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
Anatomy Of An Autistic So it looks as if I have two options. Pass and learn, perfect, the art of being a person I’m not. Or don’t, and let everyone else define me as some entwined version of mo...[Read More]
Julia Bascom on 12/30/11 | 4 Comments | Read More
Anatomy Of A Monster And what none of us passers want to talk about is what our passing does to those who can’t. Passing is necessitated because without it, we would be stuck being a Scary Disabl...[Read More]
Julia Bascom on 12/29/11 | 3 Comments | Read More
Anatomy of an Autistic (III/V)
Anatomy Of A Passing Person Passing is…. Passing is… Well, passing is difficult, first of all. It’s constant anxiety, calculation, cognition, because remember, those of us who pass are ...[Read More]
Julia Bascom on 12/28/11 | 1 Comment | Read More
Anatomy Of A Meltdown My brain likes to alternate between being made of swiss cheese (full of holes to fall in and through and down) and wax (for optimal melting). I have meltdowns a lot, in part b...[Read More]
Julia Bascom on 12/27/11 | 2 Comments | Read More
Writing is a struggle against silence. ~Carlos Fuentes Passing as a non-autistic, passing as neurotypical, means that you never get to actually be human. Be a person. You just learn how to get reall...[Read More]
Julia Bascom on 12/26/11 | No Comments | Read More
These past few days, I’ve been realizing that, from the time I was small, I’ve lived with an odd kind of bifurcated consciousness about myself. On the one hand, I was The Child Destined to Do Gr...[Read More]
Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg on 12/23/11 | 3 Comments | Read More
How far can autistic culture develop without excluding neurotypical people? (2011 redux)
How far can autistic culture develop without excluding neurotypical people? For many years I have been married (to the same guy). It’s obvious to me that we are both on the autistic spectrum, ...[Read More]
Lili Marlene on 12/22/11 | 2 Comments | Read More
The recent explosion of the #youmightbeanautismparentif tag on Twitter and the Stephanie Rochester case are two good reasons to spend some time thinking about the “caregiver angst” genre: writing...[Read More]
Sarah Schneider on 12/21/11 | 3 Comments | Read More
LA Times Scooped by Shift Journal (seven times)
Directly in the title of the fourth and final installment of a series on autism which has been by turns both predictably biased and reasonably informative, the LA Times last Friday ventured to print w...[Read More]
Mark Stairwalt on 12/20/11 | No Comments | Read More
Surely a culture where everyone must smile must be a happy culture? Surely a merry holiday must be the happiest time of year? Surely a stunning model makes everyone feel good about themselves. ...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 12/19/11 | No Comments | Read More
If Public Opinion Penned an Autism Diagnosis …
I’ve spent far too much time lately fighting with those who have no understanding of what is required for an autism diagnosis. The arguments and myths I’ve encountered are at times upsetting, an...[Read More]
Autism & Oughtisms on 12/16/11 | 4 Comments | Read More
Going away to college can be overwhelming at first. Being in a different place, away from family, and having so much to do… it’s a lot to handle. Even after it looks like everything has settled in...[Read More]
Meg Evans on 12/15/11 | No Comments | Read More
When I was a little girl, I was scared. That sentence has taken two months to write. When I was a little girl, I was scared. When I was a little girl, I was a lot of things. I was functionall...[Read More]
Julia Bascom on 12/14/11 | 1 Comment | Read More
There's a little back-and-forth echo that's popped up between this site and Julia Bascom's. This entry aims to amplify that little echo. Here's Julia yesterday at her blog Just Stimming, after having ...[Read More]
Mark Stairwalt on 12/13/11 | No Comments | Read More
Hi. My name is Julia Bascom and I’ve had it easy. I had it easy. What this means is that in fifth grade I was the smartest kid in the class. I also did a lot of hiding under my desk, and I talk...[Read More]
Julia Bascom on 12/12/11 | 1 Comment | Read More
When we think of diaries the first image that comes to mind is the popular image. A slim volume with lots of pink hearts all over the cover. It might have a little toy lock on it so that its con...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 12/12/11 | No Comments | Read More
Bee Swarms Mimic Human Brain Neurons to Make Decisions Swarms of bees and brain neurons make decisions using strikingly similar mechanisms, reports a new study in the Dec. 9 issue of Science. In prev...[Read More]
Mark Stairwalt on 12/10/11 | 1 Comment | Read More
Why do you stay in the marriage? An acquaintance recently asked my husband this question. He asked it not because my husband had expressed any unhappiness with our marriage, but because I have As...[Read More]
Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg on 12/9/11 | No Comments | Read More
Last summer, my son began having severe, unexplained panic attacks several times a day. At the time, my only framework for understanding his symptoms was the medical model of mental illness. I was i...[Read More]
Sarah Schneider on 12/6/11 | No Comments | Read More
Introvert Survival: Any Small Thing
One of the most powerful remedies for feelings of depression, loneliness, and rejection is a hobby or discipline that commands your intimate attention. As a kid I loved insects and all kinds of sm...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 12/5/11 | 2 Comments | Read More
Seeing the Best in Every Child: The Importance of Neurodiversity
Imagine that all of the people in the world have been magically transformed into flowers. Some of us are petunias. Others are begonias. Still others are tulips. Now, let’s say for the sake o...[Read More]
Thomas Armstrong on 12/1/11 | 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