“Real Autism” Advice From A Real Autistic Professional
Too often, people cause the “behaviour” that they blame on “real autism.” And it’s often their own approaches that need changing.
abuse
Too Many Autistic Women at Risk: We Need Education, We Need Support
While we know that the majority of autistic people experience abuse and sexual assault during their lifetimes, autistic women are particularly vulnerable, and we need more research in this area.
Believing in Nonspeakers and the Right to Communicate: An Interview With Dr. Vikram Jaswal
Those who would deny people access to their most effective method of communication because of concerns about the potential for false accusations should, as Rua Williams recently wrote, “ask [themselves] why a false accusation is more harmful than the ability to accuse.”
Wouldn’t You Want to Know If Your Autistic Child Was Being Harmed?
I truly do not know why some parents don’t want to listen to autistic adults. There is so much good autism information for parents from autistic adults, and so much of it is freely available, and yet the parents choose not to know.
Field Notes From an Inbox: Four Years of Autistic-Led Advocacy in Canada
Autistics for Autistics has fought to get residential institutions in Canada shut down. We’ve fought to get sheltered workshops closed. We’ve battled for regulation of group homes, which are almost completely unregulated and often run on an abusive, prison-like ABA model.
Running Away: Autism and Elopement
I’d like to say that “elopement” is a ridiculous term. Right up there with “differently abled,” IMHO. It’s running away. It’s wandering. Call it what it is!
A Documentary About “Scary” Kids Scares Me—On Behalf of the Kids
One of the families featured in A Dangerous Son (Source: HBO) [image: A white family of four, with two young kids, on a couch together.] Kit Mead kpagination.wordpress.com Content note: Discusses violence and abuse regarding children with mental illness and disability, and the Newtown shootings. I’m not going to watch “A Dangerous Son,” the HBO documentary
His Hands Were Quiet: A Review
[image: Brown book cover. Small yellow text at the top reads, “Zachary Goldman Mysteries 2” Next, the title in white all caps text reads, “His Hands Were Quiet.” Next is an image of a yellow triangle with a silhouette of a person bending backwards and being struck in the chest with a bolt of electricity. Large
On ABA: They Hate You. Yes, You.
When people claim that “cure autism now” and the disease model and the Judge Rotenberg Center are not about me, well I beg to differ. The only reason they’re not about me is that I’m old and verbal enough to not be vulnerable to that kind of abuse. Autistic people do not get abused [and/or put in ABA therapy] because they are low-functioning, they get abused because they do weird things.
Autism and Psychiatric Medication: Caution Advised
Photo © RoseFireRising | Flickr / Creative Commons [image: Mandala made out of different colored and shaped pills, on a dark blue background.] Kit Mead kpagination.wordpress.com [Note: This post discusses anxiety, medications, and chemical restraints. It is meant to caution against overmedication and about risk factors in medication for autistic people, with the understanding that