Define Happiness

Many autistic people are said to have difficulty understanding, labelling, and describing their feelings, but I’ve always considered myself to be quite lucky in this respect – I’ve always thought I could describe how I felt, most of the time at least. So when Joanna (the my co-admin on this site) asked me yesterday, “How … Read more Define Happiness


Getting Down to Detail

In his book, “Language: the Cultural Tool” Daniel Everett writes, We can understand information [as] … all the things there are to talk about. It is perhaps infinite. But culture and circumstance will severely restrict what might be said in a particular exchange between two people … human cultures narrow the things there are to … Read more Getting Down to Detail


Meltdowns and tantrums: know the difference

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


Why a Good Friend is Like a Good Cup of Coffee

  Having been brought up on a diet of instant coffee and bullies, I disliked both coffee and people. There was never any point giving either of them a second chance; why bother when you know you’re going to hate the experience? Besides, before I could ever try (or retry) anything new, I had to … Read more Why a Good Friend is Like a Good Cup of Coffee