, believe it or not.
I am a reformed behaviorist. I no longer use behaviorism on animals, and now my focus is entirely on teaching the animals around me to communicate with me, and that I am a safe person and how to get their needs met.
So has been quite a change, and you wanted to hear more about that. So those of you that asked for this video, or if you’re curious now… please stay tuned. Continue reading Why I Left Behaviorism Behind & Quit Dog Training
