Dear unnamed prominent Autistic advocate/author, I thought you were my friend. I thought I could trust you. I thought that you understood boundaries and that you were informed about trauma. Even after you verbally assaulted me with vicious lies on vacation in front of my children I protected myself by isolating from you, but I … Continue reading An Open Letter to an Unnamed Prominent Autistic Advocate/Author
accommodation
Movie Nostalgia: What About Bob?
Last night I rewatched the movie What About Bob? for the first time since learning I'm Autistic and deeply researching issues surrounding mental health and media representation, etc. It was interesting. And there won't be any big spoilers in here for anyone who hasn't seen it. First of all, some critiques: Bob's struggles are often … Continue reading Movie Nostalgia: What About Bob?
Book Review: Simple Autism Strategies for Home and School
Today I'm reviewing Simple Autism Strategies for Home and School by Sarah Cobbe. There are many things I loved about this book, but there were just as many that I wasn't thrilled about. I'll start with the good first. My own personal philosophy of parenting and the needs of Autistic people can probably be summed … Continue reading Book Review: Simple Autism Strategies for Home and School
Autistic Parenting in Public
I wrote a parenting twitter thread today. The issue of public parenting came up and I have some issues with how our society views small children in public as well as generally, so I tweeted about how I handled the issue of parenting publicly with small (mostly Autistic) children, as an Autistic parent myself. The … Continue reading Autistic Parenting in Public
Relating to Torey Hayden’s Books
I was introduced to Torey Hayden's books in college by my Freshman year Foundations of Education professor. Her book, One Child, was required reading at some point or another during that year. The class was a year-long class and at the time I was a music education (double) major. I loved that education class, aside from … Continue reading Relating to Torey Hayden’s Books
“Needing Structure” — What Does That Mean?
Re: Autistic people (especially children) and structure -- Based on my own experiences and those of other Autistic people with whom I've conversed about this issue, it's not usually structure or schedules, per se (on their own), that help us the most. Yet predictability can be an important support for us, especially when we're children. … Continue reading “Needing Structure” — What Does That Mean?
Relatability – Autistic Adults and Parents
It occurred to me the other day, that allistic (non-autistic) parents mostly focus their conversations on the things that they relate to. This is also true of Autistic adults. Most people seem to focus primarily on the things that they relate most easily to, and this is logical to me. Allistic parents don't relate to … Continue reading Relatability – Autistic Adults and Parents
Outsourcing Executive Functioning – Family Meetings
I, like many Autistic people, struggle with executive functioning (EF), which makes many aspects of parenting and running a household especially difficult for me. Note: For a general overview of what EF is and how it can impact people's lives, please check out this series of posts from Cynthia Kim. Over the past several months, … Continue reading Outsourcing Executive Functioning – Family Meetings
Book – Autism and Asperger Syndrome in Adults
Over this past month I've been gradually reading Autism and Asperger Syndrome in Adults by Dr. Luke Beardon. I enjoyed reading this concise overview of some of the ways being Autistic affects many of us. I found several sections to be helpful in my own life both currently and in helping to reframe more of my past … Continue reading Book – Autism and Asperger Syndrome in Adults
Evaluating Autism Parenting Books
Otherwise entitled: "How can a desperate parent tell when a book about parenting an Autistic child will be helpful vs harmful?" (with a short detour to start with) https://twitter.com/mamautistic36/status/972198323770753024 I'm an Autistic parent. I've never found a lack of understanding for parents in general from the Autistic community. Just a lack of understanding for parents … Continue reading Evaluating Autism Parenting Books
Mamautistic 