I want to clear something up today. Lots of people draw distinctions between speaking and non-speaking autistics, as if that matters. And the people who make these distinctions don’t seem to realize that it’s not as simple as “verbal” vs. “non-verbal”. Like so much of […]
Autistic people stim in lots of ways – we jump, rock, use weighted blankets, touch favorite textures, etc. One of my favorite ways to stim is verbally. I like playing with words, with the sounds of them and the feel of them in my mouth, […]
I speak in movie quotes, tv references, and lines out of books and plays. Honestly, it’s one of my biggest obstacles to clear communication because the lines I reference can be kind of obscure, but when I find people who get it, I know we’ll […]
There’s a troublesome stereotype that says autistic children don’t play “correctly”. It’s even considered a diagnostic item in some circles. This is usually meant to say that autistic children will line up their toys instead of playing with them “the right way” – like playing […]
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 […]
I’ve talked before about meltdowns – what they are and how to survive them – but I’ve seen several places in online groups where people ask what a meltdown feels like, how it happens, what it’s like to go through one. So today I’m going […]
Today is Autistic and Neurodivergent Coming Out Day. So I’m going to give you my story. I am autistic. I have always been autistic. I did not become autistic when I got my diagnosis at 35, nor did I spend my adult life to that […]
Pixar’s short film Loop has recently dropped on Disney Plus. It’s a 9-minute story about two teenagers – one non-verbal autistic, one neurotypical – having to learn to communicate with one another. That’s the dry, plain description. Now for my actual reaction. Omg, y’all! I […]
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 […]
