Category: autism and the world
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Ordinary lives lived in extraordinary ways.
Autism stories from around the world. My research for my Post Grad Diploma in Autism Studies with the National Autistic Society sadly highlighted that we are not really seen and heard. And when we are, it is often not in the way that we want, and need, it to be. The fact that we are…
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Reliability points or as I like to call it – Camping at Base Camp on Everest.
All material is taken from my book Feeling The World Differently. Copyright owned by me. https://amzn.eu/d/jk0pcEv I am not an expert on neurotypicals but in over fifty years I have seen lots and read lots. More recently I have read and researched the neurodivergent brain. So, I know that they are different. (Some people don’t…
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Does difference matter? Should you care?
Can we create a society that includes us all? I would like to try, but I can’t do it on my own. I am looking for volunteers who would be willing to share their ways of feeling the world differently. Sensory experiences are often overlooked and misunderstood, even by ourselves. I have a short video…
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The Sensory Experiences Project.
Our voices; our way. If you feel the world differently and would like to live in a society that is more friendly to neuro differences, then please join our project and share your story. I have posted a much longer piece about this because, as I always say, I would have said less, but I…
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Sensory experiences and feeling the world differently. A new collaborative project. Our voices; our way.
I am creating a new book exploring the amazing ways that we feel the world differently. If you have time to read my proposal and would like to collaborate, I can’t wait to hear from you. As part of my MA study of Autism I have been researching sensory experiences and have realised that very…
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You don’t need to try and make me better.
For family and friends, for teachers and specialists, for colleagues and for people that I meet on the bus. Often when I speak to parents and teachers I realise that we don’t understand each other. This is understandable because we broadcast on different wavelengths. I realised that there is so much I don’t understand about…
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Neurodiversity week presentation.
Feeling The World Differentlyfeelingtheworlddifferently.co.uk School Neurodiversity Presentation for Parents. Why are we here? Why are we talking about this? Well, it is amazing and wonderful that your school and your marvellous teachers have decided to do this. It means so much to me that people are starting to want to know more. It will mean…
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My autism means that I feel and see and hear the world differently.
My hope is that difference can be seen as equal; my dream is that neuro differences will be understood for what they really are, and for what they really are not. Understanding difference might just be good for us all. They say that you should never judge a book by its cover. I’m not really…
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Oh so I don’t look autistic you say? Thank goodness you are here.
But you don’t look like you are autistic I am nearly speechless every time I hear this. Only nearly speechless. I am never speechless. The thoughts are constant and if they are not spilling out onto the paper, then you can be sure they will be dashing into your airspace. Well, where else are they…
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Autism myths, misconceptions and misunderstanding 1.
A common myth or misconception or misunderstanding seems to be around the way that autistic people feel within the world. Without an understanding of the varied and intense sensory experiences of autistic people it is understandable that this is misunderstood and misjudged. To further complicate this, most people don’t really know how another actually feels.
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Autism myths, misunderstanding and misconceptions 2.
Autism is not a tragedy, but living in a society that doesn’t understand it can be – Dr Beardon. The bowl and the spoon or reliability points. The original idea for this is the marvellous Dr Luke Beardon, Professor of Autism Studies. The possibilities of each new day are endless and unknown, so if just…
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Feeling The World Differently.
Exploring the ways that autism changes the way that I feel and hear and see the world. Autism as it really is, and as it really isn’t.
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Why didn’t anyone tell me that being different was ok?
Trigger warning – at first I was confused and scared and unable to see the positives of being me. Now, 5 years on, I write and present and coach in order to challenge and change the myths, the misconceptions and the misunderstanding. I now know that so many of us feel and see and hear…
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My autiphany
I’d like to talk to you about realising that I am autistic. My autiphany if you like. And just to add a small trigger warning here. Not all of this will be jolly because I want to be honest. I’d be disingenuous if I pretended that initially I was pleased. In fact, I was probably…
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Feeling The World Differently
I have no idea how you see and hear and feel the world around you. I have no idea about how it really is because I am not you. From words shared and experiences divulged I might figure out that the pain I feel if I stub my toe, is the same, or at least…
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Do we want to be different or equal or both?
Martijn Dekker created Independent ‘Living on the Autistic Spectrum ‘in 1996, with the hope and intention of inclusivity and open debate and discussion and understanding. In the 2019 book ‘Autism: A New Introduction to Psychological Theory and Current Debate’ Happé and Watson report that he reluctantly concluded that when hoping to meet and belong to…
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What’s this thing like? Do I have it? How would I know? ( I keep being asked if there is a list.)
I know that those are very controversial questions and use lots of nouns and verbs that are deemed unacceptable. I know that it is not a disease and that it would be preferable if it wasn’t spoken about in this way. But the truth is, that often it is, and often by people who are…
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Autism and empathy. Another myth that we need to get rid of.
Autism and empathy – too much of it actually!
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Why are all of the words for diagnosis negative?
Switch to draftViewUpdate The diagnostic criteria. We need to change the words! I have decided to take offence. Everyone else seems to be taking offence at anything and everything, and so I have decided to join in. So maybe I do not have difficulty interacting with my peers after all? All of the words are…
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Oh so I don’t look autistic you say? Thank goodness you are here.
Switch to draftViewUpdate But you don’t look like you are autistic I am nearly speechless every time I hear this. Only nearly speechless. I am never speechless. The thoughts are constant and if they are not spilling out onto the paper, then you can be sure they will be dashing into your airspace. Well, where else are…
Autism ADHD and so much more. 