NeurobeautifulI think that all summer camps should have a designated “un-camp” zone, where any camper may go at any time.
So, what would that look like?
Camp is a boisterous crowd, where kids are bombarded by noise and water activities. Un-camp would be away from the action, maybe a sunny clearing in the woods.
Camp …
Everyone’s talking about the casting of the new Little Mermaid, but what I’m most excited to see is the modern portrayal of a nonspeaking Disney princess.
In the original movie, the prince seems to take interest in silent Ariel based on her looks alone. But inability to speak does not mean inability to think.
Thirty …
The gym class instructor pauses after explaining a move. “Is anyone confused?” he asks.
Silence all around. He turns to me. “Are you sure? You’re staring at me with such intensity!”
I’m instantly reminded of Jane Eyre, my favorite Victorian heroine, “who always looked as if she were watching everybody, and scheming plots underhand.”
Without …
“Your blood pressure is higher than last time,” said the doctor.
“That’s because you were asking me questions as you tested it,” I answered, “and multitasking is stressful. Can you try again?”
She retested it, this time in silence except for instructions about the testing. My blood pressure was fine.
That appointment broke a myth …
What does self-care look like for an autistic person? It might include bubble baths and pedicures, but it’s also anything that rejuvenates us.
Stimming is one example that’s well-known and well-loved – at least by autistics! We automatically do it in reaction to stress or excitement, but scheduling time just to stim is a kind …
“You are so cute!”
My boyfriend said this as I was telling him about something exciting, and expressing my excitement in a particularly autistic way – tilting my head, bending my wrists, hiding behind my hands – letting myself move in ways I often resist around others.
It amazed me, as it always does, that …
Don’t spank your kids. Please, just don’t.
My parents were extra careful to remind me that they loved me, and that spanking always made them very sad. However, because they didn’t know about my autism, they didn’t realize two important things.
First, everything hurts worse when your senses are heightened. Imagine the feeling of a …