June 2017

Featured

Spectrumly Speaking Episode 13 – Autism Advocacy in Australia, with Barb Cook of Spectrum Women Magazine

June 28, 2017 Barb Cook

(28 mins) In this episode, hosts Katherine Cody, Psy.D. and Becca Lory, CAS, BCCS speak with Barb Cook. Barb was diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome in 2009 and is Founder and Editor in Chief of Spectrum Women Magazine. She is a highly committed Autism/Aspergers advocate, keen motorcyclist and web/graphics guru. Barb has made numerous appearances on Australian television and radio, in national newspapers and magazines, was part of a documentary The Chameleons: Women with Autism. She is also the Founder and Director of Bikers for Autism Australia and Co-Founder/Director of the Australian Autism Aspergers Network Inc. Barb discusses her personal diagnosis, the autism gender gap in […]

General

An Education to Politics – Differentiation ~ Linda Wemyss

June 21, 2017 Spectrum Women

Pauline Hanson, One Nation Senator, and someone who should know better, came out today commenting that students with Autism should be segregated away from mainstream classrooms as they are taking up too much of the teachers time, at the expense of other student’s education. Apparently mainstream children want to get ahead by leaps and bounds, but Autistic children are holding them back. Pfft. What a crock of shit. For starters, let us not kid ourselves that wanting to do well at school is not dependent on one’s neurology, but on one’s personality. Some children want to do well at school, […]

Insights

Autistic and Damn Proud of It! ~ Jen Elcheson

June 19, 2017 Spectrum Women

It wasn’t too long ago that I could admit to myself that I am truly damn proud to be autistic. It was a serious lesson in self-acceptance. Learning to accept being autistic meant learning to accept myself. As I have mentioned in some of my other writings, my diagnosis story differs from the narratives of the later and recently diagnosed autistic people featured nowadays. I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in late 1998 right after I turned 17, as my school, counsellor, and mom were concerned about how I was getting on socially and wanted me assessed. This was back […]

Featured

Proud of being myself ~ Renata Jurkevythz

June 18, 2017 Spectrum Women

Autistic Pride Day. When I sat at my computer thinking about the best way to address this subject, I realized I just couldn’t think of autism on its own, but of all of my traits as a person. When we talk about being proud of our neurology it is not a lot different to being proud of our physical traits, our nationality or belief systems. Talking about pride is usually very controversial for the simple reason that people see themselves very differently. I might like something about myself, but someone else who is like me might not like that part […]

Featured

What Autistic Pride means to me by Maura Campbell

June 18, 2017 Spectrum Women

“What’s wrong with him, then?” The man gawped at my nine-year-old son, taking in his noise-cancelling headphones, the belt around his waist and the strap attaching him to the dog. He then turned his full attention to me. He stared, demanding a response, expecting a justification to be provided for why we had brought a dog into the shop and were queuing beside him. Darragh was impatient for us to pay and leave so that he could enjoy his chosen treat for being a great boy that week at school. “Nothing. There’s nothing wrong with him. In fact, he’s wonderful.” […]

Insights

Making Myself Proud! – Reflections on Autistic Pride – Yenn Purkis

June 18, 2017 Spectrum Women

June 18 is Autistic Pride Day. I usually pop an Autistic Pride themed meme on social media and tell everyone to ’get their pride on’. I see myself as a proud Autistic but I never really unpacked the concept of pride and why I identify with it. It just seemed an affirming sentiment. I saw something this which got me examining my thoughts on pride. Someone had posted on a friend’s Facebook timeline, ‘Why would you be proud of something you can’t help?’ This had me thinking — why do I say I am a proud Autistic woman? Why do […]

AAN Mag Legacy

Autism Aspergers Network Magazine January 2014 Legacy Edition

June 15, 2017 Spectrum Women

Click here to view online flipbook. Must have flash player enabled. AAAN Magazine January 2014 CONTENTS FEATURED 6 ASPERGERS ON THE JOB by Anita Lesko 14 I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM AT 40 The extended story of Barb Cook’s diagnosis 37 HUGGING THE HEDGEHOG Positive creative thinking for raising a child on the Autism Spectrum by Jodi Murphey 63 THE MOTHER LODE Kurt Muzikar gets an explosive surprise! 44 SPEAKING THE DIFFERENCE Translation by Rebecca Hyder PROFESSIONAL ADVICE 28 FAKING IT Extract by Professor Tony Attwood from his new book 34 WE THINK YOUR CHILD HAS ASD Psychologist Allison Haynes takes […]

AAN Mag Legacy

Autism Aspergers Network Magazine September 2013 Legacy Edition

June 15, 2017 Spectrum Women

Click here to view online flipbook. Must have flash player enabled. AAAN Magazine September 2013 CONTENTS FEATURES 18 PINK ON THE SPECTRUM by Jennifer Cook O’Toole 33 BIG, BIG TRANSITION at GRASP Founder Michael John Carley of GRASP reveals the past ten years 57 CHRISTIAN’S GIFT A mother’s story 63 UNIQUELY DIFFERENT A child’s perspective 78 PLANET ASPERGIA Inside the world of Miss Elle of Planet Aspergia Von Douglas 82 ASPERGER SYNDROME AWARENESS Barb Cook interview Bryan Chandler founder of ASA online PROFESSIONAL ADVICE 36 IRLEN SYNDROME Seeing the world differently with Fiona Randall 39 ISABELLE HENAULT Sexual education […]

AAN Mag Legacy

Australian Autism Aspergers Network Magazine April 2013 Legacy Edition

June 15, 2017 Spectrum Women

Click here to view online flipbook. Must have flash player enabled. AAAN Magazine April 2013 CONTENTS FEATURES 6 PROFESSOR UTA FRITH Up close and personal. 12 DR. LIANE HOLLIDAY WILLEY, EdD Happy and healthy on a horse. 15 AUTISTIC SELF ADVOCACY Katherine Annear gives constructive advice. 18 KATHY HOOPMANN interview with renowned author Kathy Hoopmann. 42 TESCO MUM OF THE YEAR 2013 Winner Anna Kennedy OBE. 46 AVOIDING ASSUMPTIONS Jennifer O’Toole discusses misinterpretations on the spectrum. 61 SPECTRUM SUPERSTARS A journey with autism from Mark and Nichole Andrews. 62 TWICE EXCEPTIONAL Lee Ponder talks about her exceptional boy. 72 BEDROOM ENVIRONMENT […]

Featured

Why I Write… A Spectrum Women Collaboration

June 12, 2017 Barb Cook

Inspired by “Why I Ride”, Barb Cook’s love letter to motorcycling published in Spectrum Women in October 2016, some of the Spectrum Women Writing Team have decided to share their thoughts on their shared passion for writing… Jeanette Purkis I am Autistic and also have schizophrenia. I often joke that it was pretty much guaranteed I would end up being a writer with those two diagnoses and the creativity which so often comes along with them. I started writing young. I got to read out my poetry at school assemblies from about the age of eight. High school English was […]