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Pity? Ugh! by Lisa Morgan M.Ed. CAS

**Content warning: suicide I had a service provider working with one of my sons say they were ‘sorry’ to me the other day. This person hadn’t done anything wrong – until their apology. They were ‘sorry’ for the state of my life. Sorry… for my life being the way it is as far as they understood it! Yes, parenting as an autistic adult is difficult. (I imagine parenting as a non autistic adult is difficult as well.) Yes, growing up autistic in the 60’s/70’s was very difficult. Yes, being bullied throughout my lifespan so far has been demeaning and harsh. Yes, my husband’s suicide was/is very difficult to experience and process. Yes, living as an autistic adult in 2020 is challenging, but… it has all [...]

Representation Matters by Yenn Purkis

Musician Sia recently released a film called Music which caused controversy in the autism / neurodiversity community as it features an allistic actor playing an autistic character. Sia caused further offence by talking about levels of functioning and at one point called an autistic actor who said they would have liked to have been cast in the film as ‘a bad actor.’ This post isn’t going to be all about ‘what Sia did’ but the situation does highlight a big issue in the autism community and the disability community more broadly – that of representation in media and representation generally. We are influenced by what we see on TV and in movies and the lyrics we hear in music. This seems to be particularly true [...]

It’s Not A Personality Problem by Mary P. Donahue, Ph.D.

Recently I was asked to sit in on a meeting between an autistic parent and the managers of her child’s home mental health support team. The parent was having trouble communicating her concerns to the in-home supports. It had become frustrating for both mom and team, and services had ceased. Mom wanted to continue finding ways to help her son and also had to have information from the managers to help her process what had happened. Though considered a neurotypical person, I am fortunate to have some ability to translate between the neuro-typical and autism worlds. So I went. Holy cow! We neurotypicals have issues! While mom presented her concerns efficiently, the two managers failed to re-state or clarify what she’d said. Instead, they defended [...]

How Self Care, Interoception & Co-Regulation has Increased Peace in Our Family Life by Christina Keeble

Why is interoception & co-regulation important to being able to self-regulate? I get asked this quite often when I introduce families and professionals to these concepts. For more than a decade I’d worked with children and families and used programs such as the Zones of Regulation, sensory profiles, and sensory diets while working on increasing the child’s ability to self-regulate. It wasn’t until I had my own children that I learned and understood the importance of interoception and co-regulation. It was just never introduced in the trainings or literature I read. Interoception is our 8th sense and is our awareness of our internal states, everything from emotions to hunger, thirst, the feeling of full, the urge to go to the toilet etc, Co-regulation is when [...]

Imposter Syndrome by Lisa Morgan M.Ed. CAS

Have you ever felt the thrill of a hard-won success – only to completely doubt your abilities soon after? Maybe you stepped out of your comfort zone, worked very hard, did an incredible job, but then started to rationalize it was all just luck? How about feeling like a fraud, even though you have clear evidence you are not? Even irrefutable, written, positive feedback can be dismissed by the doubt and angst inflicted upon people by the Imposter Syndrome. The Imposter Syndrome is a lying thief. Just as I started moving forward, taking risks, and enjoying successes; it crashed into my life uninvited. It relentlessly accuses me of being a fraud because – for the first time in my adult life – I’ve been able [...]

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Research Study: Factors Contributing to Higher Education Success – La Trobe University

by Spectrum Women in Featured

Lyndel Kennedy, PhD student at La Trobe University is seeking volunteer research participants to be involved in a study about the higher education experiences of students in Australia and New Zealand. I’m wanting to learn more about the predictors of success, and barriers to accessing supports for students with, and without, neurodivergent conditions, such as Autism, ADHD and dyslexia. It is expected that this research will contribute to improving the supports provided to neurodivergent students [...]

Overcoming PTSD with ASD by Lisa Morgan M.Ed. CAS

PTSD is a harsh, stern, taskmaster. Triggers are everywhere. They can even come in safe places and through a person you trust. Those are the difficult ones because, if the trigger was very unpleasant, going back to that same safe place or person for help – does not feel safe. Living with ASD keeps the traumatic reliving of memories all close and fresh so to speak. For many, our autism keeps the triggered memories alive [...]

“MILDLY DIFFERENT” – Interview with Anna Czarska

Mildly Different is an exciting new film project which aims to shed light on what autism in women looks and feels like from an autistic perspective. Maura Campbell met up with Anna Czarska, Managing Director of Sticky Tape Productions, to find out more. How did the idea for the film come about and what are you hoping to achieve through this project? The film was inspired by my own experiences. I went through most of my life not knowing about my autism and believing there was something inherently wrong with me. This not only led to a great deal of [...]

It’s not all about IT… Breaking the stigma in employment choices for autistic & neurodivergent people by Barb Cook

Information and technology (IT) has boomed over the past 30 years and become an integral part of the modern developed world. Employment opportunities in IT exploded alongside this growth and created pathways for autistic people in finding job security in an industry that has been stigmatized as the place where the ‘geeks’ gravitate. Software giants headhunt talented autistic people for positions in program development and defending against cybercrimes. Autistic people have been pigeonholed into this perception that we are gifted and talented in computers, [...]

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NeuroEmploy provides a variety of neurodiversity specific educational and training programs for neurodivergent individuals, workplace staff, management and businesses. Training and tailored consulting delivered by NeuroEmploy provides essential knowledge on being a neurodiversity inclusive workplace, how to support neurodivergent employees and how to re-evaluate workplace design, policies and practices for all staff. Webinars, workshops and facilitated programs for neurodivergent people and staff have been designed by leading authorities in neurodivergent conditions and are delivered by neurodivergent people.

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THE TOP TEN THINGS PARENTS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT GIRLS ON THE SPECTRUM

March 8, 2018

Feature photo: Becca Lory with her mom ©Becca Lory 2018 A Spectrum Women collaboration, edited by Maura Campbell In honour of International Women’s Day, the Spectrum Women writers have compiled a list of things we think it’s particularly important for parents or carers of girls on the autism spectrum to know. 1. Recognise how autism presents differently in girls In adult studies, the 4:1 male/female ratio in autism diagnosis disappears. This means autistic girls are not rare. Persist when they say so. Look for intensity and insistence on sameness. Many of our behaviours are quite typical but we won’t choose to […]

Six Kindnesses for Living by Jennifer Lisi in partnership with Happy Hands Toys

by Spectrum Women in General

The body is a wonderful thing, complete with a glorious system of nerves for experiencing our resplendent world. Most individuals seamlessly navigate their sensory environment. But for myself and other autistics, simple tasks lay at the mercy of sensation. I am forty-one years old trying to make each day of my life matter. I have [...]

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