A Tale of Discrimination
This is a bit of a departure from what I usually do with this blog, but I was contacted recently by an autistic person who was forbidden from pursuing an interest in aviation because of an autism...
View ArticleSelf-Determination, Control, and Mental Health
I seem to have a bit of a self-determination theme running through this blog now. I’ve written about self-determination a fair bit, and most particularly in the context of childhood, because I feel...
View ArticleThe autism constellation
For a long time, we’ve used the metaphor of a spectrum to describe autism. This is a metaphor that has worked fairly well for us in many ways. It alerted us to the fact that instead of being a...
View ArticleAdvocates, Researchers, and Reconciliation
I’m not writing this post because I particularly want to apportion blame to either researchers or neurodiversity advocates, or to fight over old grievances, as an end in itself. Mostly, I hope we can...
View ArticleNetworking and Planning Careers
Have you heard the term “hidden curriculum” before? It refers to everything that is not explicitly taught in a place of learning. One important part of the hidden curriculum in a university – the...
View ArticleSupports, Burdensomeness, and Dependence
Research suggests that volunteering and helping others can be beneficial for the mental health of the helper. This effect is believed to stand above and beyond any tendency for those with better...
View ArticleBehaviour Intervention: Some Key Terms
Hopefully the fact this post has “behaviour intervention” in the title should act as a content warning to anyone who might find a discussion about ABA triggering, but just to be sure, here’s one now....
View ArticleRevisiting monotropism
The monotropism account of autism – which was introduced by Dinah Murray, Mike Lesser, and Wenn Lawson in 2005 – is, within the autistic adult community, probably the dominant theoretical approach...
View ArticlePost-COVID Transition Anxiety and Autistic Burnout
For more than a year now, we’ve been dealing with the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic. This has had a devastating impact, both in general and in particular on many disabled people. Most...
View ArticleSensory Sensitivities and “Picky Eating”
I’m a so-called “picky eater,” like many autistic people. Nowadays, as an adult, this is no problem. I have a system that works for me. I buy foods I like, prepare them, and eat them. I do try to...
View ArticleBuilding Self-Determination in Childhood
I’ve previously written about the importance of giving neurodivergent people more self-determination in childhood. Indeed, I think all children, including the neurotypicals, could probably benefit...
View ArticleABA Reform: Distinguishing Meaningful Change and “Neurodiversity Lite”
I’ve been doing some more thinking on that most controversial of controversial autism questions: ABA. Right now, most neurodiversity advocates don’t trust the idea that any sort of ABA intervention...
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