My autistic traits were obvious! But the Spoiled Brat archetype worked against the assumption that I needed support, and instead adults believed I needed chastising or ignoring.
Dear Autistic Kid, on being at home
It's okay to be not okay, and to take some time to adjust to everything. For many of us autistic people it may take a lot longer to adjust, and that's okay!
Dear Autistic Kid, on meltdowns and shame
Remember that it’s okay to be autistic. It’s okay to wear headphones or sunglasses, or use weighted blankets or fidget toys (lots of us autistic adults do!). It’s okay to want things a certain way. It’s okay to not look into people’s eyes. It’s okay to be you. Don’t let people, or society in general, take that away from you.
Dear Autistic Kid, on school and isolation
I want to let you know that autistic adults are here. Autistic adults exist. Most of us have had tough experiences in elementary school and junior high school. Personally, I felt rather isolated growing up in school.
How “The Golden Rule” Harms Autistic People
[This post was also published at NeuroClastic. For new posts from me, head to my author profile on NeuroClastic.] Miscommunication and misinterpretation of autistic people happens very early in life. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Or in modern language, "Treat other people as you would like to be treated."… Continue reading How “The Golden Rule” Harms Autistic People
Adult Misdiagnosis – The Default Path to an Autistic Identity
This post consists of 46 quotes from autistic people. If you can, please read them all. Please listen to autistic voices.
Blog Update
This is mostly an update for people who follow my blog - I've been writing posts with The Neuroclastic for the last few weeks. I will likely still post things on here as well, depending on the topic. I'm currently working on a post regarding autistic people's misdiagnoses, which will likely take more time. I… Continue reading Blog Update
Why Autism Research Isn’t For Autistic People
In the US, you can’t be an autism researcher in most labs without accepting the pathological model of autism. You must reference old research, mostly done by white cisgender male researchers on white cisgender autistic boys. You must talk about the deficits of theory of mind and the difficulties in social communication. I’ve seen at… Continue reading Why Autism Research Isn’t For Autistic People
Accessible Activism
When spaces are not accessible to autistic people, there's a barrier to our activism. I love being in online spaces. I'm able to say what I want to say, for the most part, and people will either agree or disagree, or ask for clarification. It's pretty simple. Sometimes people won't listen, but that's going to… Continue reading Accessible Activism
Transitioning to Graduate School: StairwayToStem
In case you missed it, I recently wrote a guest blog post on StairwayToStem, a website which provides resources for helping autistic students transition to college and graduate school. They kindly split up the series into 3 parts for me: Part 1: Transitioning to Grad School and Adjusting to the New Environment Part 2: Challenges… Continue reading Transitioning to Graduate School: StairwayToStem
