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Call Me Autistic: A Soft Correction for Those Still Using Person-First Language
I want to tell you about the woman I am named after, my Great Aunt Betty. I never met Betty, but I got to hear about her whenever I asked where my name came from. Betty was apparently a sassy lady who, like me, despised her full name and went by her nickname, Betty. The “big” family secret...
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#DisabilityStillTooWhite: A White Autist Examines Representation in the Disability Movement
I identify as White, non-binary, neuro-queer, autistic, and disabled. I believe it is crucial to be transparent as soon as possible about (my) positionality when discussing intricate and delicate concepts (and always starting with my Whiteness to highlight how my White privilege directly and...
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Supporting Autistic Children: Much Has Been Learned Since My Childhood
Having been diagnosed on the autism spectrum as an older adult, I was certainly not aware of this condition during my childhood, nor was anyone else in my life including family, school officials, or healthcare professionals. At the time there was no public awareness about autism to speak of (it was...
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Neurodiversity and Sibling Relationships
Having a child with an autism spectrum disorder has a transformative effect on the entire family. Typically, when a child is diagnosed with autism, parents embark on a mission to find effective treatments and support systems. However, during treatment planning neurotypical siblings are often...
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My First Employment Experience Working for Autism Spectrum News
I graduated from Marist College in May of 2018. While I was on hiatus as I enjoyed free time for the summer, I was thinking about looking for my first employment experience, but I needed help with planning my next steps. When January came, I started out at Shrub Oak International School, where I...
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Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics: The Tyranny of Typicality
There is an old saying, often attributed to Mark Twain but apparently of unknown origin, that there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. The problem with the latter, as I have always seen it, is that it seeks to find norms in populations within which there can be considerable...
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How We’ve Always Done It
I remember the day exactly. It was an unspectacular Sunday and I was headed to the last job I would ever take working for somebody else. It was a low-paying, hourly, management position for an animal nonprofit and just about the only benefit of the job was that I was in charge of making the...
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What Do Change in Schedules, Virtual Meetings, and Face Masks Have in Common?
The Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted daily life for almost every person around the world; especially daily routines. Routines are a good thing, since the predictability can be comforting. For many, changes to routines are frustrating; but are usually seen as positive, creating novel changes. But...
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Life in the Time of COVID-19: An Autistic Perspective
Like many autistics, I have been drawn to science fiction as far back as I can remember. The idea of an epidemic infecting the human race has always been a common theme in science fiction and is probably as old as the genre itself. As such, I have seen and read more stories about pandemics than I...
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How to Recover Financially From a Crisis When You Are Autistic
Being an autistic adult has many challenges and, obviously by this point, we are well aware of them. We constantly talk about the high unemployment rate for autistic adults and how a majority of Americans are unable to cover one month of living expenses. That all being said, I believe there...
