What is it about being a woman that makes me happy? I don’t know if I can answer that. Being a woman just is. It carries some burdens and some joys. I’ve spoken about Bras before (Link here), and how much I loathe them, I’m not sure I’ve really written much about my experience of … Continue reading An Autistic Woman
Category: Positivity
Spectrum Thinking
Neurotypicality is a spectrum. Neurotypicality: a brain that works like most of the population's, i.e. not autistic or epileptic or any other kind of neurodivergent brain type It’s not something that you usually have to state, because nobody expects people with brains that work in expected ways, to all behave identically. That would … Continue reading Spectrum Thinking
Beginnings
January swelled and fell with a clash of cymbals. I started the year with the flu. It was my own fault for waxing lyrical (I’ve never been able to work out a pattern for that particular saying, but I love the sound of it) about not getting ill at Christmas since my diagnosis. I invited … Continue reading Beginnings
Nature or Nurture: My Autistic Skills
Is my problem-solving a skill that I have because I’m autistic, or something my autism has taught me?
How I Show Love: Autism
Communication is a two-way street and when it comes to autism, it's often one-way traffic. When I say that people usually assume they know what I mean. They think I mean that autistic people are disordered and can't communicate as well as non-autistic people. That's not what I mean. Communication is one-way traffic insofar as … Continue reading How I Show Love: Autism
Autistic Peers
It's time we recognised a real need for #Autistic peer support. We need each other.
My Gift is Time
Why autistic people may find it hard to build relationships: the time we need to invest in each interaction is so much higher.
Change
I'm in the middle of reading Luke Beardon's new book, "Autism and Asperger Syndrome in Adults" and I've paused to splurge this. I am frantically typing because I want to get back to it, but didn't want to lose my train of thought. I'm on the chapter about autistic resistance to change. Luke is sympathetically … Continue reading Change
Adieu Autism Awareness
As another Autism Awareness month is over, I'm feeling silent. Acceptance or not, I shall carry on being here. Diagnosis or not, I shall carry on being who I am. Noticed or not, I shall still be. Wasn't it Descartes who said, "I think as an autistic, therefore I am an autistic"? Or something like … Continue reading Adieu Autism Awareness
Autism’s Love
I am a hoarder. I should probably write a self-help book, but I'd just hoard that too. My parents were hoarders before me, so I can't just blame my neurotype. I was lucky enough to hear the wonderful Susan Kruse speak recently about her ideas on Autistics and Love. I'm going to paraphrase clumsily, but … Continue reading Autism’s Love
