Sensory Eating is not Picky Eating

I want you to imagine that you are a kid once again, maybe ten or eleven years old. You are sitting down in the evening with your family for dinner. The table is set, and your parents bring out what will be tonight's entree: a cut of cold, raw chicken breast. It's slimy pink mass …

Understanding Shutdowns and Autism

Last month I posted a huge post all about meltdowns and autism. I talked about what a meltdown is and what it isn't, what meltdowns are like, and tips for how people can be helpful and supportive. You can read it by clicking here. In it, I also mentioned that I'd like to write a …

Don’t let my talents discredit my challenges.

I am incredibly lucky, privileged, and blessed to have so many amazing talents. I am a gifted writer and, as I recently learned, pretty good at giving presentations too. I've been told I'm doing a good job helping people better understand autism. Plus, I have the gift of an amazing memory, especially given things I'm …

Autistics Present Symposium: Essential Youth Voices

A few weekends ago, I had the privilege of attending the Autistics Present Symposium at Bellevue College in Bellevue, Washington. This year's theme was "Essential Youth Voices," and featured, with a few exceptions, all-autistic presenters between the ages of 13 and 22 (though a few were a bit older). I had a fantastic time at …

Understanding Meltdowns and Autism

"Beneath every behavior is a feeling. And beneath every feeling is a need. And when we meet that need rather than focus on the behavior, we begin to deal with the cause and not the symptom." - Psychologist Ashleigh Warner I used to have daily meltdowns. There was a time in early elementary school where …

Autism from the Insider’s Perspective

There's something interesting I've noticed about the way people talk about autism. It's that non-autistic people and autistic people always seem to describe autism in a very different way. Ask a non-autistic person (non-autistic people have in the past and still continue to dominate the narrative about autism) what autism is, and if they're at …

Never say Never

I spend a lot of time on the interwebs hanging around in autism parenting groups and fielding questions from parent of autistic kids. I've found it so rewarding to do my best to explain things and give my experience to help people. I generally try to stay in the communities where things are positive, and …

Sesame Street partners with Autism Speaks – A step backwards for autism acceptance.

Have you heard of the Sesame Street character Julia? She's one of the newest characters in the Sesame Street lineup, and when she was introduced represented what was perhaps one of the most important steps forward for broader autism understanding and acceptance. Julia is Sesame Street's first autistic character, and one of the first openly …