The Rosie Result is the third book in a series about the autistic geneticist, Don Tillman. I really enjoyed this book. It was very refreshing to read as one can clearly spot the autistic voices that were listened to when writing this book. I read the first two books (The Rosie Project and The Rosie… Continue reading Review: The Rosie Result
Autistic Horror Tropes – #BoycottProdigy
[discussed: ableism, cure rhetoric, abuse] (One caveat here: I know nothing about film making, and I'm not trying to say I do in this post. I'm also not trying to assume that everything I say here will be true or happen in the movie - but they did make a trailer, and that is what… Continue reading Autistic Horror Tropes – #BoycottProdigy
Autistic (and Neurotypical Lack Of) Effort
[CW: ableism/NT misinterpretation] Autistic people get run over, socially speaking, especially in new environments or with new people (and unfortunately it can be with people you know, too). I've been yelled at at least three times by medical professionals, and also by a patient because I failed to close the door within one second of… Continue reading Autistic (and Neurotypical Lack Of) Effort
The Neurotypical Autism Diagnosis
Imagine that someone is colorblind, yet they have the job of identifying and detecting colors, and everyone around them thinks they are doing a great job getting all of the colors right. There's no oversight or check by someone who sees in color. No one even thinks twice about it really. Imagine those people being… Continue reading The Neurotypical Autism Diagnosis
Literalness, Uncertainty, and Perfectionism
It is hard to know what other people expect from you when growing up in general (and when you're autistic). Most expectations other people have of you are not explicit, even from a young age. That ambiguity can make you go to extremes (i.e. perfectionism) to make sure that you meet others' expectations. This is… Continue reading Literalness, Uncertainty, and Perfectionism
Facial Expressions and Intent
Essentially, by not providing that social response, people can read whatever they want into my still/unsmiling face. This explains to me why I often become the backboard of people's emotions and assumptions.
Anxiety Looks Like Anger
[Disclaimer: This post is targeted towards parents, as I have been seeing a lot of parents recently ask about what to do about their child's behaviors (trying to figure out what is best for them, and asking autistic people). Similar versions of this can happen as autistic adults, especially when people misinterpret us as complaining… Continue reading Anxiety Looks Like Anger