Autistic and Living the Dream

Category: Blog

  • Community psychology and models of disability

    Community psychology and models of disability

    Community psychology examines and supports people’s attitudes, actions and thoughts within the social contexts of their lives, supporting marginalised groups to challenge systems, institutions and legislations which oppress and discriminate (Orford, 2008). Additionally, community psychology (CP)  can contribute to the understanding of social issues for both professionals and participants by framing people within their local…

  • Unusual Medicines by David Gray-Hammond: book review

    Unusual Medicines by David Gray-Hammond: book review

    When I first heard that David Gray-Hammond was releasing a new book: Unusual medicine: Essays on Autistic identity and drug addiction, I knew it was going to be an important and affirming read. David’s previous writing is powerful and meaningful to me and many other Autistic people who have experienced addiction and substance use.  …

  • Child-centred play therapy for Autistic children and young people

    Child-centred play therapy for Autistic children and young people

    Child-centred play therapy (CCPT) is a psychotherapeutic intervention used to support children to explore and express their thoughts, emotions and experiences through play. During these sessions, children are allowed to free-play with very few limits imposed upon them, allowing the therapist to observe the child’s decisions, choices and play style (Landreth, 2012). Play therapy is…

  • “You’re asking permission to be yourself”: Autistic adults’ experiences of accessing gender identity healthcare

    “You’re asking permission to be yourself”: Autistic adults’ experiences of accessing gender identity healthcare

    Earlier today Steven Kapp shared this at the Spring Symposium of the University of Portsmouth’s Quality of Life, Health, and Well-Being Research Group. So, I thought I’d share it here too! (Especially as our full work is about to be published!) “You’re asking permission to be yourself”: Autistic adults’ experiences of accessing gender identity healthcareHarley Bruce, Katie…

  • Is UK sex and relationship education LGBTQIA+ appropriate?

    Is UK sex and relationship education LGBTQIA+ appropriate?

    Sex education, which teaches secondary aged children about sexual health and relationships, has arguably remained unchanged for the last fifteen years, despite the changing needs of children and young people (Arnett & Hughes, 2012). This in part is due to Section 28 which forbade the promotion of homosexuality within schools.  Sexual minority youth may feel…

  • 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…

  • Tired but not broken

    Tired but not broken

    I asked the community: If you could let people know one thing about being Autistic what would it be? This blog is based off your amazing answers. Anyone of any identity, culture or heritage can be Autistic so we obviously aren’t all the same! However, we do seem to experience similar things across cultures, namely…

  • OCD Subtypes

    OCD Subtypes

    Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health difference which can affect any child or adult. It usually starts in early adulthood but can happen during puberty (as it did for me). People with OCD usually experience frequent obsessive thoughts, which are unpleasant and cause feelings of anxiety, disgust or shame. These thoughts can include…

  • Are Mental health groups accessible to Autistic people?

    Are Mental health groups accessible to Autistic people?

    Content warning: mention of abuse, neglect, suicide, hospitalisation, food, body image, mental health. Autistic communities exist on and offline, some of them are based in charities, some of them are less formal, and some are Autistic led. They may not suit everyone but there is a choice for most Autistic people, if you have the…

  • Living with Seasonal Affective Disorder

    Living with Seasonal Affective Disorder

    Content warning: poor mental health. During the winter (which seems to be an ever-growing season in the UK) I am a husk of myself, a sad, low energy person who wants to crawl into a hole and sleep for a long time. I hate the darkness, the cold, the drab lifeless streets, the wind and…