Not long ago, I had a book stall at an event unrelated to autism - a rare occasion for me as an autistic author and speaker. And I think it’s fair to say there are| Autistic Not Weird
When I was a teacher in a school for autistic students, it was well-noted that my biggest strength was my ability to build strong teacher-student relationships. My students engaged well in my classes, opened up| Autistic Not Weird
For this year's World Autism Acceptance Day, I made these fifty pictures and shared them to Autistic Not Weird's Facebook page [all links open in new tabs]. For those who don't already follow it, or want| Autistic Not Weird
A few years ago, one of my articles received this comment. “F*** YOU F***YOU F***YOU.You don’t even know anything about autism. It’s a f***ing curse that controls parents’ lives until they finally die!F*** YOU”(Obviously, this| Autistic Not Weird
So it’s World Autism Awareness Month again! Those who follow Autistic Not Weird’s Facebook page [links open in new tabs] will know that I often use the occasion to upload a ton of picture posts- not just to spread awareness but to encourage autism acceptance too. This year, instead of uploading facts about autism like I have in the past, I started an album called “Fifty ways to help autistic people“. And, as promised, here they are in one big […] The post 50 ways to help autistic pe...| Autistic Not Weird
I wasn’t very old at all when I first noticed I was different. I didn’t have a word for it until I was 24, but my differences have rarely been a secret – to me or anyone else. And sometimes, sadly, other people make those differences an issue. They shouldn’t be any problem at all, but not everyone appreciates difference. This is another article I’ve put off writing because it’s such a difficult subject, but it’s clearly in high […] The post A brief guide to coping with bein...| Autistic Not Weird
I don’t like Christmastime. And I should be allowed to say that without being criticised for it. Don’t get me wrong, I love what Christmas stands for. But December is that month when Expectation Claus sneaks into your house, instructs you to follow all these traditions (whether you’re comfortable with them or not), and you’re not allowed to tell him you’re sad because everyone is supposed to be happy and joyous at Christmas. It’s the rules. Like everything else in […] The post A...| Autistic Not Weird
The internet is full of advice articles for parents. So just for once, this one’s for children themselves! I can’t believe I’m saying this, but this is my fiftieth article for Autistic Not Weird. So I thought I’d do something special for it. I used to be a schoolteacher (and now I work with autistic students outside of schools), and this is the advice I would give to children growing up on the autism spectrum. Something important before we begin: […] The post Fifty pieces of advice ...| Autistic Not Weird