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?
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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
Requesting Support – Doctor Edition
A while ago I posted my letter to my dentist, which was my first attempt at letting a medical provider know that I'm Autistic and that I do, in fact, need specific accommodations and support during appointments. It has helped at the dentist, I think. The staff seem to take more time with me (allowing … Continue reading Requesting Support – Doctor Edition
Flashback Friday – Planning Everything
[image description: blue sky and cloud background. Text reads: "I picture myself running and my distress pursuing close behind. I will run at top speed if I'm around any other people, but eventually I get tired and the distress keeps getting bigger with longer legs until it can easily reach me. I try to ensure … Continue reading Flashback Friday – Planning Everything
Time, Processing, and Transitions
Unexpected events are largely unavoidable. Things happen, stuff comes up, plans change. I understand that. I also live with small unpredictable people, which adds another dimension to unexpectedness. I also recently learned of some insecurities on the part of my allistic (non-Autistic) husband that feed into many of the unexpected event-related difficulties in our marriage. More … Continue reading Time, Processing, and Transitions
Organization – Bags
I organize my life with bags. Cloth shopping bags, primarily. I started doing this after having children. I would watch the other parents on the playgrounds and I noticed that they always seemed to have the stuff that they needed every time they went to the park. I, on the other hand, had my usual … Continue reading Organization – Bags
Flashback Friday – Vinyl
It's always a neat feeling when I suddenly recall something I enjoyed as a child and realize that I likely enjoyed it as much as I did at least in part because I'm Autistic. These are generally things I enjoyed that were considered "odd" by most of my peers. Take vinyl records, for example. I grew up … Continue reading Flashback Friday – Vinyl
Flashback Friday – The Salad
It was several years ago, before I'd even learned about autism, when we took a family road trip up to visit some friends in a different state. A little over two hours into the trip, when we were driving through one of the nearest Big Cities, we stopped at Trader Joe's (an American specialty grocery store) for lunch. … Continue reading Flashback Friday – The Salad
Lining Things Up
Before I started really digging into online accounts of what living with autism was like, I hadn't particularly thought that I lined things up. Not unusually so, at any rate. I'd mainly heard stereotypical stories of little boys lining up cars or dinosaurs instead of playing with them and that description didn't fit me particularly … Continue reading Lining Things Up
Mamautistic 