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)
Tag: on the spectrum
Baby Steps to Diagnosis: Part 3
Following my intake interview, I had some homework to complete before the in-person testing. These were the four questionnaires I was assigned: An online quiz made up of maybe 400 true/false statements. This was the most difficult, since so many of them were judgments or used vague wording or wording so absolute that I wasn't … Continue reading Baby Steps to Diagnosis: Part 3
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
Community: Online Autistic Pals
You know when your struggles seem so unique and ridiculous and they make you see yourself as an alien? Well, I found the place where all the aliens hang out and it's pretty okay. I belong to a lot of Facebook groups, some for music, which I'd been invited to, and many for animal rights … Continue reading Community: Online Autistic Pals
On Friendship
A lot of what I read about autism and relationships focuses on friendship: the lack of friends, the difficulty in making or keeping friends. I'd thought about it previously, but now it feels like something I should dig into... I have friends. And I think I'm a good friend--I try to be. I am a … Continue reading On Friendship
Ugh, Hugs
In the first episode of Everything's Gonna Be Okay, Matilda is asked for a hug by her half-brother and explains that she doesn't like hugs. They'd made her dad happy so she learned to do them, but since he died she hoped she wouldn't have to do them anymore. (Her substitution idea was to dance … Continue reading Ugh, Hugs
Re-examining My Suicide Through an Autism Lens
Oh, where to begin with the content/trigger warnings? Seriously, just an open, graphic recounting and examination of some pretty rough stuff ahead. The title should imply it all: talk of suicide, psychological issues, hospitalization... You can't read this sort of thing without having some feelings about it, so feel free to walk away now. Still … Continue reading Re-examining My Suicide Through an Autism Lens
Second-Guessing My Memories
I just blew my own mind, so I'm sharing this with you in real time as I work through it. Bear with me. Both personally and professionally, I've written about plenty of social issues, but there are a few that I've consistently backed away from because I've never felt secure in my voice or position. … Continue reading Second-Guessing My Memories
While I Wait: The Consideration of Labels
I'm still writing from a place of self-assessment. Three months ago, I called and got myself on the waitlist at the AARTS Center at Rush, and then one week ago I called to check in, leaving a message that has not been returned. That's frustrating. I was told it would be 6-9 months before I … Continue reading While I Wait: The Consideration of Labels
