Jessica Galati, Psy.D.

07/01/2022

A powerful reflection from one of our Autistic mentees (age 13): "I feel like people are always telling me the things I need to do to fit in with other kids, but no one tells the other kids the things they can do to make me feel like I belong."

One of the most meaningful aspects of our Autistic-led mentoring programs is that young people experience a sense of belonging simply by being themselves.

For a deeper dive, please see:

▪ From EisforErin, Social Skills for Everyone (tinyurl.com/56z7fp2v)
▪ From That Au-Some Book Club via Not An Autism Mom, 100ish Inclusive Books on Autism & Neurodiversity (tinyurl.com/yckwkf3y)
▪ From Frontiers for Young Minds, Double Empathy: Why Autistic People Are Often Misunderstood (tinyurl.com/2ptjsdj3)
▪ From Abby Sesterka (Linguistic Autistic) and Erin Bulluss (Autistic Wellbeing Consultancy), How To Be A Good Friend To An Autistic Person (view here: tinyurl.com/4nms3vff)

Learn more about I CAN Network here: https://icannetwork.online/.

[Image description: Peach background with cartoon graphic at the bottom showing a group of young people with their arms linked. Black text reads, 'I feel like people are always telling me the things I need to do to fit in with other kids, but no one tells the other kids the things they can do to make me feel like I belong.' I CAN Mentee (Age 13).]

04/04/2022

If you really want to see what the mainstream has so wrong about autism, notice how many ways the ability to produce and “function” is referenced compared to how many times emotional health or self-esteem get mentioned.

Just keep your pattern-recognition radar on alert for language that summarizes autistic people related to their utility or ability to produce. Then look around for the language that prioritizes seeing the whole person in all their nuance.

Discussions almost always center independence, which as a concept is a myth.

Independence really means being able to rely on structural supports to be able to get by. For most people, their environments, educational settings, careers, and even recreation are structured to be optimized for them. If someone appears independent, it is only because other people have structured the world around them to suit their needs. That’s called community.

Instead of being anxious that systems and structures won’t be accommodating, we are anxious about if autistics can at least blend in without complaining about having no accommodations.

Is that fair?

We therapize autistics to accept responsibility for not being accommodated— to not protest, to not complain, to remember to show gratitude that people even interacted at all, to be automatically respectful and deferent to authority…

We then treat autistic children as if everyone else is an authority on everything else. We socialize autistic people to believe they need to trust everyone else but themselves.

Is that wise?!

Function labels are typically used to describe tools and machines. When applied to people, it’s dehumanizing. It frames a person, often as their introduction and first impression, as an object.

“My child/student/client has autism but is high functioning.”

Our next post will give you examples of more humanizing language to talk about autistic people. Happy World Autistic Community today!!! Thank you for being in community with us!

03/24/2022

Brainforest Adventure Summer Camp 2022

03/22/2022

03/18/2022

We still have a long way to go…especially in defining more accurate criteria for females on the spectrum

Two new words and a text swap in the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic “bible” are unlikely to affect clinical practice, experts say.

03/01/2022

“The way people talk about my Autism shapes the way I think about myself. I choose to surround myself with voices that raise me up.” – Emma Ward, Autistic advocate

Read more: https://reframingautism.org.au/neurodiversity-affirming-language-a-letter-to-your-family-friends-and-support-network/

As Reframing Autism founder and Autistic researcher Dr Melanie Heyworth explains, “Ultimately, you can’t separate Autism from personhood, much in the same way you can’t (and shouldn’t) separate race, religion, or cultural heritage from identity and personhood. Calling myself Autistic acknowledges how integral Autism is to my sense of self. It recognises that my Autism is not a secondary or lesser part of myself. It signals that my Autism is fundamental to my identity and that I embrace that Autistic part of myself, as something of which I can be proud.”

If this letter resonates with you, we encourage you to share the post with friends, family, support people and everyone in between!



Image description: A peach watercolour background with the Reframing Autism logo at the top centre. Below it, text reads I do not “have Autism”. I am Autistic. Below the text, there is an illustration of an orange mind containing a leaf.

Image credit: Reframing Autism/Canva PRO

02/01/2022

01/25/2022

What is masking?

on Instagram

01/13/2022

We are still looking for 2nd-grade students with dyslexia or another language disorder to take part in our study! It will be done virtually, so you can do it from any location. Please reach out if interested! Message us or email maalavika@pitt.edu.

12/22/2021

This article focuses on how the media needs to change the way they talk about autism- but I think all of us in the mental health field could also learn a thing or 2 from it!

Autism is a complex and multifaceted subject. There are as many ways to cover it harmfully as there are ways to cover it, so let's look at how to minimize that harm.