One of the hallmarks of autism is asynchronous development – also known as the Spiky Profile or “islands of skill”. All this means is that some of our skills are very well-developed and others are much lower, so that a graph of our test scores […]
Today I’m reveling in my holiday traditions of baking, cooking, and watching my favorite Christmas movies. Everybody has those things that make us say “it’s just not the holidays without _______!” We call them traditions, but I think it’s more than that. For me, and […]
Recently, I ran across some kerfuffle in the Twitterverse surrounding the idea of “former gifted kid” trauma. You may have seen these posts from time to time, equating growing up with the “gifted” label with serious mental health issues in adulthood. Someone replied to these […]
One of my biggest challenges in school was my handwriting. *Checks barely legible notes* It still is. I got flat F’s all through elementary school and once they stopped grading that, I got points marked off for “neatness” on any handwritten work I turned in. […]
We were all taught the Golden Rule as small children – “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” – but for autistic people, this idea can be tricky when put into practice. Because we operate on a different wavelength than neurotypical […]
When I was diagnosed with autism four years ago, my psychologist told me that my tentative bipolar diagnosis from when I was 19 was probably wrong – she said that I probably had “mood lability associated with autism”. I had no idea what this meant, […]
All this social distancing and staying home is often thought of as an introvert’s – or an autistic person’s – dream come true. And while that’s not necessarily wrong, I’ve found that I’ve lost a considerable amount of my social skills in the isolation (despite […]
I don’t use functioning labels. They only serve to withhold support from those designated “high-functioning” and limit the possibilities available to those deemed “low-functioning”. They’re crap, so I don’t use them here. I prefer using support needs if the distinction is necessary: low support needs […]
Some people see self-care as a luxury, albeit a “necessary” one. Hot baths, face masks, and time spent on hobbies are considered just as important as drinking plenty of water and eating good, nutritious food. But when you’re autistic, self-care is not optional. It’s not […]
It’s time once again for me to remind my American readers that fireworks can be a real problem for autistic people of all ages. Where I live, Independence Day fireworks start July 1 and go on through at least July 5, but across the country, […]
