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 …

Sleeplessness and Night-Time Anxiety

There are very few things that I'd change about myself. I'm pretty comfortable with myself. That is not the case, however, for my sleeping patterns. I have really really bad insomnia. It comes and goes, occasionally I'll have a few nights where I can sleep without any problems, but a lot of the time I …

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 …

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 …

Unintended Consequences of School Rules – How you may be hurting your autistic students and not even know it.

Pretty soon, I'm going back to school for the last time before I am an adult. It's the start of my senior year of high school, and by the end of the year I will have completed the journey of public education that I began thirteen years ago. For essentially as long as I remember, …