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
• 38    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...

What Do Change in Schedules, Virtual Meetings, and Face Masks Have in Common?

• By: Heidi Hillman PhD, BCBA-D Eastern Washington University
• July 1st, 2020
• actually autistic, anxiety, COVID-19, daily routines, face masks, overstimulation, panic, social cues, summer 2020 issue, virtual meetings
• 907    1

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...

Accommodating Communication Difficulties

• By: Yvona Fast, MLS
• April 1st, 2016
• actually autistic, body language, communication, social cues, social skills
• 614    0

Communication issues are common because most on the spectrum have difficulty reading body language and interpreting facial expressions or tone of voice – and 90% of interpersonal communication is nonverbal. Words can have different meanings depending upon tone and emphasis. This means the person...