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!
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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?
Thank You for Everything
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who kept me on this plane of existence over the last few months. You ALL are priceless to me ❤ Some of you don't even know I exist (Sarah Kendzior and Andrea Chalupa, whose podcast Gaslit Nation helped me initially realize that I had been gaslit all … Continue reading Thank You for Everything
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
Reckoning with Last Year’s Abuse
I'm going to write about something that feels shameful, but I'm not going to let the feeling of shame stop me from speaking out. Because I know I'm not the only Autistic person this has been done to. This isn't even the first time I've had it done to me, which adds to the feeling … Continue reading Reckoning with Last Year’s Abuse
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
Internalized Ableism, Others, and Reassurances
Honestly, I've not given all that much thought to internalized ableism. I've read about it, yes. I've even written a little bit about it, but it has never topped my list of "things I need to personally work on." Until now. It has, rather abruptly, come to my attention that I have internalized way more … Continue reading Internalized Ableism, Others, and Reassurances
“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
Remembering How Others See Us
My time is arranged specifically in many ways so that I can manage life in general. These arrangements also serve to keep me away from professionals, teachers, and other people who have been trained to see us as "people with autism" or "defective" or whathaveyou. Primarily I interact with people who know I'm Autistic, but accept … Continue reading Remembering How Others See Us
Mamautistic 