I don’t see depression as a bad thing. To me, it is just a part of life. Something to be aware of and something to work with. Continue reading
Floating on the edge of depression
When I look back over the years of my young adulthood I can see clearly that depression and I have co existed for quite some time.
There are periods where, in retrospect, it is quite obvious that I was depressed. Continue reading
Let’s talk about privilege
privilege |ˈprɪvɪlɪdʒ|noun
a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group
Have you heard the phrase “check your privilege”? People use it when they want someone to think about their attitudes in terms of what they assume due to their circumstances that others can’t assume because of theirs. Continue reading
The Autism Community and the Autistic Community
In the ongoing dialogue around the needs of Autistic people, I see a pretty consistent divide.
There is a group of people saying that Autistic people need to be put in therapy or treatment to ease their symptoms, and that it would be good if there was a way to cure or prevent Autism.
And there is a group saying they don’t and it wouldn’t. Continue reading
The day I told her she is Autistic
We pulled into the parking lot at the huge shopping centre an hours drive from home. We always have a lot of things to get done when we come here. Continue reading
Autism is not an illness: The problem with the way we speak about Autism
Here is the last in my ‘Autism is not an illness’ series. I’m thinking about the problem with the way we speak about Autism. What do I mean by “the way we speak about Autism”? First I’ll say that when I use “we” I am referring to society in general. Let’s look at some examples. Continue reading
Autism is not an illness: The problem with how we treat Autism
So far in this series I have talked about the fact that I do not think Autism is an illness, despite the way the dominant discourse around Autism runs. I have also talked about how I think the diagnostic process for Autism contributes to the damaging illness discourse. Next I’d like to tell you where I am at in my thinking about the popular treatments for Autism. Continue reading
Autism is not an illness: The problem with how we diagnose Autism
Every day I see people sharing the story of their child’s Autism diagnosis. And every day I see this phrase, “From very early on I could see there was something wrong.” One word in that sentence makes me really uncomfortable. “Wrong”. And it brings to mind some questions. Continue reading
Autism is not an illness: discourse and semantics
The discourse of Autism as an illness is a common one. Frequently used phrases such as “suffers with Autism”, “lives with Autism” and “child has Autism” perpetuate this discourse, as parents of Autistic children and professionals who work with Autistic people strive for ‘political correctness’. Continue reading
I am tired of the Autism tragedy song: Can we change the music now?
I am tired. So, so tired.
It is not a lack of sleep tiredness, but a heaviness in the core of my being kind of tiredness.
It is a tiredness that comes from trying to process a consistent incongruence, as if the soundtrack doesn’t match the story, and it makes everything seem wrong. Continue reading
