AAC, Autism, and the Communication First Approach

One thing that often confuses people new to the autism world are all the acronyms. It seems like just about everything has a three-letter acronym associated with it, and I can understand why it would be difficult to keep all of them straight or remember what they all stand for. But there's one acronym that …

International Disability Day of Mourning 2021

March 1st has been designated the International Disability Day of Mourning. It is a day for the disability community to mourn the loss of disabled people who were murdered by their parents or caregivers, a heinous form of murder called filicide. Disabled people, especially people with developmental disabilities like autism, are significantly more likely to …

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 …