People often question the resilience of autistic people, but I believe they are more resilient than most will ever know. I salute you all #ActuallyAutistic
Tag: autistic
5 Lockdown Tips to get you Through
As England is about to join Wales in a National Lockdown, I thought it might be time to write something about how this year has changed my life and how I deal with the tricky bits. Tip number 1: Focus on the good things I really struggled with this one during the first lockdown and … Continue reading 5 Lockdown Tips to get you Through
If the world were built for me
If the world were built for me there would be no start times or end times, there would just be the work that needed doing and the space in which to do it. If the world were built for me no one would ever assume poor eye contact meant low trustworthiness. If the world were … Continue reading If the world were built for me
Autistic Pride
Today is Autistic Pride day and I am contemplating what that means to me. My journey since discovering I was autistic has been one of ups and downs. I’ve had a lot of rethinking to do, a lot of processing, a ridiculous number of times exclaiming, ‘Oh that’s why I reacted like that; it was … Continue reading Autistic Pride
Autistic Art
I’ve been thinking a lot about being an autistic artist. I’ve been thinking a lot about everything. There’s been a lot to think about during Lockdown, a lot to realise and come to terms with. I’ve been thinking about being an autistic artist, and what that means, how it works for me. There can be … Continue reading Autistic Art
Autistic Joy
I remember the first time I heard the term Autism actually being applied to someone: I was seventeen, it was 1997, and I was volunteering with a local respite care team during the Summer Holidays. There was a huge group of children with various disabilities and difficulties, and I was there to... well... play with … Continue reading Autistic Joy
When the World Changes…
One of the first things I noticed about people when I started my informal psychological studies of them as a teenager, was that angry people are often frightened people trying to regain control. Someone added me to a local Coronavirus Support Group on social media this week. At first I thought, “That sounds great - … Continue reading When the World Changes…
Preparing for Uncertainty
There’s an emergency situation going on and it’s outside of our control. There is uncertainty about what is going to happen and when, and that will be making life particularly difficult for autistic people. I’ve been feeling a low level buzz in my chest since I first realised that there was a high likelihood that … Continue reading Preparing for Uncertainty
I can’t
I’m ruminating on something small that happened this week. It was so small that I suspect it passed by unnoticed by everyone except me. It wasn’t big or important but it shone a light on my weaknesses in a way that I hadn’t been anticipating. I have far bigger challenges and far more pressing obstacles, … Continue reading I can’t
Imperfectly Autistic
Five years on from an autism diagnosis, what has changed?