Latest News
  • Featured

    TOP TIPS FOR SURVIVING THE HOLIDAYS WHEN YOU’RE ON THE SPECTRUM ~ by Maura Campbell

    With Christmas fast approaching, our resident Agonising Auntie has put together some top tips on how to survive the festive season if you’re autistic. Whether you’re ‘ho ho ho!’ or ‘no, no, no!’, we hope these will help you have a happier holiday… 1. Be a party pooper! If you dread the thought of the office Christmas party, either politely decline the invitation or have an exit strategy for when you need to leave – for example, dare Mike from Accounts to press the fire alarm button once he’s on his third Sambuca. 2. Don’t stand in line – go online! The Interweb isn’t just for hilarious videos of cats (though it is mostly for that). You can buy stuff there too. 3. Write your [...]
  • Featured

    Interview: Meet Cynthia Zuber

    Spectrum Women Magazine Interview by Jen Elcheson Cynthia Zuber is a health and wellness writer from the U.S. who lives in the state of Minnesota with her husband, their adorable dog Jonah, and their 18 year old black cat, Juniper.  Cynthia, now 43, professionally identified as having Asperger’s (which in North America, according to the DSM-5 is ASD Level 1, or autism) at age 40, recently joined the autistic blogosphere with her Facebook based blog, The Neurodiverse Woman, which she hopes to eventually turn into a website. Her musings are deep and insightful, brimming with self-awareness, and empowering sentiments that aim to bring the neurodiverse community together. Many readers, me included, see themselves in a lot of her words. Using smooth prose, Cynthia speaks her [...]
  • Featured

    THE INVISIBLE PRICE OF ACCOMMODATION — Renata Jurkevythz

    Every accommodation provided for a person with a disability, be it physical or mental, visible or invisible, is usually perceived as something they are getting “for free”. Something is being facilitated for them in a way it wouldn’t for a person without said disability. Supposedly, it is understood that it is not an advantage, but a way to make things less difficult, or simply possible, for someone already struggling with things that are taken for granted by others. Supposedly, of course. Therein lies the first problem disabled people face and that also originates the second one, the title of this article. Intentionally or not, every accommodation will end up being seen as a sort of advantage by those who are not entitled to it. A [...]
  • Featured

    AUTISM, LITERALLY!

    A Spectrum Women collaboration, edited by Maura Campbell, with Barb Cook, Jen Elcheson, Christine Jenkins, Terri Mayne, Kate Ross and Lisa Toner Morgan. Us folks on the autistic spectrum have a tendency to take things a bit too literally sometimes. Even when we get the meaning of a phrase, though, our active imaginations mean we can have great fun when we take things verbatim… 1. “I’ll have to call you back — I’m in the middle of my dinner”   That could get messy. 2. “I’m just going to go jump in the shower” Mind you don’t slip! 3. “I can’t think of it off the top of my head” Maybe you should try wearing that thinking cap you were talking about the other day. 4. [...]
  • Advocacy

    Stranger in a Strange Land: The Autistic Expatriate – Jeanette Purkis

    I was at a conference this week and it generated some interesting thoughts in my mind. The light bulb moment was when a speaker talked about their child being ‘resistant to using the telephone’. I would have said that the child didn’t like using the telephone and I think the speaker would have too if the child were not autistic. Autistic people are frequently pathologised and our experiences seen in terms of being somehow deficient and in need of fixing. I do not want to detract from the conference, which was great, but that comment really set me thinking. I have spoken and written about the idea that autistic and neurotypical approaches to communication can be seen as different but equally valid languages – as [...]
Featured

Living with Suicide Ideation by Lisa Morgan

by Spectrum Women in Featured

*** Trigger Warning – the article is about suicide ideation.  *** I’m sitting alone.  I can hear the clock ticking.  I can hear cars out on the road.  I’m physically alone, which usually is ok, but not tonight.  Tonight it’s difficult because I’m also emotionally alone.  I feel no connection to another person.  The aloneness is palpable.  How can I feel so utterly alone in a world with billions of people? My thoughts are with [...]

Living with Suicide Ideation by Lisa Morgan

by Spectrum Women in Featured

*** Trigger Warning – the article is about suicide ideation.  *** I’m sitting alone.  I can hear the clock ticking.  I can hear cars out on the road.  I’m physically alone, which usually is ok, but not tonight.  Tonight it’s difficult because I’m also emotionally alone.  I feel no connection to another person.  The aloneness is palpable.  How can I feel so utterly alone in a world with billions of people? My thoughts are with me though. My unwanted, intrusive thoughts about suicide are plentiful in my mind.  Where did they come from?  How can I get them to [...]

Stranger in a Strange Land: The Autistic Expatriate – Jeanette Purkis

by Spectrum Women in Advocacy

I was at a conference this week and it generated some interesting thoughts in my mind. The light bulb moment was when a speaker talked about their child being ‘resistant to using the telephone’. I would have said that the child didn’t like using the telephone and I think the speaker would have too if the child were not autistic. Autistic people are frequently pathologised [...]

WHY WE THINK OUR PETS MIGHT ALSO BE ON THE SPECTRUM

by Spectrum Women in Autism April

A Spectrum Women collaboration, edited by Maura Campbell Kate Ross, Anita Lesko, Jen Elcheson, Lisa Morgan, Becca Lory, Christine Jenkins, Terri Mayne, Jeanette Purkis, Barb Cook Spectrum Women share a love of animals and we definitely reckon Kathy Hoopmann was on to something in her best-selling book, All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome (2006). Here’s why….     Kathy’s other titles [...]

15 THINGS YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY SAY TO AN AUTISTIC WOMAN

by Spectrum Women in Insights

A Spectrum Women Compilation, edited by Becca Lory Hector, Jen Elcheson and Maura Campbell. Contributors: Barb Cook, Dena Gassner, Renata Jurkevythz, Lisa Toner Morgan, Liane Holliday Willey, Christine Jenkins, Terri Mayne, Kate Ross, and Anita Lesko. We received such an AUSOME response to our list of things you should NEVER say to an autistic woman that we had to compile a sister list for it of some really great things you could, and should, ABSOLUTELY say to an autistic woman (or any autistic adult regardless of gender). And since you guys finally felt the burn [...]

AUTISM, LITERALLY!

by Spectrum Women in Featured

A Spectrum Women collaboration, edited by Maura Campbell, with Barb Cook, Jen Elcheson, Christine Jenkins, Terri Mayne, Kate Ross and Lisa Toner Morgan. Us folks on the autistic spectrum have a tendency to take things a bit too literally sometimes. Even when we get the meaning of a phrase, though, our active imaginations mean we can have great fun when we take things verbatim… 1. “I’ll have to call you back — I’m in the middle of my dinner”   That [...]

Meet the Spectrum Women Book Authors: Barb Cook

by Spectrum Women in Special Feature

The Spectrum Women and authors of this book, Spectrum Women: Walking to the Beat of Autism, felt it would be a great opportunity to tell you a little about ourselves and the reasons why we were part of this incredible project. Each Spectrum Woman has a unique story to tell and today, on the day the book has been released to the world,  we would like to introduce you to [...]
Featured

Interview: Meet Cynthia Zuber

November 6, 2018

Spectrum Women Magazine Interview by Jen Elcheson Cynthia Zuber is a health and wellness writer from the U.S. who lives in the state of Minnesota with her husband, their adorable dog Jonah, and their 18 year old black cat, Juniper.  Cynthia, now 43, professionally identified as having Asperger’s (which in North America, according to the DSM-5 is ASD Level 1, or autism) at age 40, recently joined the autistic blogosphere with her Facebook based blog, The Neurodiverse Woman, which she hopes to eventually turn into a website. Her musings are deep and insightful, brimming with self-awareness, and empowering sentiments that […]

General

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

March 14, 2018

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 the same drive for success as any other woman: career, family, autonomy and financial stability.  But too often I have been paddling upstream against a current of external factors I can’t control.  Finding ways to turn the boat downstream and work with those factors can […]

Featured

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 […]

swmstories

Pride

My Pride by Jennifer O’Toole

June 18, 2018

I’m not proud to be autistic. Which, I realize, may seem like an odd way to start a piece that’s meant to celebrate Autistic Pride Day. But it’s not. Not really, anyway. It just takes some explaining. I played competitive tennis as a teenager. Twenty-five years later, I can clearly remember parents cheering courtside, our coach quick to praise us for making a strategic shot or communicating well with a doubles partner. It was, and is, easy to get swept along with the motion of things. To feel the irritation of “unforced errors” and find ourselves trapped in the toxic […]

Living with Suicide Ideation by Lisa Morgan

Featured
December 3, 2018
*** Trigger Warning – the article is about suicide ideation.  *** I’m sitting alone.  I can hear the clock ticking.  I can hear cars out on the road.  I’m physically alone, which usually is ok, but not tonight.  Tonight it’s difficult because I’m also emotionally alone.  I feel no connection to another person.  The aloneness [...]

POEM by Lennée Reid

July 28, 2017
Say I’m sensitive. Do not enlighten people with neurology 101 or explain how I feel sound like whispers are feathers and pow wows are heart beats and a dog squealing in pain stings like needles. [...]

BOOK: SPECTRUM WOMEN

Order now at

Jessica Kingsley Publishers     JKP.com

USA — Amazon.com

Australia — Amazon.com.au

UK — Amazon.co.uk

This is an edited collection that tackles a range of issues that affect autistic women, including chapters on growing up, identity, diversity, parenting, independence and self-care. Well-known writers provide advice, support and empowerment to fellow autistic women, and expert Michelle Garnett provides professional commentary for each chapter.

 

Contributing authors: ARtemisia, Maura Campbell, Barb Cook, Samantha Craft, Jen Elcheson, Dena Gassner, Liane Holliday Willey, Christine Jenkins, Renata Jurkevythz, Anita Lesko, Becca Lory, Terri Mayne, Jeanette Purkis, Kate Ross, Catriona Stewart

 

Becca Lory, CAS, BCCS

Autism consultant, speaker, author, advocate, life coach. For more information please visit: www.beccalory.com.

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Spectrum Suite, LLC – Samantha Craft

Spectrum Suite, LLC is a service-oriented company founded in 2016 in Washington state, USA, dedicated to celebrating neurodiversity through all forms of art and artistic expression. Our services include supporting authors and artists, producing and providing quality and unique neurodiverse literature, and serving the neurodiverse community and their loved ones through community outreach, gatherings, and educational events.

http://www.myspectrumsuite.com/

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Latest Book Releases

Book Releases

“FIFTEEN THINGS THEY FORGOT TO TELL YOU ABOUT AUTISM” — BOOK REVIEW AND INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR DEBBY ELLEY

May 12, 2018

Interview by Maura Campbell, Spectrum Women Features Writer. I just blitzed through the book I wish I could have read when my son was diagnosed with autism eight years ago. Fifteen Things They Forgot To Tell You About Autism, penned by Debby Elley, one of the driving forces behind Aukids magazine, was published in April and is already attracting great reviews. I can see why. Debby’s book is packed with helpful advice and practical tips based on what she’s learned over the years as a mother of twin autistic boys.  It reads like a conversation with a wise and trusted […]

Book Releases

Sex and the Single Aspie — ARtemisia

February 14, 2018

Addressing the issues women with Asperger’s face with sexuality and the single life, this ground-breaking book reveals all and blows the lid off taboo subjects for those on the spectrum. Looking at one night stands, intimacy, and integrity, this is illuminating reading for all Aspie women. One of the many problems women on the spectrum face is not always understanding how relationships and boundaries work for other people. This book provides answers, plus more that they may not even have thought to ask. Covering one night stands, the importance of safe sex, self-respect, and double standards, there is a wealth […]

Book Releases

BOOK REVIEW: Am I Autistic? by Lydia Andal

January 19, 2017

AM I AUTISTIC? A guide to Autism & Asperger’s Self-Diagnosis for Adults By Lydia Andal Published by New Idealist Limited, London Review by Terri Mayne International Aspergirl Society UK Ambassador    “Am I Autistic?” is a refreshing and positive book about autism in adults, focusing on autistic adults without learning difficulties. What makes this book stand out is that the author demonstrates the things that autistics can do, and do well, and not just what they can’t do. Lydia Andal uses the phrase “Professional Autistic” to perfectly describe the autistic who has a career, lives independently yet may find it difficult […]

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