NeurobeautifulYou may have seen the phrase “autistic culture” in posts about social interactions that autistic people often enjoy – like blunt communication, expressing empathy through a personal story, or infodumping.
But what makes it a culture? Why not just call it a set of shared preferences, or habits, or traits?
To call something a culture, …
I’m trying to pay closer attention to my harmless urges to move in unconventional ways. Sometimes I might follow them, and sometimes not, but at least I want to notice them.
Today I noticed, as my boyfriend told a complex story, that I was imagining all the nouns in the story as invisible blocks, floating …
My body knows what it needs. But I’ve spent most of my life fighting it, because if I give in, people might perceive me as a threat.
Percussive movement, such as stomping my feet or whacking my palms on my thighs, is threatening because it looks like violence.
Sudden movement, such as stretching out my …
I enjoy occasionally flabbergasting my autistic students with insights into the neurotypical mind. It feels like being a tour guide on a safari.
One such insight, which I learned quite recently myself, is that some people correct factual errors as a power move. That’s one reason they might get angry when you do it to …
As an autistic person begins to trade the heavy armor of hypervigilant self-preservation for the spinny sundress of safe authenticity, each step forward may seem like a step back.
They may look “more autistic,” as they embrace the calming power of natural movements.
They may request more support, as they recognize the cost of facing …
If you’re a failure-fearing go-getter like me, then it may be easier to try new things if you explicitly set a goal to fail.
Like the writer who tried to get 100 rejections from magazines, and ended up with many articles published, because he wasn’t afraid to pitch his ideas.
Like the pottery students who …