Accommodations are not Rewards

Disability accommodations are among the most important factors in allowing autistic and other neurodivergent people to equally access an education. “Equally access” here is the key phrase, because the entire purpose of accommodations for a disability at an academic institution is to ensure the same opportunity for all students to access an education (and the …

Autistic Play is Appropriate Play

“Does your child play appropriately with their toys?” Apparently, this is a common question asked of parents if their kid is being assessed for autism. In this context playing “appropriately” means “playing with toys exactly as a neurotypical child would play with their toys.” That, and it is often pushed very hard for parents to …

Autistic Pride Day 2020

Happy Autistic Pride Day (or belated Autsitic Pride Day, if you’re in the Eastern Hemisphere and it’s already June 19th when this goes live) to all of my autistic readers! Today is a day for us to celebrate who we are and be confident in our own neurologies! Although there already is a “World Autism …

I am not a Pawn: Musings on Autistics in Autism Advocacy

Sometimes, doing autism advocacy as an autistic person feels like being trapped in the same old endless repeating plot. I put in effort to do the best I can to write good blogs, network with other advocates, prepare practice and give good speeches, point people to good resources, and watch out for myself and my …

The Double Empathy Problem – A Paradigm Shift in Thinking About Autism

How many times have you heard something of the following sorts about autism? "People with autism lack social skills." "People with autism can't communicate appropriately." "Deficits in theory of mind is a core symptom of autism." "People with autism lack the ability to feel empathy." As you can tell from the person-first language, these statements …