Blog - Learn From Autistics

Autism Interview #82 Part 2: Gillan Drew on Fatherhood and Autism Advocacy

December 11, 2018JennaInterviews

This is Part 2 of our two-part interview with Gillan Drew, a British author and father of two. He was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at 28 and blogs about his life at Aspie Daddy. Gillan is also the author of An Adult with an Autism Diagnosis: A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed. This week he shared his thoughts on his role as a father and weighed in on some important advocacy considerations for parents of autistic children.

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Autism Interview #82 Part 1: Gillan Drew on Late Diagnosis and Autistic Adulthood

December 4, 2018Jenna1 CommentInterviews

Gillan Drew is a British author and father of two daughters. He was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at 28 and blogs about his life at Aspie Daddy. Gillan is the author of An Adult with an Autism Diagnosis: A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed. This is the first part of a two-part interview with him. This week he shared his experience grappling with a diagnosis later in life and offered advice for offering support to other autistic adults.

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Moving forward while glancing back…

November 27, 2018JennaPractical Parenting

This article was written by Emma Dalmayne, an autistic advocate, activist, and writer from the UK. It was originally published on her website and is reprinted here with her permission.

Parents often ask with concern why when their child has made a gain of some kind in development do they seem to reverse in others?

As an Autistic I can tell you that if your child has, for instance, become toilet trained recently, they may revert to a previous special interest or sensory seeking behavior for comfort and reassurance.

There’s nothing wrong with that, in fact, it makes perfect sense, any progress is still a change even if it is good. More recognized is the regression Autistic’s display if there has been a traumatic experience.

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Autism Interview #81: Michelle Swan on Modeling Autism Acceptance

November 20, 2018Jenna1 CommentInterviews

Michelle Swan is an autistic Australian writer, speaker, mentor, and neurodiversity rights advocate. She has experience in peer support, mentoring, education workshop presentation, community building and advocacy with degrees teaching and psychology. Michelle is also a mother to six neurodivergent children and is the author of The Real Experts: Readings for Parents of Autistic Children and the co-author of The Respectfully Connected Anthology. This week she shared information about her advocacy work and offered advice for how parents can model autism acceptance in order to help build a positive autistic identity for their children.

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Autism Interview #80: Englebert Lau on Late-Diagnosis Asperger’s Syndrome

November 13, 2018JennaInterviews

Englebert Lau is an autism advocate and Information Technology Business Analyst. Englebert was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at the age of 30 and blogs at The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome where he shares a lighthearted perspective on Asperger’s syndrome. He’s also been published in Autism Parenting Magazine and The Art of Autism. This week he shared some of the most valuable resources he found upon first receiving his diagnosis.

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It’s Election Day!

November 6, 2018JennaIn the News

It’s Election Day 2018, and I hope you have the opportunity to go vote. Here is a list of some voting-related resources offered by the autistic community and other disability advocacy organizations.

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Autism Interview #79: Braydon Keddie on Succeeding in the Workplace

October 30, 2018JennaInterviews

Braydon Keddie is a former journalist turned blogger/photographer and currently works as a caretaker. He blogs at Confidence with ASD. Brayden is also a part-time student in Building Environmental Studies, and self identified movie fanatic and comic book geek. This week he shared some advice on positive autism advocacy and succeeding in the workplace.

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How We Approach Reducing Meltdowns with a Variation Budget

October 23, 2018JennaAutism Acceptance, Practical Parenting

The following article was written by writer and public autistic advocate Jamie Knight. Many autistic individuals speak of the fatigue they experience navigating a neurotypically-dominant society on a daily basis and the stress sudden changes can cause. In this post, Jamie offers a unique representation of how he handles the stress that comes with the inevitable changes and unpredictability of life. This post was originally published on his blog Spaced Out & Smiling on July 6, 2017 and is reprinted here with his permission.

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Autism Interview #78 Part 1: Jo Farrell on Employment, Mutism, and Studying Buddhism

October 9, 2018Jenna2 CommentsInterviews

Photo by Jo Farrell

Jo Farrell is a British caucasian and UK-based mother (to an adult son), blogger, marketeer, amateur photographer, and practitioner of Nichiren Buddhism. She blogs at The Autistic Buddhist to support other people on the spectrum offering a positive, inspirational approach to autism and is an advocate of human neurodiversity. This post is Part One of a two-part interview. This week she shared information about her past and current employment experiences, her difficulty with mutism, and how she has benefited from learning to practice Buddhism.

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