From a neurodivergent occupational therapist (OT), this article is great for parents who are noticing that they have much in common with their autistic or otherwise neurodivergent child.
When the holiday joy collides with the difficulties of being overwhelmed.
Readers will be amazed to see that noise cancelling headphones are as quintessential an accommodation as eyeglasses, wheelchairs, or asthma inhalers.
Pete Wharmby lists 50 reasons an autistic person might be in a bad mood, even if sensory issues, alexithymia, or being non-speaking (even if temporarily) can make it difficult to communicate.
Children are people, not property.
Autistic people have difficulty with being interrupted, and this is often considered to be rigidity or related to emotion regulation. The truth is complicated.
“Are you going to eat that?” My friend asked, looking at the untouched bowl of miso soup in front of me.
“[…] a real effort was made to accommodate various sensory needs and allow the kids in attendance to pursue activities they enjoyed and found interesting. Visual instruction sheets and other adaptations were provided for those who were nonverbal; a variety of stations, all loosely related to the weekly sport theme, were set up to allow for choice; and the event in general was one that encouraged the neurodivergent folks who came – parents and children alike – to have fun and bond with other like-minded people.”
Autism is misunderstood, as is pica. It takes a long time for some of it to be diagnosed, in my case forty-eight years for autism.
Miscommunication and misinterpretation of autistic people happens very early in life. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Or in modern
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