Autistic and Living the Dream

Category: Autistic shielding

  • Understanding Double Empathy in TGD Autistic Healthcare

    Understanding Double Empathy in TGD Autistic Healthcare

    The blog discusses healthcare inequities faced by gender diverse autistic adults, emphasizing the Double Empathy Problem. It highlights systemic barriers, biases in healthcare, and the challenges posed by transmedicalism. Recommendations for practitioners include checking biases, using inclusive language, and valuing lived experiences to foster equitable healthcare environments.

  • Navigating Identity: The Importance of Autistic Shielding

    Navigating Identity: The Importance of Autistic Shielding

    Authenticity is complex as social behaviors are influenced by cultural contexts. Marginalized individuals often adapt their behaviors for safety, employing strategies like code-switching or Autistic Masking. Autistic Shielding, a more genuine expression of identity, fosters connection within marginalized communities, allowing individuals to embrace their true selves in safer environments.

  • Trans and Autistic: Living in two closets

    Trans and Autistic: Living in two closets

    The overlap of Autistic and LGBTQIA+ identities is a growing topic of conversation especially for those of us who occupy both spaces, and there are lots of us! We are all at differing points in our neurodivergent and queer journeys, some of us are clear of who we are, some of us are confused, some…

  • LGBTQIA+ and Autistic: Community and belonging

    LGBTQIA+ and Autistic: Community and belonging

    This article, originally from Autistic Revolution magazine, addresses the intersection of LGBTQIA+ and Autistic identities. The author explains their personal connection to both spectrums and discusses the challenges faced, including discrimination in LGBTQIA+ and Autistic spaces. They emphasize the importance of creating inclusive spaces and embracing diverse identities.

  • My experience of Masking

    My experience of Masking

    These are my experiences so they may not match yours, and that’s okay. There is this idea that we totally lose ourselves in our Autistic masking, as if the person we project is a falacy, a made-up persona that we wear often, and, for some of us, all of the time. Identity, for the most…

  • Definitions for Autistic Shielding and Neuro-Anarchy

    Definitions for Autistic Shielding and Neuro-Anarchy

    I created the terms Autistic shielding and neuro-anarchy and use both fairly regularly. These terms mean a lot to me, as a way to explain how I understand my own embodiment and how I see myself within Autistic communities and wider society. In true Katie style I am finally (about two years later!) defining these…

  • Pushing the boulder up the hill: How Autistic advocates and academics are changing ‘autism’ research

    Pushing the boulder up the hill: How Autistic advocates and academics are changing ‘autism’ research

    Academia is being dragged up by autistic people not just within academia but also within social media. There are a growing number of Autistic led organisations which are involved in policy and educating Autistic and non-Autistic people, including Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), NeuroClastic and Aucademy. Blog  and article writing, activism and advocacy is just…

  • When living authentically isn’t safe: Autistic, trans and OCD

    When living authentically isn’t safe: Autistic, trans and OCD

    This is the transcript from my OCD Family Podcast: When living authentically isn’t safe. Listen to S1E30 Part IV here. Nicole: Whoa, welcome back to the OCD family podcast and I am just so excited to introduce our guest today Katie Munday, they are late diagnosed autistic person with OCD and ADHD. You can catch…

  • Autistic Shielding: Being authentic is a privilege

    Autistic Shielding: Being authentic is a privilege

    Cw: racism, violence, murder, police brutality. Autistic Shielding is not a tool or headstate that we can all obtain in our current world. A lot of us fear being our authentic Autistic selves for many reasons. We can be vulnerable people due to our trusting nature and differences in reading social interactions. Add intersecting identities…

  • Autistic shielding: reclaiming my weird

    Autistic shielding: reclaiming my weird

    As I have written before, Autistic shielding involves being authentic in our Autistic embodiment (What is Autistic shielding?). This allows us to turn away intolerant people and find our neurokin. My Autistic embodiment involves an uncontrollably expressive face, singing the same jingle or song over and over, talking to myself, narrating all my daily activities,…