Halloween is a time of masks, and these masks are meant to scare people. They are meant to force us to acknowledge the mystery and terror of the unknown, and people wearing them are celebrated and have sweets and chocolates as rewards. My mask is the exact opposite. I wear my mask to reassure people,Continue reading “Halloween Masks”
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Autism Research aways seems so far behind community experience.
Once you’ve been aware of being autistic for a while, there are patterns you begin to notice. I remember realising, for example, that autistic people are pretty much always infantilised by professionals – especially doctors and social workers. I also recall the first time I noticed that autistic people were very poorly represented in theContinue reading “Autism Research aways seems so far behind community experience.”
Things I Love About Being Autistic…
1. I spot patterns really easily – I can’t really help it. This has really helped me understand a lot about the world and is part of the reason I understand what being autistic is all about, I think. 2. When I’m in the ‘zone’ my hyperfocus on something I’m working on can be veryContinue reading “Things I Love About Being Autistic…”
How Meltdowns Affect Autistic People
After an autistic meltdown, things can take a while to get back to normal. Firstly you’ve got the physical ramifications. For me, meltdowns are exhausting because it feels like every muscle tenses up, often accompanied by stimming that can be a bit more… intense than usual. The stimming, I guess, is a desperate attempt toContinue reading “How Meltdowns Affect Autistic People”
Autism and Communication
A lot of an autistic person’s anxiety and trauma (often so bad that it is disabling in itself) comes from repeated experiences of communication going horribly wrong due to the different ways autistic people and non-autistic people communicate. I often use the analogy that autistic people are using a different operating system to neurotypical folk,Continue reading “Autism and Communication”