“How do I get an autistic person to X?” – You’re asking the wrong question.

I remember my fourth grade year of school, when I was about ten years old, as being one of my most difficult years in school. I had just moved schools from my local public elementary school to a magnet school a bit farther away, as we thought it would fit me better. This new school …

Moving Beyond Autism Awareness

We're just about halfway through April now. As you may be aware, the month of April is often a very stressful time for many autistic people, due to the fact that April is "Autism Month." This stress of course comes somewhat from the fact that we tend not to like all kinds of attention forced …

To the Parents of a Newly Diagnosed Autistic Child…

Dear, Parent, Presumably, if you are reading this it is because your child has recently been diagnosed with autism. Firstly, before you read any further, I want you to take a deep breath and relax for a minute. Take a few minutes to listen to what I have to say. There are probably a number …

Why You Should Not Support Autism Speaks

Well, here we are. "Autism Awareness Month." The time of year in which talks about autism will permeate well into the public consciousness. One of the larger organizations you will see leading the charge this month is one called Autism Speaks. This is rather unfortunate, as Autism Speaks is a charity that is loathed by the autistic …

Understanding Auditory Sensitivities in Autistic People – It’s not just about volume!

"Autistic people hear everything at the same volume." Have any of you ever heard this?   This statement is one I hear a lot, generally as a quick oversimplified explanation of one of the ways in which autistic people experience the world differently. I've long been turning this statement around in my head, dissecting it to …

This April, go #RedInstead for Autism Acceptance!

Coming up on April 2nd is "World Autism Day," couched in what some people have designated as "Autism Awareness Month." Unfortunately, for many autistic people, April has become a month of anxiety due to the darker sides of the "awareness" that is often pushed. There will be "autism walks," wear blue days at schools and …

PSA: Stop Conflating Co-Occurring Conditions With Autism

Autism is known for having a ton of co-occurring conditions that can go along with it, many of which are significantly more common in autistic people. For example, 80% of autistic people have an anxiety disorder. 30% of autistic people have some sort of seizure disorder. I don't have specific data on these next points, …

Autism and Driving

There's been a little bit of a situation going on in the UK recently, though it seems that by now it has mostly resolved itself. A few weeks ago, the DVLA (a UK governmental organization that issues driver's licenses) announced that it was now requiring autistic people who had a driver's license to receive permission …