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…
Category: Employment
Posts on the employment challenges faced by autistics.
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…
Podcast 0052; Season 04, Episode 16; January 5, 2021 I’ve been reflecting a lot on friendships, the connections I don’t have. Many autistics I know are more social than I am, especially online. Not every autistic is an introvert, especially in virtual communities. My autistic traits and introversion lead to personal…
The future scares me. The Pessimistic Me dominates my internal deliberations when I try to prepare for the future. I’m an odd mix of pessimist and optimist, which isn’t easy to explain. A friend said that’s true of other creators and entrepreneurs. Yes, I gamble on the future, but I prepare…
What follows is the letter I wish I could send to prospective employers. Dear Employers: I want to work. I would be a dedicated, reliable employee. Give me an opportunity and I’ll prove my value. Previous cover letters focused on my academic and professional qualifications. However, during interviews it becomes…
Podcast Episode 0050; Season 04, Episode 14; December 15, 2020 Self-Care is Self-Preservation When does being autistic mean we’re disabled? Autism becomes a disability when we cannot perform routine daily functions, either for fun or work. Daniel Sansing and Ben Sorensen discuss the autistic need for self-care. Autistic masking and struggles to “fit” into groups leave…
Podcast 048; Season 4, Episode 12; November 17, 2020 What I’ve Learned about Teaching I’ve learned a lot about teaching over the last 30 years. Like everyone else, I’ve been learning about teaching since my first day as a student. Unfortunately, the lessons suggest that education is broken, and so…
Podcast 047; Season 4, Episode 11; November 10, 2020 Please don’t add chaos to the world. Follow directions. I try to teach my students the value of directions. As parents, my wife and I try to teach the same lesson to our daughters. When you follow directions, fewer things go wrong, there’s less chaos,…
Followers of The Autistic Me blog and podcast send along emails and direct social media messages with topic suggestions and questions. Many of these, I have answered in the past. I try to address private questions when asked, as well. What questions should I be addressing? Which topics are valuable to…
Podcast Episode 0041; Season 04, Episode 05; September 29, 2020 Our conversion continues with the quirky, witty, caffeinated, and bearded Australian media personality Ben Sorensen talks with us about humor, masking, and life-hacking. Follow Ben at BenSorensen1 on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Ben Sorensen: https://www.bensorensen1.com https://www.facebook.com/BenSorensen1/ https://allmylinks.com/bensorensen1 Being True to the Autistic You…