A favorite talking point of some folks on the internet is that self-diagnosis of autism by Autistic adults isn't valid. On the surface, this seems like a somewhat reasonable position to take. After all, there are professionals who are trained in how to know whether someone is Autistic or not. What could be the harm … Continue reading The Illogic of Expecting Autistic Adults to be #DiagnosedAutistic
autism
Not Talking, Insert More Title Here
Words have been difficult again for a long time. In my mind I can often make the words, but then they won't come out or when they do come out it's not how I intended them to. So I've been rethinking about talking at all. The fact is that I do better when I don't … Continue reading Not Talking, Insert More Title Here
I’m alive!
And I very nearly wasn't. As it turns out, I've been pretty severely depressed for years now. My alleged friend in 2018 took full advantage of my depressed state and by the time I'd started dating my girlfriend last summer (yes, I'm married to a man and have a girlfriend -- maybe I'll write more … Continue reading I’m alive!
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 — The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
A brief intro before the actual review, which is below a horizontal line if you want to skip this: It's been a long time since I last really wrote a book review here. In that review of On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis I also outlined some important issues to keep in mind … Continue reading Book Review — The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Nearly a Month
I'm still untangling some things, working through some others. My words come and go. April is always a bit rough for awareness reasons. But this April I'm figuring things out, untangling my life. I'm reading so many great books that I need to write reviews for very soon! My interests, family, and friends are constant … Continue reading Nearly a Month
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
Liars are Illusions or How Gaslighting Leads to Meltdowns
All week I've been mulling over how lying (either to or about me) is one of the fastest ways for someone else to bring me to a state of meltdown. I considered why that might be the case and then came across a perceptive tweet regarding another liar, the father in the #PuppetGate play, which … Continue reading Liars are Illusions or How Gaslighting Leads to Meltdowns
“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?
Just Do It! Or Not.
There's a lot of motivational speak out there that encourages just doing the thing (usually it's the exercise-related ones I see most often) if you don't want to. Generally speaking, that's probably good advice. I don't often want to do various things around the house or to take care of myself, but life is generally … Continue reading Just Do It! Or Not.
Mamautistic 