May 2017

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Nightclub Nightmare & The Day I Stood Up For Myself – Jen Elcheson

May 28, 2017 Spectrum Women

Anyone who knows me is well aware that I am not the kind of person who likes to go out much and explore uncharted social territory. It is a strong innate dislike as I am quite introverted and not much of a people person. However, in my younger days, before I had come to terms with being an autistic introvert, I desperately wanted to fit in so bad. When I could muster the courage to do so, I would occasionally step outside my comfort zone and make myself do things many others would hardly bat an eyelash at. I would do them whether I liked them or not, even at the expense of my […]

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How does it feel, to live in my “own world” ~ Renata Jurkevythz

May 19, 2017 Spectrum Women

A very common statement people make about autistics is how they “live in their own world”. For non-autistics it can very much look like the person is locked in, in a parallel world, not acknowledging what goes on around them. For each individual on the autism spectrum, this “inner world” definitely feels different and may have an effect on their interactions with the world around them. Here, I want to explain my personal experience of being in my inner world. Some may resonate with my personal experience and for others it may be completely different. But as human beings, we […]

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Salads, Spreadsheets & the Spectrum: The Fight that Has Nothing to Do with Food – Jennifer O’Toole

May 7, 2017 Spectrum Women

**Content Warning: Eating Disorders, Self-Harm Including excerpts from Sisterhood of the Spectrum: An Asperger Chick’s Guide to Life” Some years ago, psychologist Carol Dweck took a good, hard look at a bunch of very bright fifth-grade boys and girls. Specifically, she observed what happened when these kids were presented with new concepts — confusing information meant to cause them a bit of frustration. How, Dr. Dweck wondered, would they handle the stress? Among the girls in the study, the higher the IQ, the more likely they were to give up when asked to learn something that was particularly foreign or […]

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

Disability Free December — Linda Wemyss

May 4, 2017 Spectrum Women

A few years ago, I had had enough of disability to last me a lifetime. I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) which involves faulty collagen, which is the glue that holds our bodies together, so I am literally falling apart. Ehlers Danlos in my case, involves multiple joint dislocations and subluxations every day, generalised pain and fatigue, a seven year old migraine, a neurological condition called dysautonomia, and a wide range of medical problems involving my organs. I use a wheelchair. I also have autism, Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (c-PTSD), anxiety disorder, dysthymia, and a few common medical problems […]

My Life – Barbara Schaefer

May 10, 2017 Spectrum Women

I remember the day last April when I heard this Professor interviewed on the radio about his diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome (AS) and what it meant. I just sat there open-mouthed. The fact that he was an intellectual, a fully-fledged academic even, who had been diagnosed in his late forties probably helped me. I am a granny of now 62, and I felt the beginning of yet another reckoning, a making peace with myself dawning. As a social worker dealing with mental health clients since my fifties, I had already had many opportunities to reflect when thinking of individual clients’ […]