April is Autism Awareness/Acceptance/Whatever Month, so let’s start with two posts about that.
- Amy Sequenzia declares April the Month to Beware of Autism Awareness
- Morénike Giwa Onaiwu lists all the things she is already aware of
Posts about “Autism Uncensored”:
- Maxfield Sparrow reviews “Autism Uncensored”
- Aaron Kappel on Warrior Parents and abuse
Other media and reviews:
- A new Writing While Autistic post from Rose Lemberg: Theory of mind.
- Bogi Takács reviews “An Unkindness of Ghosts”
- Reese Piper reviews “Keep the Change”
- J.R. Jackson explains why it’s okay for abled people to write about disabled people – sometimes.
- Gretchen Gales reviews “On the Edge of Gone,” “Wonderstruck,” and “The Mind’s Eye.”
Parent perspectives:
- In the wake of “Autism Uncensored” and “To Siri With Love”, Sarah Kurchak interviews her own mother
- MOM-NOS explains why she hasn’t written a book about her son
Posts about autistic people being treated terribly:
- Julia Bascom’s remarks on the Disability Day of Mourning
- Laura Dorwart on isolation boxes in schools
- ADAPT protested at the White House in March to call for an end to the use of contingent electric shocks at the Judge Rotenberg Centre
- Eric Garcia updates us on what happened to Arnaldo Rios, the autistic person Charles Kinsey was taking care of when he was famously shot by police in 2016
- An 8-year-old autistic boy in New Mexico was charged with criminal battery for hitting his teacher during a meltdown
Posts about autistic people being treated not-terribly:
- How Lisa Ann McKenzie opened a barbershop specializing in autistic children’s hair (This post verges close to inspiration porn in places – heck, it is literally from a category called “inspired life” – but I did like reading about the effort and patience that went into figuring out how to provide a service that these kids need. YMMV.)
- A study at the University of London found that higher rates of autism acceptance predict lower levels of depression and stress (but not anxiety) in autistic adults
Posts about what life is like in general:
- A BBC special introduces us to the lives of six adult-diagnosed autistic women
- Oolong on executive dysfunction
- C.L. Bridge on the pressure to conform to stereotypes
Misc:
- Real Social Skills on when people with other disabilities stereotype autism
- Real Social Skills on the difference between disability and being trapped
I haven’t read the document myself, but thought it would be useful for reference, at least – the official recommendations for policymakers, caregivers, et al in Ontario. (reference meaning among other things what people are theoretically using as a reference point, and also potentially for comment by someone who is herself autistic)
http://www.behaviourinnovations.com/sites/default/files/PDF/ONTABA%20OSETT-ASD%20REPORT.pdf