One of the common stereotypes of autistic people is the idea of the human calculator. I blame Rain Man for a lot of this, but characters like Sheldon Cooper haven’t helped. The truth is, we’re not all incredible at math. In fact, some of us […]
One of the common stereotypes of autistic people is that we don’t cope well with change. We require routine, we’re incapable of spontaneity, we always need to know everything that’s going to happen and nothing must deviate from our plans lest it cause a meltdown […]
Do you ever wish you could wear a badge that says “I’m not unfriendly, just autistic”? Most of the time, I’m perfectly happy to be a solitary creature. I stay home and knit or write or watch the same movies and shows over and over […]
I LOVE Halloween. It is absolutely my favorite holiday. I love dressing up, watching old horror movies, and decorating my house with macabre details (if I’m honest, that’s year-round, but I digress). But when I was a kid, sometimes Halloween was a swirl of brightly […]
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 […]
It’s that time again, folks – a new school year is upon us! For Ravenclaw/Hermione Granger types like myself, the back-to-school season is almost like an early Christmas (I LOVE school supplies)! Some autistic kids love going back to school, while others hate it – just […]
A big part of my autistic experience is the fact that I have no social circuits. I’m just not programmed for social niceties, small talk, chit chat, etc. Over time, I’ve managed to write some scripts for myself, but it doesn’t come naturally. It requires […]
Lots of people talk about autistic people “thinking in pictures” – Temple Grandin published a book under that title, in fact. It’s often considered to be a hallmark of autism (but we all know how dicey it can be to try to say “all autistic people” […]
Just because we’re autistic doesn’t mean we should be hermits. We really do enjoy things like festivals, barbecues, conventions, etc., it’s just that we have limits and we need a little help now and then. One of the most important things I ever learned is […]
Being an autistic adult is not easy. Most of us are not well-equipped to keep up with bills, errands, and work while also handling the overwhelm and overload that we get from the world. If we’re going to function well and be happy, it’s important […]
