October 21, 2018

“What is one piece of advice that you wish you could give all autistics? How about all non-autistics?”

Someone asked me these two questions today, and my answers were more alike than I expected.

For autistics, I said: Never stop looking for ways to make hard things easier, from social interaction to sensory overload. You …

October 13, 2018

I try to make brave choices, because bravery seems like a worthwhile trait to cultivate. And I have frequent opportunities to do so, because so many “normal” things are difficult or uncomfortable for me.

I met a new friend for brunch, and afterwards she suggested we rent electric scooters and ride them around the block. …

June 16, 2018

Someone asked me what I like most about myself.

It took me awhile to answer, because the things that came to mind first weren’t things I observe about myself, which I assume was the intent of the question.

Rather, taking it literally, I started thinking of things I enjoy experiencing about myself from the inside …

April 24, 2018

“How are you doing?” I asked, curious how she was feeling about new responsibilities at work.

She flapped her arms in classic autistic fashion, her face looking overwhelmed but full of hopeful determination, like a baby bird trying to make it out of the nest, or a fish trying to swim upstream.

“Staying afloat,” she …

April 23, 2018

Most of my autistic friends live on the other side of the country, and I’m a little jealous that they regularly give each other recommendations for doctors and dentists and mechanics based on how clearly and directly each professional communicates.

If you’re a professional of any sort, you can gain autistic business (and there are …

April 21, 2018

Someone asked me if I consider autism a disability, and I said:

“Superman can’t handle kryptonite. That’s a disability, right? That’s how I think of autism.”

But I like this answer from Kirsten Lindsmith better:

“Autism is a pervasive, full-body difference that involves varying levels of disability, depending on both the situation in which an …

April 17, 2018

Tonight at an advocacy event, a parent tried to assure me that autism doesn’t define me.

“It does, though,” I said.

“It may be 95% of who you are,” she insisted, “but you’re still beautiful and amazing.”

“I need you to trust me about something,” I said, forgetting to thank her for the kind words. …

February 11, 2018

“How can non-autistics be more supportive toward autistics?”

I sooo appreciate it when my non-autistic friends ask this! 🙂 Every autistic person is different, so it’s best to ask the ones you know. As for me, I appreciate it when you…

ALLOW ME TO “STIM” – I feel so much calmer when I know that …

February 7, 2018

“Is it a good idea to look for a cure for autism?”

Autism isn’t a disease, so “cure” isn’t the right word. But whatever you call it, autistics have different opinions about whether they’d prefer to live without autism.

As for me, no part of my identity is untouched by autism. I can see how …

February 6, 2018

“If autism is a spectrum, where do you draw the line between autistic and non-autistic?”

“Spectrum” doesn’t actually mean a scale from autistic to not – it means the broad and colorful variety of ways that autism can appear in different people. Still, the question remains: Are some people “more autistic” or “less autistic”?

I’m …