Autistic and Living the Dream

Tag: Actually Autistic

  • Activism and academia – where can we make the most difference?

    Activism and academia – where can we make the most difference?

    I had a really enlightening conversation with two other Autistic researchers a few days ago. Although the conversation was around autoethnography (in which the stories of the researchers is the data collected). The conversation also reminded me that research doesn’t have to be written, quiet, or clean. It can be creative, loud, and messy. Research…

  • “I’m a little OCD” and other nonsense

    “I’m a little OCD” and other nonsense

    Content warning: Intrusive thoughts, mention of HIV / AIDS, Sexual assault, death. I have often heard people say “I’m a little OCD” as in they like to keep things tidy, and that it bothers them if items aren’t where they’re supposed to be. It’s one of those microaggressions people don’t realise is harmful. It seriously…

  • It’s not ok to not be ok

    It’s not ok to not be ok

    I shall be joining the online campaign ‘It’s Not Ok To Not Be Ok’ by Autistic Inclusive Meets CIC. Too often we are told that it is ‘ok to not be ok’. This is used to destigmatise mental health issues, which is validating in some ways but also puts the onus on the individual to…

  • I won’t be unbiased in the face of violence

    I won’t be unbiased in the face of violence

    It’s not the job of the oppressed to meet our oppressors ‘half way’. There is no half way. There is no half violence, half stigma, or half isolation. I don’t need to engage with people who are harmful to me and the people I love, and that absolutely goes for ABA practitioners. I don’t want…

  • What bisexuality means to me

    What bisexuality means to me

    As a teenager I thought in a binary fashion, and this affected how I understood sexuality and gender. My understanding of what it meant to be bisexual was that you liked both men and women, and that you needed to like them equally. The fact that I swayed to one gender over others meant that…

  • Things to think about before getting involved in autism research

    Things to think about before getting involved in autism research

    I have been a participant in a fair amount of Autistic experience research (what others may call autism research) and I’ve led and assisted on a few more besides. There’s a few things I look for when deciding whether to engage in such research. First, I look at who is running the research – are…

  • Mental health crisis: Reaching out and checking in

    Mental health crisis: Reaching out and checking in

    Content warning: mental health struggles, mention of incarceration, death and estrangement. It is consistently suggested that people who are in mental health crisis need to ‘reach out’ for support. This is problematic as the onus of support and help is put on the person who is struggling, this individual must be able to have the…

  • Abnormality: The new normal?

    Abnormality: The new normal?

    ‘Abnormal behaviour’ is socially constructed through culture- and context-embedded concepts of normativity; the extent to which behaviour is considered abnormal is often dependent on the perception and capacity of others (Emerson & Einfeld, 2011). The perceived characteristics of the individual may also define the extent to which their behaviour is considered abnormal. For example, differences…

  • Learning to regulate my emotions

    Learning to regulate my emotions

    I’m only just learning about my emotions and how to regulate them. I’m 33. I spent a long time with no role models to show me how to do this: What to do before I get angry and do or say something I regret. How to know when I need time to process. When and…

  • The truth about ‘challenging behaviour’

    The truth about ‘challenging behaviour’

    Cw: bullying, mention of abuse, mental health, substance use and death. Challenging behaviour refers to a range of intense and frequent behaviours that threaten the quality of life and / or the physical safety of the person and those around them, behaviours can include aggression, verbal abuse and bullying (Imray, 2017). Challenging behaviour is socially…