by

My entrée into the patronisingly positivist dimension of the medical model came early. I learned that no matter how real and disruptive a condition was for me, if it couldn’t be measured objectively and quantitatively by a so-called expert, it couldn’t possibly exist. This is the story of a weird visual disturbance that co-occurs with my autism.

Read More Misadventures in misdiagnosis part 1: autism, visual snow, and my introduction to female hysteria, age 7
by

I recently co-presented at a workshop on adult autism for Master of Psychology students. I’d prepared for everything, except for how it would feel to have my lived experience validated by future clinicians in an academic setting.

Read More I shared my experience of autism with psychology students, and it was one of the one of the best things I’ve ever done
by 2 comments on "Dogs don’t have to be trained for therapy to be good for autism, which is why it hurts so much when they go"

For a combined total of 20 years, I had two rescue dogs of mixed ancestry and remarkable character in my life. They weren’t therapy dogs or service dogs, but nevertheless gave me a safe space to be neurodivergent. My second dog died recently and her absence is only reinforcing that the bonds with animals can be stronger than those with humans when you’re autistic.

Read More Dogs don’t have to be trained for therapy to be good for autism, which is why it hurts so much when they go