#Autism Advocate

[amalgamationillustration]

Another caricature, this time Temple Grandin, who is so important when it comes to discussing autism and who pioneered a lot of techniques when it comes to humane animal handling techniques that were used in farming. She's a huge advocate for early diagnosis and assistance for autistic folk and she's also got a dry, direct, autistic sense of humour.

From an artistic standpoint she's also got some really interesting and unique facial features/proportions. She's just very cool and I really like her.

[southernsagestoryteller]

Laughter - Part II

Laughter – Part II

Laughter has certainly buoyed me through a lot of difficult days. Sometimes life is hard and situations aren’t funny in the moment but being able to laugh about them later is what kept me from sinking into despair. This is particularly true when I recall the turbulent years of raising my son with autism – particularly when we were stumbling through the time without an appropriate diagnosis.  Alex…

[maresirenum]

It snowed a lot yesterday where I live in england and it was so beautiful! i've always loved the sound of snow crunching beneath my feet, so I had to make a video of it!

[tonzadruffin]

Vibin' With Psychotherapist Keischa Pruden

Vibin’ With Psychotherapist Keischa Pruden

I had such a great conversation with psychotherapist Keischa Pruden about mental health. I figured sharing this convo would be a great way to close out The Vibe for the week! Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, tune in and take advantage of this free therapy session :-).

Much Love,

Tonza

P.S. If you prefer to…

[helenwhiteart-blog]

The Aspie butterfly effect

Adult women who discover they are Aspie’s are like butterflies; for they have been tightly bound in an ever-increasingly alien and limited format for what felt like too long and then, ultimately, the  extreme straightjacket effect of some sort of chrysalis experience prior to emerging through their diagnostic epiphany...

Picking up one of the threads of my last post, it seems to me that adult women who discover they are Aspie’s are like butterflies; for they have been tightly bound in an ever-increasingly alien and limited format for what felt like too long and then, ultimately, the  extreme straightjacket effect of some sort of chrysalis experience prior to emerging through their diagnostic epiphany. Throughout…

[growingupautie]

Black Friday sale! Nov. 28th – 29th. Over 40 Autism acceptance designs. Everything is up to 35% off -- that's $13 tees, $30 hoodies, $20 phone cases, stickers, magnets and way more. Get yours now! Only at:

https://www.teepublic.com/user/growingupaspie

[myautisticself]

Beauty in Disorder

I might get some backlash in using the term disorder, and while I’m a little hesitant to use such phrasing, it’s still how I refer to autism (at least in regards to myself). After all, as cheesy as it sounds autism does cause a lot of disorder in my life. But it also brings a lot of great things to my life as well.

Without a doubt I love my disorder. Being autistic certainly makes my life more…

[conqueringkate-blog]

Every decision

Every decision is based on my children. I’m not looking for applause or anything of that nature. It’s more of an observation. Before I actually make a choice, in my mind I run through what the outcome could be with each child involved. There are parents out there who agree, saying that’s how parenting should be. Then there are parents out there who will say I am doing things wrong. My children…

[illusiveyetis-blog]

Giving some love today

@officialgishwhes @mishacollins  I’m nominating my brother, Steven Kapp, autism advocate and researcher and neurodiversity movement pioneer.   Steven’s been tirelessly working to help make life easier to navigate for those on the autism spectrum since his freshman year at USC.  Now he’s a grad student at UCLA about to turn in his dissertation and earn his PhD.  Due to an argument with his adviser his dissertation topic became a contrasting piece between autism and psychopathy and why, despite the news media trying to blame mass shootings done by non-Muslim white people on “autistic type people,” those on the spectrum are far less likely to commit a premeditated crime of mass proportions.  This topic has been distressing him into delving into displaying some lower functioning autistic behaviors (ripping his hair out, binge eating, anything else that other overly stressed doctoral students display he’s been doing 10 fold). So he’s extra in need of love right now as having to delve into the psychopathic psyche rightfully disturbs and distresses him.  And every instance of a mass shooting or terror attack that happens while he’s working on it has just added to his distress.  Steven’s given talks on autism and the neurodiversity movement at various conferences all over North America.  He’s gone head to head in a debate with a top Autism $peaks board member whose told him that he “should’ve been aborted since no autistic people should be allowed a say in how they’re treated.”  This spurned him to become the first person to sit on the California State Board of Disabilities who was nominated both by the governor and the state senate- and to take the position with pride- despite being the only student and not professional on the board.  To start his work in creating positive and lasting policy to help others as soon as he could, even if it slowed his own progress in his studies. He writes thoughtful rebuttals to opinion pieces and articles posted against the autism community that are published in major publications.  Such as this one here http://www.thinkingautismguide.com/2014/08/a-critical-response-to-kids-who-beat.html.   My brother embodies the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam- working to repair the world through acts of kindness.  He goes above and beyond to help all those he can.  And he rarely acknowledges or accepts all the good he does due to all the things he hasn’t yet had the time or ability to accomplish.  Whether he’s picked or not for a prize, doesn’t really matter, I know he’s worthy  of all the good the world can offer him.  I just try to give him love every day, even if today I chose to do so in a public forum.   And while he does a lot to help me, his direct impact on me is less important than the impact he'll have on the future, the pathways he'll forge for my teammates' children and for others who are struggling to fit in this world of strange expectations instead of shining for who they are.  

And now I need to wrap this up despite how much more I’d love to be able to say about him and his work, since I need to help him pack for a prospective job opportunity in the UK helping to make life better for autistic adults there to become more independent so he can bring those policies back to the US to be implemented here.   Bon Voyage, baby bro, do fantastic things.  Keep being amazing! 

[maresirenum]

tw // mentions of injury, hospital, medical professionals and pain/pain insensitivity

there is something that I need to speak about so sorry for the long post, I don't know if this is a neurodivergent thing, but everyone thinks it's weird.

I have hyposensitivity in regards to pain.

Ever since I was little, I was always described as having a “high pain threshold”, but no one ever bothered to look into it further. The first time this happened I was chasing my dog around the garden and ran headfirst into a metal trampoline pole, splitting my eyebrow open! I had to have my eyebrow glued at the hospital and the nurses kept telling me it was going to hurt, but I didn't feel a thing. The second time this happened was when my brother accidentally stepped on my foot on a trampoline and the bruising was so bad the x-ray department were adamant I had broken my fifth metatarsal, but there I was with a potentially broken foot running around the waiting area. Thankfully, I hadn't broken my foot; it was just very severe bruising. People, especially doctors, don't understand that I don't feel pain on the same way others do. More medical professionals need to be aware of pain insensitivities and hypersensitivities in people which would make hospital trips a lot less stressful. It also needs to be spoken about more so that neurodiverse people can know the reason they have a high or low pain threshold.

[dictatorliv-blog]

So, I just drew a little bit.. And I make Ruki Gazette haha also, last week, I attended Humber College as a guest speaker, the students were EXCELLENT

[ariamalula]

Love-gun stunna.

[growingupautie]

Fear of having an Autistic child?

Q: I saw that you are having a baby soon. Are you worried that your son might turn out to be Autistic? A: I'm worried about a lot of things. I'm worried about scraped knees and bumps on the head. I'm worried about him being brought into the same world where I was continuously mocked, and bullied for being "different." A world with endless bickering about things that should be based on facts and not opinions. I'm worried about his heart getting broken when he starts dating. Worried about him learning to drive. I'm worried about him being allergic to the entire planet like me or having one of my other magical, and mystical ailments. I'm worried about his passion being extinguished by some jaded individual who thinks he "needs to be taken down a peg" or "taught a lesson." I'm worried about giving him the things that I never had and making sure he goes further than I ever could. I'm worried about juggling work, and family, about providing for my family. And most of all, I'm worried about...terrified of disappointing him. And yeah, I'm worried about Autism. Not him being Autistic, but the world's inability to accept him for it. For them to fail to understand that Autism isn't a curse, a disease or a mental illness, and for them to treat him like they did me. My Autism gave me innocence, intelligence, and abilities that other people just didn't seem to have, and in their jealousy tried their hardest to take away from me. Autism is to be celebrated, not feared and if you must worry about something, worry about why that question even needs to be asked. I hope that answers the question. -Nathan Alan McConnell

[childcare24hours]

Urge The Senate To Finish The Job With ABLE!-**Autism Votes **

http://advocacy.autismspeaks.org/c.frKNI3PCImE/b.9234963/k.1467/Urge_The_Senate_To_Finish_The_Job_With_ABLE/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx

[asdigest]

Founder of Speaking Autism Canada, Linda Mastroianni nominated for Wego Health Award

Founder of Speaking Autism Canada, Linda Mastroianni nominated for Wego Health Award

Linda Mastroianni is an Autism advocate and founder of Speaking Autism Canada. Autism Daily Newscast are delighted to share that Linda has been nominated for a 4th Annual Wego Health Award, under the ‘Advocating for Another’ category.

The website states:

‘There are lots of reasons why Health Activists get involved in advocacy – but this particular group of advocates has a special inspiration:…

[conqueringkate-blog]

Autism fun: Kinetic Sand

Autism fun: Kinetic Sand

I am always on the look out for some fun stuff to do with my #4. Admittedly, all the kiddos join in. Yes, even #1 the cool 16-year-old. My #2 used to have “moon sand”. It was cheap for a bunch of colors. Definitely messy, BUT kept her occupied for extended periods of time. It never dried out. However, the kids do spill it therefore you lose it along the way.  I actually used what I had left with…