Autistic Resilience: Overcoming Adversity Through Self-Care and Strengths

• By: Lisa Morgan, MSW, MEd Lisa Morgan Consulting LLC
• October 4th, 2024
• actually autistic, adversity, autistic resilience, bullying, Fall 2024 Issue, mental health, neurodiversity, self-care, trauma
• 457    0

I could say ‘Adversity’ was my middle name, but I’d be lying… it’s Rae. Still, like so many other autistic people, adversity has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Research has validated that claim by saying autistic people have an increased risk of experiencing...

I’ll Always Be a Sea Creature

• By: Cathryn Salladin Former US National Swim Team Member
• January 10th, 2024
• actually autistic, autistic experience, hope, mental health, neurodivergence, personal story, self-discovery, trauma, Winter 2024 Issue
• 1084    0

Note: This article has been reprinted with permission. You may view the original article, published on November 28th, 2023, at www.neurodiversitypress.com/2023/11/28/ill-always-be-a-sea-creature. At swim practice, I would pretend I was a sea creature. And when I got a little older, I’d still...

How to Get Unstuck After Receiving an Adult Autism Diagnosis

• By: Johanna R. Murphy, MFA Evolve Coaching
• April 11th, 2023
• actually autistic, adult diagnosis, burnout, diagnosis, girls and women, masking, music, Spring 2023 Issue, trauma, validation
• 4918    1

When I was diagnosed ASD level 1 at age 42 and realized what the staggering number of undiagnosed autistic women my age* must be, my first thought was of all the untapped talent that was out there in the world like misplaced dynamite. There was world-changing potential just waiting to be...

Addressing Abuse of Children and Adults on the Autism Spectrum

• By: Nora Baladerian, PhD Disability Without Abuse Project
• July 19th, 2022
• abuse, communication, incidence, Summer 2022 Issue, trauma, trauma treatment
• 5711    1

Parents and caregivers who work directly with individuals (children and adults) with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis are in most cases overwhelmed with the impact and difficulties they face in accommodating to the reality they and their child face when learning of the diagnosis. I will not...

Are Autistic Students Traumatized in Schools?

• By: Marcia Eckerd, PhD Diagnostician, Therapist, Writer, and Speaker
• April 1st, 2022
• behavior, education, inclusion, neurodiversity, school, self-advocacy, self-regulation, Spring 2022 Issue, students, trauma
• 5992    2

According to a 2017 study, “77% of autistic high school students play a very limited role or no role at all in post-secondary planning compared to 47 % of students with intellectual disabilities and 27% of students with all other disabilities” (Gillespie-Lynch, K. et al., 2017). Why do so...

Implementing Common Sense Practices to Improve the Psychological and Emotional Safety of Autistic Adults in the Workplace

• By: Heidi Stieglitz Ham, PhD Spectrum Fusion
• June 25th, 2021
• accommodation, adults, disclosure, emotional safety, employment, invalidation, psychological safety, struggle, Summer 2021 Issue, sustaining employment, trauma, trust, unemployment, workplace
• 2569    0

I hired five adults on the autism spectrum. Am I a hero? No. Do I have all of the answers? No. However, after years of actively listening to autistic adults describe their emotional struggles whilst they desperately tried to maintain employment in the traditional workplace, I am committed to taking...