Now that I'm an adult, people sometimes believe me about my sensory issues. I wish they'd believed me as a child. I wish that I hadn't gone through decades of not-knowing that everyone else didn't feel and experience the world the way I did. It still shocks me when I'm believed by other people. I … Continue reading Being Believed
discomfort
Navigating a Minefield vs Strolling Through the Woods
It occurred to me, after writing my previous post about autistic friends, that I might have made all autistic friendships seem overly simple and easy to navigate. In reality, of course, there are still potential missteps when being friends with and conversing with other autistics - even good long-term autistic friends. We're human and certainly … Continue reading Navigating a Minefield vs Strolling Through the Woods
Autistic Disclosure
Telling people I'm autistic is something that I've definitely gotten better at doing since last August when I received my official diagnosis. I've been extremely open about being autistic in my local writing community and haven't hesitated to tell people who know me well in real life aside from a few family members whom I … Continue reading Autistic Disclosure
Being Misunderstood and Mutism
Image description: Background is blue/white/grey ice crystals with the overlaying text reading, "Misunderstandings were constant, I could not get away. I pored over the dictionary to decide what to say. Unfairly, although we used the same words, We weren't speaking the same language, their meanings unheard, my meanings incorrectly inferred. ~Mamautistic, 2016" Being misunderstood is … Continue reading Being Misunderstood and Mutism
When the Unexpected Happens at the Dentist
CW: Dental work discussed in passing after the first paragraph. Medical professional belittling a patient mentioned briefly, as well. Sometimes the unexpected is enough to cause a complete melt down or shut down. Other times, it can be okay. It seems to primarily depend on how unknown the unexpected event is to me, how it's handled by … Continue reading When the Unexpected Happens at the Dentist
Requesting Support – Dentist Edition
One of the other things that occupied me last month, which I completely forgot to even mention in my Updating post was figuring out how to ask for some extra support at the dentist. To sum up a bit before delving into the whole story: I ended up writing an email. I'm putting the entire email I sent to … Continue reading Requesting Support – Dentist Edition
My Children’s Role
Content warning: pregnancy loss/miscarriage, no explicit details given Having children played an instrumental role in my awareness of autism. Many parents discover that they're Autistic after a child or children are diagnosed, but in my case, the reverse was true. It was brought to my attention and I suspected it of myself before my child was diagnosed. … Continue reading My Children’s Role
Negative Memories and Confusion
So, I mentioned in my previous post, that it's easier for me to access my positive memories than my negative memories. I've spent some time since writing that (it was scheduled several days ahead of publishing, this post is not) in thinking about why that might be and I believe the answer partially lies in … Continue reading Negative Memories and Confusion
Disclaimers
Image description: Photo of Spock on the bridge of the Enterprise with the quote, "If I seem insensitive to what you're going through, Captain, understand: it's the way I am." ~Spock, Star Trek "The Enemy Within" As I was reminded by a good friend the other day, disclaimers can be a powerful way to address misconceptions and difficulties … Continue reading Disclaimers
Flashback Friday – Vacuum Cleaners
My parents used to have the nicest vacuum cleaner. It was small and light, quite delightful to hold and use. It wasn't too loud for my ears to handle either. It was from before disposable vacuum bags were widely being used and we only had to open up the panel on the front to empty the … Continue reading Flashback Friday – Vacuum Cleaners
Mamautistic 