Autism Book Shelf: What I Mean When I Say I’m Autistic

This book came from a recommendation on one of the ND Facebook groups I'm in. The post was by someone looking for books to give to people in their circle, family and friends, to help explain what it's like to be autistic...and maybe to legitimize the experience, because for whatever fake reason, if it's printed … Continue reading Autism Book Shelf: What I Mean When I Say I’m Autistic →

I Guess I Like That I’m Autistic

A friend of mine posted a question on Facebook: Let’s start today out with some self-loveand positivity! What’s something you like about yourself? Some people went with physical traits, others a personality trait--there were no wrong answers here. I went with my inability to see social hierarchy. No one has inherent authority (so I’m great … Continue reading I Guess I Like That I’m Autistic →

Grief: Can I Have It or Do I Want It?

Content warning: death, loss, and what might seem like insensitive discussion of them. It's clear that I don't feel or process emotions the way most people do. Without professional confirmation on this, I'm pretty certain I am alexithymic (I don't see a therapist, but it came up during my ASD assessment), and in combination with … Continue reading Grief: Can I Have It or Do I Want It? →

Finding Home

I'm marking the fourth anniversary of my move to Chicago. Thing is, I grew up in Chicago, spending the bulk of my first 24 years here. But as we know, autistic people commonly feel uncomfortable, out of place, wherever they are--and since I didn't know I was autistic, I just carried this mysterious and frustrating … Continue reading Finding Home →

Baby Steps to Diagnosis: Part 4 (The Diagnosis)

If you've been following along with the Baby Steps series (or longer than that), you can maybe imagine the buildup to my results appointment. It took about four weeks following my in-person testing -- I was expecting three weeks, so that extra week was painful and I did end up sending a check-in email in … Continue reading Baby Steps to Diagnosis: Part 4 (The Diagnosis) →

Baby Steps to Diagnosis: Part 2

"I'm seeing a lot of anxiety here." Yeah, that's how you want to start an assessment. But it was true. After close to a year putting these pieces together for myself, it was finally time to present them to an authority on the subject in the hope of validation, which could then lead to some … Continue reading Baby Steps to Diagnosis: Part 2 →

Baby Steps to Diagnosis: Part 1

These are all rolling a little late, since it's been tough to write and edit and publish. Big happenings on the diagnosis front, along with the rest of life, so finding moments of calm has been a bit tricky. I have an appointment for my autism assessment! Two, actually, with a third one TBD. It … Continue reading Baby Steps to Diagnosis: Part 1 →