Nut grafs or otherwise relevant excerpts from entries which appeared last year at this time. • • • • • • • [Read More]
Mark Stairwalt on 11/15/10 | No Comments | Read More
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 …
...[Read More]Julia Bascom on 03/5/12 | 2 Comments | Read More
Call for Submissions: An Anthology of Poetry and Prose by Autistics in Mid-Life
Statement of Purpose I plan to publish an anthology of poetry and prose by people on the autism spectrum, aged 35 and over. I welcome all pieces of writing about your feelings about being autistic, yo[Read More]
Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg on 11/12/10 | No Comments | Read More
Ten Questions That Make My Head Hurt
Okay, so I’ve got some questions: 1. Why is it perfectly okay for a child to rock back and forth sitting on a swing, but not rock back and forth sitting on the floor? 2. Why is it perfectly okay for[Read More]
Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg on 11/12/10 | 5 Comments | Read More
Bullying (Part 7): Bullying Differences – The Problem
One of the things that spurred my series on bullying—before the news decided that bullying was a hot issue and before I realized October was Bullying Awareness month—was a post written by Clay. Th[Read More]
Stephanie Allen Crist on 11/11/10 | No Comments | Read More
Although blogs have become very popular in the past few years, most blogs currently online are no longer active. Sometimes that’s because a person starts a blog and then gets too busy to keep i[Read More]
Gwen McKay on 11/10/10 | 4 Comments | Read More
Popular belief would have it that being effusively social in nature is to be more empathetic, more in tune with others’ feelings. I would say from personal observation however that the opposite is t[Read More]
Zygmunt on 11/9/10 | 3 Comments | Read More
I’ve done some more work on my old list of autistic fictional characters, giving it a spruce-up and adding stuff. I hope it now looks a little bit less ancient and neglected. This list of mine fea[Read More]
Lili Marlene on 11/9/10 | No Comments | Read More
“So, okay,” I said, moving on to the next topic. “‘Why do noises bother Bud?’ Well, we said that our brains control all of our senses, and that means that sometimes Bud’s hair-dryer-brain[Read More]
Guest on 11/8/10 | No Comments | Read More
Going Back to the Place You Lived as a Kid for Pictures to Remember
This “short” was retrieved from the personal journal of a reader who wishes to remain anonymous, on the occasion of his reading Gwen McKay’s The Paradox of Changing the World with Words. Shot th[Read More]
Nut grafs or otherwise relevant excerpts from entries which appeared last year at this time. • • • • • • • [Read More]
Mark Stairwalt on 11/8/10 | No Comments | Read More
Neurodiversity, Self-Determination, and the Magic Pill
Every now and then, I get caught up in the whole question of a cure for autism. It’s not that I believe that a cure is possible. I don’t. How can you cure who I am and leave me whole? How can y[Read More]
Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg on 11/5/10 | 2 Comments | Read More
Introverts, Asperger’s, Autism
It has occurred to me that many aspies and autists exhibit exaggerated or acute forms of typical introverted traits. In a previous post, I examined the concept of schizoid personality disorder as a w[Read More]
Zygmunt on 11/4/10 | 5 Comments | Read More
How did people go about raising children in prehistoric times? Researchers considering this question have extrapolated from their studies of currently existing aboriginal cultures, identifying common[Read More]
Gwen McKay on 11/3/10 | 3 Comments | Read More
Once I’d wrapped up the “language” portion of the presentation, it was time to address some of the questions that Bud’s classmates had about his sensory issues. “Okay,” I said. “Next que[Read More]
Guest on 11/1/10 | No Comments | Read More
Donald*, could you please tell me, what is this all about? I’m pondering the same question now that I wondered about twenty-odd years ago, when I was in my 20’s, a graduate on a quest to find a d[Read More]
Lili Marlene on 11/1/10 | No Comments | Read More
Nut grafs or otherwise relevant excerpts from entries which appeared last year at this time. • • • • • • • [Read More]
Mark Stairwalt on 11/1/10 | No Comments | Read More
On November 1st, people all over the world are being asked to stay off social networking sites as part of a Communication Shutdown. This initiative is the brainchild of an Australian organization cal[Read More]
Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg on 10/29/10 | 2 Comments | Read More
I’m Right Here: Rudy Simone on Life as an “Aspergirl”
Rudy Simone is a writer, jazz singer, and stand-up comedian in San Francisco. She’s also a proud member of an often-misunderstood minority-within-a-minority: a woman on the autism spectrum — or as[Read More]
Rudy Simone on 10/29/10 | 2 Comments | Read More
From the Pro-Neurodiversity Trenches
Early intervention and treatment is important! If caught early enough, negative attitudes toward autism and other disabilities can be minimized and even reversed! Read more below to see what happens [Read More]
Guest on 10/28/10 | 7 Comments | Read More
When a Line of Toys Is Just Playtime
There’s lots about this parenting gig that I find delightful. Toys, and watching the kids playing with them, has to be one of the more fun bits. My kids line things up. Even when I knew it was on[Read More]
KWombles on 10/28/10 | 4 Comments | Read More
My original plan for this post was to spend Monday evening reflecting on how today’s social and physical environment can be stressful for our kids and writing a thoughtful article on that subjec[Read More]
Gwen McKay on 10/27/10 | 6 Comments | Read More
Sing Out Loud, Sing Out Strong
Before I continue telling you about the class presentation, I just want to thank you for the response that these posts are getting. I’m a bit overwhelmed, but I’m also delighted that so many of y[Read More]
Guest on 10/25/10 | No Comments | Read More
For all its charms, the weblog platform does also bury older content for no better reason than that newer material has come along. While we all like to feel we’re improving, whether you are writing[Read More]
Mark Stairwalt on 10/25/10 | 1 Comment | Read More
The Intersection of Autism and Politics (not where you think it is)
“If we were a voting block, we could run the country.” That’s the phrase I kept coming back to eleven or twelve years ago now, when the full extent of autism’s unbroken spectrum first came i[Read More]
Mark Stairwalt on 10/22/10 | 6 Comments | Read More
In her article Grieving the Dream and Living What Is, Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg described her feelings about realizing that there are some things she cannot do because of auditory processing issues and [Read More]
Gwen McKay on 10/20/10 | 3 Comments | Read More
Community over Cacophony: Navigating the Online Autism Community
Dictionary definition: ”Noun: A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds: ‘a cacophony of deafening alarm bells’; ‘a cacophony of architectural styles’.” The online autism community often feel[Read More]
KWombles on 10/19/10 | 3 Comments | Read More
Meanings, Feelings, and Wacky Hair
It occurs to me that I left out a critical piece of information that you’ll need if you want to have an accurate mental picture of the circle of children and teachers I faced in Bud’s classroom la[Read More]
Guest on 10/18/10 | No Comments | Read More
For all its charms, the weblog platform does also bury older content for no better reason than that newer material has come along. While we all like to feel we’re improving, whether you are writing[Read More]
Mark Stairwalt on 10/18/10 | No Comments | Read More
Are Autistics More Honest? If So, What Then?
The placement of Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg’s Word of Honor immediately prior to this entry is intentional, as it makes for an opportunity to bring up some related observations about autism and honesty[Read More]
Mark Stairwalt on 10/15/10 | 2 Comments | Read More
Over at Life in the House that Asperger Built, there’s been a great discussion about what happens in the minds and hearts of those of us on the spectrum when people don’t mean what they say. One [Read More]
Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg on 10/15/10 | No Comments | Read More
