Neurodiversity and social change
your dreams will be reduced down to breathing, and you will be grateful
The thing about not-being-a-person is: They will say those people and the price of being a person is to nod and agree that yes, those people aren’t people at all. They will have no idea who they are talking to. You yourself will start to forget, too. They will say a million small things that sow the seeds for violence done against you, and you will smile and let them. You will do math, constantly. How much do I want to be a person today? How much do I want this project to succeed? How much honesty can I afford? How much dishonesty will kill me? What is the cost of coming out? Is there a way to delay, soften, transmute? How long can I survive as half a person? Ever since the world ended ... I don't go out as much. People that I once befriended, just don't bother to stay in touch. Things that used to seem so splendid, don't really matter today. It's just as well the world ended -- it wasn't working anyway. Your dreams will be reduced down to breathing. [Read More]
Julia Bascom on 03/5/12 | 2 Comments | Read More
When Is a Disability Not a Disability? Autism Speaks Has the Answer
When is a disability not a disability? When it is a “disorder.” Geri Dawson of Autism Speaks made that clear yesterday in her report out from the Research and Innovation session at the White...[Read More]
Guest on 04/29/11 | 12 Comments | Read More
“It [autism] delays the most — delays or impairs for life — the most human thing we have, which is our ability to look into each other’s eyes and feel that other person’s existence and wh...[Read More]
Nicole Nicholson on 04/28/11 | 5 Comments | Read More
The Eternal Song, Part Two: Rehearsal
As she had been taught, Wiilu took a deep breath and imagined strong magical energy flowing through her body before she began to sing. She was to be a vessel only, a conduit between earth and sky, a ...[Read More]
Gwen McKay on 04/27/11 | 3 Comments | Read More
Recovery from JSD–My family’s journey
When my husband and I were about to become new parents, we were typically excited, and also typically naive. We fantasized about our new family and the life our daughter, Serenity Grace, would ha...[Read More]
Guest on 04/26/11 | No Comments | Read More
Social Choreography/The Mark of Cain
Quite simply, some of us never picked up basic social norms during childhood. Consider: one can almost tell a Brit and an American apart by their age lines. Each adheres to a different set of o...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 04/25/11 | No Comments | Read More
She’s Such a Scream (Is there a transitive property to autistic characteristics?)
Coffeehouse musicians sometimes employ a bit of stage banter that plays on everyone's rudimentary knowledge of music theory; following a well-received song, they will with tongue-in-cheek earnestness ...[Read More]
Mark Stairwalt on 04/22/11 | 2 Comments | Read More
The Eternal Song, Part One: Beauty
Looking down into the narrow ravine, the goatherd Ko-ato saw only a glimpse of the swift-running stream beneath the laurel trees. The sound of its rushing waters, fed by snowmelt from the island’s v...[Read More]
Gwen McKay on 04/20/11 | No Comments | Read More
An Open Letter to Robert MacNeil Regarding PBS’ Autism Now Series
Dear Mr. MacNeil, It has come to my attention that you are spreading dehumanizing stereotypes about us. In an interview to promote your upcoming series, Autism Now (formerly Autism Today), you sa...[Read More]
Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg on 04/18/11 | 7 Comments | Read More
The Myth of Introvert Sociopathy
The stereotype in real life and in Hollywood is that serial killers or those who go on shooting rampages are nearly always described as being "really quiet." I have repeatedly had people jokingly ...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 04/18/11 | No Comments | Read More
Autism Acceptance for Autism Awareness Month
Well, Shakers and public, it is April, and that can only mean one thing to this autistic blogger: Autism Awareness Month is here for another 30 days, and without a time machine, there's no escapin...[Read More]
Ableism on Display: The New York Times Review of Wretches and Jabberers
The March 31 issue of the New York Times includes a short review of the film Wretches and Jabberers, a documentary that details the work of two autistic men as they travel the world to change hearts...[Read More]
Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg on 04/13/11 | No Comments | Read More
If the very existence of one’s proclivities and personality is deemed an illness, a blight, simply the wrong answer to what society desires: it is in a word to be Incorrect. To not commit a ...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 04/11/11 | 3 Comments | Read More
Because Screaming Gets Boring After a While
I’d been on something of a hiatus from online autism advocacy, because I’ve had a real life, and because even my perseverant spirit can occasionally be worn down by circular arguments upon circu...[Read More]
Guest on 04/8/11 | No Comments | Read More
We’ve recently had some discussion here on Shift Journal about Dan Haggard’s article on the hacker/artist divide, in which he points out that the two groups are much more alike than they may seem....[Read More]
Gwen McKay on 04/6/11 | 6 Comments | Read More
Being autistic is being set up to fail again and again, and having your inevitable failure attributed to your disordered brain. Being autistic is being set up to fail again and again, and succe...[Read More]
Extreme introverts are able to go through life believing they are the only one because all others, like them, are driven underground. However one can find members of a tiny minority by going to plac...[Read More]
Dispelling Ten Myths About Introverts
As most SVP readers know far too well from first hand experience, the myths about introverts abound. If you get tired of being misunderstood by friends, family, and coworkers, consider printing t...[Read More]
From the Link Cellar this Week
Fresh, resurrected, or newly discovered links from across the internet and the dusty reaches of Shift Journal's archives. • • • • • • • Loving Lampposts: • S...[Read More]
Mark Stairwalt on 04/4/11 | No Comments | Read More
When I speak of Autism, please know I love your support and understanding. When I speak of my Autistic children, please know I understand them very well because I’ve been diagnosed myself. Whe...[Read More]
Guest on 04/1/11 | No Comments | Read More
Autism has been here all along.
Considered as an evolutionary condition with far-reaching social implications, its full presence and impact remain hidden in plain sight, unrecognized and uncredited.
Part neurological mystery, part social construct, and part secret society unbeknownst even to its own members, autism does not lend itself to explanation by those who hold it apart from society, from themselves, or from consciousness itself. Definitions are revised, overhauled, and abandoned all while efforts to explore and examine this condition on its own terms are only now gaining momentum.
Shift Journal aims to showcase and encourage such efforts. Entertaining the notion of autistic as a legitimate way to be in the world, from the crossroads of theory, society, and personal experience, Shift welcomes relevant contributions from all comers.
Mark Stairwalt
Editor and Publisher
---
Shift Journal founder Andrew Lehman's groundbreaking cross-disciplinary work Evolution, Autism, and Social Change draws from evolutionary biology, neuro-psychology and related fields to outline an evolutionary process complementary to natural selection that may explain some forms of autism as well as -- and perhaps more importantly -- long-term shifts in large-scale social structure. Download or purchase Evolution, Autism, and Social Change here.
---
In a world which relentlessly demands practical advice for day-to-day, Shift Journal remains focused on promoting reflection and discovery. Readers however who are seeking useful information and how-to guidance assembled by a down-to-earth, conscientious and scientifically literate crew who once sought such information themselves and found it difficult to come by may find The Thinking Person's Guide to Autism to be just what they are looking for:
---
---
New or established writers wishing to contribute original or previously published posts may use the submissions page or contact us directly.
---
Error: Twitter did not respond. Please wait a few minutes and refresh this page.
Autism and Empathy Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism Neurodivergent Sexuality Just Stimming Autistic Passing Project