M chat autism

When Feda Almaliti, the late vice president of the National Council on Severe Autism, died on September 26 in a fire, together with her 15-year-old, severely autistic son Mu, who refused to leave the burning house, the tragedy broke me. Like every other parent of a child like Mu, I imagined myself pleading with my son – who, like Mu, could never understand the urgency, who has no comprehension of death, who is much too big to be carried or even dragged. I imagined myself faced with that impossible decision: Stay or go? As many in the autism community know, Feda stayed, and died with Mu in her arms. I couldn’t stop thinking about Feda as I read the new study, “Experiencing Social Connection: A Qualitative Study of Mothers of Nonspeaking Autistic Children,” by researchers from of the University of Virginia and the University of California, Santa Cruz. How could it be possible that, less than two months after her death, Vikram Jaswal et al. could publish a paper essentially … [Read more...] about Autism Mother-Blaming, Circa 2020

Being an autistic parent is tough. Just like being any kind of parent. But it’s also the best thing in the world - as any parent, not just autistic ones, will tell you. Source: Unsplash/吴 迪 @brawny One of the things I find hardest about parenting with autism is the discrepancy in the way that I “play” versus the way my children play. Especially as they get older and their imaginations get wilder, I am constantly finding myself lost and tired and overwhelmed after only 5 or 10 minutes of dedicated play time. Throw in the fact that the kids are with us nearly 24/7 now due to the ongoing pandemic, and you have a recipe for epic burnout ! I have often thought to myself, what’s wrong with me? Play time is supposed to be fun, right? Why do I find it so draining? Well there’s nothing wrong with me. I am autistic, so I “play” differently, and that’s okay. Now, my son is also autistic, but as any autie will tell you, “if you have met one autistic person, you … [Read more...] about Autistic Parents: Is Playtime with the Kids Wearing You Out?

The term neurodiversity was coined by Judy Singer in 1998. A lot has changed in the two decades since that first essay about neurological differences was published in The Atlantic . The neurodiversity movement has burgeoned through grassroots organization among people interested in social change. It's gradually making space for itself in government, research, and education . As Steve Silberman argues in his book Neuro-Tribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity , “Neurodiversity advocates propose that instead of viewing this gift as an error of nature—a puzzle to be solved and eliminated with techniques like prenatal testing and selective abortion—society should regard it as a valuable part of humanity’s genetic legacy while ameliorating aspects of autism that can be profoundly disabling without adequate forms of support.” Philosophically, the neurodiversity movement is based on what we might call cerebral pluralism—the idea that each brain is … [Read more...] about Neurodiversity: The Movement

Boy running. Source: Jonas Mohamadi/Pexels In a previous article, we discussed the late diagnosis of autism , an increasingly common phenomenon that has been attributed to increased awareness, broadening of the diagnostic criteria, and the introduction of the notion of an autism spectrum. 1 This diagnostic process involves rewinding back to childhood and closely examining our experiences to find evidence of lifelong autistic characteristics. During this process of reflecting on childhood experiences, and as they are clearly marked as autistic, one is often led to ask, Why did nobody see this sooner? Why has it taken this long to know and understand? and then to question whether an earlier diagnosis would have spared heartache or pain or a feeling of not belonging. In reflecting on this process, we have formulated a (non-exhaustive) list of things we wish we could have told our younger autistic selves. While we cannot turn back time, we can share these messages … [Read more...] about 5 Messages for My Younger Autistic Self

You’re in high school, looking at going to college. Lots to think about. For students like my son and I, there’s the additional wrinkle of neurodiversity —autism, ADHD , or dyslexia . How does that shape school decisions? When we were little, we were “children with autism,” which sounded like we had a disease. But we don’t. We’re just different. We gravitated to other kids who were different and as we grew older it became clear we are our own little tribe. There are times we wish we were like everyone else, and other times we’re happy to be unique. Many of us were put in special education classes or SPED. Most of us SPED students didn’t like the name or the stigma that went with it. We looked forward to leaving it behind when we got out of high school. A few years ago people started talking about neurodiversity. Neurological diversity. It’s an interesting concept. If autism or anything else is passed on through our genes , and you believe in evolution . . . it stands … [Read more...] about Choosing a College When You’re Neurodiverse