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 …

Speaking of Autism… 2020 Year in a Review

I'm a few days late, but alas we are now in 2021! Happy new year, everybody! 2020 was certainly a year to remember, and unfortunately not in a good way. The year was incredibly frustrating, scary, and draining, and frankly I'm just thankful that I was able to keep this blog afloat and keep writing …

How to make the Holiday Season Less Stressful for Autistic People

"It's the most wonderful time of the yearWith the kids jingle bellingAnd everyone telling you be of good cheerIt's the most wonderful time of the year" Well, at least for some people. The "most wonderful time of the year" isn't wonderful and magical for everybody. For autistic people especially, the holidays can drive much more …

It’s my birthday! Plus, thinking about expectations

Today, Friday November 20th, 2020, is my 19th birthday. This doesn't feel right to me honestly, there's no way that I'm only a year away from turning 20. I said this last year too when I turned 18, there's no way I'm an "adult" now. I feel exactly the same way as I did when …

I’m writing a book!

Hello everyone, I am very happy to announce that I have recently signed a contract with the UK-based Jessica Kingsley Publishers, a company well-known for publishing autism-related books, to write a book provisionally titled "Shake it Up: How to be young, autistic, and make a difference." I'm going to be a published author! The book …

On Autistic People and Dogs

This is my family’s dog Doodlebug. He’s a barrel-chested, chubby-bellied (ok fine, he's overweight) energetic, happy beagle mix who we’ve had for eleven years now. A dark-brown and white beagle-mix dog sits next to a person with medium-length curly red hair wearing a green shirt and black shorts (me). The person is looking perpendicular to …