stigma

Image contains white text with black borders stating "Black Autistic Lives Matter" in all caps on a white background. Photo credit: Jen White Johnson

When It Comes To Autism, Black Lives Matter

A group of renowned advocates and Black and/or PoC led autism organizations have united to express disappointment about a Today Parents article entitled Why there’s a war between parents of children with autism and autistic adults which was initially published (on August 13, 2021) with no identifiable people of color featured or quoted.  Though several …

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Two blue text bubbles; the one on the right states, "Public Comment."

Let’s hope they don’t kick me off: these IACC public comments though…

So…I was recently appointed to the IACC, which is the federal advisory board that handles important autism-related matters at the national level. There were ~40-ish? people appointed in total, including 23 public members…and a full EIGHT of us public members are autistic! I am beyond grateful to have an opportunity to serve my community in …

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“Neurodiversity Is Dead?” Ion think so. Letter to the Mad In America Editor.

(Image is an autism acceptance word cloud of multiple colors. Source: unknown) Today I wrote a letter to the editor and the president of “Mad in America” about an ableist and disturbing article that they published on their site. Here is what I wrote: “Dear editor, I am writing to express major concerns over your …

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Twelve Days

My mother told me that when I was a baby/toddler, I had a fascination with the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” I used to script it constantly, singing it at socially inappropriate volumes (i.e. extremely loudly) in public places as well as at home – even when it was nowhere near Christmastime/winter. Another mother …

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accuracy afternoon alarm clock analogue

A Year After: Remembering Elisha Henson

When my kids were younger, I often sang to them to put them to sleep. I am not a fan of most lullabies (babies falling out of cradles? Really?), so the songs I usually sang to them were worship songs and/or R&B or pop songs. Often the lyrics had to be modified a bit, but …

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hands, family, parent

Attachment Parenting While Black and Autistic

(This post also appears on the “Respectfully Connected: Journeys in Parenting and Neurodivergence” blog HERE.) As much as I can, I avoid those types of offices when my younger children are with me. You know the type: quiet, sterile, not child friendly. Offices where food, drinks, and/or electronic devices are not allowed and where a security …

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The Hypocrisy of “I Stand Sunday”

This whole situation annoys me so much that I actually wasn’t going to even write any blog posts about it. I’ve vented about it on FB, but that was as far as it was going to go. But then a few minutes ago I saw a post online about #IStandSunday written by Phil Robertson of …

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