This is a beautiful article from Tiny Buddha by Lori Deschene. The full article is here . I think it ties in with our recent discussions around masking, unmasking, and setting boundaries. And it’s relevant to autistic people as we are often overly sensitive to our own and others’ emotions, even the feelings of animals. And unfortunately, since our reactions are often criticized or unwelcome, we learn to mask and hide or bury our true feelings, so others not only don’t get t

This is a fantastic article by Keiran Rose and Jade Farrington describing the costs to both masking and unmasking. It more closely describes my experience than anything else I’ve ever read about autistic masking. I’ve copied a few paragraphs below in italics, but I recommend the whole article if you have time, it’s quite long. Delving into the Complexities of Autistic Masking & Unmasking Safely They describe how autistic masking is much more than intentionally acting a certai

As the holidays approach, I find myself holding two truths at once. There can be real sweetness - quiet mornings, familiar rituals, moments of connection - and also a deep sense of strain. For many Autistic people (and neurodivergent families), the holidays are less about celebration and more about endurance. The sensory load, the social expectations, the pressure to emote cheer… it can be a lot. This week’s article is a reflection on autism and the holidays and the things th

The holidays can be a time of coziness and companionship or they can be a time of overwhelm and difficulty or a strange mix of both. I recall feeling so distressed when working in a department store thirty years ago and Christmas began before Hallowe'en. Boxes upon boxes of decorations and lights to unpack. A half dozen or more twelve foot themed trees to decorate. Shelves of dishes, glasses, towels and small electronics to stock and restock and prices to be increased to late

Relationships involving ADHD, autism, or both (AuDHD) can be deeply meaningful, emotionally rich, and intensely rewarding. But they can also come with unique communication hurdles, sensory mismatches, emotional misfires, and executive functioning clashes that neurotypical couples may never face.

Here is a copy of the brief I submitted: Written Submission for Pre-Budget Consultations for Federal Budget 2025    By: True Taylor July 2024 I. Recommendations:   ●     Recommendation 1: That the government includes specific initiatives in the National Autism Strategy (NAS) to find, diagnose, support, and assist older autistic adults and autistic seniors . Recommendation 2: That the recommendations for the National Autism Strategy (NAS) outlined in the brief provided by the

Greetings friends, Warm wishes to you. :) I, for one, am hopeful that the next generation of autistic youth will have easier, healthier lives than those of us who've come before them. Awareness is the first step towards inclusion...though there is still much ground to be covered for the lives of autistic persons to become less precarious. I am sharing this email which I received today from the PHAC (Public Health Agency of Canada) regarding "World Autism Awareness Day" in cas

"Something groundbreaking for basic income is happening in the Canadian Senate. Bill S-233  (An Act to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income)  is one vote away from passage in Committee . If it is passed in Committee, it returns to the Senate where we have every expectation that it already has the votes to pass Third Reading and be sent to the House of Commons." (from PEIWGLI Update # 15) Just popping by to ask for your kind support. Please copy,

On Wed. Nov. 22nd, 2023 PEI made history with release of a landmark paper on Basic Income . This collaborative effort was the result of many, many volunteer hours by amazing and diverse specialists from across Canada. Thanks to this report, with its concentrated focus on the nuts and bolts of what a 5-7 year Guaranteed Basic Income demonstration project could look like here on PEI, Islanders (and all Canadians) can get a better feel for how a basic income demonstration rollo

Please help put the pressure on Ottawa for a no strings attached Basic Income Guarantee NOW! Dear friends, I am reaching out yet again at the end of another week of just awful world news. If you need a break from reading emails and blog posts and are choosing time away from digital technologies I very much understand and respect that. If you have a bit of time and energy to briefly read on, thank you. All the awfulness in the news of late is enough to shut this deep feeling h

This is just a quick post to request your signature on a Basic Income Guarantee petition by Lead Now Canada. https://act.leadnow.ca/senate-BI-23/?utm_source=leadnow&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=blast2023-10-16&source=1 As well, here is a quick video by UBI Works : While I am not a huge fan of UBI Works, I am sharing this link because it is, to me, a good video. I am not a huge UBI fan because they are in support of basic income for all instead of just targeting those who ne

Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) or Guaranteed Livable Income (GLI) or even Basic Income (BI) are three different names for one very important idea whose time for action has come! A Basic Income is a just way of distributing money so that those who are most marginalized by the current economic system are able to have the opportunity that many others take for granted...to participate in the economy and to meet their basic needs with dignity! The PEI Working Group for a Livable In

This is a very interesting/insightful thread I copied from Twitter before the storm, in the 'how does this total stranger know so much about my life' category. Some of our conversation at the meeting Saturday reminded me of it so I thought I would share. Written by Dr Sam Porter @PerinatalBirder His Twitter profile describes him as " #Neurodivergent Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist" and he describes this thread "Here’s a thread I’ve written for psychiatrists to help them pi

This article from The Guardian is about the UK but I'm sure this happens in Canada as well, maybe not as much because I think its more difficult to get diagnosed as an adult in Canada. "In recent years, the number of people diagnosed with autism has rocketed; a study of diagnosis trends, published in August, found the median age for diagnosis is 10 for males and 13 for females, and there was a 787% exponential increase in its recorded incidence, in the 20 years to 2018. " At

Autistic spiky profiles and positivity ! is about something called "spiky profiles" which is a term I was not familiar with but according to the writer its a common term in the 'autistic community' :) Although I wasn't familiar with the term, it is certainly a concept I'm familiar with"we are good at some things, bad at other things, and the difference between the two tends to be much greater than it is for most other people"from N euroclastic . Most other people referred

This article was recently shared on twitter. Are Co-occurring Conditions Part of Autism ? This was written by Max Sparrow It's a couple years old but I thought it was interesting especially when you consider the way autism is defined compared to what non autistic people often think it is. It talks about the many co-occurring conditions that autistic individuals may have and yet those conditions are not actually autism. But at the same time you're more likely to get a diagnosi

I saw this on Facebook this morning from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network . Although I've already posted a couple other descriptions of autism, I enjoyed this one because its not as clinical and its also not all negative. "Autism is a developmental disability that affects how we experience the world around us. Autistic people are an important part of the world. Autism is a normal part of life, and makes us who we are. Autism has always existed. Autistic people are born

I saw a thread on twitter recently that started "Still investigating what it means to be semi-speaking" and continued with a list of examples of what semi-speaking means for the OP. I found it very interesting for a few reasons. I first heard about this condition a few years ago, some people refer to it as selective mutism or being semi verbal. (I've added some info at the bottom as I now think these are two separate conditions) It is basically "an anxiety disorder in whic

Unmasking This is a very thoughtful/interesting article on a great website. In fact, I added the website to our resources as there are many great articles by Mykola Bilokonsky and other guest writers. As usual, I would love to know what other autistic adults/seniors think of this article. It talks about dropping the mask, both the active and passive masks and being your natural self: "It turns out it’s easier than you may think to stop a lot of your active masking behaviors

Th is is an extract from Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby "Hannah Gadsby on her autism diagnosis: ‘I’ve always been plagued by a sense that I was a little out of whack’ Even as a child, the comedian knew her brain was atypical. But it was only in her late 20s that her anxiety, depression and meltdowns finally made sense." This is a terrific article . I identified with much of what she has to say including what she says about meltdowns, shutdowns, executive function,