Meltdown. Parents of autistic kids speak the word in hushed tones, afraid of invoking the beast. Autistic adults can feel them coming on, but often don’t know how to stop them or ride them out. We all hate the thought of a meltdown happening in […]
Today I want to talk about the sensory mess that is the holiday season. I love the Christmas season, I really do. In cold weather, under early darkness, and especially with some cold rain or sleet (we don’t usually get snow here in Louisiana), it […]
It’s the holidays, and if you think you’re stressed out with all the extra activity, imagine how the autistic kids in your life are feeling! All kids, NT or otherwise, go a little crazy this time of year, what with toys and parties and all […]
Well, it’s already mid-November, which means it’s time to start thinking about your own self-care during the holiday season. In just about a week or so, everyone’s lives are going to get seriously busy. There’ll be family obligations, work parties, and if you have kids, […]
Happy Halloween, everybody!! I LOVE Halloween! I love everything about it, from decorating and jack o’lanterns to dressing up and trick-or-treating. Classic monster movies, Vincent Price features, and Tim Burton flicks are in heavy rotation all month long at my house. It’s my favorite time […]
I’ve felt like an alien most of my life. Even before I knew I was autistic, I knew I wasn’t like other people. It’s a common theme among autistic people, leading to books like An Anthropologist on Mars, forums like Wrong Planet, and a great […]
If you’re an autistic adult, you’ve probably been told what you can or can’t do a lot over the course of your life. Even if you weren’t diagnosed as a child, you were probably different enough from your peers that parents or teachers tried to […]
Today in Adulting for Autistics, I’m going to talk about stress management. Autistic people often get a bad rap as being overreactive, easily freaked out, and generally emotionally fragile. While it’s true that we have a higher baseline for stress than NTs, we don’t deserve […]
I’m a big believer in stimming. Even before I knew I was autistic, I was always a big stimmer – constantly fidgeting, bouncing, biting things, etc. In general, I think everyone should be free to stim as they like. But I also have a controversial […]
Last time I talked about advocating for your autistic kids, which is a big responsibility in itself. Today I want to talk about an even more important responsibility: teaching autistic kids to advocate for themselves. I know it can be hard to think about when […]
