Autistic replay means re-experiencing memories with the exact same intensity that we felt at that moment: We can see the same sights, smell the same smells, and hear the same sounds.
Category: Autism
“I think we all need people in our lives who share our identities”: The Power of Autistic Mentorship
Autistic mentorship means “I do my best to sift through the parents’ wishes and the child’s wishes and move forward in a way the respects the child’s autonomy while also reframing the issue the parent has presented.”
On being angry and frustrated at the celebration at children’s “recovery” from autism, by people who will not actually bear the consequences of losing that diagnosis, for the rest of their lives.
To the next person who says to me “How are you really disabled?” or “I don’t see how you’re autistic,” I’m going to be hard-pressed not to reply “I am so goddamned tired.”
Ehlers-Dahlos syndromes are disorders that affect connective tissues. They are both under-researched, and common co-occurring conditions in autistic people.
Think of your goal less about “doing it right” and more about “getting comfortable with AAC.” I’ve seen fear of being wrong all too often lead to no modeling. And I promise some modeling, modeling with mistakes, modeling slowly, all of it is better than no modeling.
Research indicates that autistic brains exhibit more diversity than non-autistic brains. If autism research is truly going to address the needs of such a varied population, then it needs to branch out similarly, get real about what autistic people need, and humanize its priorities.
Neurodiversity is incredibly inclusive, and as the parent of a high-support autistic teen, I think neurodiversity is MORE important for people like him—to have other people recognize his value as a human.
We can be the teachers that our students need. We can celebrate neurodiversity while we hold ourselves to higher standards. We can provide robust education, equal access to the curriculum, and a life of autonomy and dreams. It starts with this…
An autistic young person has the right to have an active and willing agency in the process of deciding who to befriend, what boundaries should be set on such friendships and who they are just not comfortable with.