Autistic Dad

02/03/2020

"Socialising is a bit like being among a crowd of people and all of a sudden you forget how to walk."

Eloise Stark describes how she created strategies to help her "fit in" with others until her diagnosis.

05/05/2019

Watch this, it's great.

02/04/2018

There's a lot to praise about JP Morgan's attitude in this post and its willingness to recognise the potential of autistic employees. But there's a troubling side too. Some autistic people have great talents and abilities which, properly exploited, can enrich their lives. But they're often vulnerable and need extra care, and the two go hand in hand. Have you checked that that brilliant data analyst isn't so absorbed in his work that he hasn't eaten or slept for three days? Is there a quiet place in the office where they can go and recharge if they're feeling burned out? Will you know if there's a change in their personal lives, such as a death in the family, that means they need a break from work? It's great to see opportunities opening up for autistic people in the workplace, but the need for proper help and support shouldn't be overlooked.

by James R. Mahoney Executive Director and Head of Autism at Work, JPMorgan Chase A couple of years ago, I learned a startling statistic: the unemployment rate for individuals with some form of autism – often called Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) – is estimated to be between 80 to 90 percent. Wh...

01/04/2018

AUTISTIC EASTER EGG HUNT
1. Hide 20 eggs around the house. Make sure you have an even distribution of colours to avoid complications.
2. Ask your child to find the eggs.
3. Realise as he gets to 18 that you've forgotten where you put the last two.
4. Breathe a sigh of relief as he finds one of them.
5. Feel the creeping anxiety as you realise that a) you can't remember for the life of you where the last egg is and b) your child will be looking for it for the next month unless you act fast.
6. Quickly hide a substitute egg (you did keep some spare eggs back before you started, didn't you? And this one's the right colour?)
7. Shout 'aha!' in an exaggerated voice and let him find it.
8. Spend the rest of the day worrying where the missing egg could be, and whether you're losing your mind.
Happy Easter!

31/03/2018

What do you think autistic people said was the thing they most wanted the public to understand about autism, but the thing they felt was least understood?

Autistic people can need extra time to process information. Our latest research shows that the vast majority of people would respond differently if they knew this.

Understand autism, the person, and the change you can make: http://bit.ly/2odgeXY

26/03/2018

More on adult diagnosis. A lot resonates here.

Some women with autism aren't diagnosed until adulthood - if ever. Here, seven autistic women open up about their experiences.

26/03/2018

So here's that blog post I was talking about. Last month, after nearly a decade of pondering and prevaricating, I was diagnosed with ASD at the age of 43. These are my first thoughts on what it all means, but by no means the last. But for clarity: I haven't suddenly become autistic, I've just had something confirmed that I always suspected. And please don't feel sorry for me: it's not an affliction. Beyond that, I'm very grateful for all shares, comments, feedback, recommendations etc. http://autisticdad.blogspot.nl/2018/03/autistic-autistic-dad.html

20/03/2018

"Looking back, I realise that life before my diagnosis was one spent locked out of my own mind. There was always a strong, underlying sense that something was different about me and, in my desperation to figure out what, my physical and mental wellbeing suffered."

‘A lifetime of curious behaviour suddenly came into focus, and the pieces began to fit’

15/03/2018

I'm working on a new blog, but it's taking a while. In the meantime get stuck in to this excellent blog by Kate Fox.

IF I was autistic I would still be that poet who made a leap of imagination that caused your brain to jump, the comedian who made you laugh (sometimes), the facilitator who ran that writing worksho…

12/02/2018

"Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA), in common with other behaviourist approaches, is specifically based on modifying behaviour without even attempting to gain any insight into the subject’s internal life. The refusal to enter the subject’s point of view shows in the callous use of punishments and withheld rewards."

Empathy is difficult. People tend to forget how hard it is, because most of us spend a lot of time around people much like ourselves; or…

21/01/2018

Very interesting post about fluid adaptation, and how autistic people's ability to cope can progress or regress as circumstances change.

In my last post, I talked about my recent language difficulties and mentioned autistic regression. Sometimes called autistic burnout, autistic regression is a loss of skills or coping mechanisms. R…

28/11/2017

“The difference between high functioning and low functioning is that high functioning means your deficits are ignored, and low functioning means your assets are ignored.”

Measures of adaptive functioning may better assess the ability of autistic people to meet daily demands than do intelligence tests.

14/11/2017

Acceptance is so important.

New research suggests many autistic people feel they have to hide their true selves.

07/11/2017

As the BBC1 drama returns, Eccleston opens up to Gerard Groves about autism, Alzheimer's and the death of his father

30/10/2017

"I invite you to move beyond the outdated view that autistics are not empathetic. It’s a view that is inaccurate and also potentially harmful, as many children may miss the opportunity to know themselves better if they are not diagnosed because ‘they can’t be autistic, they show empathy’."

On a number of occasions, I’ve come across the view that autistic people lack empathy. This is a popular view in mainstream therapeutic circles and the media and one that many families seem to abso…

29/10/2017

Interesting alternative definition of autism. I've long thought we should distinguish between "autistic" and "autism spectrum disorder". In my opinion the word disorder is only appropriate when it has a serious negative impact on your ability to function in society or interact with other people.

Problems Autism is big and messy and confusing, and no-one really understands it. It’s difficult to make a good summary and description of autistic traits, because generally no-one can agree …

24/10/2017

The use of coping strategies is a double-edged sword. Developing them is a good thing in terms of mitigating the condition and helping autistic people connect with others, but if they take up too much time and energy they can become a problem in themselves - especially if they encourage people to think you're not (really) (that) autistic.

New research reveals how autistic people use their strengths and interests to manage their condition.

05/10/2017

New blog: on grief and the absence of language. https://autisticdad.blogspot.nl/2017/10/unspeakable.html

How can you grieve without language? It was a question we had to deal with even as we prepared to emigrate while Mageld was dying in April ...