Autism Acceptance Month: my contribution

April is coming near, and so, it is almost Autism Acceptance Month. You may have heard of Autism Awareness Month, of Autism Speaks, of Light it up Blue... So let me make something clear: Autism Speaks does not speak for us autistic people. Allow me to share this flyer (courtesy of The Autistic Self Advocacy …

Getting Personal: Umbrella Terms

I recently discovered that I prefer using umbrella terms, instead of more specific terms, to identify myself. Identity is a hard thing to grasp, even harder when you deal with imposter syndrome. For those unfamiliar with these things: imposter syndrome: the persistent inability to believe that one's success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as …

Personal writing: poems

Last year, I started writing poetry. Today, I added more poems to the collection I started. I have no plans for this, but I wish to share some of them with you. Be warned, as these poems may be triggering to autistic people and/or people who have experienced anxiety and/or depression. Stay safe. The poems: …

Getting personal: diagnoses and identity: I am autistic

I was diagnosed with Asperger's and social anxiety at the age of 13. They changed my diagnoses to Autism Spectrum Disorder with symptoms of depression when I was 16* I was re-diagnosed by my new mental health care provider at the age of 18 with Autism Spectrum Disorder. *This is around the time when they …

Review: The Place Inside the Storm by Bradley W. Wright

Goodreads 4/5 stars for a Scifi/Dystopian novel with a very relatable and ownvoices autistic main character. "Being weird is okay." There are two words which are very prominent in my notes for this ARC: same and relatable. The way Tara felt emotions from her parents wash over her, the way her sister Zoie said she …

Getting personal: emotion regulation

Trigger warnings: anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts This is a bunch of rambling, so read it at your own risk. Part of me doesn't want to write this, but I feel like it might help me, and hopefully others. Right now, I'm shaking, I have a weird feeling in my chest, I feel the urge to …

Why I write ownvoices

I read to escape, to explore different worlds, and to become someone else. I write for the same reasons, but also because I don't see myself in books. Growing up autistic and developing social anxiety and depression, books were my best friends, and often my only friends. I loved reading about magic, different worlds, possible …

Hi, I’m autistic

I'm sure you know at least one person who's autistic, whether that person still uses the old labels like ADHD, ADD and Aspergers, or used the label autism like most specialists do, you know that person. I suppose it was easier to many people when we still used the old labels. ADHD equals restless, ADD …