Autistics relying on self-diagnosis concern me, but not for the reasons readers might assume. The cost of a diagnostic assessment prevents too many people from getting the help they need and deserve. Distinguish between not liking that people have no choice but self-diagnose and my concerns that self-diagnoses aren’t sufficient…
Category: Education
Posts on teaching, studying, educational systems, and institutions.
NOTE: This rant is cross-posted and expanded from the Rogue Rhetorician, where I focus on rhetoric and philosophy. It’s been a decade since an academic supervisor wrote that my various creative and non-fiction writings were all of little value. He took my sarcasm, my jabs at academia and academic writing, seriously and…
Once again I’m preparing for a low-paying adjunct assignment, vowing this will be the last time I work so hard for so little money. My base salary is $1900 per class. I spend a lot of time on these classes, updating existing materials and preparing new. Regardless of the term…
Podcast Episode 0058; Season 4, Episode 22, March 2, 2021 Catherine (“Cat”) Guimard-Payen provides life coaching to autistic women, but that’s not why I asked her to join us on The Autistic Me Podcast. Catherine is also autistic and the parent of four Neurodiverse children, two with autism and two…
Podcast Episode 0056; Season 04, Episode 20; February 16, 2021 They Begged… So This is Their Episode Daddy tends to be a pushover when the girls ask to learn. This time, they wanted to learn how the podcasting gear works. So, we set up the Zoom R16, three microphones, and off we went.…
Our daughters, now known as “Leigh” and “Anne” on The Autistic Me, are Neurodiverse. They share some traits, share traits with me, and also have their individual needs. Their adoption was finalized in May 2019, or as they say, “We adopted you, Daddy!” The girls are everything to me. We…
Parenting comes with anxiety and stress. Those are part of the bargain when you decide to bring children into your life. Susan and I are natural worriers. We hope for the best, prepare for the worst. We have emergency kits in the cars. We keep a stocked pantry. We bought a…
Podcast 0053; Season 04, Episode 17; January 26, 2021 Autism encompasses social and physical disabilities. Traits become disabilities when they limit “normal” daily routines and life activities. My sensory sensitivities exist whether or not I interact with other people. I’m not going to cope well with bright light (including sunlight) or…
My wife and I have two neurodiverse young daughters. The girls are in the first and third grades, ages at which doctors verify or revise diagnoses. As parents, we reference my experiences with the health and education systems to evaluate the services provided to the girls. Reading Rosie Weldon’s autobiography…
My personal traumas might seem minor, yet they are traumas that cause me a lot of misery. If I’ve had a bad experience somewhere, I relive it when I pass nearby. In Minneapolis, I struggled to walk or drive past some buildings on the university campuses. In Pittsburgh, I could…