Rhi at Autnot recently wrote a wonderful post about the need for accessibility of autism services. Along with the parts about being terrible at contacting people and balancing energy, these sentences in particular resonated with me and made me want to cry because I felt so understood and that's been such a rare feeling for me throughout … Continue reading Reasonable Accommodations?
support
Truth, Emotions, and Potential Evaluation Outcomes
To prepare for my evaluation I had spent nearly two months searching through my memories, talking to people from my past, and writing things down. Mostly I was looking through the lens of likely being Autistic, but I was aware that there could potentially be another explanation that I hadn't considered or didn't know about. … Continue reading Truth, Emotions, and Potential Evaluation Outcomes
Preparing for My Evaluation
I've been somewhat putting off writing about my evaluation and the process of getting diagnosed. This is partly because I wanted to give some background about myself to start with and I've now done that. Also, the evaluation process ended up being much more difficult for me than I had anticipated and I needed to recover … Continue reading Preparing for My Evaluation
Going to the Dentist
I had a dentist appointment last week at which I got a temporary crown and cleaning. My jaw felt like someone had punched me for the first 2-3 days afterwards. The visit started off poorly from the beginning, with me forgetting to bring money and having to go back home for it. So, instead of … Continue reading Going to the Dentist
Grieving
Content warning - death (both people and pets), grieving, depression; passing mention (no details) of being spanked/hit as a child This year, 2016, has been a particularly rough one for many people. More than a few beloved celebrities have died and many folks I know, including myself, have lost loved ones who were much closer … Continue reading Grieving
One Person’s Twaddle is Another Person’s Roadmap
I grew up primarily reading classic literature. As someone who was hyperlexic and reading books at the age of 2 years old, I had many years during which to indulge my love of reading and my parents made certain that I primarily had older, quality representations of literature available to me. Unfortunately, my obsessive rereading of … Continue reading One Person’s Twaddle is Another Person’s Roadmap
Shelving My Research
This post contains the *last sections from the entries I journaled four years ago. It's continued from here. Anyhow! On our [recent] drive home from [the nearby Big City], I talked to [husband] about what I had been like in middle school. We weren’t friends then, but we took several classes together for two years. Apparently I was noticeably … Continue reading Shelving My Research
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
I Have Time
There's time. My words aren't going anywhere. I don't need to capture each one, frantically. They will still be here. I don't need to make up for those years, long ago tears. I can allow myself to catch up, it cannot happen in one thrill. Gradually let them unfold, the stories untold. All meant to be written, … Continue reading I Have Time
Off I Go
This is the continuation of excerpts from my first journal entry after beginning to learn about autism. I wrote responses from my current self to clarify or expand on what I wrote all those years ago: Apparently it’s somehow normal to be able to tell how people are feeling without them telling you. That doesn’t … Continue reading Off I Go
Mamautistic 