I’m vexed at how the word “meltdown” is being slowly hijacked by the general population, and used to describe someone having a massive tantrum. Let’s be clear right from the start: an autistic meltdown is not a tantrum. Not even remotely. Not ever. A tantrum is defined by Chambers (12th ed.) as “a sudden fit … Read more Meltdowns and tantrums: know the difference
I speak autism. Even if you don’t want to learn my language, please understand I’m not always able to speak yours. #AutismAwarenessDay — Leigh Forbes (@spectrum_life) April 2, 2013 Having autism is all about being plagued by light, sounds, smells, tastes, textures, words you don’t understand, and people who don’t care. — Leigh Forbes (@spectrum_life) … Read more Autism Awareness Day – collected tweets
People can’t help but label other people. Our fundamental labels of “friend” or “foe” are essential to basic survival, and the rest lead on from there. Subconsiously, we are asking ourselves “is this person going to hurt me?” or “is this person someone I want to become acquainted with?” or “is this person a potential … Read more What’s Wrong with Labels?
Having once been through the agonies of wondering if I were “aspie enough,” I’ve written a brief article about online tests, in particular the Rdos test. I’ve included a number of Rdos graphs to illustrate how varied results can be, even amongst formally diagnosed aspies. I’ve also included a neurotypical graph, to show just how … Read more Online Tests for Asperger’s syndrome
I’ve written the page I wished I’d found when I was first looking into it all: Think you might have Asperger’s syndrome?
This tweet was prompted by an incident at an autism-awareness event last month. Towards the end of proceedings, I spoke to the assembled company about Asperger’s syndrome being a hidden disability, and how my already considerable difficulties were worsened by society’s expectations of normality. I said I wanted people to understand that, just because I … Read more A Mild Form of Autism?
This morning I did well. The small girl’s tooth is hurting, and I needed to tell her teacher about it. Okay, here’s the backstory: many of the small girl’s baby teeth came through calcified, meaning the top layer of hard enamel is soft in places (like chalk), and wears away easily. The upshot is, regardless … Read more Detailing the Big Picture
