About two years ago, we sat our then nine-year-old son down to review test results from the child psychologist he’d visited a few weeks earlier. “Did she say I’m autistic?” he asked. “Yes,” I said. “You are Autistic.” He was silent momentarily and finally replied, “But I don’t want to be Autistic. The kids atContinue reading “My Son Doesn’t Want to Be Autistic”
Author Archives: Sarah
Auditory Processing Disorder in Autism
Do you remember those hearing tests in elementary school? A test administrator would plunk bulky headphones over your ears and ask you to raise your hand every time you heard a sound. I always expected to fail those things but never did. Once my mother asked my doctor to do the test. She was certainContinue reading “Auditory Processing Disorder in Autism”
Obviously, I Missed the Obvious!
I always seem to miss the obvious. I miss a vital piece of non-verbal communication needed to lead me to an obvious conclusion. Or miss making a connection between two concepts at work, and someone must explain it to me. Or I don’t take an action I “should have known to take because it wasContinue reading “Obviously, I Missed the Obvious!”
Finding Balance: How an Autism Diagnosis Helped Me Be a Better Mom
Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had…and dealing with fears you didn’t know existed. Linda Wooten It’s no secret that working moms have exceptionally high standards placed on them. Society judges us if we give anything less to our children than a stay-at-home in the 1950s. We must justify ourContinue reading “Finding Balance: How an Autism Diagnosis Helped Me Be a Better Mom”
Putting Words First: Why Eye Contact Shouldn’t Be Used to Measure a Person
When I was a child, my parents encouraged – well, more like forced – me to make eye contact. “Look me in the eyes when I speak to you,” they’d bark. They didn’t understand how painful making eye contact can be for me. It feels like I’m forcing myself to hold my hand over anContinue reading “Putting Words First: Why Eye Contact Shouldn’t Be Used to Measure a Person”
Autistic Women and Facial Expressions
Facial expressions are a form of non-verbal communication that accompanies a verbal message and can help convey the intent behind the message and the speaker’s emotional state. In short, it rounds out the complete picture for the receiver. And for neurotypicals, a conflict between a person’s words and facial expressions can lead to misunderstandings. ForContinue reading “Autistic Women and Facial Expressions”
What’s Tone Got to Do with It?
The natural communication style for autistics tends to take a straightforward approach. We know what we want to say, and we say it. But there’s more to communicating than words for non-autistics. Words are just one piece of the puzzle, and the non-verbal communication accompanying a verbal message can significantly influence how others interpret theContinue reading “What’s Tone Got to Do with It?”
Stimming in the Office
Although everyone stims to some degree, it’s necessary for autistics. Stimming helps us regulate our emotions and relieve anxiety. But in the workplace, our stims can distract coworkers – drawing unwanted and unnecessary attention. Not all workplaces are a safe environment for autistics to be our authentic selves. Our social challenges often cause our coworkersContinue reading “Stimming in the Office”
But Everyone is a Little Autistic, Right?
If everyone is a little autistic, then wouldn’t it be the norm?
Autistic Girls Don’t Devour Books, We Befriend Them
My mom often related my childhood reading habits to devouring food. From my mother’s perspective, I was speeding through books as though my eyes were a machine with a conveyer belt tongue feeding me one after another. Convinced I wasn’t actually reading them, she required me to write book reports to prove I retained theContinue reading “Autistic Girls Don’t Devour Books, We Befriend Them “
To Aspie or Not to Aspie 