Blog - Page 37 of 37 - Learn From Autistics

An Autism Awareness Story: Autism Meets Law Enforcement

July 14, 2015Jenna2 CommentsPractical Parenting

I recently experienced the anxiety autistics and their parents sometimes face when confronted with law enforcement (albeit on a small scale) due to a lack of autism awareness. It reminded me of my neurotypical privilege in yet another aspect of life.

Many law enforcement agencies are conducting autism awareness training, teaching officers how to identify autistic behaviors and appropriately deescalate potential conflicts.

My son is fascinated with maps and geography and has always wanted to travel to other countries. When he was four, he could draw and label the entire United States as well as several other countries (His drawings have always kept the families behind us in church entertained!)

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Autism Interview #2: Angela on Autism Advocacy

July 7, 2015JennaInterviews

Angela is a 38-year-old mother of five (four of whom are on the autism spectrum) and avid musician. She is currently completing her thesis for a Master’s in Data Analytics and works in Customer Quality, dealing with complaints data in a wide variety of ways.

Angela answered several questions about autism advocacy:…

Advocating for a Sensory-Friendly Classroom

June 30, 2015JennaPractical Parenting

Some sensory issues block a child’s ability to learn in a given environment. A sensory-friendly classroom addresses the environmental needs of students and optimizes their learning potential.

Learning isn’t always fascinating, exciting, or rewarding for all children. For students with sensory processing issues, the school environment can be frighteningly unpredictable and stressful. Because your children will spend the majority of their waking hours at school, it is critical to ensure their educational environment meets their sensory needs in order to optimize health, safety, and learning potential. The most common issues teachers see in children who have sensory processing difficulties are an inability to focus or to sit long enough to learn. The goal of a sensory-friendly classroom is to create a comfortable and attentive state for a student, which is optimal for learning.

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Creating a Sensory-Friendly Home for Your Autistic Child

June 23, 2015JennaPractical Parenting

Most autistics struggle with sensory processing issues on a daily basis, and they need a safe place to provide respite from stressful and overwhelming environments. A sensory-friendly home is an environment optimized to meet the sensory needs of an autistic child and is crucial to decreasing stress and increasing functionality and overall happiness.…

Autism Interview #1: Ben on Autism Advocacy

June 16, 2015Jenna1 CommentInterviews

Ben is twenty-seven and works for the University of Notre Dame as an Event Setup Supervisor at the campus hotel. He considers obtaining this position one of his major life accomplishments. I recently spoke with Ben about autism advocacy and his experience growing up on the spectrum.
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Befriending Autistic Adults

June 10, 2015Jenna2 CommentsUncategorized

Just as neurotypicals who befriend autistics can help them gain confidence and maintain a healthy emotional state, neurotypical parents can also benefit from establishing friendships with autistic adults. In fact, it is a useful first step to take upon discovering your child’s diagnosis.…

Inject Autism Acceptance Into Your Awareness Campaign

June 5, 2015Jenna1 CommentAutism Acceptance

Add Acceptance

An Important Addition

“Awareness” is a vague, hackneyed noun that every supporter of any cause in the world touts as their primary advocacy goal.

But what does it mean to be more aware of autism? Or breast cancer, or childhood leukemia, or poverty, or heart disease? Knowing that someone suffers doesn’t mean that much unless people are compelled to act. There must be a secondary agenda beyond awareness.…

An Introduction

April 22, 2015JennaUncategorized

The Learn from Autistics logo. Everyone has a voice. Let’s listen.

About Me

My introduction to autism came in 2000 when I was in high school and my younger brother (who was in eighth grade at the time) was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. I didn’t know a lot about autism then, but I had lived side-by-side with my brother long enough to begin understanding what autism can look like and some of the struggles autistic people face in an unaccommodating environment.

I understood autism more intimately when my first son was born in 2008.…