Using Storytelling as a Self-Advocacy Tool

• By: Izabelle Azevedo Visual Storyteller and Mental Health, Neurodiversity, and Inclusion Self-Advocate
• January 2nd, 2023
• actually autistic, adult diagnosis, advocacy, healing, human connection, self-acceptance, self-advocacy, storytelling, Winter 2023 Issue
• 1283    0

I have always tried to advocate for myself, but I noticed from a very young age that I had difficulties doing so verbally. It takes a while for me to organize my thoughts to be able to speak, and I often say that even though my speaking and writing comes from the same brain, it seems like...

What My Autism Has Taught Me About Dating and Relationships

• By: Claire Jack, PhD Autistic Therapist and Training Provider
• September 29th, 2022
• actually autistic, adult diagnosis, dating, Fall 2022 Issue, intense feelings, relationships, social skills
• 7708    0

I was diagnosed as autistic in my late forties, after a counsellor first suggested I might be autistic. Discovering I am autistic has helped me make sense of almost every aspect of my life, including my long-running unsatisfactory history of dating and relationships, up until the point I met my...

Addressing a National Shortage of Autism Specialists

• By: Amy Kelly, MBA, MNM Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health
• April 14th, 2022
• adult diagnosis, autism specialists, Developmental-behavioral pediatricians, parenting, workforce shortage
• 3340    3

I remember the day as if it was yesterday – Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2003. It was my birthday, and I had just met with my 21-month-old daughter’s pediatrician to discuss her “global developmental delays.” In the most caring way, he told us, “You will need to see a developmental-behavioral...

My Life Is a Work in Progress

• By: Angela Chapes Autistic Self-Advocate
• September 24th, 2021
• actually autistic, adult diagnosis, anxiety, eye contact, Fall 2021 Issue, obsessive-compulsive disorder, OCD, social challenges, social cues, speech challenges, teaching
• 1702    0

My goal in life is to keep facing my everyday challenges. My life is a work in progress. I want to talk about how I understand things and what is going on in my brain because I have autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). I also have anxiety. My anxiety can be good because it helps me...