-
Can Being Denied Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Cause Lifelong Trauma?
Complex trauma happens when someone feels they are trapped and alone in continuing threatening or unsafe circumstances, like child abuse, war, or racism (World Health Organization, 2019). In situations where a person experiences threats every day, changes occur to the part of the nervous system...
-
Autistic Lived Experience: To Be Disabled Is to Be Strong!
Not everything is as it seems on the surface. Many things can be looked at in more ways than one. Much of what comprises a person is hidden from plain sight, though it is nonetheless very real and often of great power. Human strength is a prime example. When I attended a 2-week tennis...
-
The Problem with Calling Neurominorities “Neurodiverse”
Calling individuals neurodiverse spreads neurodiversity lite. Neurodiversity lite is the pathology paradigm in disguise. The pathology paradigm marginalizes/medicalizes neurominorities. Using the word “neurodiverse” to refer to individual people spreads neurodiversity lite...
-
A Presumption of Competence: Empowering Disability Advocacy and Independent Living
On June 18, 2024, the White House hosted an Olmstead 25th Anniversary Observance to commemorate the Supreme Court decision (Olmstead v. L.C.) that ruled institutionalizing people with disabilities who were capable of community living was a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). One...
-
What Neurodiversity Means to This Late-Identified Autistic Adult
I lived the first 40 years of my life as an autistic individual who didn’t know it yet. In a sense, lost because I lacked a complete picture of who I was. Confused because I faced too many questions as to why I was contending with challenges that were foreign to just about all of my peers, which...
-
Diagnosis, Resources, and Behavior Changes – A Journey of Self-Discovery
Time changes our framing of incidents. When they go poorly, it’s not unusual to replay them in our minds in search of a more acceptable arc. This narrative is what I’ve learned from a situation that resolved well but which has also coughed up useful lessons. In the two or three years...
-
Creating Autism-Friendly Environments for Workplace Inclusivity
In an increasingly diverse and inclusive world, creating autism-friendly environments in the workplace is not just a noble endeavor but a practical necessity. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects millions of people worldwide, and many of them possess unique skills and perspectives that can be...
-
The Complete Autistic Travel Guide
Travel, whether for necessity or pleasure, is an important part of human existence and opens the door to a variety of new experiences. For many, it also presents opportunities for excitement and adventure, as well as a welcome change from the boredom of daily life. To the autistic person, however,...
-
Prioritizing Autistic-Centered Self-Care for Mental Health and Well-Being
I could never relate to most social media posts with self-care ideas, especially the ones showing nails getting done or drinking wine in a bathtub. The thought of going to a beauty salon has always given me anxiety, and baths were never my thing. I couldn’t really find self-care tips or ideas...
-
Just Because We Can Mask Doesn’t Mean We Don’t Need Support as Autistic Adults
We spend a lot of time in the Autism community focused on children and how to support their needs. I admit this is the focus of my career, but we sometimes forget that autistic children become autistic adults. And while progress is often made as autistic people age and mature, there will often...
