Where was Autism NZ on World Autism Awareness Day?

World Autism Awareness Day was on April 2nd. It’s come and gone, and you wouldn’t have known it even existed in New Zealand. I searched the following sites, for either written or video content: NZ Herald, Stuff.co.nz, Scoop.co.nz, as well … Continue reading →

101 on Autism Diversity, for Autism Awareness Day

Each year, on Autism Awareness Day, I try to go with a slightly different theme. In 2011 I did a piece based around how much I love my son, in 2012 I looked at the difference in awareness campaigns in … Continue reading →

Keep Your Karma to Yourself (AKA, Disabled People Are Not Just Consequences).

Sometimes, I write posts that express a new idea I’m still processing and so it may come off a bit roughspun. This is one of those posts. Go gently on me! We toss around the notion of karma like a … Continue reading →

New DSM-5 autism criteria allows for lost symptoms: “On the basis of history alone.”

I was watching a new video released by the American Psychiatric Association, on the changes to the autism criteria, when something that was said made me rewind and replay it, because it was a game-changer that I hadn’t heard mentioned … Continue reading →

Why I’ve stopped using autism as an apology or explanation to strangers

My seven year-old son is autistic. This is a piece of information I once nervously shared with absolute strangers when they watched and judged me while I struggled with my son; I felt I had to let them know that … Continue reading →

Autistic Adulthood

When I started blogging, the parts of the autism blogging and research world that most spoke to me, were those focused on children. There are many reasons for this, but there are three I want to briefly mention at this … Continue reading →

Murderers, Retards, and Geniuses.

Murderer, retard, genius. Hacker, monster, miracle with super-human senses. What is my son to you? What does the word “autism” tell you? It tells you that he meets the current criteria for a developmental delay. That he falls in to … Continue reading →

Making Sense of Novelty and Obsession, in Autism (aka, Questioning the Circle)

Over the years I have tried to understand my son’s obsessive interests; to get insight to what motivates and interests him, and to find windows into his own world. In past posts I have expressed my efforts to see patterns … Continue reading →

Autism: The Wrong Answer to the Question of Mass Murder.

I was previously reluctant to deal with this topic on my blog; I didn’t want to re-share the claim that there was a link between autism and mass shootings, by even repeating the idea in a public forum. I had … Continue reading →

Guest Post: From Grandma’s Perspective

Today I’m sharing a guest post by my mother. I asked if she would write a piece about what it’s like having an autistic grandson, and how it has been adjusting to that truth. I was inspired to ask her … Continue reading →